Elsewhere, Evelyn's grandfather and father step into Severin's private office, the door closing softly behind them.
Her grandfather says, "I've been told we should be careful… that you could be targeted in subtle ways."
Severin doesn't respond immediately—he only nods, his expression unreadable.
Her grandfather continues, "You need to investigate every inch of Adam's life. Why didn't Evelyn mention he was her boyfriend?"
Severin replies, "I'll turn over every page. But from what Evander said, it was Evelyn who invited him as her date. I don't think he has any connection to her attacker."
Her grandfather frowns. "Still… how does a casual date turn into a boyfriend in just a few days?"
Severin sighs. "You know how young people are—they rush into relationships as quickly as they fall out of them. And perhaps this is her way of rebelling against Rita, since she's pushing hard for a marriage alliance with the Malik family."
Her grandfather shakes his head. "Rita is hopelessly shallow. That Malik boy won't live past a hundred. Evelyn, after her blood awakens, could live past two hundred. Adam is far better—at least he won't die early."
Severin nods. "Yes, Father. The Malik family only chases wealth. They have no one strong enough to protect it. Not a single cultivator in their family has reached the King Kong realm."
Her grandfather scoffs, "A fatfish like them… one good upheaval and their entire family collapses."
Severin nods. "Too many have forgotten the dangers that still loom in this world—they've stopped training in martial arts altogether."
His grandfather shifts the subject. "What about the Mysterious Palace? Did they agree to take Evelyn?"
Severin's expression darkens as he slowly shakes his head. "No. They said her realm is too low for her age."
His grandfather's brows furrowed. "Did you not mention that we're a demon bloodline family?"
"I did," Severin says. "They didn't care. But they did say—if she gets into Six Star University and performs well, they'll reconsider her admission."
"Six Star University?" his grandfather repeats.
"It's in Nova Super City," Severin explains. "The six major sects—Mysterious Palace included—established it for people who don't meet their sects' direct requirements. They get the money, and if someone stands out, they take them in later."
His grandfather snorts. "So they profit off the hopefuls and still walk away with the cream of the crop."
Severin nods. "I looked into it. Each of the six sects sends elders to teach there personally."
Then his grandfather leans forward. "Isn't Adam moving to Nova Super City in two days?"
Severin blinks, realisation dawning. "Yes… he is. Should I inquire with the other sects instead?"
His grandfather opens his mouth to respond, then closes it, thoughtful. A long silence passes.
"No," he says finally. "Admit her there."
A moment later, Severin quietly exits the room, leaving the old man standing alone, his eyes drifting toward the window.
He gazes at the night sky and murmurs, "Is it fate…?"
---
The next day,
Kieran emerges from the pool, water cascading off his toned body.
A beautiful woman steps forward with a towel, draping it over his shoulders.
"Did you complete my task?" he asks without looking at her.
"Yes, sir," she replies, handing him a tablet.
On the screen is Adam's photo, along with his complete biodata.
Kieran scoffs. "A mudleg trying to climb into the sky."
He swipes through the details, then says coldly, "Call Aunt Rita. I want a word with her."
The woman nods, walks to the table near the wall, picks up a sleek phone, and presses a button.
The ringing fills the room—then a soft click, followed by a female voice: "Hello?"
A few minutes later, Evelyn's mother ends the call.
She exhales deeply, straightens her back, and walks out of her room.
Descending the staircase, she sits herself at the breakfast table, her gaze fixed on Evelyn the entire time.
She doesn't speak—but the weight of her stare is heavy, sharp with disappointment.
Because of Evelyn, her reputation had taken a blow.
She had made a promise that her daughter would marry Kieran.
And in return, the Malik family would invest heavily in her company.
She managed a company alone.
But for the past few years, it had plateaued, stagnant in Terrilyn, with no growth or expansion.
Now, to move forward, she needed access to markets in other cities.
With the Malik family's backing, they could dominate two new cities at a fraction of the usual cost.
She didn't care if Evelyn's happiness was the price.
After all, her own marriage to Severin had been a business arrangement—meant to secure the Manford family's power and win the senate seat in Terrilyn.
It had worked.
For twenty-five years, no one had dared to challenge them.
But now, with the company's growth stalled, those challengers would rise again.
And if she couldn't deliver what she promised… everything might start to crumble.
Losing the senate seat was easy—regaining it would be near impossible.
So, if it came to it, she would sacrifice her daughter for the sake of the family.
And really, she didn't even see it as a sacrifice.
Marrying into a stronger, wealthier family wasn't a loss—it was an elevation.
She had once loved, too.
But in the end, she chose power and wealth.
And now, she was making the same choice for Evelyn.
One by one, breakfast ended, and the family members drifted away.
Before leaving, Evelyn paused and said quietly, "Come to my room."
Then she turned and walked upstairs, not once checking to see if her mother followed.
But it was the other way around.
