Chapter 40
"Nathaniel, how could you defend Evelyn? I was utterly humiliated," Penelope whined, her voice trembling with barely contained rage.
Nathaniel's icy gaze swept over her before he delivered his ultimatum. "If I ever catch you pulling such a stunt again, consider yourself banned from every Whitmore Group property. And trust me, I always keep my promises."
"You can't do this to me! I own shares in this company too!" Penelope's shrill protest echoed through the boutique.
"Because I'm the CEO now." Nathaniel's voice cut like steel. "Your complete lack of contribution is bad enough. I won't tolerate you sabotaging our reputation." Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode away.
Left fuming, Penelope stamped her designer heel but dared not shout after him. Storming out, she immediately dialed Victoria. "You won't believe this - Evelyn actually made the finals of that design competition!"
"Seriously?" Victoria had been too engrossed in her latest collection to notice. She quickly scanned the finalist list on her phone, her blood running cold when she spotted Evelyn Carter's name. "I never imagined she'd get this far."
The Fleur International wasn't some amateur contest - making finals required genuine talent.
"That's not all," Penelope hissed. "She was shopping for a gala dress today. I tried putting her in her place, but Nathaniel showed up out of nowhere! He not only took her side but bought her entire outfit for the awards!"
"What?" Victoria's manicured nails dug into her palm. This couldn't be happening. "She's playing some long game, pretending to retreat just to manipulate Nathaniel's perception. It's already working!"
"Relax," Victoria purred, though her eyes darkened dangerously. "I have ways of handling little upstarts like her." Hanging up, she studied the finalist list with a predator's smile. Nathaniel Whitmore was hers - no insignificant designer would steal what belonged to her.
Meanwhile, Evelyn and Olivia exited the mall. "So," Olivia nudged, "what's your take on the illustrious Whitmore CEO?"
Evelyn nearly tripped. "Why do you ask?" Had Olivia guessed their history?
"Just curious. He seems surprisingly principled - making that spoiled brat apologize to protect customer rights."
Evelyn knew Nathaniel's ruthless professionalism well. It was why Whitmore Group dominated the industry. Before today, Olivia had despised the Whitmores ever since Nathaniel's infamous memory loss three years ago - how he'd married someone else despite his very public romance with Victoria.
Yet Olivia kept these thoughts to herself. Living in Nord City, she'd never crossed paths with Nathaniel until now.
Changing the subject, Evelyn examined both dresses at home. Her fingers lingered on Nathaniel's champagne selection. Truthfully, she preferred its elegant modesty over the revealing alternative. Still, accepting his choice felt like surrender - until she remembered how he'd defended her earlier.
Come Saturday, Daniel escorted Evelyn to an upscale salon. When dress selection time came, he immediately vetoed the daring option. "The champagne one," he insisted. "Classy and appropriate."
Relieved - she'd never been comfortable with revealing attire - Evelyn donned Nathaniel's choice.
The awards venue glittered with luxury cars and flashing cameras. Just as Evelyn prepared to exit their limo, a familiar black Bentley pulled up. Her breath caught - Nathaniel wasn't supposed to attend!