Chapter 476

"I don't get it at all!" Donovan snapped, his voice sharp with frustration.

On the other end, Giselle rolled her eyes before responding, "Listen carefully. I'm not abandoning you. But my help has to stay behind the scenes—no public involvement. This stays between us. Understood?"

After a deliberate pause, she added in a measured tone, "Donovan, your family already crossed the Black family. Do you really want to make enemies of the Sterlings too?"

His expression darkened further. "Is that a threat?" he demanded.

"Consider it a reality check," Giselle countered smoothly. "Think it through. If you rat me out to Mr. Black, claiming I ordered you to drug Evelyn, do you really think he'll spare you? And do you imagine the Sterlings would let this slide? You'd have both powerful families hunting you down. The choice is yours."

She hung up before he could reply.

Donovan stood frozen, his face ashen. Minutes passed before he mechanically descended the stairs.

The moment his foot hit the foyer, the sound of shattering porcelain erupted. His father Franklin was demolishing the tea set, his face purple with rage.

When Franklin spotted Donovan, his glare could've melted steel. "I told you to charm Evelyn Hartley! To build bridges with the Caldwells! Not to—" He hurled a vase against the wall. "—try to drug her! Have you lost your mind? And getting caught by Nathan Black? You've destroyed our family's reputation!"

Collapsing onto the sofa, Franklin looked decades older.

Donovan couldn't meet his father's eyes.

Finally, when the tirade ended, Donovan approached. "Father, let me explain—" He laid out Giselle's entire scheme without omission.

This only inflamed Franklin further. "You idiot! She played you like a fiddle!" He gripped the armrests until his knuckles whitened.

After composing himself, Franklin continued icily, "But she's not wrong about one thing. Confessing to Mr. Black won't save you. You still attempted to drug Evelyn. That's unforgivable. And exposing Giselle means war with both the Blacks and Sterlings—a death sentence for us."

Franklin's gaze sharpened. "Do you have proof of Giselle's involvement?"

"Yes," Donovan said quickly. "I recorded everything."