Her mother entered Evelyn's room first, sat down on the edge of the bed, and faced the door, waiting.
Moments later, Evelyn stepped in and asked, "Mother, do you need something?"
Her mother stared at her for a long second.
"Did you have to embarrass me, Evelyn? Yesterday?"
Evelyn blinked. "What do you mean? I don't understand."
"You understand perfectly well," her mother snapped. "Don't play games. You know what you did."
Evelyn shrugged, calm. "I really don't."
Her mother's eyes narrowed. "I told you to spend time with Kieran. And what do you do? You bring a boyfriend to the most important family celebration in years—and don't even warn me."
"I didn't say anything because it's still new," Evelyn replied. "We just started seeing each other. I didn't think it was time to announce it."
Her mother's voice sharpened. "Then why did you announce it in front of the entire city? Why stand there and say it—publicly—that he's your boyfriend?"
Evelyn's gaze didn't waver.
"Because you told me to get close to Kieran," she said evenly. "But Adam was already invited. Even if he wasn't my boyfriend, he'd be there. He would've seen me entertaining someone else—and I didn't want that misunderstanding."
"So you used him?" her mother said coldly.
Evelyn said nothing.
But her silence was all the answer needed.
Her mother crossed her arms. "Did you know Kieran came just to spend time with you? I told my friends we were finalising a deal with the Malik family."
Evelyn's voice was cool. "Then go ahead. Sign your deal with the Malik family. What does that have to do with me?"
Her mother smirked, eyes hard. "Everything. Our family is on the decline, and the Maliks are on the rise. The only reason they'd sign anything with us is if we became relatives through marriage."
Just then, her father stepped into the room.
"Our family doesn't need to sacrifice our daughter's happiness just to stay relevant," he said firmly.
His wife turned to face him, her expression flaring with disbelief. "Don't you realise your senate seat is already shaking? You could lose it, just like twenty-five years ago. Or have you forgotten why you proposed to me?"
Severin didn't respond immediately.
He'd explained this so many times it had become a silent ache.
He hadn't proposed to gain her family's support—or to save a seat they could never truly lose if they didn't want to.
He'd proposed because he fell in love the first time he saw her.
He was prepared for rejection—after all, she'd had a boyfriend at the time.
But to his surprise, she said yes.
And to this day, he doesn't know why.
She believed he married her to merge the families, to secure power.
No matter how many times he told her the truth, she never believed it.
Severin exhaled softly and asked, "What's happening with the company?"
His wife folded her arms. "Our capital's drying up. There's been no growth for the past few years. We've saturated the market in Terrilyn—we need to expand outward."
Without a word, Severin pulled out his phone and tapped the screen for a few minutes.
A moment later, her phone chimed.
"Check it," he said.
Evelyn watched as her mother glanced down at the notification and froze.
Shock widened her eyes.
Curious, Evelyn leaned closer to see.
A transfer of ten billion credits had just landed in her mother's account.
Her father's voice was calm. "Will that do? Or do you need more?"
Her mother stared at the screen in disbelief. "How… How do you have this kind of money? And even more?"
Evelyn wasn't surprised.
She already knew the truth about their family's hidden strength—generating wealth was the easy part.
Her mother's gaze sharpened with suspicion. "You didn't… do anything illegal, did you?"
Severin rolled his eyes. "I transferred it through the government platform. If I were doing something shady, would I really use that site?"
Her mother nodded slowly, then said, "So this is also one of those family secrets I'm not allowed to know."
Severin didn't respond.
But her mother's eyes shifted to Evelyn, who hadn't flinched at the mention of ten billion credits.
"You knew," she said quietly. "You already know the family secret."
Evelyn remained silent.
Her mother's voice sharpened. "So I'm the only outsider in this house now. Does it… does it have anything to do with the attack on Evelyn? And Ezra's death a week ago?"
Evelyn's chest tightened at the mention of Ezra.
He was the only cousin she truly got along with.
And he died on the realm battlefield—his body was never recovered.
Her father saw the pain flash across her face and said gently, "Evelyn… don't you have any plans with Adam?"
Evelyn blinked. "Ugh?" The question caught her off guard, unsure what kind of plans he meant.
Severin misunderstood her confusion, thinking it was due to Ezra's name.
He smiled faintly and added, "Adam's leaving tomorrow, isn't he? For Nova Super City. Spend some time with him today."
Evelyn's eyes widened as she remembered—he was indeed leaving tomorrow evening.
She turned to go, but just before she could leave the room, her mother spoke again.
"Your father hid the truth from me," she said, her voice low. "But don't make the same mistake. Don't hide the truth from the one you love."
Evelyn paused mid-step.
The one I love…? she thought.
I don't love Adam…
But then again, Adam already knew the family secret.
She pulled out her phone and called him.
A few rings later, she heard the familiar voice on the other end.
"Hello."