Chapter 167

Sophia Reynolds tapped her fingers absently against the desk, staring at the computer screen. The sudden takeover of MY Fashion Group's partnership by Sullivan Corporation felt too coincidental. If she didn't know better, she'd suspect this was Ethan Sullivan's retaliation for the divorce—except he had no idea Evelyn Sullivan was MY's CEO.

"Evelyn, the deal fell through," Sophia said into the phone, barely containing her frustration.

A brief silence followed before Evelyn's calm voice responded, "Send me the backup fabric suppliers' list."

After hanging up, Evelyn studied the profiles of three companies on her screen, her fingertips lightly drumming the desk. She pressed the intercom. "Quincy, schedule meetings with these executives."

By six in the evening, Evelyn sat at the reserved restaurant table, her lemon water refilled three times. At six-thirty, she called Quincy again. "Find out where they are."

"Evelyn, they suddenly left for a business trip," Quincy fumed. "No courtesy call—completely unprofessional!"

Evelyn chuckled dryly. "Business is war. Get used to it." She hung up, gazing at the neon lights outside. MY was like this ice-cold lemon water—desperately needing fresh energy.

She dialed Zoe Zade. "Free for dinner?"

Half an hour later, a figure in a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask slipped furtively into the restaurant. Evelyn burst out laughing at her friend's over-the-top disguise. "You're drawing more attention like this."

"Really?" Zoe glanced around nervously before removing her sunglasses, revealing dramatic stage makeup.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Auditioning for a play?"

Zoe pointed proudly at her fake mole. "How's my spycraft?"

Their laughter was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Miss Zade, what a coincidence."

Zoe froze. Lucas Laurier stood beside their table, smirking. His gaze shifted to Evelyn, then faltered. "Evelyn?"

"Don't call her that!" Zoe snapped. "She's divorced from Ethan."

Lucas's eyes darted between them before he grinned. "We're in VIP Room 1. Care to join?"

Evelyn set her glass down with a sharp clink. She met his gaze with a cool smile. "No, thank you."