Chapter 316

The phone in Evelyn's pocket vibrated insistently. She pulled it out, her breath catching when she saw the caller ID: Victor Sterling.

Her fingers hovered over the screen for a heartbeat before answering.

"Evelyn!" Victor's voice roared through the speaker, sharp enough to make her flinch. "Must you constantly drag our family name through the mud?"

Evelyn's grip tightened around her phone. "What exactly have I done now?" she demanded, her voice like shards of ice.

"Do you have any idea who Giselle Sterling is?" Victor spat. "Do you comprehend the power the Sterling family holds in Owathe?"

"They rank eighth among the elite families," Evelyn replied evenly, though her pulse quickened.

Victor's fury escalated. "Then why in God's name would you humiliate Miss Sterling? Do you honestly believe the Hartley family can withstand the Sterlings' wrath?"

Evelyn exhaled sharply. "Tell me, Father—was it I who provoked her? Or was it Giselle and Daphne who publicly accused me of theft? Should I have remained silent while they slandered me?"

"You have a history, Evelyn!" Victor shot back cruelly. "Can you blame people for assuming the worst?"

The words struck like a physical blow. Evelyn's vision blurred momentarily.

Before she could retort, Victor continued viciously, "Fine. Clear your name if you must. But did you need to expose Miss Sterling's necklace as counterfeit? Was flaunting your connection to Steven Rayne truly necessary? You made a Sterling look like a fool in front of high society!"

A bitter laugh escaped Evelyn's lips. "Let me understand—when falsely accused, I should simply accept the insult? Is that what you're saying?"

"Fight back?" Victor's voice dripped with contempt. "Against a Sterling? Know your place, girl! You've angered the Sterlings and walked away unscathed, but have you considered the consequences for our family? When they direct their fury at us, what then? Are we equipped to survive their retaliation?"

Each word was a hammer strike.

Evelyn remained eerily calm. "What would you have me do?"

"Go to Sterling Manor immediately," Victor commanded. "Beg Miss Sterling's forgiveness on your knees."

Ice flooded Evelyn's veins.

Her own father. Her own flesh and blood. Demanding she apologize to the very person who'd wronged her.

Her voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "You want me to apologize to that viper? You're delusional."

Victor exploded. "Evelyn Hartley! You will obey me this time! If you refuse, you'll face consequences beyond your imagining!"

"Then let them come," Evelyn said with glacial finality before ending the call.

Without hesitation, she blocked Victor's number—a mistake to ever unblock it.

Setting the phone aside, she closed her eyes and drew several steadying breaths. The familiar ache in her chest pulsed with each heartbeat.