Chapter 92

Evelyn froze at those words, her breath hitching for a moment. Her emotions toward Diana were complicated—respect, gratitude, and admiration all tangled together in a messy knot. Diana had been the only one in the Sterling family who had believed her when she swore she hadn’t stolen Lila’s necklace.

But that didn’t mean she would bend. Not even for Diana. When it came to her principles, Evelyn’s resolve was unshakable. "No matter what," she said, her voice sharp as steel, "I will never apologize to Lila."

A beat of silence passed before she added, cold and final, "It doesn’t matter who asks me. The answer will always be no."

Natalie nodded fiercely beside her. "Damn right! You didn’t do anything wrong, so why should you apologize? If you back down now, Lila will just keep pushing you."

At the mention of Lila, Evelyn’s lips pressed into a thin line. Lately, Lila’s behavior had crossed every line of decency, and Evelyn was done tolerating it.

Just as she was about to speak, Natalie suddenly nudged her, tilting her chin toward the VIP section upstairs. "Isn’t that Nathan and his friends?"

Evelyn’s gaze snapped up, landing on the booth where Nathan sat, his posture relaxed. And there, draped over his arm like a possessive vine—Serena. The woman was swaying slightly, her fingers curled possessively around Nathan’s sleeve as he leaned in, murmuring something to her.

Evelyn’s eyes darkened. So, Serena had chosen to ignore her warning. Fine.

Natalie bristled beside her. "What the hell is Serena doing? Does she have no self-respect?"

Evelyn rose smoothly from the couch, her expression eerily calm. "Come on, Natalie. Let’s go say hello."

Natalie grinned, mischief flashing in her eyes. "Oh, this is going to be good."

Serena was clearly drunk.

"Serena?" Nathan nudged her gently. "You alright?"

Eyes fluttering shut, Serena pouted like a petulant child. "Don’t… bother me…"

"I’m sleeping… Just let me sleep…" she mumbled, tightening her grip on Nathan’s arm.

Dylan sighed, rubbing his temples. "Just let her lean on you for a bit. She’s been in a foul mood lately."

Nathan’s jaw tightened, but before he could respond, a sharp, honeyed voice sliced through the air.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

The group turned to see Evelyn and Natalie approaching, their heels clicking ominously against the floor.

Theodore stiffened, clearing his throat. "Uh… Serena’s had a bit too much to drink."

Natalie’s lips curled into a mocking smirk. "If she’s drunk, then someone should take her home. Or is clinging to another woman’s husband part of her usual drunk routine?"

Theodore winced. Evelyn was Nathan’s wife, and Serena’s behavior—whether intentional or not—was undeniably inappropriate.

Dylan, ever the knight in shining armor for Serena, jumped in. "She’s wasted. She doesn’t even know what she’s doing."

Evelyn’s smile was glacial. "Oh, I think she knows exactly what she’s doing."

Nathan’s gaze locked onto hers, unreadable.

The tension in the air was thick enough to choke on.