"Look at this, who’s being such a baby, clinging to Mommy like that?"

Edward’s voice boomed from the hallway. Evangeline poked her head out, calling, "Dad!"

His daughter’s sweet tone washed away the exhaustion of a long day. Edward loved this warm, domestic atmosphere; whenever he wasn't tied up with business dinners, he always made it a point to head home early.

"Well now, look at you. Why the panda eyes, my sweet?"

Evangeline pouted. "I already took a nap, Dad. If I hadn't, I’d be looking like a dried-out fish right about now."

Marilyn chimed in, "Make sure you put on an eye mask before bed tonight, or those dark circles won't fade for two days."

"You got it, Mom!"

The laughter echoing from downstairs was like a knife to Cassidy’s heart. She had always walked on eggshells, never feeling truly comfortable around the couple. While they had treated her with a fair amount of affection, the recent lockdown had made things frigid. As she sat in her room, listening to them, a sneer twisted her lips. *Hmph. So much for 'family'—at the end of the day, I was never their real flesh and blood.*

The small shred of guilt she had been nursing vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, hard resentment.

Once Evangeline returned to her room, her fingers flew across her laptop keyboard. She organized the audio files, her expression hardening into one of cold disdain. It was time to close the trap.

The next day, Evangeline walked into Edward’s office with the technical reports and a dossier in hand.

Edward looked up at his daughter’s uncharacteristically serious expression. "What’s wrong?"

"Dad, you need to see this." She set the documents down on his mahogany desk.

Edward frowned, flipping through the report. Within seconds, his face drained of color. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Someone has been spiking our new product line with potassium sorbate. The dosage is nearly five times the legal limit."

"Is this a production error or..."

"It’s sabotage," Evangeline interrupted, her voice steady. "The quarterly safety audit is in less than a week."

Edward understood immediately. Someone was trying to sink him.

"Who!" Edward roared, his voice trembling with fury.

"Dad, just listen to the audio."

Evangeline tipped her chin toward the flash drive sitting on the desk.

Edward plugged it into his computer. His hand hovered over the mouse, shaking slightly. He already had a suspicion, but he was terrified that his intuition was right. He took a deep breath, steeling himself, and clicked play.

"I’m trapped in the Montgomery estate! You have to get me out of here!"

"It’s just a tiny amount, it won't be a disaster!"

"Once the company is in chaos, they’ll be too distracted to watch me. I can slip away!"

"It’s only one batch. It’s not going to kill anyone."

Cassidy’s voice echoed through the speakers, chilling and indifferent.

Edward slumped back into his leather chair, his teeth gritted so hard his jaw ached. Ragged, pained breaths hissed through his nose. When the audio finally cut to silence, he slowly opened his eyes.

"What about that batch?" His voice was raspy, hollowed out by betrayal.

"To be safe, I’ve flagged all recent stock. It’s currently locked in the warehouse."

"Do you know who helped her?"

"I do."

Edward looked at his daughter and suddenly felt like he didn't recognize her. The sweet, naive little princess he’d raised—when did she develop such a razor-sharp, calculating mind?

"What do you think we should do?"

"Call the police. She’s looking at charges for evidence tampering and the intentional distribution of hazardous substances. That’s at least three to ten years in prison." Evangeline’s voice was ice.

"Evie, when did you find out?"

"Dad, people don't just wake up one day and decide to be evil. They’ve been planning it all along."

"My child, what have you been through?" Edward looked at her with profound pity. He wanted his daughter to grow up strong, to have the power to protect herself, but he never wanted her to pay such a brutal price for that growth. The raw, jagged hatred in her eyes told him she had been hurt—deeply, irrevocably.

"It’s all in the past now..." Evangeline buried her face in her father's shoulder, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

That afternoon, a squad car pulled up to the estate.

"Good afternoon. We're from the precinct. Is Cassidy Montgomery home?" An officer held up his badge.

Marilyn shrieked, clutching onto Edward’s arm. "What is happening?"

Edward gestured for his security team to lead the officers upstairs. Moments later, the sound of a struggle erupted from the second floor.

"Get your hands off me! I'm pregnant!" Cassidy screamed. "Mom! Dad! Help me!"

Cassidy was hoisted into the squad car by two officers and driven away. The house fell into a deathly silence, though the phantom echoes of her hysterical wailing seemed to linger in the air.

Evangeline turned to comfort her mother, who was still trembling. "It’s okay, Mom. It’s over."

"What did she do?"

Evangeline spoke softly, carefully navigating the explanation so as not to shatter her mother’s nerves. The memory of her mother suffering a nervous breakdown in her past life remained a fresh, painful scar. She watched Marilyn carefully, exhaling in relief when she saw only fury and crushing disappointment in her eyes.

"What a viper we raised! All those years of love... wasted on an ingrate."

"It’s alright, Mom. The silver lining is that her plan failed. If she’d succeeded, the inspectors would have found the contamination, and it would have been Dad being dragged away instead."

Marilyn wiped her tears, nodding shakily. "You're right..."

"Tell me, Evie," Edward asked, "how did you get this evidence?"

"Remember those designer bags I gave her? I hid high-fidelity microphones in the base studs of every single one. I put them in her car, her room, everywhere."

Edward looked at her with a mix of awe and pride. "My daughter has grown up. She’s finally ready to shield this family from the storm."

"Yes," Marilyn added, her voice stronger now. "She truly is."

In the interrogation room, Cassidy remained mute. She offered no confession, no denial. She clung to the fact of her pregnancy like a shield, banking on the idea that they wouldn't dare touch her. But with the concrete evidence against her, they remanded her into custody regardless.

After settling her mother, Evangeline headed to the police station. She had questions, and she intended to get answers.

"Luca Lee."

The man looked up, his gaze meeting hers for a fraction of a second before he looked away.

"I want to know why you did it."

"I just wanted to help her."

"By trading your own freedom for hers?"

"I’m sorry, Evangeline."

"I always thought you were tough. You stood tall among all those wealthy brats, never caring about what people thought. You had such a bright future, and you threw it all away for someone else. Was it worth it?"

Luca Lee was silent for a long time before he finally spoke. "Cassidy was the light I chased. She was so vibrant, so unapologetic... how could I let a rose like that rot in a cage?"

"A cage? Do you really think that without the Montgomery name backing her, she was ever anything more than a decorative flower?"

"Consider it my way of settling a childhood obsession."

He dropped his gaze, refusing to speak further. As Evangeline walked away, she felt a heavy, hollow weight in her chest.

*Born from obsession, dying by it. To let go is to be reborn.* That was true for Luca Lee, and it was true for Marcellus Alexander.

Evangeline didn't visit Cassidy. There was nothing left to say. She would let the court’s verdict be the final period on this chapter of her life.