Chapter 215
"It's not that..." Evelyn's protest was feeble. "I know even if we're caught, you have the power to silence the media. I'm just exhausted after work and want to go back to my room to rest."
Dominic studied her with an intense gaze. He leaned in, deliberately lowering his voice, enunciating each word. "I won't suppress the scandal if it breaks. When I saw the headlines this morning declaring you as his lawfully wedded wife, I nearly lost my mind from jealousy. Now that you're making headlines with him again, do you really care if the world finds out about us?"
Evelyn glanced around, worried the children might overhear. Though startled, she kept her voice hushed. "That was just for identification purposes. There's nothing to be jealous about. Don't be ridiculous."
She knew Maxwell had no love for her—their marriage was forced out of spite. Even if he harbored any twisted affection, that warped union was nothing to be proud of.
But she wasn’t a man. She couldn’t comprehend the depths of male jealousy.
Evelyn didn’t push further, afraid of provoking him. Her main concern was the children—whether they’d bear the brunt of his temper on the drive home.
Without her there to shield them, she feared he might take his anger out on them.
The twins had been unusually quiet around their father lately.
While Dominic was consumed by envy, Evelyn remained clear-headed.
She couldn’t leave with him.
"If you don’t let me stake my claim this once, I’ll never forgive you." Dominic’s expression darkened as he spotted Sebastian approaching. "If pushed, I won’t hesitate to leak our intimate photos to the press. Imagine the scandal—the virtuous Mrs. Lockwood caught in an affair."
He turned away.
Evelyn froze, her grip tightening on her laptop. His words echoed in her mind.
Intimate photos…
How does he have those?
She was a light sleeper. She didn’t recall either of them using their phones at the old house or the hotel.
Where did those photos come from?
Sebastian greeted her politely before slipping into the car and driving off.
He respected—and feared—his boss’s woman. He never knew whether to treat her as a colleague or something more.
Even after the Bentley disappeared, Evelyn remained rooted in place.
Maybe I’m not as light a sleeper as I thought. Did he take those photos while I was unconscious?
Her face burned at the memory of his relentless stamina, how she’d nearly blacked out during their heated encounters. Maybe she had passed out, and he’d seized the opportunity…
As she rejoined her colleagues, she texted Dominic.
[When did you take those photos?]
Ten minutes passed with no reply.
[Did you get my message? If you took them, delete them immediately.]
She wanted to send a voice note but feared Sebastian or the children might overhear if he played it aloud.
Half an hour later, the group started preparing dinner. Evelyn tucked her phone away and helped.
Dinner ended by 6:30 PM, though daylight lingered.
Still no response. He was clearly still furious. She had no choice but to call him…
She also needed to know if he’d taken his anger out on the twins…
"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable—"
She hung up, defeated.
That night, sleep eluded her.
At 9 PM, her aunt Gwendolyn messaged her. The profile picture didn’t look like her.
After some small talk, Evelyn promised: [I’ll return to A City with my colleagues this weekend. I’ll visit Father and Grandfather first, then record videos for you.]
By 11 PM, exhaustion finally pulled her into a fitful sleep.
The next morning, she woke to blinking notifications.
Olivia had sent multiple texts.
[Are you awake, Evie? Didn’t want to call and wake you. Reply when you see this.]
[You’re trending again. Please tell me you’re still asleep?]
[Never mind. Rest well. The news isn’t worth losing sleep over.]
Evelyn immediately opened a browser.
The headlines were everywhere—accompanied by photos.
No surprise—they were from yesterday. Her sitting in the countryside, eating lunch. Beside her, Lillian in casual wear and Maxwell laughing while holding a child.
The background crowd was blurred, but the narrative was clear: Evelyn and Lillian are friends.
If Evelyn was Maxwell’s wife, and Maxwell treated Lillian like a sister, then Lillian would naturally respect her as a sister-in-law.
Lillian’s fans rallied. "Why is she getting hate right after her debut? Look at the proof—Maxwell and Lillian are like siblings! Their relationship isn’t shady!"
Evelyn didn’t care how the media spun it.
She couldn’t afford to. Ignoring it was her only option.
But she couldn’t shake the worry—would that man lose his mind all over again seeing Maxwell and her in the headlines?
Uneasy, she tried calling Dominic again. No answer.
She had no choice but to call Sebastian.
It was still early. Sebastian had been fielding calls from media outlets all morning. His boss had been livid seeing Evelyn publicly tied to Maxwell again.
Mid-call, his phone rang.
He glanced at Dominic, who had buried himself in work since returning to A City, then said, "Mr. Blackwood, it’s Ms. Sinclair."
Dominic’s phone was off—hence Evelyn calling Sebastian.
Dominic nodded. Sebastian answered on speaker.
Evelyn fired off questions. Sebastian answered patiently.
Finally, she sighed. "Thank you, Mr. Whitmore. I’m just worried he might take his temper out on the children…"
The "bad-tempered man" said nothing.