Chapter 852

The hot pot restaurant buzzed with warmth. Evelyn Carter studied the menu with practiced ease. Alexander Hamilton watched her deft selections, his lips curving as he added her favorite dishes to their order. When they finished, they realized they'd both chosen items the other loved.

Vivian Dempsey, starving, already had her chopsticks poised over the freshly arrived beef rolls.

Through the rising steam, Bianca Langley broke the silence. "I owe you all an apology for leaving so abruptly last time." She sipped her tea. "Remember those people who kept trying to contact me?"

"Of course." Evelyn set down her chopsticks. Their shameless persistence had rivaled even Vincent Croix's.

Bianca dabbed her lips with a napkin, removing her lipstick. "When they couldn't persuade me to reconcile, they started pushing me to sue Vincent." Without the lipstick, her striking features looked even paler.

"They wanted to use you as their weapon?" Vivian nearly choked on her tripe. "That's despicable!"

Evelyn considered this. "So you disappeared to avoid them?"

"Partly." Bianca swirled a paper-thin beef slice in the spicy broth, her eyes watering from the heat. "My parents still hold shares meant for Baby Chloe..." She hesitated. "I gave up my portion to cut all ties with Vincent."

Vivian slammed the table. "Why should you? He was the one who cheated!"

"That girl is dead now." Bianca's voice remained steady as she wiped her teary eyes. "No point dredging up the past. I laid low until they lost interest."

Alexander and Evelyn exchanged a glance. They suddenly remembered Bianca hadn't bid on anything at that charity gala.

"What gala?" Vivian blinked curiously.

Evelyn started to explain, then caught herself, glancing at Bianca. Alexander discreetly tugged her sleeve under the table.

Bianca, pouring more tea, missed the gesture.

Vivian pressed on. "What happened after? Those online trolls made my blood boil!"

Evelyn shot her a warning look. Belatedly, Vivian clapped a hand over her mouth.

"It's fine," Bianca smiled. "I reported plenty of those rumor-spreading accounts. Seeing them get banned was... therapeutic."

Vivian's eyes lit up. "Teach me! My reports always get rejected."

"Bait them into swearing first, then report." Bianca winked. "We call it entrapment."

Vivian immediately pulled out her phone to try. "It works!" she crowed, slapping her thigh in delight.

The meal flowed with laughter, but Evelyn and Alexander never found the right moment to ask about Adrian Valentine's old house. One question lingered—what precious auction item had drawn Bianca to that gala?