Theodore's phone screen lit up with a new message.

He unlocked it, his eyes quickly scanning the text.

His expression instantly turned grim.

He raised a hand, signaling Daniel to stop talking.

Daniel fell silent at once, observing the sudden shift.

Theodore's face darkened further as he read the details.

"Mr. Vance, is something wrong?" Daniel asked, concerned by the intense reaction.

It was rare to see Theodore so visibly disturbed.

"That fool, Alexander," Theodore spat out, his voice sharp with anger. "He's utterly incapable. He can't even take proper care of Evelyn, and now she's fallen ill because of him."

Daniel was taken aback, his mind struggling to follow the abrupt topic change.

They had been deep in a strategic business discussion mere moments ago. How did the conversation suddenly pivot to Evelyn?

Theodore's gaze remained locked on the message from his informant.

Frustration boiled within him.

He had leveraged his contacts inside Aethelgard Industries to keep discreet tabs on Evelyn.

This network ensured he was always aware of her situation.

The latest report confirmed she was sick.

The more he thought about it, the more a sense of righteous indignation swelled inside him.

"If Evelyn had married me, this never would have happened," he muttered under his breath. "She would be living in luxury as a wife of the Vance family, not suffering like this."

Alexander was a failure. He couldn't manage his own affairs and was driving Evelyn to ruin, compromising her health.

He was completely unworthy.

Theodore's face contorted with bitter resentment. "Damn Alexander Blackwood. He doesn't deserve her."

His eyes hardened with a cold, determined resolve. His jaw clenched tightly.

"I must find a way to get her away from him. Quickly."

There was no more time to waste.

He had to act now.

At Aethelgard Industries, Evelyn suddenly sneezed twice in quick succession.

An involuntary shiver ran down her spine.

She reached for a tissue to wipe her nose.

Standing up, she moved to close the large window in her office.

The autumn air was turning distinctly chilly.

She couldn't afford to get a cold now.

Her recent stomach problems had already given Alexander enough cause for worry.

If she fell properly sick on top of that, he would undoubtedly make a significant fuss.

Her phone vibrated on the desk.

Picking it up, she saw a notification. Lucas Bennett had added her to a group chat for a college reunion scheduled for the weekend.

As soon as her name appeared in the group, a flurry of messages greeted her.

"Evelyn! It's been ages! How are you?"

"I heard you got promoted to department head! That's incredible!"

"You're so young to be a supervisor. The rest of us are still just junior staff."

"Now that you're management, pulling some strings to get us jobs at Aethelgard should be easy, right? We all studied the same major."

"What's the salary like at Aethelgard Industries? Maybe I should apply for a designer position there."

"With Evelyn on the inside, why aim for a designer role? You should go for team leader!"

Evelyn read the messages with a sense of detachment.

These were her former classmates, but she had never been particularly close to any of them.

She had little interest in engaging in their superficial chatter.

She typed a brief, polite reply. "You all have tremendous potential. I'm certain you will all achieve great success in your chosen paths."

"Wow, such a diplomatic answer," someone teased. "No wonder you're in management now."

The tone in the group remained light and bantering.

Then, a sharply worded message cut through the noise.

"Evelyn, you were so average back in college. Who would have guessed that marrying your husband would put you so far ahead of everyone? You really hit the jackpot. I have to admit, I'm jealous!"

The message hung in the digital space, its tone unmistakably pointed.