Chapter 7

Evelyn looked like a total mess. She hadn't planned on coming, but that morning, she had crashed into someone—and her necklace had ended up on Julian. Julian recognized it instantly. That necklace was the one Evelyn's late mother had left her—something she'd never just let fall off her neck. "What are you doing here?" Evelyn was caught off guard seeing Julian. He pulled something out of his pocket. "You dropped this." Evelyn let out a breath the second she saw the pink diamond pendant. "Thanks." The exchange didn't go unnoticed. Nathaniel was standing right there, and it seriously rubbed him the wrong way. His fists clenched, his expression filled with disbelief as he questioned Evelyn, "Since when are you and Julian so close? You've been with him ever since you walked out of the wedding?" "Evelyn, is this what I am to you?" Nathaniel's face darkened like a thundercloud. He looked like she'd stabbed him in the back. Edward and Grace were also glaring at her with expressions like they'd just swallowed something sour. Facing Nathaniel's angry glare, Evelyn stood her ground, a faint, mocking smile playing on her lips. "Wow, Nathaniel," she shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "you're really going all out just to lean into the cheating accusations, huh?" "You're already accusing me," he retorted, a bitter edge to his voice. "So if I don't play the role, wouldn't that just disappoint your little fantasy?" Right after she said that, Julian chuckled beside her. Nathaniel's expression went through a hundred shades, but he couldn't find anything to throw back. Watching him get slapped in the face like that, Evelyn rolled her eyes, her smirk sharper. "Well, since you're so eager, I've gotta say—I think Mr. Everett's pretty decent.If you're that desperate to cast yourself as the victim, fine—I'll play the villain. Happy to oblige. For old time's sake." Nathaniel was boiling inside. Her words cut deep—they said loud and clear that she thought he was full of it, accusing her for no reason. And to make it worse, she didn't deny anything—just totally threw him to the wolves in front of everyone. For someone as prideful as Nathaniel, this was a straight-up slap in the face. She'd always hated Julian… What changed? Julian glanced at Nathaniel, then smirked wider, eyes full of mockery. He couldn't believe how ridiculous it was—the guy had practically begged to put himself in this position. "You... both of you..." Nathaniel was fuming, eyes burning holes through them. Evelyn tilted her head and smiled coolly. "Yeah, us." Nathaniel nearly exploded. And the rest of the room? Definitely not looking great, especially not the Andrews family—they looked like they might blow a gasket from sheer rage. Evelyn swept her gaze across the room, eyes calm but sharp. "Consider the engagement canceled. I don't have what it takes to be your Andrews daughter-in-law." Last time, she'd been everyone's laughingstock. Not this time. Evelyn wasn't about to play the fool again. Nathaniel stared at Evelyn and Julian standing side by side, the image branded in his mind like a nightmare, but there was nothing he could do. "A woman of your reputation—doesn't deserve to step into our family," Grace finally snapped, shooting a furious glare at Evelyn and Julian. To everyone there—including George and Margaret —Evelyn's messy appearance, plus Julian stepping in to protect her, basically screamed that their relationship wasn't just innocent. With barely veiled disgust, Grace looked Julian up and down before spitting out, "A nobody like him—just a playboy bastard from the Everett family—thinks he can compare to our Nathaniel? Pathetic." A shadow passed through Julian's expression, but the smile on his lips only deepened. "Mrs. Andrews seems to have quite the opinion of us Everetts."