Chapter 264

Dominic dropped the twins at school before heading to T Corporation.

Evelyn sat silently in the backseat. The window was down, letting the icy wind whip against her face.

The biting air stung her porcelain skin. The pain helped clear her foggy mind.

Sebastian glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "It's freezing today, Ms. Sinclair. Mr. Blackwood will have my head if you get sick."

Evelyn shook her head without responding. She closed her eyes.

Sebastian studied her exhausted expression. Had she fought with the boss?

Unlikely.

After years as Dominic's right-hand man, he knew Evelyn's importance. Dominic cherished her above all else. Why would they argue?

Meanwhile, at the luxury mall.

Beatrice Lockwood strutted through the designer boutiques in a white mink coat, two shopping bags weighing down her arms. Her wealthy companions, Winifred Ashford and Marjorie Worthington, trailed behind.

The bags overflowed with designer purchases.

Shopping ranked second only to spa treatments in Beatrice's hobbies. After years of poverty, she relished spending lavishly.

She'd clawed her way into the Blackwood family using her beauty and cunning. First seducing Edmund Blackwood, then leveraging her son's position to become his legal wife.

Who cared if she'd been the mistress?

Susan Armstrong's existence meant nothing now.

She'd secured her place in the Blackwood dynasty. Her son controlled T Corporation. She'd won.

With Robert Sinclair dead, her final obstacle had vanished. Every ruthless choice had been worth it.

Then her credit card declined.

"Try again!" Beatrice slammed the card on the counter. "This is impossible!"

Luke had imposed spending limits. Ten million monthly - once gone, no more.

Beatrice always burned through it quickly. This month was no exception.

Winifred sneered at the clerk. "Do you know who you're dealing with? This is Mrs. Blackwood!"

Marjorie added, "A lowly salesgirl daring to embarrass Mrs. Blackwood? Do you want to lose your job?"

The clerk trembled. "Your total is $1,049,000. The system shows you've exceeded your limit."

Beatrice called Sebastian, demanding he contact finance.

"I'll need Mr. Blackwood's approval," he replied.

"Useless!" She hung up.

Dominic's phone was off.

Nearby, Lillian Prescott observed the scene through oversized sunglasses. She'd researched Dominic's family thoroughly.

Beatrice looked elegant in her fur coat, but Lillian recognized vulgarity beneath the polished surface.

Nothing like her refined adoptive mother Genevieve.

Normally, Lillian would scorn such women. But Beatrice was Dominic's mother - a potential pawn.

"Allow me," Lillian placed her platinum card on the counter. She turned with a dazzling smile. "Mrs. Blackwood? I'm Lillian Prescott. Dominic and I work together on his perfume line."

Winifred whispered, "Her father's Jonathan Prescott - the Provincial Secretary."

Beatrice's demeanor shifted instantly. "Darling, you're even lovelier in person! I'll have Dominic reimburse you."

"Please, it's nothing." Lillian waved it off. "Consider it a gift."

After token protests, Beatrice accepted.

"You're stunning, dear. Surely you're taken?" Beatrice probed.

Lillian feigned shyness. "I've been focused on my career."

"No boyfriend? You'd make the perfect daughter-in-law!" Beatrice joked.

Winifred chimed in, "They'd make a striking couple."

Marjorie added, "If only my son were older..."

The flattery flowed. Lillian basked in it, blushing at the mention of matching with Dominic.

Beatrice beamed. Marrying Dominic to the Provincial Secretary's daughter would elevate her status further.

Unlike that commoner Evelyn, Lillian had breeding. Maybe she could pry Dominic away from that gold-digger.

"You must visit me," Beatrice insisted. "I get so lonely."

"Of course," Lillian agreed sweetly.

As Beatrice left with her friends, Lillian's smile turned calculating.

Dominic's materialistic mother would be easy to manipulate. With Beatrice's support and her own charms, winning Dominic seemed inevitable.