Chapter 84

Before they could respond, Leonard's voice cut through the tense silence. "Is there anything else you'd like to say to me?" His tone was deceptively polite, but the underlying message was clear—Victor and Lila were being dismissed.

Lila's eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she tugged at her father's sleeve. "Dad, we should go," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Victor clenched his jaw, realizing any further argument would be futile. He rose stiffly from his seat and addressed Leonard and Margaret. "Mr. and Mrs. Grant, we'll take our leave now. But we won't be accepting your money. Keep the check."

With that, Victor and Lila turned toward the exit.

As they walked away, Leonard gave a subtle nod to his assistant. "Winston."

The man moved swiftly, intercepting them just as they reached the grand foyer. With practiced ease, Winston pressed the check into Victor's palm. "Mr. Grant insists you take this. Consider it closure on the matter. And," he added smoothly, "he prefers this doesn't become public knowledge."

Without waiting for a reply, Winston retreated, leaving Victor seething.

Victor stared at the check, his fingers tightening around it. Was this nothing more than a bribe to buy their silence?

Beside him, Lila struggled to process her emotions. Memories of past visits to the Grant mansion with Diana flashed through her mind—Leonard had always been distant but courteous. When had his demeanor turned so cold?

Her thoughts spiraled. Evelyn must have poisoned his mind against me. She had hoped Leonard would reprimand Evelyn after learning what happened. Instead, he had defended her without hesitation.

A bitter jealousy twisted inside her. Why couldn't I have been the one to marry Nathan?

Victor's voice snapped her back to reality. "Leonard's blatant favoritism is unacceptable!" He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Lila. I'll make sure you get justice."

Lila bit her trembling lip and shook her head. "Dad, let it go. It's not worth provoking the Grants over this. You heard what Mr. Grant said."

Victor fell silent, weighing her words. Finally, he exhaled sharply. "Fine. Let's go home."

Lila nodded. "Alright."

Meanwhile, at Grand Plains General Hospital, Evelyn was in her office when a soft knock interrupted her.

A security guard stepped inside. "Dr. Hartley, you have a visitor."

"Thank you," Evelyn replied, rising to follow him.

Outside, Grace Monroe stood waiting. Evelyn's brows furrowed slightly as she guided Grace to a quieter corner.

"Why are you here?" Evelyn asked, her tone guarded.

Grace took a deep breath. "Evelyn, something felt off about you yesterday. You and Lila were always close. What changed? Did she do something to upset you?"

Evelyn's expression remained unreadable. "Do you honestly believe I orchestrated that incident with Lila?"

Grace hesitated, then sighed. "I don't want to think so, Evelyn. But we all saw what happened."