Chapter 169

Cassandra Delacroix didn't give a damn about consequences. She reached out to grab her father's arm. "Dad, why are you—"

Vincent Delacroix shoved her off, his mind replaying Evelyn Sinclair's warning. With a rough jerk, he yanked Cassandra back.

His grip was bruising. "Listen carefully. Evelyn Sinclair controls Sterling Corporation now. She could wipe this company off the map with a single word. So unless you want to end up penniless in Seoul, you will shut your mouth and behave."

Cassandra's face paled. A cold dread slithered through her veins.

Inside the elevator, Evelyn and Nathan Blackwood stood in silence until they reached the conference room doors.

Bennett was already waiting. He opened the door for them without a word. Nathan's presence alone commanded attention—intimidating, magnetic, impossible to ignore.

Yet when they entered, Evelyn walked ahead of him.

Her aura matched his, but with an icy elegance that made her impossible to overlook. The moment she stepped inside, Vincent and Cassandra scrambled to follow.

The meeting began.

Evelyn barely spoke, letting Bennett handle the proceedings with crisp efficiency. Cassandra sat stiffly, her palms clammy, her mind numb.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from Evelyn—regal, untouchable, seated at the head of the table like a queen.

The gap between them wasn't just wealth or status. It was power.

And Evelyn had just demonstrated exactly how much of it she wielded.

Nathan watched Evelyn with unwavering focus, as if she were the sole reason he'd bothered to attend.

Cassandra heard every word.

Evelyn now controlled Celestial Media as its majority shareholder.

She'd removed Vincent Delacroix as chairman and replaced him with Dominic Young of Horizon Media.

Celestial was now just another subsidiary under Sterling Corporation’s empire.

Evelyn’s lips curled slightly as she watched Cassandra’s expression shift from shock to horror.

Pathetic. But entertaining.

After this, Vincent wouldn’t dare keep his troublesome daughter around. Not when he had an illegitimate son waiting in the wings.

Good riddance.

When the meeting ended, Evelyn didn’t linger. A glance at Bennett was all it took—he stayed to handle the cleanup while she left.

Alone in her car, Evelyn turned the key and pulled into traffic.

A Range Rover crawled ahead of her at the intersection.

Her fingers tapped impatiently against the wheel. The moment it inched forward, she pressed the accelerator—

CRASH.

The impact jolted her forward.

Damn it.

She shouldn’t have tailgated.

Just her luck—a perfect day ruined by a fender bender.

Evelyn exhaled sharply and reached for the door handle.

Then the driver of the Range Rover stepped out.

Her stomach dropped.

Nathan Blackwood.

She squinted at the license plate. Same model, different number.

Of course. He owns half a dozen identical cars.

Nathan strode toward her, his expression thunderous. He rapped sharply on her window.

Dark, piercing eyes locked onto hers through the glass.

Evelyn swallowed.

She was at fault. She’d pay.

But the way he was looking at her—

"Nathan, I can explain—"

His voice cut through the glass, low and accusing.

"Evelyn. You hit me on purpose."