"Knock, knock, knock." Evangeline knocked on Cassidy’s bedroom door.

Inside, Cassidy scrambled to smooth out her rumpled bedsheets and wiped the tear streaks from her cheeks before rushing to open the door.

"Sister, are you okay?" Evangeline asked, her voice laced with feigned concern as she reached out to pull Cassidy into a supportive embrace.

Cassidy’s voice was thick with sobs. "Sister, Jonah... he doesn't want me anymore. What am I supposed to do?"

*You deserve it,* Evangeline sneered inwardly. *Don't you know that chasing after a man like a stray dog never ends well?* Outwardly, she maintained a mask of sympathy. "He needs to take responsibility. You're a daughter of the Montgomery family—we can't let just anyone trample on your feelings!"

Seeing Evangeline take her side, Cassidy found it pathetic. *Still the same naive fool,* she thought. *From the time we were children, whatever I wanted, one look was all it took for her to hand it over on a silver platter.*

Evangeline pulled Cassidy into a hug, patting her back in a soothing rhythm. "It’s only a thin veil between a girl chasing a man and success. You’re beautiful and talented, Cassidy. Jonah will fall for you eventually."

"Mm," Cassidy nodded, swallowing the bait.

"Alright, don't let it get you down. I’m heading out now." Evangeline gave Cassidy’s cheek a reassuring pat.

As soon as she left the room, Evangeline’s expression turned ice-cold. She needed to egg Cassidy on until she was hopelessly entangled with Jonah. Jonah was a man who prided himself on his moral superiority; he would never accept a woman like Cassidy acting so desperate. The more he pushed her away, the more unhinged Cassidy would become. Evangeline couldn't wait for this mess to implode.

She lay on her bed, mapping out the future. In her previous life, after Cassidy realized she was pregnant, she had used it to force Edward into making the Harrison family acknowledge the child. She knew that if her father intervened with his authority, the Harrisons would be forced into an alliance. But Edward had deemed her a disgrace and refused. Driven by spite, Cassidy had sabotaged the company’s internal books, leading to a massive tax evasion scandal that had Edward hauled away by federal agents. Evangeline still didn't know who had been pulling Cassidy’s strings back then, so she had to be methodical. The first step was sharpening the blade of friction between Cassidy and Jonah.

Over the next few days, Evangeline softened her stance toward Jonah’s desperate attempts at reconciliation, giving him the illusion that with a little more effort, he could win her back.

"Evangeline, let's grab lunch, please?" Jonah pleaded over the phone.

Evangeline feigned hesitation. "I don't think I should. Cassidy would be devastated."

"We grew up together. Surely we can still share a meal?"

His logic was sound enough that she couldn't refuse without looking cruel, so she let out a long sigh. "Fine."

"Great! It's a date. I’ll come pick you up at noon." Jonah was ecstatic; heaven knew the agony he had been in lately.

Evangeline stood before her walk-in closet, choosing a sunflower-yellow sundress. She pinned her hair up, exposing the elegant line of her neck, applied a subtle, fresh-faced makeup, and headed downstairs.

Marilyn, sitting in the living room, looked up as her daughter descended. "Sweetheart, you look stunning. Are you going on a date?"

"Jonah’s been pestering me for days, so I agreed to lunch. He’s on his way," Evangeline replied.

Cassidy, who had just stepped through the front door, caught the end of the sentence. Her knuckles turned white as she balled her hands into fists, her eyes burning with raw, suffocating jealousy. *That lying bitch. She tells me to pursue him, then strings him along herself!*

Watching Cassidy storm up the stairs without a word, Evangeline turned to her mother with a look of feigned confusion. "Mom, did I say something to upset her?"

Marilyn looked thoughtful. "Are you planning on forgiving Jonah?"

Evangeline shook her head. "No. He just kept bringing up our childhood, and I didn't have a good enough reason to say no."

Marilyn nodded in agreement. The two families were close, and their businesses were deeply intertwined. While they were unhappy with the recent drama, severing ties entirely wasn't on the table yet. "Fair enough. Jonah is a decent boy at heart. Having lunch as friends is fine. Go on, then."

At noon, Evangeline and Jonah arrived at L’Avenue, a high-end restaurant in the city known for its minimalist decor and astronomical prices. It was a playground for the elite.

They were led to a window table. Jonah pulled out her chair with a gentlemanly flourish. "Evangeline, see what you’d like."

Evangeline glanced at the menu, ordering casually. "Caramelized poached pears and the grilled rack of lamb. That’ll be all."

"Make it two of the same," Jonah told the waiter.

Once the waiter left, Jonah’s eyes locked onto Evangeline’s face. He reached across the table to grab her hand, but she pulled it away just before his fingers made contact.

"Evangeline..." Jonah whined, his voice dripping with hurt.

"Jonah, you’re overstepping," she said, her voice chilling.

"My apologies." He hung his head, looking wounded.

The meal passed with a forced sense of harmony. Mostly, Jonah talked while Evangeline offered monosyllabic responses.

Neither of them noticed the pair of eyes fixed on them from a few booths away. Marcellus was there for a business lunch, and he had nearly flipped the table the moment he saw his woman playing nice with another man. He suppressed the urge to drag her out of there by her wrist, his expression so lethal that his business partner across the table was sweating bullets. Rumors about the CEO of the Alexander empire being a paranoid maniac were, apparently, an understatement.

Evangeline finished her meal and stood up. "I need to use the restroom."

After freshening up, she turned to head back to the table, but was suddenly yanked into a secluded corridor and pinned against the wall. A hand smothered her mouth while a familiar, suffocating scent enveloped her.

She didn't need to see his face to know who it was. She reached back and pinched his waist, then turned to offer a playful, teasing smile. "Marcellus!"

"Darling, you told me you were busy with something important. Is this what you meant? Dating other men?"

The cold irony in his tone signaled that he was nearing the edge. Evangeline looped her arms around his neck, cooing softly. "Marcellus, we had an agreement about trust."

"But... it hurts here." Marcellus took her hand and pressed it firmly against his heart.

He looked so convincingly devastated that Evangeline felt a pang of guilt. She leaned in and gave his lips a light, lingering kiss.

"Be a good boy, hmm?" she whispered.

"Not enough."

"Hm?" She tilted her head, confused.

Marcellus leaned down, his teeth grazing the delicate skin of her collarbone, leaving behind a sharp, violet-red bruise that stood out against her pale skin.

*What a madman,* she thought. *His possessiveness is truly bottomless.*

"That's enough, I have to get back!" Evangeline pleaded, terrified that he would actually lose his mind right there in the hallway.

"Go."

He finally stepped back, though his voice remained flat.

When she returned to the table, Jonah’s eyes immediately fixed on the glaring mark on her collarbone. "Evangeline, what's that?"

She followed his gaze, her expression perfectly composed. "Must be a mosquito bite. It was itching, so I scratched it."

The mark looked far too much like a hickey to be a bug bite, but Jonah tried to suppress his suspicion. *It’s not like she just got kissed in the restroom,* he told himself, and chose to let it go.