Chapter 370

"Evelyn, wait."

Evelyn froze mid-step, her irritation palpable. "Mr. Sterling, is there something else?"

"Nathan, I—"

Before he could continue, a familiar voice cut through the tension. "Nathan, what are you doing here?"

Eleanor's face brightened momentarily before darkening when she spotted Evelyn standing beside him. "You're still seeing this woman? Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?"

Nathan's expression turned stormy. "Mother, this is my personal matter. Stay out of it."

He reached for Evelyn's arm. "Let's leave."

Evelyn instinctively recoiled from his touch. "Mr. Sterling, please maintain some boundaries."

Turning to Eleanor, she spoke with icy politeness. "Rest assured, Mrs. Blackwell. There's absolutely nothing between your son and me."

Eleanor bristled at Evelyn's haughty demeanor. Though she secretly regretted not cultivating better relations with the Kingsley family through Evelyn, pride forced her to double down on her mistakes.

Thankfully, Nathan remained an exceptional catch with no shortage of admirers. Evelyn held no significance in her eyes.

With this thought, Eleanor abruptly pushed forward the woman accompanying her. "Nathan, this is Juliette Blackwood, the renowned designer I mentioned. Her family owns Blackwood Estates. She's perfect for you."

Eleanor's chin lifted triumphantly, as if silently declaring any woman Nathan chose would be infinitely superior to Evelyn.

Afraid of misunderstandings, Nathan interjected sharply. "Mother, enough of this nonsense."

Evelyn remained composed, her expression unreadable.

She turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, Juliette stepped forward. "Ms. Carter, your reputation precedes you. Seeing you in person, I understand why."

Juliette approached with a practiced smile. "Juliette Blackwood. It's an honor to meet the legendary Evelyn Carter."

When Evelyn didn't respond, she continued smoothly, "I heard you graduated from Coronia's School of Design. What a coincidence—we're alumni."

This finally drew Evelyn's attention. She paused, studying Juliette properly for the first time.

Juliette carried herself with polished elegance, her smile carefully calibrated to appear genuine. "Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Blackwood."

Juliette produced an embossed business card with gilded lettering. "Class of 2018. Which year did you graduate?"

Evelyn accepted the card. "2019. So you're my senior."

Juliette's smile widened. "The world truly is small."

Eleanor, who had been silently fuming, finally snapped. She yanked Juliette back. "You know this woman?"

Juliette explained calmly, "Not personally. We attended the same university."

Eleanor scoffed loudly. "Her? At Coronia? Don't make me laugh. Her family must have bribed their way in."