Chapter 588

Nathan's gaze turned icy for a brief moment before he stood up to bid farewell to the Sterlings.

William had clearly witnessed the tension between them.

He knew Nathan hadn't given up on Evelyn—if anything, the man was bordering on obsessive. But that was fine.

Let him taste the same torment he'd once inflicted on Evelyn.

William exchanged polite pleasantries before signaling the butler to escort Nathan out.

Just as Nathan was about to leave, Leo, curled up on the sofa, suddenly leaped into his arms, refusing to let him go.

"Papa, I'll miss you. I love you forever."

Evelyn froze, staring at the traitorous AI tiger.

Jealousy clouded her judgment.

"If you love him that much, why don't you just move in with him?"

Leo's AI brain couldn't decipher whether she was serious or joking.

Hadn't Evelyn always been its favorite?

With a reluctant flick of its tail, Leo padded over and pawed at her shoes.

"Mama, I love you more..."

Nathan scoffed. "Forget it. Just a two-faced tiger."

The butler ushered Nathan out. Evelyn stretched lazily, ready to retreat upstairs for some rest.

William stopped her, fingers tapping lightly against the armrest. "What exactly is going on between you and Nathan?"

Anyone could tell something was off.

They didn’t act like a couple, but neither did they behave like bitter exes.

Evelyn pressed her lips together, her expression briefly unreadable.

"It's nothing serious."

But William knew better.

Evelyn was ruthlessly logical when it came to important matters—especially regarding Nathan after everything that had happened.

If she said it was nothing, then she was definitely playing with fire.

A tired smile tugged at William’s lips.

"Fine, play if you must. Our family can afford the fallout. Just be careful not to get burned."

It was a warning, but a gentle one.

Evelyn arched a brow. "I won’t."

"Honestly, Preston Sinclair isn’t a bad option. At least he’s better than Nathan. He’s letting his son stay with us, and the boy is adorable. More importantly, you like him. If you choose Preston, I’ll support you."

William had given it some thought.

Compared to Nathan, Preston was the lesser of two evils.

His influence was overseas, meaning he wouldn’t be tangled in Nathan’s mess. Worth considering.

Evelyn, halfway up the stairs, turned sharply at his words, frowning.

"Dad, marriage is a grave I just crawled out of. Why would I jump back in?"

William burst out laughing. "Fair point!"

The rain came in the middle of the night, pattering noisily against the windows.

Evelyn slept soundly, turning over in bed. In the corner, Leo switched from quiet mode to silent, settling down instantly.

She didn’t know if Lucas had returned—his car wasn’t there when she left for work early the next morning.

Bennett, however, was in an unusually chatty mood.

"President, I heard last night’s banquet was legendary. Mr. Whitmore’s remarriage will go down in history."

Not surprising that Bennett knew. With so many guests, gossip was inevitable.

Evelyn smirked. "Oh, it was legendary, alright."

Before she could reach her office, she spotted a woman at reception, deep in conversation with the secretary.

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed.

That woman was last night’s star.

The secretary didn’t recognize Vivian Lockwood, and without an appointment, she wasn’t allowed in.

"Ms. Lockwood?"