Chapter 308

The moment Nathan Blackwood finished speaking, a heavy silence descended upon the room.

Evelyn Sinclair's expression froze, her lips twitching before curling into a cold, mocking smile.

"Much better now," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "My memory has recovered exceptionally well. I remember every single lie you've ever told me, Mr. Blackwood."

She didn’t bother hiding her disdain. She wanted to rip off his mask of indifference, expose the deceit beneath.

But Nathan’s reaction wasn’t what she expected.

No guilt. No shame. No flicker of unease at being caught.

Instead, he looked at her with an infuriating calm, his lips curving into a faint, indulgent smile—as if she were the one being unreasonable.

Evelyn rolled her eyes, exhaling sharply.

Emily Whitaker cleared her throat, breaking the tension. "Evelyn, what did you need to see me for?"

Before Evelyn could answer, Leo—the AI tiger—spotted Nathan and immediately perked up.

It leaped from Evelyn’s arms, scampering over to Nathan’s feet before wrapping its paws around his leg.

"Papa!" Leo chirped. "I really missed you!"

Nathan, who had initially tensed to kick it away, paused.

Then, to everyone’s shock, he bent down, lifted Leo by the scruff of its neck, and—with a rare, almost imperceptible smile—said, "I miss you too."

The room went still.

Dominic Kingsley’s jaw nearly dropped. Nathan had never shown affection toward this AI pet before.

But when Dominic caught Evelyn’s horrified expression, realization struck.

That "I miss you too" wasn’t meant for Leo.

The tiger, meanwhile, flailed its limbs in midair, its mechanical eyes widening in shock.

"Papa, you’re the most handsome man in the world!" Leo gushed. "And Mama is the most—"

Evelyn snatched Leo away before it could finish, her face burning with secondhand embarrassment.

"Enough," she hissed, clamping a hand over Leo’s mouth. She shot the AI a warning glare before tossing it unceremoniously at Emily.

"My brother messed with its programming. Fix it."

Her meaning was clear—she wanted Leo loyal to her again.

Dominic glanced at Nathan, waiting for the explosion.

Nathan’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening.

Leo whimpered. "But you just told me to be assertive..."

Evelyn silenced it with a look.

Leo’s AI instantly calculated the danger—and wisely shut up.

Emily nodded. "Sure, no problem." She pulled out her laptop, fingers flying over the keys.

The air in the lounge was thick with tension.

Dominic Kingsley and Nathan Blackwood remained seated across from them, their presence like an unspoken challenge.

Leo, the AI tiger, lay sprawled across the table, its luminous eyes fixed on Evelyn Sinclair with a pleading gaze that seemed to say, "I don't want to despise Nathan Blackwood anymore."

Evelyn pressed her lips together, counting the seconds as they ticked by.

Ten minutes had passed.

She glanced at Emily Whitaker, her brow furrowing. "Still not ready? Last time it only took you two minutes to reprogram Leo."

Emily's fingers flew across the keyboard, her forehead glistening with perspiration. Another ten minutes crawled by.

"Damn it!" Emily suddenly exclaimed, slamming her palm on the table. "Donovan Sterling installed an impenetrable firewall in this little turncoat's system. I can't break through it."

Evelyn felt her stomach drop, but before the disappointment could fully settle, a deep, mocking chuckle came from across the table.

Nathan Blackwood was laughing at them.