Chapter 824

Vincent's knuckles turned white.

He stared into Bianca's eyes—once bright with starlight, now dull as stagnant water.

"The company's having issues again." His voice was hoarse. "You know why."

This wasn't a question.

Bianca's lips curled into a mocking smile. She looked at the man she once loved as if he were a joke.

Evelyn's words echoed in Vincent's mind. He forced a pained expression, even modulating his breath.

"If you're convinced I killed Adrian, then I have nothing to say." He lifted the white chrysanthemums. "At least let me leave these."

He had to restrain himself.

Restrain his contempt for that pathetic loser. Restrain his desire for Bianca. Restrain the urge to destroy everything.

Both orphans—why did Adrian get everything? Inheritance. Family. And finally, Bianca's heart.

A shadow flickered in Vincent's eyes.

"Give them to me." Bianca extended her hand, deliberately avoiding his fingers.

How she wanted to smash those flowers against his hypocritical face. But Adrian's grave needed them—even tainted by Vincent's touch.

She took the bouquet by its wrapping paper, as if handling something contaminated.

Vincent's fingertips brushed her sleeve, leaving an invisible mark.

Alexander and Evelyn stood at a distance, watchful.

——

Rain began falling as Bianca gazed at the blurred scenery through the car window.

"I can't find another place," she murmured.

That nightmare-filled marital home still bore her name. Vincent had discarded it like worn-out clothing.

Evelyn watched the windshield wipers sway. "My mother's new place has space."

She was offering an escape route.

Bianca shook her head. Her long hair fell, veiling half her pale face.

"I can't keep running forever."

Traffic crawled. Alexander tapped the steering wheel absently.

"Remember the Dempsey Group incident?" He spoke suddenly. "Time to return the favor."

Bianca's lashes fluttered.

"Anything?"

"Including reclaiming everything you've lost." His voice was steady.

Bianca smiled—her first genuine one in days, yet chilling.

"Make him lose what matters most..." she whispered. "But not yet."

Evelyn's chest tightened.

——

Back at the Hamilton residence, she caught Alexander's sleeve.

"I'm worried..." Her voice dropped. "Will she ask you to care for the baby?"

These days, Bianca barely held little Chloe. Even when the infant reached out, she remained frozen—an outsider.

Returning from night shifts, Evelyn often found Bianca standing outside the nursery door. Never entering.

A shattered mirror can never be pieced back together.

Adrian hadn't just taken his own life—he'd stolen Bianca's capacity to love.