Chapter 227

In Robert Sinclair's residence.

Victoria Montgomery returned from her weekly bridge game. She went to check on her daughter Sophia, only to find the girl curled up under her blanket.

"What's wrong with you? Still not done sleeping?" Victoria yanked the blanket away.

Sophia turned with a scowl. "Get out! This is my room!"

"Are you ill?" Victoria noticed her daughter's flushed face. She pressed a hand to Sophia's forehead.

The fever was undeniable.

Last night's humiliation still burned in Sophia's memory. Maxwell Lockwood had nearly taken her to bed in that room above his bar. Clothes discarded, passion rising - until he realized his mistake and threw her out into the chilly autumn night.

No wonder she'd caught a fever.

She'd called Lillian Prescott's agent first thing, claiming illness.

But her mind wasn't on Lillian. All day, one name had haunted her - Evelyn Sinclair.

Head swimming, Sophia propped herself against the headboard. Victoria returned with aspirin and water.

"Take these." The older woman sat on the bed's edge.

Sophia accepted the medicine but hesitated. "Mother, do you remember Uncle Robert's liver cancer five years ago?"

"Of course. Why ask now?" Victoria looked startled.

Sophia had spent all day brooding over this. "Then who paid for his transplant and treatment?"

Victoria frowned. "Evelyn mentioned... some charity foundation for liver cancer patients. Yes, it must have been a charity."

Otherwise Robert would have refused treatment to save money for Evelyn's education.

Sophia swallowed the pills with a bitter smile. "My sources say it wasn't a charity."

"Then how—" Victoria looked genuinely confused. Without charity funds, where would he get that kind of money?

Even their family savings wouldn't have covered it!

Sophia's eyes gleamed with malicious triumph. "Evelyn sold herself to a man in his fifties for that money."

Victoria gasped. "That's impossible!"

Feverish but energized, Sophia outlined her plan. "Come to the hospital with me tomorrow."

"Why?"

"We'll convince Uncle Robert to transfer the house title to us." Sophia massaged her injured fingers, already rehearsing tomorrow's conversation.

Downtown Apartment

After picking up the twins from school, Evelyn stopped at the grocery store for vegetables, meat, milk and bread.

She was preparing dinner when Dominic Blackwood arrived home unnoticed.

In the living room:

Alexander focused on his homework, pencil gripped tight as he copied vocabulary.

Isabella lay facedown on the couch, clearly upset.

"Why isn't your sister doing homework?" Dominic asked his son.

Alexander glanced at his father, then his sister. "She says she doesn't want to go to school anymore."

Isabella squirmed. "No homework! Hmph!"

Dominic didn't press the issue. He went to shower first.

By dinner time, Dominic emerged in dark casualwear - comfortable yet commanding.

"Come eat," he called softly.

The children reacted like subjects to a king.

Alexander nudged his sister. "School can be fun, Isabella."

"No it's not!" The little girl's pout trembled on the verge of tears.

Evelyn avoided looking at Dominic, focusing on the children. While Alexander adjusted well, Isabella struggled after the initial excitement faded.

This phase was normal. They just needed proper guidance.

"Dinner first, then we'll talk, okay?" Evelyn soothed, carrying Isabella to the table.

Dominic's stern expression darkened. "Explain."

Evelyn worried he'd frighten them.

Alexander picked up his spoon but didn't eat. "Isabella doesn't want to go to school or do homework anymore."

Dominic took a bite. "Not tomorrow? Or never?"

Evelyn observed quietly, unfamiliar with Dominic's parenting style.

Isabella's eyes welled up. "Never."

Noticing Dominic's expression shift, Evelyn intervened. "Let's eat first."

The tense meal ended quickly. While cleaning up, Isabella clung to Evelyn's leg, sobbing.

"Miss Evie...I'll...be a delivery girl...make money...take me away...I'm scared of Daddy..."

The red-faced child hiccuped through tears.

Evelyn carried Isabella to the couch, calming her for an hour until Dominic emerged from his study with a package.

"For you. Open it."

Isabella peeked at her father. "Mean Daddy..."

Evelyn booped the girl's nose. "I'll go scold Daddy now. Bad daddies need scolding."

Isabella nodded eagerly.

Approaching Dominic's study with the package, Evelyn sought an opening to discuss parenting. "Where's this from?"

As she opened the padded envelope, she continued, "Couldn't you be gentler with—"

The contents slipped from her fingers.

Evelyn's face burned crimson when she saw what lay on the floor.

"You bought this?"

Dominic's gaze traveled from the fallen items to her chest...