Chapter 309

Vivienne's face drained of color as she stammered, "That... that's all behind us now. She means nothing to me anymore."

Evelyn wasn't foolish. The way Vivienne was acting today—so different from before—could only mean one thing.

It was obvious. Vivienne must have discovered her true identity.

Evelyn laughed, but her eyes remained cold.

"Ms. Chambers, an assistant wouldn’t dare pull such a stunt on her own unless... she had orders from higher up."

Vivienne paled further, her lips parting to explain.

But Evelyn had no interest in hearing excuses.

"Ms. Chambers, focus on your work instead of meddling in pointless affairs. In business, results speak louder than words."

With that, Evelyn turned on her heel and strode away with Harrison in tow. The conversation was over.

Vivienne stood frozen, regret twisting in her gut like a knife.

—

After Kingsley Industries secured the partnership with Summit Corporation, Summit's stock skyrocketed.

By market close, their valuation had surged by 10%.

Companies that had been hesitating between Sterling Enterprises and Summit now rushed to align with the latter.

The two corporations had been neck-and-neck before. But in mere days, Summit pulled ahead, leaving Sterling Enterprises in the dust.

The day after signing the contract, Evelyn returned to Pamore.

As she stepped into the office, Julian Hawthorne was already waiting. His smile widened when he saw her.

"Ms. Carter, welcome back."

Evelyn offered a polite smile. "The deal is done, so I returned. Did you need something, Mr. Hawthorne?"

Julian chuckled. "Just heard some rumors. They said you had a little... incident in Dunhill. Came to check on you. Glad to see you're unharmed."

Evelyn arched a brow. "Appreciate the concern. I'm fine. With a project this big, I can't afford to be anything but."

Julian's smile tightened. "Of course! The company thrives with you leading the charge."

Evelyn gave a slight nod and moved past him into her office. The moment the door shut, her smile vanished.

She turned to Maxwell immediately. "Any leads on Maximilian?"

Maxwell shook his head. "He operates like a ghost. Tracing him is... complicated."

Evelyn drummed her fingers on the desk. "If conventional methods fail, send our contacts on the dark web after him. I refuse to believe he's untraceable."

"Yes, Ms. Carter."

Just then, another assistant knocked and entered. "Ms. Carter, there's a package for you!"

Evelyn frowned. She hadn’t ordered anything recently.

"Who sent it?"

The assistant checked the parcel. "No sender information."

Evelyn hesitated. "Bring it here."

But Maxwell intercepted. "Let me."

He took the package, testing its weight. Light—likely documents.

"Ms. Carter, allow me to open it first."