Chapter 169 Sara's Point of View As soon as Eva's footsteps faded down the hallway, I collapsed back into my chair, my heart pounding against my ribs. Mother's laughter filled the room that rich, triumphant sound I'd heard so many times before. "Did you see her face?" Mother poured herself a glas
Chapter 170 Max's Point of View My hands shook as Clara entered my office with a manila envelope. After weeks of wondering and sleepless nights, the moment I'd been waiting for was here. "The DNA results have arrived, Mr. Graves," Clara said quietly, setting the envelope on my desk. Her face show
Chapter 171 Max's Point of View The DNA results trembled in my hand as I watched Eva's face change from shock to anger. The warm evening air suddenly felt thick with tension. The paper between us felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, carrying the weight of all our past mistakes and future battle
Chapter 172 EVA POINT OF VIEW I couldn't stop my hands from shaking as I called Mia. Max had just left, but I could still hear him threatening to take my children. The house felt too quiet, too empty. "Mia, I need tickets to Paris." My voice was barely steady. "Six first-class seats for tomorrow
Chapter 173 Max's Point of View I was going through another boring report when Clara burst into my office, looking like she'd seen a ghost. "Mr. Graves!" She was practically shaking. "Someone's hacked our entire system! Everything's down, emails, servers, trading platforms, everything!" I rubbed
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Eva, crying because of me. Our son, smart enough to notice, brave enough to try to fix it. Clara's phone rang. Her face fell as she listened. "Sir," she said after hanging up, "there's an emergency board meeting at Brown Enterprise. They're voting to remov
Chapter 174 Eva's Point of View The Brown Enterprises boardroom felt smaller than I remembered. These walls had witnessed decades of decisions that shaped our company's future, my father's legacy, my mother's dreams, our family's history. Now, the familiar mahogany paneling and floor-to-ceiling wi
Chapter 175 Eva's Point of View The voice belonged to Marcus Thompson. My father's lawyer and more importantly, his friend of thirty years strode into the boardroom with Max at his side. Something was different about Marcus. His usually pristine appearance showed signs of strain, his silver hair s
As Eva and Max walked back to the main house, the night air cool around them, Max kept his voice low. "Are you sure about this? Having her here?" "No," Eva admitted honestly. "But I'm even less sure about sending her away to be hunted by Diana." "She threatened our children, Eva," Max reminded her
Inside, Victoria stood awkwardly in the center of the living room, suddenly seeming unsure of herself. Without the cover of darkness, her scars were starkly visible under the warm lighting, the contrast between her damaged and undamaged sides even more pronounced. "I'll have clothes brought over,"
The convoy of black SUVs cut through the night, headlights carving paths through the fog. Eva sat in the back seat of the lead vehicle, watching rain streak across bulletproof glass. Across from her, Victoria stared out her own window, damaged profile turned away as if to spare Eva the sight of her
"Why help her?" Eva asked. "Why come after my family?" "Because it was the only thing that made the pain bearable," Victoria answered honestly. "Thinking that one day, you would understand what it feels like to lose everything." A flash of movement caught Eva's eye, something shifting in the shado
Chapter 299 Eva parked at the far end of the abandoned shipyard, exactly where Victoria had specified. The meeting had been Eva's idea, a bold move that Max had fought until he understood there was no other way to end this nightmare. Two days had passed since the children left. Two days of Eva and
Diana leaned back. "There are excellent surgeons overseas. Part of Louis's package includes consultations with specialists in Switzerland." Victoria touched her scars. "Too little, too late." "After tomorrow, you can disappear. Become someone new." "And what life does Eva deserve?" Diana's eyes
The coffee shop sat on the edge of downtown. Victoria chose a corner table with her back to the wall, hair swept forward to cover her scarred face. Through the windows, she watched for any sign of surveillance. Thirty-six hours had passed since her confrontation with Eva in the parking garage. Thir
"You were innocent," Max reminded her. "You didn't ask to be in that prison, didn't ask to be saved from the fire." "I know," Eva agreed, sitting on the edge of their bed. "But I did get to come back to all this, wealth, family, safety. While Victoria got a ruined face and six more years in prison.
And finally, to Mia: "Dance when you're sad, my little butterfly. Find joy even in hard times. Remember how much Mommy and Daddy love you." The garage fell silent as the final goodbyes approached. Eva and Max stood together, arms around each other, facing their four children lined up beside the wai