Chapter 135
The air in the conference room froze.
William Yearwood's hand trembled slightly as he gripped his phone.
Melissa Lee's voice continued relentlessly through the speaker. "Evelyn must have destroyed all the evidence. If push comes to shove, we'll pin it on Penelope. She's pregnant—what can Alexander possibly do to her?"
Before she could finish—
Alexander Kingsley suddenly laughed.
The sound carried clearly through the phone.
Melissa's voice cut off mid-sentence.
Dead silence spread from the device.
She finally realized the magnitude of her mistake.
The call disconnected in panic.
"Your company's corporate culture is truly eye-opening," Alexander said leisurely. "Especially Director Lee's problem-solving methods—absolutely unparalleled."
He was genuinely amused.
Watching Evelyn Sinclair calmly navigate this farce gave him an odd sense of pleasure.
When she firmly denied writing the article, her bright eyes sparkled with mischief.
Perhaps she had orchestrated this entire trap from the beginning...
Penelope Pope covered her face, sobbing.
More heartbreaking than Alexander's fury was being discarded like trash by Melissa.
"This farce ends now." Alexander stood. "My legal team will handle the rest."
His gaze lingered on Evelyn for a fleeting moment.
To others, it looked indifferent. Only Nathan Carter and Ethan Miller recognized the tenderness beneath.
"Miss Sinclair," Nathan deliberately announced to the room, "Lord Alex expects to see you unharmed in court."
The words were impeccably crafted—
Preserving Alexander's dignity while conveying concern for Evelyn.
Most importantly, it served as a warning to everyone present.
Ethan watched Nathan with admiration.
He could never phrase things so flawlessly. His words always backfired.
......
Alexander arrived like a storm but left in eerie calm.
His反常 behavior left Horizon Media baffled.
Yet details from the meeting spread like wildfire.
Everyone knew Evelyn wrote the article.
But no one could prove it.
If she denied it, then it wasn't hers.
An unsolvable paradox.
Even more perplexing was her information source.
And Alexander's stance remained ambiguous.
Had he come to condemn—or to protect?
No one could tell.
But everyone waited with bated breath for the other shoe to drop.
Penelope was forced on leave.
Her pregnancy saved her job—for now. But team leadership had already transferred to Evelyn.
The very新人 she'd schemed to suppress.
The irony cut deep. Her worst fear had materialized in the cruelest way possible.
......
In William's office, Melissa sat pale-faced.
"Do you know why you lost?"
"Underestimation."
"With this performance, how can you handle greater responsibilities? If Alexander pursues this, even I can't protect you!"
After the scolding, William softened his tone. "Melissa, you've had it too easy. To outshine Evelyn, clever tricks aren't enough."
Evelyn was indeed capable.
But the real issue was Melissa's lack of experience.
William hoped this lesson would force her to grow...
......
At dusk, Evelyn spotted Alexander's car outside Horizon Media.
Ethan bounded over eagerly.
"Miss Sinclair, Lord Alex came personally to take you to dinner."
His blinking eyes screamed "You should be grateful."
Evelyn: "...Thanks."
Ethan: "Lord Alex reserved Red Splendor. Please, this way—"
Evelyn: "...Alright."
Alexander arrived first in a separate car.
When Evelyn took her seat, he handed her the menu. "Not sure if your tastes changed. Order for yourself."
After the dessert rejection, he'd learned caution.
Had she changed—or had he never truly known her?
"Anything's fine." Evelyn randomly pointed to a dish.
Only then did she realize—it was Alexander's favorite.
Thirteen years of habits were etched into her bones.
Dinner passed in silence.
Neither mentioned the day's events.
Until Evelyn set down her fork.
She took out her phone and met Alexander's gaze directly:
"Let's reconnect on WeChat."