Chapter 243

The air turned icy.

Ethan Sullivan's gaze was frigid, but Evelyn Sullivan met it with equal defiance. Neither would back down, and the bedroom temperature seemed to plummet.

Bang!

Ethan stormed out, the roar of his engine fading into the night.

Evelyn lay in bed, wide awake.

At dawn, she headed straight to the design competition venue.

"Sis?"

Isabella Jackson limped toward her, leaning on Victoria Farley's arm. Her smile was saccharine, but malice lurked in her eyes.

Evelyn ignored her.

"Disgraceful!" Victoria hissed through clenched teeth.

"Don't upset yourself, Mom," Isabella murmured. "What can you expect from someone raised in the countryside?"

Slap! Slap!

The sharp sound of two strikes echoed through the hall.

Isabella clutched her cheeks, stunned.

"Evelyn!" Victoria shrieked, raising her hand.

Evelyn caught her wrist in a vice grip. "Insult my foster parents again, and I'll make the Jacksons regret it."

"You?" Victoria sneered. "Ethan already threw you away!"

"Oh?" Evelyn's lips curved. "At Skyview Mansion, he didn't even spare you a glance."

Victoria's face darkened.

Isabella tugged her sleeve. "Mom, the competition's starting."

Inside the judging room, Evelyn had barely sat down when her phone rang.

"Have you seen my tie?" Ethan's voice came through the receiver.