Chapter 74

Evelyn Sinclair stood frozen.

Madam Zade's scalding tears fell onto the back of her hand.

"Evelyn..." The name carried emotions too complex to decipher.

Trembling fingers brushed her cheek. "Mom finally found you..."

Evelyn instinctively stepped back.

For a split second, she glimpsed clarity in Madam Zade's eyes before they clouded over again.

"What's going on?" Vincent Sullivan's furious voice echoed from the doorway.

He strode forward to pull Evelyn away, but Madam Zade clutched his sleeve desperately.

"Vincent!" Her voice turned shrill. "Look! Evelyn's home!"

Vincent's pupils constricted violently.

Evelyn watched the titan of industry's fingers tremble uncontrollably.

"You...remember me?" His voice cracked with emotion.

It was the first time in ten years Madam Zade had spoken his name.

Only then did Evelyn notice the room's peculiarities—every sharp corner padded, the chain just long enough for limited mobility.

Vincent's eyes reddened.

"Thirteen years ago..." He spoke with difficulty. "At Greenhill Sanatorium..."

During Madam Zade's relapse, she'd stayed there under an alias. She'd met a mute little girl who curled up in corners.

"She called you Evelyn." Vincent smiled bitterly. "Because you always stared at the hibiscus in the courtyard."

Madam Zade had insisted on adopting the child.

The miracle happened at dusk. The girl suddenly threw herself into Madam Zade's arms, crying "Mommy" in a crystal-clear voice.

"You vanished the next day." Vincent's voice shook. "She searched for you like a madwoman..."

Evelyn's fingertips turned icy.

She remembered hibiscus flowers. But her memories of the sanatorium remained blank.

"I checked every girl named Evelyn." Madam Zade suddenly seized her hand. "But none were you..."

Evelyn's heart clenched.

So those strangers lingering outside her school had been searching for her?

......

At 3 a.m., the town car appeared punctually at the alley.

Madam Zade clutched a thermos, peering eagerly through the window.

"Evelyn, I made pear soup." She hurriedly pulled her inside. "Your voice sounds hoarse."

Evelyn's phone showed 99+ unread messages:

Take your vitamins

Wear layers tomorrow

Made your favorite osmanthus cakes

More meticulous than Eleanor Kingsley. More doting than Isabella Winslow.

Her replies stayed deliberately casual:

Drinking bubble tea

Bought new lipstick

Only edited three articles today

Then the printing plant scandal broke.

Vincent issued one command: "Someone bullied Evelyn."

Madam Zade, who hadn't left home in a decade, had her hair styled, wore a cheongsam, even applied the lipstick Evelyn gifted her.

......

"Miss Sinclair shows remarkable courage." Vincent praised her unabashedly before William Yearwood. "If my wife's condition were exposed..."

William's smile looked strained.

He'd noticed Madam Zade's strangeness—the death grip on Evelyn's sleeve, the unnervingly fervent gaze.

But with two power players present, he forced a chuckle: "What reward would you like, Evelyn?"

"I recommend Martha Nash." Evelyn met his gaze squarely.

William raised an eyebrow. A department head position was a small price for the Sullivans' favor.

When the transfer order arrived, the entertainment division erupted.

"Director Nash!" someone shrieked.

Martha stood stunned.

Evelyn bounced over. "What did I tell you?"

"What?" Martha played dumb.

"Editor Sinclair!" another voice called.

Martha smacked her back. "Look at you now!"

Fingering her shiny new badge, Evelyn recalled Madam Zade's morning text:

Evelyn, Mom's so proud of you.