Chapter 53
The phone's ringtone pierced the silence of the room.
Evelyn Sinclair stared at the flashing name on her screen, only answering at the last possible moment.
"Yes?"
Alexander Kingsley's voice came through the receiver like an ice-cold blade.
Evelyn was accustomed to this frostiness. She could practically see his expression—brows slightly furrowed, lips pressed thin, as if answering this call was beneath him.
"Mr. Kingsley." Her voice remained soft yet distant. "Please refrain from interfering with my work in the future. The Sinclairs may have fallen from grace, but we can handle our own affairs."
The sound of a pen tapping against a desk echoed through the line.
"And your assistant, Ethan Miller." Evelyn's light laugh tinkled like wind chimes—pleasant yet sharp. "He keeps insisting how much you've done for me. Let's not repeat that joke."
Her tone turned bitter. "An orphan like me could never deserve Lord Alex's concern."
The call disconnected abruptly.
Alexander stared at the darkened screen, his knuckles whitening.
Three seconds later, he redialed.
"The number you have reached is currently unavailable..."
The robotic voice confirmed he'd been blocked again.
......
"Please, Nathan." Isabella Winslow's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Just let me see him for a moment—"
A deafening crash erupted from the office.
Before Nathan Carter could react, a second explosion of sound followed.
The shattering of glass was unmistakable.
"Ms. Winslow, you should leave." Nathan barred the doorway, his gaze steely.
Isabella bit her lip in frustration.
Once she became Mrs. Kingsley, this guard dog would be the first to go.
......
Alexander's office resembled a war zone.
The computer monitor lay in spiderweb fractures, documents scattered everywhere. The floor-to-ceiling window had vanished entirely, allowing the night wind to howl through the gaping hole.
He stood motionless amidst the wreckage, his breathing even.
"Clean this up."
Nathan watched his employer stride away—suit immaculate, steps measured—as if the violent outburst had never occurred.
......
Ethan Miller crouched on the sidewalk like a discarded stray.
The black Maybach pulled up before him.
As the window lowered, Alexander's gaze made his blood run cold.
"You went to see her?"
The three words hit Ethan like blunt force trauma.
"Get in."
Alexander's calm tone was more terrifying than any shout. "It's over between us."
Ethan opened his mouth, but no sound emerged.
He'd never imagined Evelyn would actually leave. For years, she'd been Alexander's shadow—inescapable, indelible.
"Did you hear me?!"
Alexander suddenly lunged, gripping Ethan's shoulder with bruising force.
Blinding headlights split the darkness.
"Alex—"
The world spun violently.
Ethan's last conscious thought was the screech of twisting metal.
......
At six in the morning, the phone's shrill ring shattered the silence.
Evelyn awoke drenched in cold sweat.
"Miss Sinclair!" Ethan's sobbing voice crackled through the receiver. "Lord Alex... he's dying... He keeps calling your name..."
Her fingers clenched the bedsheet unconsciously.
"Late-night accident... truck driver fell asleep at the wheel..." Ethan babbled hysterically. "The front's completely crushed... I'm fine... Why wasn't it me..."
Evelyn's throat constricted.
"If you don't come, I'll have Sophie thrown out of the hospital!" Ethan suddenly snarled.
"Shut up!"
She slammed down the phone, grabbing her coat as she bolted from the apartment.
In the hospital corridor, she collided with Eleanor Kingsley.
The woman's ashen face made Evelyn's legs buckle.
Mr. Kingsley steadied his swaying wife, his gaze meeting Evelyn's with unreadable complexity.
The ICU lights burned painfully bright.