Chapter 336

Oliver Valrose's eyes snapped open in the darkness, a wild idea exploding in his mind.

He bolted upright in bed, fingers digging unconsciously into his palms.

The image of Evelyn Roland's icy, breathtaking beauty haunted him.

"If only I could step through the Roland family's gates..."

He licked his cracked lips, eyes gleaming with feral intensity.

His phone screen lit up the darkness, illuminating his twisted smile.

With a sharp click, the brand-new device suddenly went black.

"Useless!"

Oliver hurled the phone against the wall, shattering it into pieces.

Turning, he fished out an old phone from the depths of his drawer, fingers flying across the screen.

"Hello?"

Isabella Langley's lazy voice drifted through the receiver.

"I'm coming to the Roland estate tomorrow."

Three seconds of dead silence followed.

"Have you lost your mind?" Isabella's voice shot up an octave. "What do you think you're doing?"

Oliver calmly adjusted his cuffs. "Why... to propose marriage, of course."

"Over my dead body!" The words hissed through clenched teeth. "I swear, if you dare show your face here, I'll make sure your entire family disappears from A City!"

Oliver burst into laughter.

"How impressive, Miss Langley." His eyes narrowed. "Pity your family's too busy putting out their own fires to bother with small fry like me."

Ragged breathing filled the line.

"What do you want?" Isabella's voice trembled.

"Simple." Oliver flicked his lighter open and shut. "I want a formal invitation through your front gates."

The flame cast eerie shadows across his sharp features.

"As for my reason for visiting..." He drew out the words. "How about introducing me as your boyfriend?"

"Never!"

"Don't refuse so quickly." Oliver's voice dropped to a whisper. "Unless you've forgotten what happened last month at Le Bar du Ritz..."

Isabella's breath hitched.

"Fine." The word barely escaped her clenched jaw. "But if you breathe a word of—"

"Relax." Oliver's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I know exactly where to draw the line."

After hanging up, he moved to the window, staring at the distant silhouette of the Roland mansion.

"Evelyn Roland..." His whisper slithered through the night. "This time, you won't escape me."

Moonlight stretched his shadow long and thin across the floor—a viper poised to strike.