Chapter 523

The old woman was clearly trouble.

Little Oliver Sinclair huffed in protest.

"Pretty Lady is a princess! Bad old lady! You can't bully my princess!"

Margaret Blackwood scoffed. "She'll be your wicked stepmother soon enough."

Instantly, both Evelyn Sinclair and Preston Sinclair's expressions darkened.

The air turned icy.

Isabella Montgomery stayed silent, sensing the tension.

Evelyn pulled out her phone.

She dialed a number.

It was answered in seconds.

"Evelyn?" Nathan Blackwood's voice held surprise and delight.

She put the call on speaker.

Nathan stood nearby, watching from an elevated position.

He noted Evelyn's precision—her movements sharp, her agility impressive. She moved like a professional.

Several heavier participants were quickly eliminated.

A few kept up, but none matched Evelyn's skill.

Soon, only two remained on the blue team and two on the red.

Identical uniforms made it hard to distinguish them.

The red team struggled.

But the slimmer of the two was fast. They whispered to their partner before splitting up.

One circled behind, silent, avoiding detection. No gun was raised—just a swift chokehold.

Their target lost balance and fell.

"Ouch—my back!"

The voice belonged to a senior executive from Sterling Enterprises.

The blue team lost another member. Simultaneously, the remaining red team member fired.

Another blue team player was hit.

Now, only one remained on each side.

The eliminated group watched, murmuring. Nathan scanned the field—Evelyn was missing.

Meaning, she was the last red team member.

Admiration flickered in his gaze.

The woman he loved was extraordinary.

"Wait—is the blue team's last player President Sterling?" someone asked.

Indeed. Only Evelyn and Alexander Sterling hadn't returned.

Siblings turned rivals?

This would be interesting.

Excitement buzzed as binoculars were raised.

But before anyone could locate them—

A shot rang out.

Game over.

The blue team member showed signs of a hit.

Cheers erupted.

Evelyn dashed out, beaming, and threw her arms around Alexander.

She knew he'd let her win.

First round victory went to the red team.

Nathan studied her joy—a rare, unfiltered happiness he hadn't seen before.

A pang struck him. He'd missed so much of her life.

His jaw tightened.

After a break, round two began.

This time, Evelyn drew blue. Nathan got red.

Opponents.

His pulse quickened. Arrogance glinted in his eyes.

It had been years since he held a gun. The thrill was primal, buried deep but never forgotten.

He moved toward the perfect sniping spot.

Two steps in—

A shot.

Pain bloomed in his side.

"Seriously? Dead again?!"

"You're opponents now," someone reminded him.

Not teammates.

Evelyn smirked. "Exactly. I eliminated the enemy."

Wasn't that the point?

Silence.

No one had a rebuttal.