Chapter 126 Wishing You Success

Chapter 126 Wishing You Success

Evie narrowed her eyes slightly. Just as James had said—Dimitri was a complete psycho.

"Thanks for the offer." Evie's tone remained flat. "But I'm not going to convince James for you. You've got the wrong person."

With that, Evie turned and walked back the way she came.

Dimitri didn't follow. His voice drifted after her, unhurried. "When you change your mind, you know where to find me."

Only after Evie had gone some distance did he look away, lifting the wine glass beside him for a sip.

Then his gaze fell on the strand of hair in his hand.

...

As Evie made her way through the crowd toward the exit, a hand suddenly reached out from the side, blocking her path.

She turned her head. Jasper stood a couple steps away, wearing a dark suit that hung awkwardly on his shoulders—like he'd lost weight and hadn't bothered getting it tailored yet.

His leg was obviously still injured. He stood with his weight shifted to the left, holding a barely touched drink. The way he looked at her was heavier than before, but that heaviness seemed unsteady.

"I had a feeling you might show up."

Evie pulled her arm back. "Need something?"

Jasper stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You married James because he's going to inherit the Rockefeller family fortune, didn't you?"

Evie stared at him, her expression odd. "You think that's why?"

"If not, then why would you marry him?" Jasper's gaze locked onto Evie's face, as if searching for proof in her expression.

"You could've married so many other men, but you chose him. I figure it's one of two things—either you wanted to get back at me because he's my cousin, or because he's going to inherit the Rockefeller family. Am I right?"

Evie couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"But here's what I need to tell you—I'm about to become the next heir to the Rockefeller family. Grandpa's health is deteriorating fast. Within a year, I'll be the one in charge!"

Evie let out a soft laugh. "Did James beat some sense out of you? Or just scramble your brains?"

Jasper acted like he hadn't caught the sarcasm in her words. Instead, he leaned in closer. "I'm different now. I know things I didn't before."

He spoke in a low voice, his gaze carrying a kind of long-suppressed stubbornness, like someone finally grasping at a lifeline. "Michael doesn't just have one son, you know."

Evie froze. After a moment's thought, she finally understood what he was getting at.

She recalled the recent online speculation—half-truths mixed with wild theories. Internet users had put side-by-side comparison photos of Jasper and a young Michael.

The posts were quickly taken down, but not before racking up hundreds of thousands of shares and comments.

What Evie hadn't expected was that Jasper actually believed it.

"Good luck with that." Evie turned to leave. Jasper reached out to grab her wrist, but she sidestepped, avoiding his touch.

"Jasper." Another voice cut in. Vivian appeared out of nowhere, her heels clicking to a stop a couple steps away, still holding that same glass of champagne.

She looked at Jasper, the smile on her lips dripping with blatant, shameless gloating. "Still can't let her go, huh? Look at yourself—you can barely stand. And you think you can win her back?"

Jasper glanced up at her, his expression devoid of emotion. He couldn't even be bothered with disgust. "Move."

Vivian felt the sting of his dismissal, watching helplessly as Jasper pushed past her, limping after Evie in the direction she'd gone. Vivian's lips pressed into a tight line, her knuckles white around the stem of her glass.

People nearby turned to look. Vivian immediately adjusted her expression, smiling as she raised her glass for a sip.

But as the champagne went down, her gaze darkened. Resentment churned inside her. Why did Evie have so many men willing to throw themselves at her feet? James was one. Jasper was another. Vivian hated her for it.

Still, when she thought about marrying Dimitri, she figured she'd at least come out ahead of Evie in the marriage department. That thought brought her some comfort.



When Evie stepped out of the banquet hall, the night breeze hit her face.

She'd just descended the steps when she spotted a familiar car parked across the street. James was leaning against the door, jacket draped over his arm, like he'd been waiting for a while.

Seeing her emerge, James straightened and walked toward her.

"What are you doing here?" Evie was a little surprised.

"You came and didn't even tell me. Weren't you worried this could be a trap? What if Dimitri tried something?" James stood in front of her, looking down, his tone carrying a faint note of reproach.

"He's not dumb enough to pull something at his own engagement party." Evie looked up at him, the corner of her mouth quirking slightly.

"How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long." James's gaze swept over her face, confirming she was unharmed before he slipped an arm around her waist.

"Let's talk in the car."

Before he'd even finished speaking, James's lips were already on hers.

The kiss came with the cool touch of the night breeze. James's palm pressed against Evie's waist, tightening slightly as he kissed her with earnest certainty.

Evie didn't pull away. Her hand lightly gripped his arm. She could feel the urgency in his kiss—they hadn't seen each other in days, and she'd missed him too.

Just as they were lost in the moment, hurried footsteps echoed from the steps behind them.

James paused mid-kiss, turning his head slightly to look.

Jasper stood there, still clutching that half-empty drink. Under the streetlight, he took in the sight of the two of them locked in an embrace. The urgency on his face twisted into something that looked like a mix of rage and humiliation.

James straightened, though his arm stayed around Evie's waist.

His gaze slid from Jasper's face down to the leg he could barely stand on, his tone cold. "Healed up already? Don't forget the lesson you learned."

Jasper clenched his jaw, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Don't get cocky. Once I get what's rightfully mine, you're the first person I'm coming for."

James looked at him and let out a soft laugh, clearly not taking Jasper's threats seriously.

He echoed the same words Evie had said earlier. "Good luck with that."

With that, James guided Evie toward the car, pulling the door open. He glanced back at Jasper. "Don't just talk. I'll be waiting to see it."

Just as they were about to get in, Jasper limped forward quickly, shouting, "Evie! I gave you a choice! When I inherit the Rockefeller family, don't you dare regret it!"

Evie started to turn back to look at Jasper, but James blocked her view.

"Ignore him. We haven't seen each other in days. I'm not wasting our time on someone like him."

Evie stopped paying attention to Jasper and got into the car.

James followed, sliding in beside her. The car pulled away, leaving Jasper standing alone.

His gaze was cold and venomous as he watched the car disappear into the night.