Chapter 129

The air in the bedroom was thick with tension when Evelyn finally located her phone.

Her screen lit up with a flood of notifications the moment she powered it on.

Harrison had texted: "Eve, what time are you finishing work? Dinner tonight?"

Her fingers flew across the screen to reply.

After sending the message, Evelyn refused to glance at Dominic standing by the bed. She took a steadying breath, turned the doorknob, and stormed out with feigned anger.

The bedroom door clicked shut behind her. Evelyn found herself in what appeared to be Maxwell's sprawling estate.

The clinking of glasses and murmur of conversation drifted up from downstairs - some sort of cocktail party in full swing.

Scanning the hallway, she realized the only exit was through the main entrance below. She tiptoed toward the staircase, holding her breath.

"Ms. Sinclair?" Sebastian's voice startled her as he ascended the stairs, catching her peering down from the second-floor landing.

Their eyes met. "Hello, Mr. Whitmore," Evelyn managed awkwardly.

Understanding dawned on Sebastian's face - now he knew why his boss kept glancing upstairs and had abruptly left the party. But why was Evelyn in the Lockwood manor?

Sebastian was perceptive. Circulating through the party, he'd overheard the gossip.

Rumors swirled that Maxwell had finally brought home a real girlfriend, though the poor girl had fainted from heatstroke.

The doctor had administered an IV - Sebastian noted the telltale mark on Evelyn's left hand.

It wasn't his place to question his boss's personal affairs. "Most guests downstairs are influential figures, Ms. Sinclair... Leaving now might be... complicated."

Evelyn wished for invisibility, but reality offered no such escape.

"Aunt Eve?" Alexander bounded up the stairs, game controller in one hand, adjusting his headphones with the other, dragging his sister along.

The twins charged toward her.

Predictably, they latched onto her legs.

No game could compete with Aunt Eve's presence.

"I'll be downstairs," Sebastian murmured before discreetly exiting.

"Aunt Eve, where's Daddy?" Isabella peered up, tiny fists clutching Evelyn's skirt.

Stuck on the staircase with two clinging children, Evelyn saw only one solution - return them to their father.

When she opened the door, Dominic stood silhouetted against the French windows - one hand in his pocket, the other massaging his furrowed brow.

His gaze snapped to her when she entered with the children.

"I have plans. Stay with your father," she told the twins, attempting to pry them loose.

But the clever children recognized abandonment when they saw it.

"I want Aunt Eve!" Isabella pouted, wrapping her arms around Evelyn's neck, her eyelashes fluttering against Evelyn's cheek like butterfly wings.

Dominic made no move to help, allowing his daughter to cling tighter.

Evelyn's phone chimed again.

Harrison's reply: "I'll pick you up."

"No need. Send the address. I'll take an Uber," she typed quickly.

His response came instantly: "I insist. That's what boyfriends do."

"Rush hour traffic is terrible," she countered.

Alexander read over her shoulder. "Aunt Eve, why does he say he's your boyfriend?" His voice trembled. "I thought Daddy was your boyfriend."

Evelyn kept her eyes down, avoiding Dominic's gaze. "Harrison is my actual boyfriend."

"What about Daddy?" Isabella asked.

"Your father is my employer." Evelyn forced a smile, patting Isabella's pale cheek.

Alexander turned tragic eyes to his father. "Daddy, is that true?"

Evelyn began disentangling small hands from her body, steeling herself against their heartbroken expressions.

Dominic watched coldly. When his children's eyes welled with tears, he thundered, "Stop!"

Evelyn froze mid-step.

The twins' sobs caught in their throats as their father strode toward them.

Evelyn turned, meeting Dominic's fathomless gaze.

"Why should I stop?"

Before she could react, Dominic closed the distance, pinning her against the door, his mouth crashing down on hers.

The kiss burned.

He claimed her lips with possessive intensity.

The world stilled. Her pulse roared in her ears, drowning out everything but the sinful sound of their mingled breath.

She shoved against his chest.

Dominic only deepened the kiss, his breathing growing ragged against her skin.

When he finally released her, he turned to the children. "Aunt Eve isn't anyone else's girlfriend. She's mine." His thumb traced her swollen lips.

The twins' tears transformed into joyous leaps and twirls.

"No, I'm not—" Evelyn's protest died as Dominic reclaimed her mouth.

This kiss was restrained - a father's consideration for young eyes - but no less devastating.

Isabella clapped. "Daddy kissed Aunt Eve!"

Beyond the children's sightline, Dominic cradled Evelyn's face, kissing her until her lips bloomed crimson. This woman had borne his children. She belonged to him.