Chapter 255

At Sterling Manor, Rosalind Blackwell paced like a caged animal, phone clutched in sweating hands. Midnight approached with no word from the hired thugs.

She'd nearly decided to investigate personally when motorcycle engines roared outside.

"Tobias!" She flung the door open. "Did you get it?"

The gang leader removed his helmet, face unreadable. "My apologies, Ms. Blackwell."

Rosalind blinked. "For what? Don't tell me you failed against one woman!"

Tobias hesitated. "Are you certain about your target's description?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Returning your money," Tobias said flatly. "But you'll need to come with us now."

Rosalind's laugh turned shrill. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Payment for services rendered," Tobias recited mechanically. At his signal, gang members seized Rosalind's arms.

"You traitor! How much did that Carter bitch pay you? I'll triple it!"

"This isn't about money," Tobias said as they bound her wrists.

"Release me! The Blackwells will destroy you!" Rosalind's screams escalated until Tobias sighed.

"Someone gag her. My ears are bleeding."

The transparent tape silenced her mid-shriek.

They delivered Rosalind to police headquarters, where Tobias presented damning surveillance footage to detectives. Evelyn's attorney stood nearby, observing.

By dawn, Rosalind faced corporate espionage charges and immediate incarceration.

The Blackwell family learned the news next morning.

Nathan Sterling had just returned from Tokyo, battling jetlag, when his uncle Archibald Blackwell ambushed him in the parlor.

"Nathan, I beg you!" Archibald clutched his arm. "Rosalind would never steal from Kingsley Industries! This is clearly Evelyn's vendetta!"

Olivia Sinclair sobbed into a handkerchief. "You were married to that woman. Make her drop these absurd charges!"

Nathan sipped black coffee, his expression unreadable. The caffeine revived him, but his demeanor remained glacial.

When appeals failed, Archibald stormed upstairs to Margaret Winslow's meditation chamber. The family matriarch's tranquility shattered upon hearing the news.