Evelyn's heart skipped a beat, caught completely by surprise.

She instinctively tried to pull away from Alexander's embrace.

But his arm only tightened around her waist, holding her firmly against him.

His deep voice vibrated near her ear, sending a delicious tremor down her spine. "Relax. We're alone. There's no one to see."

Evelyn leaned back slightly, her tone soft yet resolute. "It's not about being seen. How can you think of this now?"

Alexander let out a low, husky laugh, pulling her even closer. "What's wrong with holding my own wife? The serious business is still ahead. You don't need a chair. Resting against me is much better."

A wave of fond exasperation washed over Evelyn at his playful reasoning.

This cunning man was clearly being deliberately mischievous.

If he was truly focused on the important matters, he wouldn't be holding her so possessively right now.

But they were husband and wife. If Alexander wanted to be affectionate, it wasn't unreasonable.

With that thought, Evelyn stopped resisting and settled against his solid frame, though her focus remained on the screen.

Meanwhile, Julian Thorne, clutching recording equipment, was being led inside by the staff of Serenity Oaks.

Soon, a familiar face appeared on the monitor.

Genevieve Prescott.

Evelyn had always suspected Genevieve held some hidden agenda against her.

After a period of quiet, she'd hoped the woman had given up. Clearly, she hadn't.

The mystery of how Julian Thorne had obtained her design drafts was suddenly solved.

It was all a plot, orchestrated by Genevieve and Nathanial to frame her.

As Evelyn pieced it together, another woman's voice cut sharply through the recording.

"Julian, what happened? You took so long, and you still failed to handle Evelyn? How could you make such a colossal mistake?"

The voice hit Evelyn's ears, and her eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

Cassandra Sterling?

Evelyn could understand Genevieve's animosity; she'd sensed it from the start.

But Cassandra? Why was she involved in this?

For a heartbeat, Evelyn questioned her own eyes.

But the image on the screen was unmistakably Cassandra.

A few seconds of staring confirmed it. She hadn't been mistaken.

The memory of every past encounter with Cassandra surfaced. That persistent, nagging unease she had always felt in the actress's presence.

Back then, Evelyn had dismissed it as her own paranoia.

Now, she saw the truth. She understood just how skillfully Cassandra could perform her role.

The woman's acting reputation was clearly well-deserved.

Anger simmered, then boiled over. If she hadn't secretly marked her design drafts, the outcome would have been catastrophic. She would have been branded a plagiarist. Her career would have been obliterated.

She couldn't let the architect of this scheme walk away untouched. Cassandra had to face consequences.

Then, another thought, cold and unwelcome, slithered into her mind.

Cassandra and Alexander shared a history. They were childhood friends.

How would Alexander react when he discovered the truth?

Would he defend Cassandra?

The possibility sent a chill through her. Her gaze instinctively shifted, seeking out Alexander where he stood behind her.