Chapter 141

"Aunt Eleanor, I've made my decision..." Evelyn Sinclair's voice trembled slightly. "May I become your daughter?"

A sharp intake of breath came through the phone as Eleanor Kingsley gasped in delight.

"Alexander's father and grandparents are overjoyed!" Eleanor spoke rapidly in her excitement. "Wait, let them talk to you."

Madeline Kingsley snatched the receiver first.

"My dear Evelyn, I've already prepared my jewelry box for you. The moment you officially join our family, I'll amend my will immediately."

Ahem. Patriarch Kingsley cleared his throat. "That foolish grandson of mine doesn't deserve you. From now on, you'll be the jewel of the Kingsley family. All my assets will go to you."

Though Alexander's father wasn't present, everyone knew his opinion held no weight.

"We can complete the paperwork today," Eleanor said eagerly. "When would you like to come home?"

"We must consult the almanac for an auspicious date," Madeline insisted.

"Absolutely. This calls for proper preparation," the patriarch agreed. "The adoption banquet for a Kingsley daughter must be magnificent."

All three unanimously decided to keep Alexander in the dark for now.

Evelyn ended the call and tossed an unopened pregnancy test into the trash.

The faint brown stain she'd discovered on her clothes this morning had made testing unnecessary.

Perhaps her irregular cycle resulted from recent stress.

......

The monthly meeting notice from Horizon Media's Financial Department arrived unexpectedly.

Penelope Pope had deliberately neglected to brief Evelyn before her leave, and no one in the team had reminded her.

"These materials need preparing for tomorrow," Evelyn assigned tasks in the group chat.

Team members immediately erupted.

[I can't finish my article today]

[Penelope never gave us this much work]

[Didn't Editor Sinclair coordinate with Penelope?]

[My husband threatened divorce if I work late again]

Evelyn read through the messages calmly.

"Send me Penelope's previous task distribution chart."

Someone promptly shared an altered version that minimized each member's workload.

Evelyn redistributed assignments accordingly.

The team froze in shock.

She'd taken on 90% of the workload herself.

"Let me help, sis." Intern Evan Wells approached with a bright smile.

The popular nineteen-year-old stood at an impressive 185cm.

"Can you handle PowerPoint?" Evelyn didn't look up.

"Of course!" Evan thumped his chest confidently.

They worked late into the night.

"I'll polish the formatting at home," Evan said with a wink before leaving.

He arrived late the next morning, just before the meeting.

"Overslept." He handed Evelyn a USB drive with an apologetic look.

She sent him to fetch coffee instead.

The Financial Department meeting hall was packed.

Melissa Lee sat at the head table, her gaze repeatedly darting toward Evelyn.

When Finance Team 5's turn came, Evelyn inserted the USB drive.

The screen displayed cartoon pigs shaking their bottoms.

"Want to see the next page?" a child's voice chirped. "Find the right piggy butt~"

Laughter erupted through the room.

"Evelyn Sinclair!" Melissa slammed the table.

Evelyn calmly removed the drive.

"Evan Wells, your USB."

"What?" Evan feigned ignorance. "Isn't that your presentation?"

Evelyn placed the drive on the table.

"It has your name on it."

Evan's face paled.

Slowly, Evelyn retrieved another USB from her bag.

The room fell silent.