From the description her security guard had given earlier, Abigail immediately knew the men outside her second house were the same ones who had visited her first estate that afternoon.She had simply nodded and driven away.Those men had said something strange earlier.That it had something to do with her father.But right now she couldn’t even think about that.Too many things had happened in the last twenty-four hours.All she wanted was to reach her friend’s house so they could talk properly.There were things she couldn’t say over the phone.Who knew who might be listening?Her friend’s house was only a few minutes away.She was driving when something suddenly made her check the rearview mirror.A black SUV.Then another.Then a third.Her hand moved toward the phone on the console just as it began ringing.It was the head of her security team—the convoy that normally stayed a few meters behind her car.“Ma’am, you need to change route immediately,” the voice said urgently.“We’ve

“Cousin Riley?” Lombard said calmly, adding just enough surprise to his voice to sound polite.If he were honest, he had zero interest in talking to her.But there was no reason to be rude.“You thought it was Mireya who was coming here, didn’t you?” Riley sneered.Her arms crossed as she stepped closer.“You thought you could sneak in here and apologize for what you did to Rowan?”She laughed mockingly.“As if that would erase everything you did to him.”She leaned forward slightly. “But plot twist. I’m the one here.”She continued. “And I’m definitely not interested in listening to any of your pathetic excuses.”Then smiled cruelly. “Even Rowan’s father is already dealing with this situation.”Her laugh was soft, almost pitying.Like she was looking at a soaked stray dog that didn’t know where home was.“You picked the wrong opponent, Lombard,” Riley said coldly. “But I’m not going to waste my time explaining that to you.”She waved her hand dismissively.“So do yourself a favor and

Vivienne froze in her seat.A violent storm of anger surged through her chest.She had never felt anything like this before.It was the kind of rage that made someone feel like they could break down in tears and commit a crime at the same time.This…This was how the Belmont family had been treating Lombard all this time?If Riley was bold enough to speak to him like this in public…Then what had they been doing to him behind closed doors?Vivienne’s fingers slowly tightened.If they had been alone in that house, Riley probably wouldn’t hesitate to slap Lombard herself.“Vivienne? What’s this?” Lombard asked calmly, looking at his sister.Vivienne stood up abruptly.The anger inside her was boiling over.She had planned something different for tonight.Something controlled.Something elegant.But that plan was already burning to ashes.She was going to deal with Riley.And she was going to do it in a way that Lombard could see.“Lombard,” she said instead, forcing her voice steady. “D

Her mind clung tightly to that explanation.Because the alternative—that Lombard really was related to Vivienne—never even crossed her mind.“I’m sorry for my actions,” Riley muttered stiffly. “If you can tolerate this man, then we should continue waiting for the rival team. Though at this point, the delay alone speaks volumes about them.”Vivienne’s eyes flared with anger. “This right here is what I was talking about! I'm not handling anything over to you!” Before the argument could explode further, Lombard moved.He grabbed Vivienne’s arm firmly.Riley was still trying to process what was happening—whether this entire situation was real or some twisted joke.Lombard picked up Vivienne’s bag from the chair and pulled her toward the door.“Lombard—wait—” she protested.But he didn’t slow down.He dragged her out of the restaurant so quickly she practically had to jog just to keep up with him.Outside, they reached her car.The moment the door shut behind them, Lombard finally spoke

“Yes. I was,” Riley answered quickly. “I had just stepped out of this room when I saw all of you running here, so I came back to see what happened.”She shook her head slowly, putting on a solemn expression.“But Lombard… wait. You all saw the man who came in here earlier, didn’t you?”Several heads turned toward her immediately.“What do you mean, ma’am?” one of the paramedics asked.“I mean,” Riley continued smoothly, “I was in here earlier with Miss Vivienne and a man. He left with her. After that, this man—” she gestured toward the injured security guard on the floor “—came in and told me it was time for me to leave.”She paused deliberately.“And when I stepped outside…”Her eyes swept around the room.“I ran into Lombard.”Right on cue, Lombard appeared at the doorway.“There!” Riley pointed. “That’s him.”All eyes turned.“He’s the one responsible for this!” she declared sharply. “Look at his hands. Look at the water. He must have gone to wash them!”Indeed, Lombard’s hands wer