Chapter 448

Evelyn hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing, "My mother knew him. He also told me that my mother died because of the sleeper virus."

Lillian pressed a hand to her mouth, shock evident in her widened eyes.

Harrison froze momentarily, his expression shifting in an instant.

He instructed Lillian to take Evelyn out while he remained in the silent study. No one could decipher his thoughts—only the growing darkness in his gaze as time passed.

As they descended the stairs, Lillian suddenly asked, "Evelyn, is what you said true? Your mother really—?"

"Yes. Uncle Edmund wouldn’t lie to me."

Evelyn trusted Edmund completely when it came to the truth about her mother’s death. Yet, the way Harrison’s expression had darkened lingered in her mind. "Aunt, do you know why Grandpa reacted like that when he heard about the virus?"

The affectionate address softened Lillian’s features, but her response was hesitant. "I don’t know. Your grandfather truly had no idea your mother was infected. Neither did I. No wonder she left with Sebastian..."

"Now I understand why Mom said only Sebastian could save her back then. But in the end, even he couldn’t."

Lillian’s eyes dimmed with sorrow. "There’s no cure for that virus. Even with the suppressants Sebastian developed, Miranda’s condition had already progressed too far by the time symptoms appeared—"

She stopped abruptly.

"Aunt? What’s wrong?" Evelyn frowned as Lillian’s face paled.

Lillian met her gaze. "The virus has a one-year incubation period. That means your mother was infected the same year the epidemic started. But that doesn’t make sense."

"Why not?"

"The epidemic thirty years ago only broke out after initial contact. The source was traced to a hotel’s water supply, but your mother never went there."

Lillian’s voice lowered. "During incubation, carriers showed no symptoms. The virus wasn’t airborne—it spread through direct contact, like bacteria on surfaces. But Miranda never left the de Arma estate before meeting Sebastian. She had no exposure to outsiders. So how was she infected?"

The question haunted Evelyn the entire ride back.

Mom’s infection was orchestrated. Just as Uncle Edmund said—this wasn’t a natural outbreak, but a weapon.

Her phone buzzed with a message from Nathan.

The suffocating silence in the car pressed down on her. Nathan barely spoke, leaving Evelyn scrambling for words to bridge the distance.

Oliver glanced at them through the rearview mirror, uneasy.

Mr. Goldmann contracted the virus because of those targeting his family. If he doesn’t divorce Evelyn now, he can’t protect her in his condition.

Only by severing ties with the Goldmanns can Evelyn be safe. Once the de Armas acknowledge her, no one would dare touch her in Stoslo.

Harrison’s influence is absolute. Those who targeted Evelyn before only did so because he wasn’t present. If anything happened to her now, they’d face the full wrath of the de Armas.