Chapter 72
Evelyn returned to the hotel with a heavy heart.
The elevator ascended. She stared at the jumping numbers, but her mind was full of those yellowed diaries from the Arden Villa.
The elevator doors opened.
She stepped out and paused as she passed Susan's room.
Light seeped through the door crack, and she could faintly hear voices inside.
Evelyn didn't linger. She walked straight to her own room.
Closing the door, she leaned against it and closed her eyes.
Too much had happened today. She needed time to process it all.
Her phone rang. It was Matthew.
She looked at the name flashing on the screen, took a deep breath, and answered.
"How was today?" His voice came through the phone, laced with concern.
Evelyn didn't know what to say, so she remained silent.
"Eve?" Matthew sensed something was wrong and softened his voice. "What happened? Take your time."
Evelyn took a deep breath.
Then she began to speak. She told him about the Arden Villa, the diary, Emily, that biological mother she'd never met.
Her voice was flat, as if she were telling someone else's story.
But by the end, her voice still trembled. "Turns out the woman I've called Mom for over twenty years is actually my aunt."
"Turns out my biological mother, right after giving birth to me..."
She didn't finish.
The other end of the line was quiet for a long time.
Matthew didn't know what to say. He'd never been good at comforting people, and now he felt anything he said would be wrong.
Any words seemed pale against everything she'd been through.
Finally he only said, "I'll finish things here as quickly as I can and come be with you."
Evelyn softly said "thank you" and hung up.
When Matthew left the office, the sky had already darkened.
He strode through the lobby when a figure in his peripheral vision made him pause.
Marigold stood at the entrance, clearly having waited a long time. Seeing him, her eyes lit up as she hurried over.
"Matthew." She reached out to grab his arm. He sidestepped to avoid her.
Her hand froze in midair. After a moment, she withdrew it.
"Matthew, why won't you talk to me?" Her voice carried a hint of grievance, her eyes slightly reddening. "The messages I sent, the calls I made—you ignored them all. Can't we just talk?"
Matthew looked at her. His gaze was distant, almost devoid of warmth. "There's nothing to talk about."
He continued walking out.
Marigold chased after him, following alongside. "The internal chaos at Quinn Group these past few days—you're behind it, aren't you?"
She bit her lip, staring at his profile. "Are you really planning to make an enemy of Quinn Group?"
Matthew didn't stop walking, only let out a cold laugh. "Don't make accusations without evidence. I've always followed the rules of business cooperation."
Marigold's expression flickered. Of course she knew there was no evidence. He always worked cleanly, never leaving loose ends.
"Because of these past few days, I've been under enormous pressure in the Quinn family." Her voice softened, taking on a vulnerable tone. "The family is questioning this engagement."
Matthew seemed not to hear her concerns and kept walking forward.
Marigold bit her lip and caught up again.
"I'm innocent," she said, her voice urgent. "Those things were all Jack's doing. They have nothing to do with me."
"Can't you stop taking it out on Quinn Group, and stop taking it out on me?"
Matthew finally stopped.
He turned around to look at her.
His gaze was steady, as if trying to see right through her. "You really knew nothing?"
Marigold froze.
That gaze was too sharp, making her feel guilty. But she quickly steadied herself and nodded. "I really didn't know."
Matthew looked at her for a few seconds and let out a cold laugh.
He said nothing more, turned, and left.
Marigold stood in place, watching his figure disappear into the night.
Her hands slowly clenched, nails digging into her palms.
Her face was frighteningly pale.
She pulled out her phone and called Eric. "What's the situation with the hitmen?"
Eric's voice came through the phone, sounding shaky and hesitant. "It seems... they were secretly taken out."
Marigold's expression changed. "What do you mean taken out?"
"Just... those people we hired, they've all disappeared. Can't find them alive or dead."
Marigold's fingers tightened around the phone. "Useless!"
She hung up and stood in the night wind, her fingers clenched tight.
Everything had been going wrong lately. Jack's downfall, the hitmen's disappearance, Quinn Group's internal chaos, Matthew's increasingly cold attitude.
Her marriage to Matthew was probably in jeopardy.
In the car, Thomas glanced at Matthew in the rearview mirror.
"Mr. Perkins," he began cautiously, "with you giving Miss Quinn such cold treatment, won't the Quinn family have objections?"
Matthew leaned back in his seat, watching the streetlights flash past the window, his lips curving slightly. "That's exactly the result I want."
Thomas paused.
Matthew didn't explain.
He thought about what he'd gained these past few days.
He'd had people deal with Jack, and unexpectedly extracted quite a bit from his phone.
Quinn Group's illicit operations, some illegal dealings that couldn't see daylight—the evidence chain was quite complete.
Moreover, he'd also discovered... chat records between Marigold and Jack discussing getting rid of Evelyn.
He'd read those messages more than once.
He'd never imagined that Marigold, who seemed so gracious and dignified, could be so vicious behind the scenes.
Since they'd moved against Evelyn, this engagement naturally didn't need to continue.
But the two families were entangled in too many business partnerships to directly break ties.
He could only use this method to force Quinn Group to back down first and voluntarily cancel the engagement.
He let out a cold laugh. "Just wait. Within a week, there'll be results."
The next morning, Evelyn went to the restaurant for breakfast.
There weren't many people in the restaurant. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, falling on the white tablecloths.
Susan was already there. She sat by the window with a cup of tea in front of her, untouched.
Evelyn walked over and sat across from her.
"Morning," she said, her voice flat.
Susan looked up at her.
Complex emotions filled her gaze: concern, worry, and something else.
"Morning," she replied.
Neither spoke again.
Evelyn lowered her head to eat breakfast, her movements slow.
Susan held her teacup, occasionally glancing at her before looking away.
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
In all the time they'd known each other, they'd never been this silent.
Susan's feelings were complicated.
She knew Evelyn had been upset at the Arden Villa yesterday, and this morning's silence was probably fallout from that.
But she also now knew that Evelyn was Emily's niece.
The Arden family had gone to great lengths, even to their deaths, to avoid any involvement with families like hers.
If Evelyn learned the truth, would she still treat her the same as before?
Evelyn was also thinking about other things.
After discovering the truth, she couldn't treat Susan the same way as before. Secret hatred even rose in her heart.
But what to do about it—she hadn't figured that out yet.
The two of them, each carrying complicated feelings, finished their meal.
Evelyn set down her utensils and prepared to leave.
"Evelyn," Susan suddenly spoke.
Evelyn looked at her.
"Are you... okay?" Susan asked, her voice cautious. "The bodyguards said you seemed upset."
Evelyn was silent for a second.
"I just thought about how all my elders are gone now," she said. "It made me a bit melancholy."
She paused, then suddenly asked, "Have you found any news about Emily and your granddaughter?"
Susan froze, then shook her head, her expression somewhat unnatural. "Not yet. But I'm sure I'll find them."
Evelyn looked at her.
"Yesterday I suddenly understood how Emily and your granddaughter must feel," Evelyn said, her voice even. "Perhaps you can't find them because they're deliberately avoiding you."
"I think... if I were them, I probably wouldn't forgive someone like you either."