Chapter 30

Cary had left home early-before 7:30-to steer clear of the congested streets. Waking up at this hour wasn't routine for him, and the exhaustion clung to him like a fog. By the time he made it to the courthouse,the clock read 7:50.

Esme had accompanied him, offering quiet reassurances as they lingered.

But as the minutes stretched into hours, and 9 a.m.came and went, Evelina was still nowhere to be seen.

Irritated, Cary dialed her number repeatedly. His fingers burned against the heated surface of his phone,but she never answered.

"Maybe something urgent came up," Esme murmured,feigning sympathy while stirring his frustration. "|doubt she did this on purpose-"

"Urgent? What could possibly be so pressing? She stays home all day!" Cary snapped, hurling his phone onto the pavement. "She's stalling. She never wanted this divorce in the first place."

Esme flinched at his outburst, instinctively stepping back. But when he didn't acknowledge her reaction-let alone soothe her-she swallowed her irritation and resumed her placating role.

"Don't get worked up, Cary. Maybe... maybe this is just her true nature. You saw her last night-two men,a private VIP lounge? Looks like she's already scouting for her next option."

More fuel on the fire. Then came the real suggestion."Why not let a lawyer take care of this? Cut out the headache entirely."

She'd overheard from Cary's mother that Evelina had already secured a hefty sum and an apartment in the settlement. But Esme knew that land was in a redevelopment zone-just the sale could rake in a fortune.

Altogether? Nearly eight million. There was no way she'd let Evelina walk away with it.

"Legal route might be smoother," Cary muttered, jaw tight. "But what about Margot? The only reason l agreed to this was to get her out."

"Leave that to me," Esme assured him, slipping her arm through his. "My brother's back in town. He has all the right connections. With his help, there's no way we won't get Margot released."

By the time Evelina finally returned his call, Esme was already at the airport, welcoming her older brother,Sebastian Barton.

Finding Cary's phone switched off, Evelina assumed he was with Esme and rang her instead.

Yes, she'd missed their 8 a.m. meeting-for valid reasons-but it was still on her. She had been prepared to apologize.

Esme didn't give her the opportunity.

On the third attempt, she finally picked up, venom laced in her voice. "You've got some nerve calling me!Do you think your pathetic little tricks will stop this divorce? Wake up, Evelina. He's disgusted with you.He wants nothing to do with you. If you have any sense,you'll back off from Margot's case too. Demi's condition has worsened-because of you. Do you really want to be the reason she ends up in a hospital bed?"

Evelina dismissed Esme's words as the trash they were.Her tone turned glacial. "Put Cary on."

Esme hadn't expected such composure-it felt like swinging at air. "Keep dreaming. He's never speaking to you again. You made his grandmother sick. He despises you now."

With that, she ended the call and blocked Evelina's number. She turned to her brother. "Think that'll do it? Will that woman finally let Margot go?"

Every word she had just spat-on speakerphone-was carefully scripted by Sebastian.

"I did some digging," he said. "She's just an orphan,raised on idealistic notions of loyalty and gratitude.Cary's grandmother was kind to her-she won't stomach the idea of that old woman suffering because of her."

"Exactly," Esme smirked. "Girls like her... give them a shred of kindness, and they'll sacrifice everything.Pathetic."

Sebastian chuckled. "Not everyone is as sharp as you,dear sister. Still, a stroke of luck that the old lady's health took a dip..."

Esme scoffed. "Don't remind me. If that crone hadn't fallen ill, Cary wouldn't have rushed back. He was supposed to pick you up with me."

"Doesn't matter..." Sebastian waved it off. "What matters is Evelina caves. Once she does, Cary will think we orchestrated everything. He'll be grateful.He'll trust you even more."

That made Esme's lips curl-a slow, calculated grin."You're a genius."

In reality, Demi had caught nothing more than a mild seasonal illness. It had nothing to do with Margot's predicament.

But Evelina didn't know that. And she cared too much about that old woman.

As long as she bought the lie, she'd break. She'd secure Margot's release. And when she did, Cary and his mother would be elated-convinced the Barton siblings had saved the day.

Which meant, soon enough, Esme would officially become Mrs. Gibson.