Chapter 926

Nathan's expression darkened. His obsidian eyes turned glacial. He took a deliberate step back, pivoted sharply, and strode toward the exit.

Jacqueline blocked his path. "Mr. Blackwood, won't you come inside?"

Her fingers nearly grazed his sleeve, but he jerked away as if burned.

Like she was something vile.

His voice dropped to a lethal whisper. "Back off. Killing you would be effortless—understand?"

A warning. Not just against touching him, but against the filthy ambitions swirling in her mind.

Jacqueline paled.

In seconds, Nathan vanished, leaving only icy silence in his wake.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, resentment flashing in her gaze. "I still have Lucas. You can't shake me off that easily."

Nathan had intended to confront the Sterlings for answers, but he aborted the mission mid-journey.

Fear paralyzed him. Fear of the questions. Fear of Evelyn's piercing gaze. Fear of the truth.

At Highland Estates.

Nathan returned to the hollow mansion. Evelyn's absence was a gaping wound. He discarded his coat and sank onto the sofa, wrestling with his emotions.

Heavy footsteps descended the stairs.

Then came Theodore's grating voice. "Mr. Blackwood, you're back?"

Nathan's eyes narrowed. "Why are you still here?"

Theodore scratched his head. "You never dismissed me..." As Nathan's butler, leaving wasn't an option.

Nathan's glare could freeze hell. "You helped conceal Evelyn's affair from me, didn't you?"

He'd ordered Theodore to monitor Evelyn, yet the man had fed him nothing.

Traitor.

Theodore stiffened, paling as he inched closer. "Mr. Blackwood, don't blame Harrison. His loyalty is unwavering! He never meant to deceive you!"

Nathan remained silent, the air around him thickening with frost.

Theodore swallowed hard.

"It was my idea to withhold the truth. Knowing earlier wouldn't have helped. You needed time—for emotions to settle, for the situation to resolve itself—"

Nathan scoffed. "Resolve? Wait for their wedding? Their children? Is that your brilliant strategy? I should've tossed you into the Aurora River."

He yanked out his phone. Theodore lunged forward, knees knocking.

"Mr. Blackwood, they're in the rebellious phase now. Any interference will backfire. But tell me—will the Sterlings ever accept a man with a bastard child?"

Nathan's fingers stilled.

Theodore pressed on. "The Sterlings would never condone this. They're waiting for you to act—to drive the wedge deeper. That way, Evelyn resents you, Preston gets disqualified, and third parties swoop in." His rapid analysis bordered on genius.

Nathan's lip curled. "The Sterlings aren't snobs."

"But Preston's tainted. An illegitimate heir? William Sterling would never humiliate his daughter like that. The scandal alone would ruin them."

Evelyn's status placed her beyond reach for most elites. Only fools dared dream of her post-divorce.

Had she remained married, they wouldn't even get that luxury.

Theodore leaned in.

"Preston's baiting you. If you interfere, Evelyn will despise you more. Isn't that exactly what he wants?"