Chapter 421

Nathan strode into the room, pulling out the chair with a quiet scrape before settling across from Evelyn. "Still not feeling well?" His voice carried that familiar deep timbre.

Evelyn shook her head, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the tablecloth. "Why did you bring Uncle Edmund here?"

A muscle twitched near Nathan's eye. "I called him. After what happened at the gala, I needed backup." His jaw tightened. "Couldn't risk anything happening to you."

The silence stretched between them like taffy before Evelyn voiced the question burning in her chest. "Nathan, tell me truthfully - were you investigating your mother's death in Stoslo?"

His fingers stilled against the polished mahogany. The lack of response spoke volumes.

She exhaled sharply, pressing her lips together until they turned white. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this because of me."

Nathan's hand closed over hers, warm against her chilled skin. "I knew it was a trap the moment they dangled my mother's case." His thumb brushed her knuckles. "That's why I brought Edmund. If anything happened to me, you'd still have protection."

Evelyn's breath hitched.

He'd walked into danger knowingly? For her?

Her lashes fluttered. "Why reopen your mother's case now? Is it because—"

Nathan's gaze held hers for three heartbeats before he spoke. "Because the de Armas weren't responsible."

Evelyn's head snapped up. "How did you—?"

Even Theodore Goldmann had believed the de Armas guilty. When she'd confronted Harrison about it, the old man hadn't denied it. His hatred for the Goldmanns ran bone-deep.

Nathan's expression remained unreadable. "Rosalind confessed their involvement. The de Armas were scapegoats."

The pieces clicked together. Dominic Kent's sudden interest. The left-wing faction's timing. Harrison's absence from Stoslo during the ambush.

Evelyn's fingers tightened around his. "There's something else. When Harrison sent Lucas to see me, he claimed your great-grandfather crippled him and murdered his father."

She hesitated. "But your grandfather told me a different story. Said Patrick Goldmann took Harrison hostage but released him unharmed."

Nathan's eyes darkened to stormcloud gray.

A knock interrupted them. Edmund stood in the doorway, his silver hair catching the light. "Am I interrupting?"

Nathan rose smoothly, adjusting his cuffs. "Mr. Lincoln, keep an eye on Zoe for me." His hand lingered on Evelyn's head like she was some unruly child before striding out.

Edmund waited until Nathan's footsteps faded. "You alright, kid?"

Evelyn exhaled. "Thanks to Nathan's timing." She chewed her lip. "Uncle Edmund, who were those men?"

Edmund moved to the window, his reflection ghostly against the glass. "Kent's people. Old Stoslo nobility, just like the de Armas. Only these ones still have the royal family's ear."

The way he said it made Evelyn's skin prickle. Like they'd just stepped onto a chessboard where every piece was razor-edged.