Chapter 277

The morning sun cast golden streaks across the bedroom as Evelyn stirred awake. Beside her, Nathaniel slept soundly, his breathing steady and calm. She traced the contours of his face with her gaze, marveling at how peaceful he looked.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," she whispered.

Alfred, their butler, entered with a tray of coffee and fresh pastries. "Good morning, Mrs. Martin. I thought you might appreciate an early breakfast before your meeting."

Evelyn smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Alfred. You always know what I need."

As she sipped her coffee, her phone buzzed. A message from Gregory flashed on the screen: "Emergency meeting at the office. We need to discuss the Summit Realty project ASAP."

Her stomach tightened. The Summit Realty deal had been nothing but trouble from the start. Sebastian Wilson, the company’s CEO, had been pushing unreasonable demands, and Jonathan Blake, their project manager, was equally difficult to work with.

Nathaniel stirred, his eyes fluttering open. "Morning," he murmured, voice rough with sleep.

Evelyn leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead. "Morning. Gregory just texted—there’s an issue with Summit Realty. I need to head in early."

Nathaniel frowned, sitting up. "Again? What now?"

She sighed. "I don’t know yet, but I have a feeling it’s not good."

He reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. "Let me know if you need me to step in."

Evelyn nodded, though she knew she wouldn’t ask. This was her project, her responsibility. She had to handle it herself.

The office was already buzzing when she arrived. Gabrielle, her assistant, rushed over the moment she stepped through the door.

"Gregory’s in the conference room with the Summit team. They’re… not happy," Gabrielle said in a hushed tone.

Evelyn squared her shoulders. "Then let’s go make them happy."

Inside the conference room, Gregory was locked in a heated discussion with Jonathan. Sebastian lounged in his chair, watching with an amused smirk.

Evelyn cleared her throat. "Gentlemen, I hear we have a problem."

Sebastian’s smirk widened. "Ah, Evelyn. Just the woman we’ve been waiting for."

She ignored the condescension in his tone. "What’s the issue?"

Jonathan slid a folder across the table. "Your latest designs don’t meet our specifications. We need revisions—immediately."

Evelyn flipped through the documents, her jaw tightening. These weren’t minor adjustments—they were complete redesigns.

Gregory shot her a warning look, but she wasn’t backing down. "These changes weren’t part of our original agreement. If you want them, we’ll need to renegotiate the timeline and budget."

Sebastian chuckled. "Or you could just do your job and deliver what we’re paying for."

The air in the room turned icy.

Evelyn met his gaze head-on. "We are doing our job. But if you keep moving the goalposts, we can’t be held responsible for the delays."

Silence stretched between them. Then, to her surprise, Sebastian leaned back, his smirk fading. "Fine. Let’s talk numbers."

As the meeting continued, Evelyn couldn’t shake the feeling that this was far from over.

And she was right.

Because as she left the conference room, her phone buzzed again—this time with a message from an unknown number:

"You should walk away from this deal, Evelyn. For your own good."

Her blood ran cold.

Who was warning her?

And why?

Isabella's eyes widened in shock as she whispered, "It's your family's influence making you think like this, isn't it?"

Nathaniel's voice was icy. "Isabella, I won't tolerate you chipping away at what little guilt I have left. You know this. Once it's gone, so are we. I won't lie—I did consider marrying you after you woke up. But that changed when you kept pushing."

His words were sharp, deliberate. Isabella froze, her breath catching in her throat.

Nathaniel watched her, his gaze unreadable. "So choose wisely."

It was a warning. A clear one. Evelyn was pregnant now. If anything happened to her or the baby, whatever remained between them would vanish.

Isabella bit her lip, struggling to keep her emotions in check. She clenched her hands until her knuckles turned white. One wrong word, and she’d lose him completely.

After a long silence, she forced a smile. "Nathaniel, I understand. You don’t have to worry. I won’t disappoint you." She took a shaky breath. "Actually, I came to tell you—I’ve made my decision. Let’s sign the contract."

She was agreeing to let the Martin Group take full control of her career, leveraging their resources to push her forward.

Nathaniel arched a brow. "You’re sure?"

"Yes." Her voice was steady, though her eyes glistened. "I’ll focus on my work. I won’t rely on you anymore."

The smile she gave him was fragile, her heart breaking behind it.

Nathaniel didn’t respond. Instead, he gestured to Samuel, who swiftly printed the contract. With a few strokes of his pen, Nathaniel sealed the deal—Isabella was now under the Martin Group’s entertainment division.

Though their film and entertainment branch was relatively new, the Martin name guaranteed prestige. For Isabella, this was the best path forward.

Tucking the contract into her bag, she left without another word.

The moment she stepped outside, she dialed Vanessa, her manager. "Dissolve the studio," she ordered, her voice low. "From now on, everything goes through the Martins."

Her grip on the phone tightened, her nails digging into her palm. This wasn’t over. Evelyn had ruined everything. And Isabella wouldn’t let that slide.

Back in the office, Nathaniel turned to Samuel. "Have Vanessa brought in. Make sure she understands the rules."

Samuel nodded. If Vanessa resisted, she’d be replaced. Simple as that.

By evening, Nathaniel was driving Evelyn back to Martin Manor, his thoughts already shifting to the future—one where Isabella was no longer a threat.