Chapter 299

"Mr. Sterling, my whereabouts are none of your business." Nathan's voice was ice-cold as he made his position clear.

Dominic knew arguing with Nathan would be pointless.

"Mr. Kingsley, even a child knows when to move on after missing a train." Dominic adjusted his cufflinks with deliberate calm. "The train won't reverse course just because you stand there wishing. Surely a man of your intellect understands this basic principle."

With that final remark, Dominic strode away with Julian following reluctantly.

"Dom, are we really leaving him here?" Julian cast a worried glance backward.

Dominic didn't break stride. "What alternative do we have? Chain him to the car?"

"But Evelyn specifically said—"

"Trust your sister." Dominic cut him off firmly. "She'll choose what's right for her future. She knows who deserves her heart."

Julian exhaled sharply but nodded. "I hope you're right about this."

Meanwhile, Evelyn floated in the hazy space between dreams and reality.

Her subconscious transported her back five years, to the first time she'd met Nathan.

She'd been pursuing her master's at Coronia University's prestigious design school - her first time living away from home. The Kingsley men had been beside themselves with worry.

"Evie, I've purchased the townhouse across from campus and arranged full security and staff." Dominic's voice had been tense even through the phone. "Stop being stubborn about this."

Evelyn had rolled her eyes at her overprotective older brother. "I'm here to study, not be pampered. The dorms are perfectly adequate. I'm twenty years old, Dom. I can manage basic adulting."

"But you've never—"

"I was always going to leave the nest eventually." She'd softened her tone. "Let me spread my wings, big brother."

After twenty more minutes of negotiation, she'd finally won the argument.

The moment she hung up, someone barreled into her with enough force to send her sprawling onto the pavement. Pain shot up her spine as her designer bag went flying.

Her assailant turned out to be a scrawny teenager who immediately began babbling apologies in rapid-fire Eliganese. Evelyn waved him off - he couldn't have been more than fourteen.

As she struggled to right herself using her suitcase for leverage, the boy vanished into the crowd.

Evelyn blinked. "What just—"

Her fingers flew to her crossbody bag. The zipper gaped open, her wallet conspicuously absent.

"You've got to be kidding me." She stomped her foot in frustration. "Pickpocketed within five minutes of arrival? That little thief! If I ever see him again, I'll—"

A rich, amused chuckle cut through her tirade.

Evelyn whirled to find an impossibly handsome man watching her from atop a vintage bicycle. His jet-black hair gleamed under the afternoon sun, his aristocratic features marking him clearly as Kidhna nobility.

"What's so funny?" she snapped.

Nathan - though she didn't know his name yet - studied her with undisguised amusement, clearly entertained by her flushed cheeks and indignant expression.

With effortless grace, he tossed something toward her. Evelyn caught it reflexively - her missing wallet.

"You should be more careful, princess." He smirked, one foot already on the pedal. "Next time you might not get rescued by a gallant stranger."

Before she could respond, he'd pushed off, disappearing around the corner as suddenly as he'd appeared.

Evelyn stared at the wallet in her hands, then burst out laughing despite herself.

She'd remember that moment forever - the way the sunlight had caught in his dark eyes, the effortless confidence in his posture. That single encounter had seared itself into her memory with startling clarity.

Some meetings change everything. This one had rewritten her destiny.