Back in his office, Noah slammed the laptop shut.
The image of Evelyn smiling at the reporters, confidently saying she wouldn't reject a proposal—it seared into his mind like a branding iron.
He couldn't focus. Couldn't breathe.
Leo, his assistant, stepped into the room cautiously. "Mr. Lancaster, the meeting with the mayor starts in twenty minutes."
"Cancel it," Noah snapped.
Leo froze. "Sir, it's the mayor—"
"I said cancel it!"
Without another word, Noah grabbed his coat and stormed out of the building.
He didn't know exactly where he was headed.
He just knew one thing:
He had to see her.
⸻
Evelyn had just stepped off the press stage when her phone buzzed.
Adrian:
"Beautifully done. That was even better than we rehearsed."
She smirked slightly.
He knew how to keep the game interesting.
Before she could reply, another message lit up the screen.
Noah:
"We need to talk. Now."
She stared at the message.
Then typed back calmly:
"You don't get to demand things from me anymore, Mr. Lancaster."
⸻
Noah's jaw tightened as he read her reply.
"She thinks I'm just going to back off?" he muttered, slamming his car door.
He started the engine and pulled out of the lot with a screech.
"If she won't come to me… I'll go to her."
⸻
Across the city, headlines were already flooding social media:
"Lancaster's Ex-Wife Reignites Society Scandal!"
"Billionaire Rival Proposes—Is Evelyn Shaw the Most Desired Woman in the City?"
And at the eye of the storm, Evelyn stood tall—calm, radiant.
For the first time, the power wasn't in their hands.
It was in hers.