Chapter 80

The coughing fit finally subsided. Robert Sinclair wiped his mouth with a trembling hand before speaking. "Evelyn...could you take a few days off? To visit Luojiazhen? Your grandfather's at the old house. Beatrice Lockwood might be going there too."

"Grandpa?" Evelyn's breath hitched.

"I thought he went to Japan with Aunt Gwendolyn. When did he return?" Her fingers tightened around the hospital bed rail.

Robert grasped his daughter's hand, his grip weak but urgent. Between shallow breaths, he explained everything. Just as he finished, the doctor entered for routine checks.

"I need to go, Dad." Evelyn kissed his forehead.

Robert nodded weakly.

Her mind reeled with the revelations about Grandpa as she exited the hospital. The sterile corridors blurred before her eyes.

Inside the ward, Robert extended his arm for bloodwork. His phone rang. Without checking the caller ID, he answered hoarsely, "Robert Sinclair speaking."

Beatrice Lockwood's voice crackled like dry parchment. "What's your daughter's name?"

Robert's entire body tensed. "Why do you care?" His fingers curled into fists.

The realization that it was Beatrice - the woman who'd never once asked about her own child - made his blood boil.

"Just tell me, damn it!" Beatrice shrieked.

"Evelyn Sinclair. It means 'light' because I wanted my daughter to shine bright, unlike you - a walking shadow!" Robert gasped for air between words. "Now what fresh hell are you planning?"

At Blackwood Manor, Beatrice's phone clattered to the marble floor.

Evelyn.

Her daughter's name was Evelyn.

Was this all some elaborate revenge plot?

"A twenty-four-year-old playing the innocent while scheming beneath that angelic face?" Beatrice's laugh turned manic. "You've fooled us all, Evelyn!"

Dominic Blackwood woke to Evelyn's call.

"I'm sorry - I promised to make breakfast, but something urgent came up. Please explain to Alexander and Isabella?" The line went dead before he could respond.

Since Vivienne Laurent hadn't arrived at Vivi Corporation yet, Evelyn called to request leave.

Thoughts of Grandpa - whom she hadn't seen in five years - made her hands shake. Tears spilled unchecked. A seventy-year-old man in failing health, abandoned in that crumbling town.

Grandpa had raised her from infancy.

He meant more to her than anyone - even her father.

In the taxi home, she made necessary calls - to Vivienne, Abigail Thornton, and finally Olivia Kensington, explaining she'd be away for several days.

Dominic's callback attempts met with a busy signal.

Evelyn booked the earliest high-speed rail ticket on her phone.

She packed essentials in ten minutes flat.

Years ago, Aunt Gwendolyn took Grandpa to Japan to escape Jennifer's toxicity. But when Gwendolyn's marriage collapsed, Grandpa found himself shipped back to China like unwanted luggage.

Evelyn seethed at her father's cowardice.

"How could you leave Grandpa in that dilapidated house? Is Jennifer Montgomery's comfort more important than your own father's wellbeing?"

The train station teemed with pickpockets. Evelyn clutched her bags protectively until safely boarded.

Work distracted her momentarily. Noise-canceling headphones created a bubble of focus.

Hunger eventually pierced her concentration. She nibbled a pre-packed sandwich absently.

Departing at 9:20 AM, she reached Luojiazhen by 11:00 AM. The unchanged station triggered a flood of nostalgia.

Tears pricked her eyes as she absorbed the familiar sights of her childhood hometown.

"Taxi! Five yuan per person!" A sun-leathered driver barked at disembarking passengers.

Evelyn shared a cab with three strangers.

Ten minutes later, she stood before the decaying two-story house.

Weeds sprouted between cracked bricks. Taking a steadying breath, she dragged her luggage through the rusted gate.

The front yard's overgrown grass showed recent trimming attempts. Inside, acrid smoke stung her nostrils.

There - Grandpa's hunched silhouette by the stove.

The old man coughed violently, eyes red-rimmed from smoke. Tear tracks gleamed on his soot-streaked cheeks. A bowl of rice and reheated vegetables sat neglected in the pot - the broth nearly evaporated from constant warming.

"Grandpa..." Evelyn rushed forward, embracing his frail frame.

The old man squinted through the smoke. "Who...?"

"It's me, Evie." She wiped his face tenderly with tissues, crying like a child. "Why didn't you tell me you were back? Even if Dad's sick, you still have me!"

"Evie?" Gnarled fingers touched her face wonderingly. "Robert said you're getting married. I didn't want to burden your new family." His clouded eyes searched hers as he patted her head. "My good girl...still so thoughtful."

Age-dimmed vision prevented him from recognizing how his granddaughter had blossomed.

"You could never be a burden." A deep voice resonated from the doorway.

Evelyn spun, tear-blurred vision clearing to reveal Dominic Blackwood silhouetted against the light. Behind him, a black Range Rover idled at the curb.

In her distress over Grandpa, she'd missed the vehicle's arrival.

Dominic stepped through the low doorway - his imposing height making the cramped space seem smaller. Their gazes locked. His dark eyes burned with quiet fury - anger at her for facing this alone, for not letting him share her burdens.