Chapter 185

Under Evelyn's intense gaze, Victoria finally found her voice. "Nathaniel, this whole mess was just a small misunderstanding. Cassandra orchestrated everything, so please don't blame Penelope."

Nathaniel's expression remained icy. "I have matters to attend to. You may leave."

Flustered, Victoria pressed on. "Nathaniel, there's something important I need to discuss. For our engagement ceremony, Alexander and my brothers will be attending."

She had come specifically to inform him of this.

To her, their engagement held immense significance.

Now that Nathaniel was divorced from Evelyn, Victoria believed she was the perfect match for him.

No one could compete with her.

Nathaniel lowered his gaze, his tone cutting. "What does it matter? Our engagement was never real, and you know that better than anyone."

Victoria's breath hitched. "Nathaniel, please. Just help me save face in front of my brothers. Julian still believes our engagement is genuine."

"If he finds out next week that it's just a transaction—especially if you don’t show up—what if he changes his mind about Eleanor’s surgery?"

Nathaniel’s cold, distant eyes remained unreadable before he turned and walked away without another word.

Left standing alone, Victoria bit her lip, hesitation flickering in her eyes.

Beside her, Penelope wrung her hands anxiously. "Victoria, did you talk to Nathaniel about reinstating my credit card?"

Victoria’s eyes reddened. "Penelope, you saw how he treated me. There’s nothing more I can do."

Panic crept into Penelope’s voice. "Then what am I supposed to do? Apologize to Evelyn? That’s absolutely humiliating!"

She had always looked down on Evelyn, mocking her openly and behind her back.

The thought of groveling to her now made Penelope’s stomach churn.

Despite her own frustration, Victoria forced a composed smile. "For now, just use the card I gave you."

"Given time, Nathaniel will forget about this. Evelyn only told him to play the victim."

"If you confront her, you’ll be walking right into her trap."

Penelope’s resentment flared. "So she just gets away with it? I refuse to swallow my pride like this!"

She scoffed. "Cassandra is utterly useless. I even gave her two designer bags, and she still couldn’t handle something this simple."

Victoria’s lips curled in silent disdain. In her eyes, Penelope was just as incompetent, unable to deal with someone as insignificant as Evelyn.

Still, she needed Penelope’s loyalty—for now.

Once she married Nathaniel, she wouldn’t have to tolerate such foolishness anymore.

Suddenly, Penelope perked up. "Victoria, when I was looking for Evelyn earlier, I heard she’s been avoiding her adoptive parents. Apparently, they’re not easy to deal with."

"If they find her, she’ll be in serious trouble."

A sly glint flashed in Victoria’s eyes. "That’s an excellent idea. With Nathaniel and Eleanor protecting her, even I can’t touch her carelessly. This might be our only option."

She sneered. "I don’t understand what’s so special about Evelyn. Rumor has it she was adopted from an orphanage. How could someone like her ever be worthy of Nathaniel?"

At the mention of "orphanage," Victoria’s expression darkened momentarily. After all, she, too, had come from an orphanage—though she considered herself far luckier than Evelyn.

If not for her cunning back then, she might still be struggling at the bottom.

Shaking off the thought, Victoria lifted her chin.

She was the heiress of the Sinclair family now, destined for a life of luxury and power.

Nothing would stand in her way.