Chapter 174

The peaceful atmosphere in the car was abruptly shattered by the ringing of Evelyn's phone. The caller ID flashed Gregory Fannon's name.

Evelyn's expression darkened the moment she answered.

"Uncle Gregory..."

She stepped off the elevator on the 16th floor and found Gregory deep in discussion with several staff members.

He paused mid-sentence when he heard her voice, excusing himself to approach her. "You're back."

"What's going on?" Evelyn's tone was sharp. How had things escalated so quickly in just three days?

Gregory's face was grim. "I don't know the full details either. It's the Laurent family. Aside from Taylor Jewelry, they've pressured all our suppliers into cutting off our mineral raw material shipments."

"The Laurent family?"

Evelyn's jaw tightened.

Was this because of Vivian?

She had assumed Vivian would stay quiet after everything that had happened. But now, with the backing of the Laurents, she was stirring up trouble again?

"Zoe, our current stock of raw materials won't last more than a week. If we don't secure new suppliers, our custom orders will be delayed."

Gregory hadn't expected the Laurents to retaliate so harshly over Vivian. The only reason they dared to disregard Nova was because of Madam Lillian de Arma.

"Our clients won't face delays."

Evelyn crossed her arms, her voice icy. "We still have a week. If our suppliers are breaching contracts under pressure from the Laurents, then we'll demand compensation for their breach."

Soul Jewelry Studio might be new, but that didn’t mean they would bow to intimidation.

Meanwhile, at the Goldmann mansion...

Nathan’s eyes turned glacial at Oliver’s report. "The Laurents are targeting Soul Jewelry Studio?"

Oliver nodded. "It’s because of Vivian. She’s dating Lucas Laurent now, isn’t she?"

Nathan’s expression darkened at the mention of her name.

The memory of how she had deceived him and stolen Evelyn’s identity six years ago still made his blood boil.

His fingers clenched, knuckles cracking under the pressure. "If the Laurents want to play dirty with Zoe, then let’s see how Lillian reacts when she finds out Zoe is her niece."

Even if the de Armas didn’t value Evelyn, the Goldmanns did.

His woman didn’t need their approval.

Since Lillian dared to target Evelyn, he wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate.

At Millennial Gemstone Inc....

"You must be joking! Double the compensation for breach of contract?"

A furious voice erupted from the chairman’s office. The middle-aged man slammed the contract onto the table. "A small company like yours dares to make such demands? We agreed to work with you out of goodwill, and now you have the audacity to demand penalties?"

Gregory’s eyes burned with anger. "What do you mean, Mr. Peterson? The contract clearly states that breach of contract results in double compensation. You were the ones who violated it first!"

Mr. Peterson scoffed. "That’s not our problem. You offended the Laurents. Take it up with them if you dare."

"You—"

Gregory was about to snap back when Evelyn, lounging on the sofa with her sunglasses perched on her nose, finally spoke.

Her lips curled into a dangerous smile. "It seems I overestimated Millennial Gemstone’s professionalism, Mr. Peterson. If you refuse to honor the contract terms, then we’ll settle this in court."

She rose gracefully, arms crossed. "Shall we?"