Chapter 481

Evelyn turned to face the middle-aged man.

He had been dismissed, yet he couldn't complain. Walking away with his life intact was a blessing.

Evelyn picked up her phone, responding to Sophia’s message. Over the past three years, she had secretly kept in touch with Sophia, though she never revealed her location—only that she was abroad.

Through their exchanges, Evelyn had learned that the Laurent family and her grandfather had been searching for her relentlessly.

The children were thriving under the Goldmanns' care. Liam was being groomed as the next successor, shadowing Theodore just as Nathan once had.

But Evelyn never asked about Nathan. Why was Liam being prepared for this role so young? And why had the Goldmanns suddenly taken them in?

She sifted through a stack of photos. For three years in Morwich, she had remained unseen—no media had captured her face. The world only knew Mr. Henry had a daughter named Alice.

Now, someone was using Hanns Place employees to photograph her. Had her location been compromised?

Could it be him?

Evelyn approached the study. The two guards at the door nodded respectfully. "Ma'am."

She acknowledged them with a slight tilt of her head and pushed open the door. Inside, Sebastian was deep in conversation with another man.

The man turned, and Evelyn’s breath caught. "Uncle Edmund?"

Edmund rose with a warm smile. "It’s been too long."

Sebastian stood as well. "I was just about to tell you Edmund had returned."

Evelyn stepped forward, her lips curving slightly. "Father, am I interrupting?"

Sebastian brushed a hand over her hair, his gaze tender. "Never. Now that Edmund is here, you two should catch up. I have work to attend to."

Buttoning his suit jacket, he left the room.

Edmund studied her. "Have you been well these past three years, Zoe?"

"Yes," she replied softly. "Father has been kind—perhaps because of his love for Mother."

A thought struck her. "And you? I heard you weren’t in Zlokova. Where have you been?"

Edmund settled onto the couch. "I had unfinished business in Stoslo. Ran into some trouble."

Her pulse quickened. "What kind of trouble?"

She remembered returning to Stoslo with him—Edmund hadn’t been back then. Had something happened?

Edmund sipped his coffee, his expression unreadable. "Nothing serious. I crossed the wrong people. They wanted revenge. Luck was on my side."

Evelyn lowered her gaze. If he had truly been in danger, he wouldn’t be here now. Yet guilt pricked at her—Edmund had helped her before. Had that put him at risk?

"Zoe," Edmund said gently. "Sebastian told me what happened three years ago. I wish I’d been there."

She paused, then offered a faint smile. "It’s in the past."

"Do you know who was behind the accident?"

Her hands clenched. She would never forget the explosion that took her father and Chloe.

The only lead? The person she’d seen just before—Rosalind.