Chapter 10

The next morning, before dawn had even cracked, Evelyn was jolted awake by the shrill ring of her phone. She peeked at the time — 4:55 AM. Groaning, she pushed herself upright and picked up the call. Before she could say a word, a voice came through the line. "You nailed it. Nathaniel is already making his move." "And?" Evelyn squinted slightly, tossing the covers aside as she headed toward the bathroom. The caller was Alexandra, the current head of the Wolfe family and Evelyn's childhood bestie — they'd been thick as thieves forever. There was a chill in Alexandra's tone. "He sold some material to one of my media companies. Front and center—it's all about you." Yesterday's almost-wedding had already plastered every news outlet in Lichester. Now, Nathaniel was clearly trying to ride the wave and drag Evelyn's name right through the mud. Evelyn let out a soft chuckle. "I know. I fed him the info on purpose." "Evelyn," Alexandra's voice grew tense, "once that stuff's out there, what are you gonna do about your reputation?" She'd never liked Nathaniel from the start; the guy practically screamed ambition. Alexandra had warned her back then, but ultimately had to back off — it was Evelyn's call. So when Evelyn asked for help yesterday, Alexandra had actually been thrilled. Raising an eyebrow, Evelyn grinned. "Babe, do I look like someone who lets herself get screwed over? If I dared to leak that info, you better believe I've got plans. Chill." Alexandra went silent. Evelyn brushed her hair out of her face with a smirk. "I just called off the engagement with the Andrews family. No way Nathaniel takes that lying down. You really think yesterday's mess was a coincidence?" Even if she hadn't run, she probably would've been drugged and dragged offstage, sealing the fake "devoted fiancé" image Nathaniel had been shaping. Evelyn just tweaked the original plan to flip the whole thing on him. Staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she said coolly, "So? Did you bleed good ol' Nathaniel dry?" Alexandra scoffed. "Girl, the guy dropped a full fifty million trying to take you down. Evelyn, you are expensive." Evelyn cracked up. "Then you better treat me right. With that kind of cash on the table, we can't let our boy feel let down, right?" "Go ahead and trash me hard. We're besties—I can take it. Just make sure I stay locked in those trending top three spots. Or you owe me." Alexandra rolled her eyes so hard you could hear it through the phone. "Sweetheart, I'm personally taking the reins. You're about to see how fabulous infamy can be, courtesy of yours truly." "Alex, you're my queen. Love ya, mwah!" Evelyn giggled through the line. All she got in return was a dramatic "Screw off!" and the call abruptly ending. Staring at the screen, Evelyn chuckled and shrugged. "Such a lovely world, and yet everyone's so edgy." She got dressed and headed downstairs. It wasn't even 5:30 yet. The whole villa was silent, eerily so. She hit the kitchen, poured herself a warm glass of water, and wandered into the living room, settling cross-legged on the couch. Sure enough, Alexandra didn't disappoint. Barely ten minutes later, Evelyn claimed the number one trending spot. [Knight Heiress Vanishes Pre-Wedding, Returns Disheveled at Dawn: Abduction Feared Amid Abuse Claims.]