Chapter 409

Evelyn stopped asking.

She could guess why Oliver hadn't told Chloe—he probably didn’t want her to find out.

Seeing her silence, Chloe mistook Evelyn’s concern for something else and grew serious. "Don’t worry, Evelyn. Mr. Goldmann isn’t the type to fool around."

Evelyn arched a brow. "And how would you know that?"

Chloe pressed a hand to her chest dramatically. "I swear on my honor."

Evelyn smirked. "What honor?"

Chloe pouted and amended, "Fine, I’ll swear on my tiny savings account."

Evelyn burst into laughter.

Chloe’s tone turned earnest. "Mr. Goldmann has always known his boundaries. You’re the first woman he’s ever publicly dated. Honestly, I used to think a man like him would never settle down."

Curiosity flickered in Evelyn’s eyes. "What was he like before?"

She had never bothered to dig into Nathan’s past, but now, with nothing else to occupy her thoughts, the question slipped out.

Chloe leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Here’s a secret—Nathan wasn’t always so serious. When he was younger, Adrian Boucher used to bully him so badly he’d cry."

Evelyn blinked. "Nathan… cried?"

The image of the unshakable, ice-cold Nathan Goldmann reduced to tears by Adrian Boucher was almost too absurd to believe.

A new question surfaced. "If Adrian and Nathan grew up together, why aren’t the Bouchers and Goldmanns close?"

Even though the Bouchers were in politics and the Goldmanns in business, with no direct conflicts, their childhood friendship should have kept the families connected. Yet, there had never been any public ties between them.

Chloe glanced around before whispering, "The former head of the Boucher family and Mr. Goldmann Sr. were love rivals over Nathan’s mother. After that, they barely spoke."

Evelyn’s lips parted. "Love rivals?"

Chloe nodded. "Nathan’s mother, Victoria Knowles, was once involved with Yves Boucher. Everyone in Bassburgh from our parents’ generation knew about it. It was a huge scandal."

Victoria Knowles had been a star under Royal Crown, the most dazzling beauty in Bassburgh at the time. Her fame and influence rivaled even today’s top socialites.

Royal Crown hadn’t always belonged to the Goldmanns. Before Nathan’s father, Philip, won Victoria’s heart, Yves Boucher had been her lover for three years—though they kept it hidden.

But the Bouchers, an old-money political dynasty, could never accept an actress into their family. In the end, Yves chose his family over love, leaving Victoria behind.

After the breakup, rumors spread that Victoria had been dumped for failing to marry into wealth, tarnishing her reputation.

When Philip Goldmann later pursued her, Victoria was wary. But unlike Yves, Philip didn’t care about status. He bought Royal Crown just to make her happy.

Theodore Goldmann had initially opposed the match, just as the Bouchers had. But the difference was, while Yves had given up love for duty, Philip was willing to give up everything for Victoria.

Perhaps that was why she married him.

Even after their marriage, Philip never asked Victoria to leave the spotlight. He supported her career, even financing her films.