Chapter 334

Nathan stood motionless, his expression darkening by the second.

The following morning at the Goldmann estate...

Nathan strode into the grand living room where Theodore sat reading the morning paper. Without preamble, he demanded, "Did you visit Richard Vanderbilt yesterday?"

Theodore's newspaper crinkled as he lowered it, his lips curling in displeasure. "I merely had a conversation with him. What of it? Has Evelyn been complaining to you?"

"Then you had him followed?" Nathan's voice turned icy.

"Followed?" Theodore set the paper aside entirely, his bushy eyebrows drawing together. "Explain yourself."

He'd simply warned Richard about the consequences should Evelyn refuse to end things with his grandson. Standard procedure to eliminate potential threats.

But sending thugs? Never!

"After your little visit yesterday, Richard was brutally assaulted and hospitalized. Was that not your doing?" Nathan's knuckles whitened as he clenched his fists.

Theodore's face drained of color.

Someone had attacked Richard and framed him for it? The audacity!

"Absolutely not!" Theodore's cane struck the marble floor with a sharp crack. "If I wanted to teach that man a lesson, I'd do it openly, not through such cowardly means!"

This reeked of Vanderbilt scheming - turning his own grandson against him.

"Preposterous!" Theodore spat.

After a tense silence, Nathan chose to believe his grandfather. Theodore Goldmann didn't operate through back-alley beatings. But if not him... then who?

At Viana Jewelry Studio...

Evelyn froze mid-step when she entered her office to find Nathan waiting on her designer sofa. Her breath hitched before she schooled her features into careful neutrality.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice held practiced calm.

Nathan rose slowly, his tailored suit stretching across broad shoulders as he approached. "Zoe, I confronted my grandfather. It wasn't him."

Evelyn remained silent, her gaze fixed on the abstract painting behind him.

His hands gripped her shoulders gently but firmly. "You don't believe me?"

"I believe you," she murmured, still avoiding his piercing amber gaze. "But that changes nothing."

When she finally looked up, her eyes were hollow - a marionette going through motions. "Perhaps your grandfather's right about us."

"Evelyn Vanderbilt!" Nathan's roar shook the glass display cases. He only used her full name when pushed beyond limits.

Her indifference shattered his control. "I've told you before - even if the entire Goldmann family opposes us, I won't let you go. I'll get to the bottom of this."

"Isn't the de Arma family responsible for your mother's death?" The quiet question landed like a grenade.

Nathan recoiled as if struck.

His stunned expression confirmed everything Rosalind had revealed.

"Maybe we really shouldn't—"

"Enough!" Nathan crushed her against his chest, his heartbeat erratic against her cheek. "You're not leaving me. Not ever."

When she remained stiff in his arms, he realized his outburst had frightened her. His voice dropped to a rough whisper. "Trust me, Zoe."

Cradling her face, he forced her to meet his gaze. "The de Armas have nothing to do with you. I kept this from you because I wanted to protect you."

Evelyn's jaw tightened, her silence more painful than any words.

Nathan rested his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling. "Just... believe in me this once."

Against all logic, Evelyn felt her resolve crumbling. Like Gregory had advised - perhaps she should listen to her heart.

Her lashes fluttered shut as she whispered, "Okay. I trust you."