Chapter 219

Evelyn's piercing gaze remained fixed on her phone.

A moment later, Penelope's furious scream erupted from the other end.

"Evelyn, you conniving witch! I asked you repeatedly if you'd deleted all the videos, and you swore you had! Yet here you are, still holding onto your dirty little secret!"

"Of course I kept one," Evelyn replied coolly. "If you and your mother had treated me with even a shred of respect instead of ordering me around like a servant, I wouldn’t have needed insurance. Though, honestly, watching it makes me sick."

Penelope shrieked, her voice cracking with rage. "You vile creature! How dare you call me disgusting?"

"You, without a doubt. Or have you forgotten how quickly you stripped and threw yourself at those men the second the drugs hit?"

Evelyn’s words were deliberate, designed to provoke. Through the phone, she could hear the crash of objects hitting the floor, followed by Penelope’s incoherent screaming.

A smirk curled Evelyn’s lips. "Instead of wasting time yelling at me, maybe invest in a better PR team to clean up your mess."

She ended the call and blocked the number immediately. Penelope was nothing but a volatile fool with no self-control—the last thing Evelyn needed was her hysterics.

Then, a new notification flashed on her screen.

Nathaniel.

Her breath hitched as she read his single-word reply:

?

What was that supposed to mean?

Frowning, she typed back, "I assume a man of your resources has no trouble processing the payment?"

Nathaniel strode out of his bedroom, his expression dark.

Robert intercepted him in the living room, urgency sharp in his voice. "Mr. Whitmore, we have a situation. The stocks are plummeting."

He handed over a tablet displaying the breaking entertainment news—Penelope’s scandal dominating every headline.

Nathaniel’s jaw clenched. "Damn it. Lock her down. No one takes another photo of her—ever."

"I’ve already spoken to Ms. Sinclair. She assured me Penelope won’t leave the house."

As Nathaniel loosened his tie, Evelyn’s earlier words echoed in his mind. "I’ll teach them a lesson."

Was this her doing?

He turned to Robert. "Get PR on this immediately. Mitigate the damage to the company at all costs."

"Understood. The team is assembling for an emergency strategy session. They’ll draft a statement within the hour."

Nathaniel sank onto the couch, pressing his fingers to his temples. Then, he dialed Evelyn.

She answered in a low, guarded tone. "Yes?"

"Do you really think a hundred thousand dollars is enough?"

Her pulse spiked. "Shouldn’t it be?"

She retreated to her bedroom, suspicion flaring. Was he trying to backtrack?

"The video you leaked just cost my company millions in stock value. So no, Evelyn, it’s not enough."

A beat of silence. Then, she laughed—cold, mocking.

"How is that my problem? Blame Penelope. She’s the one who couldn’t keep her clothes on."

"You held onto that footage for a year and released it at the worst possible moment." His voice turned lethal. "I underestimated you."

Her grip tightened on the phone. "And you still are. Because that clip? It’s just the beginning. I have more. Far more... graphic versions."

Nathaniel’s tone turned glacial. "Hand it over."

He didn’t care about Penelope’s reputation—but he would protect his company.

Evelyn exhaled sharply. "No. This is my insurance. As long as she stays away from me, the rest stays buried."

"You do realize leaking this violates multiple laws?" His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Do you really think you can hide your tracks online?"