Evelyn stepped out of the bedroom after a bath, her hair still damp.
Grace Miller had already arrived.
She had bought a mountain of groceries and was now neatly stacking them in the fridge and cabinets.
Seeing Evelyn, she smiled.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Sterling.”
“Good afternoon, Grace. I’m sorry to put you out like this.” Evelyn’s voice was soft.
“It’s my job. Don’t worry about it.”
Grace paused, then asked, “What would you like for lunch? Western or Chinese?”
“Chinese. I’m not a fan of Western food. You can decide the rest.”
“Alright. Lunch will be ready in about half an hour. You can watch TV or read a magazine while you wait.”
“Thank you.” Evelyn turned and walked out of the kitchen.
She settled onto the living room sofa.
Her mind drifted to Lily Thompson.
What was happening back at the manor?
Lily must have been terrified today.
Evelyn sighed, then went upstairs to grab her new phone.
She dialed Lily’s number.
“Lily, it’s me.” Evelyn’s voice was calm.
“Young madam? Young madam, where are you? Are you alright?” Lily’s voice was frantic with worry.
“I’m fine. I just called to put your mind at ease.”
“Young madam, you’re safe! But on the way back, the driver and I… our car was rear-ended!”
“Are you and Ethan okay?” Evelyn’s heart clenched.
It was worse than she had thought.
Thank God she had changed her mind at the last minute.
She had called Charlotte instead.
If she had called the driver, even if she had escaped the hospital safely, she would have been ambushed on the road.
Just as she had suspected.
Those people who failed at the hospital would have found another way to strike.
And the car sent to pick her up would have been their primary target.
“We’re fine, but the car is damaged. Someone from the other vehicle got out, looked at it, and then drove off.”
“The car doesn’t matter. As long as you’re both safe.” Evelyn tried to sound reassuring.
“Xiao Chen and I are fine. But young madam, you have to be careful these days. Those people seem to be targeting you.” Lily hesitated before adding, “I think so, at least.”
“I know. I’ll take care of myself. You should be careful too. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.”
Evelyn ended the call and sat back down on the sofa.
The other side clearly wasn’t interested in a drink.
Their real target wasn’t her.
It was Alexander.
The thought made her worry even more about his safety.
Grace came out of the dining room.
“Lunch is ready. Two dishes and a soup. Please, come eat.”
Evelyn invited Grace to join her.
Grace declined, saying she had already eaten.
She told Evelyn to take her time and that she would clean up later.
Evelyn nodded, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat.
She needed to keep her strength up.
She had to think clearly.
That evening, Alexander called.
Evelyn was sitting by the bay window, flipping through a magazine.
“Alexander, is everything okay over there?” she asked as soon as she answered.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’m sorry you have to stay in the new house for now.”
“New house?” Evelyn was confused.
“I wanted to surprise you. I didn’t expect to use it so soon.”
He paused.
“I bought this villa a few years ago. I never lived in it. Recently, I had someone redecorate it. I was planning for us to move in after the baby was born.”
“Why do we need to move? What about Sterling Manor?” Evelyn was even more puzzled.
“We’ll live in both places, taking turns.”
He explained.
“Mom never really liked the location of Sterling Manor. I was the one who insisted on building it there. Things have been unsettled at home lately. Mom thinks we should move out for a while.”
“I was going to wait until after the baby was born. But now it’s happening sooner. It doesn’t matter. The rooms are all set up. We just need to move in.”
“Alexander, is this really that serious?” Evelyn couldn’t help asking.
It was clearly more than just a simple move.
And he had arranged for bodyguards to watch her around the clock.
This was far more serious than she had imagined.
“It’s a bit tricky. But don’t worry. It will be resolved.” Alexander’s voice was soothing.
“Is it about Vivian?” Evelyn hesitated, then asked.
“Yes.” Alexander didn’t avoid the question.
“What does she want? Does she want the fifty-five percent of the shares? Is there no room for negotiation?”
“There’s no room for negotiation.”
“What do we do now?”
“We’ll have to play it by ear.” Alexander paused. “Evelyn, this won’t last long. At most, half a month. Then things will go back to normal.”
“Alexander…” Evelyn wanted to ask more, but the words wouldn’t come.
“Evelyn, we’re husband and wife. You can tell me anything.”
“Have you become enemies with Vivian?” As soon as she asked, she felt foolish.
After everything that had happened today, it was obvious.
Vivian was trying to kill her and Alexander.
Asking if they were enemies now was ridiculous.
They were already at war.
“You could say that. Evelyn, she is no longer our sister.”
“I understand. You have to be careful. I don’t care about anything else. As long as you are safe and healthy.” Evelyn’s voice was firm.
“I know. I’ll take care of myself. You do the same. Go to bed early tonight. Don’t worry. This will all be over soon.”
“Okay.” Evelyn said.
She believed Alexander could solve this.
Even if it was difficult.
So she wasn’t worried that things would get worse.
She wasn’t worried that there was no way out.
But it was heartbreaking.
A family, torn apart like this.
Most of the time, she couldn’t understand why Vivian wanted so much.
If her goal was just money, ten percent of the Sterling Group’s shares would be enough for a life of luxury.
Why did she have to insist on fifty-five percent?
Why put herself in such a desperate situation?
After all, money was just a number after a certain point.
But everyone thought differently.
The saying was true.
A man’s heart is never satisfied.
Evelyn couldn’t help but sigh.
A moment later, she realized she had forgotten to ask Alexander something.
Had her family called?
Did they know about her current situation?