Chapter 358

Evelyn Sinclair had stayed up past 1:00 am playing poker with her friends, winning round after round.

She knew they were letting her win on purpose, but the thrill of victory kept her going.

Only when she saw Victor Kensington's exhausted dark circles and pitiful losing expression did she finally call it a night.

The next morning, Evelyn slept in late, having wisely locked Leo out of her room to prevent any disturbances.

Sunlight crept across her face, but she simply rolled over and buried herself deeper into the blankets.

Then her phone rang.

Damn! I forgot to silence it!

The persistent ringing forced her to answer irritably. The caller ID made her groan.

"Isabella Montgomery, do you have a personal vendetta against my beauty sleep?"

Isabella paused for a beat before bursting into laughter.

"Do you know what you've missed while sleeping like a log?"

"What?"

"Gregory Thornton's wedding! With a completely different bride!"

Evelyn sat up abruptly, sleep vanishing instantly. "What?"

"Apparently his fiancée's ex showed up at the bachelor party last night. No one knows what was said, but Gregory dragged her to the hospital and discovered she wasn't even pregnant!"

Isabella kept pouring the shocking details faster than Evelyn could process them.

"Now he's marrying some heiress from Boston who's been chasing him for years. She's from old money - not as wealthy as the Thorntons, but definitely better than that gold-digging ex."

Evelyn's drowsiness evaporated completely. Isabella didn't know Evelyn had been with that ex-boyfriend last night.

She never expected their confrontation would cause such a dramatic chain reaction.

Evelyn had assumed Gregory would simply call off the wedding when he learned the truth.

Not fake a pregnancy test. Not replace his bride overnight.

Clearly, Gregory had absolutely no intention of forgiving Celeste Rousseau.

Evelyn bit her lip. "How is this new bride even willing to marry him after all this?"

Isabella scoffed. "Willing? She practically threw herself at him! The Thorntons couldn't find anyone in our circles willing to marry their disgrace of a son. Everyone knows what a train wreck Gregory is."

Evelyn fell silent. That much was true.

After chatting a few more minutes, Evelyn finally dragged herself out of bed.

By noon, she planned to grab lunch near the office before meeting Bennett to discuss Preston Sinclair's investigation. Halfway there, Bennett called - Preston had unexpectedly appeared at San Francisco University.

Without hesitation, Evelyn changed course toward the campus.

The buzz about the Wall Street tycoon made him easy to locate - he was giving a lecture to students.

She rushed to the auditorium only to freeze in the doorway.

Every seat was taken, with students even standing along the walls and sitting in the aisles.

Apparently everyone wanted to glimpse this legendary financial wizard.

Evelyn hesitated, uncertain whether to push through the crowd. Then a familiar deep voice called out.

"Evelyn, over here."

She looked up to see Nathan Blackwood seated front and center, his custom Tom Ford suit and Patek Philippe watch marking him as distinctly out of place among the students.

An empty seat beside him seemed almost sacred in its isolation.

For two heartbeats she hesitated. Then business instincts won over personal feelings.

Money, after all, was money.

"Why are you here?" she asked, her tone sharper than intended.