Chapter 2

Marcus stared at Evelyn's exposed arm, his expression frozen with disbelief and alarm. Dark bruises covered her forearm, some fresh and swollen, others already fading into yellow and green. Several narrow scars disappeared beneath her sleeve, suggesting that the injuries extended much farther than he could see.

He had wanted Evelyn to learn a lesson during her three years at the Fenrir prison farm, but he had never imagined his own sister would actually be abused there. The farm belonged to their family, and everyone responsible for running it knew exactly who Evelyn was.

What could possibly have happened to her?

Marcus loosened his grip and took a step closer. For the first time since her return, he wanted to ask whether she had been hurt, but before he could speak, a violent coughing fit interrupted him.

Camille had doubled over beside the staircase, one hand pressed against her chest as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Camille!" Marcus immediately turned toward her, supporting her shoulders before she could lose her balance. "You're still recovering from surgery. Why are you pushing yourself like this?"

Camille shook her head and forced a weak smile. "I'm fine, Marcus. Please don't worry about me." She glanced toward Evelyn, her expression softening. "Evelyn has already been through so much. Even though she spent three years at the Fenrir farm, it must have been difficult for someone who grew up with everything she could ever want."

Marcus frowned slightly, but Camille continued in a gentle voice. "When I was little, I sometimes went with my parents to work on farms. I know how exhausting that kind of life can be. Honestly, I used to envy Evelyn for growing up in such a wealthy family. She never had to experience those hardships before."

Her words gradually eased Marcus's concern. As he listened, the shock he had felt at Evelyn's injuries gradually faded.

The Fenrir family owned the farm, and its managers had been explicitly told to look after Evelyn. Whatever punishment she received was supposed to teach her responsibility, not endanger her safety. There was no reason for anyone there to mistreat the daughter of the family that paid their salaries.

Marcus looked again at the bruises on Evelyn's arm.

Perhaps they were exaggerated. Evelyn had always been stubborn, and before her imprisonment, she frequently became upset whenever Camille received more attention than she did. It would hardly surprise him if she had deliberately made ordinary work injuries look worse to make everyone feel guilty.

Marcus looked back at Evelyn, and the concern that had briefly appeared in his eyes faded into disappointment.

"Enough, Evelyn," he said coldly. "Camille is still recovering, yet she's worrying about you. Haven't three years at the farm taught you anything? Do you really have to compete with her for attention the moment you come home?"

Evelyn looked at him without answering.

Her arm was still throbbing where he had grabbed it, and the fresh wound beneath her sleeve had begun bleeding again. She had spent three years imagining how Marcus would react when he discovered what she had endured, but now that he had seen the injuries with his own eyes, he had chosen not to believe them.

Marcus mistook her silence for stubbornness. He tightened his arm around Camille's shoulders and led her away, reminding her that she needed to rest before the following celebration.

Evelyn remained alone in the hallway until their footsteps disappeared.

Only then did she pull back her sleeve and examine the wound. The skin had split where the prisoner had stepped on her earlier that morning, and blood was slowly spreading across the edge of an older scar. She pressed a clean corner of her clothing against it, waiting until the bleeding eased before lowering her sleeve again.

A maid approached a few minutes later. "Miss Evelyn, your room has been prepared. I'll show you where it is."

Evelyn nodded and followed her through the corridor.

As they passed the service entrance, two servants were discussing preparations for the following evening.

"Tomorrow's celebration is going to be huge," one whispered excitedly. "Miss Camille is officially joining the family's core business, and I heard Mr. Kevin Hayes is coming personally."

"The Kevin Hayes?" the other asked. "The heir to the most powerful Mafia family in the country?"

Evelyn slowed.

Kevin Hayes, her named fiancée, although she had never met the man himself.

The Hayes family controlled one of the wealthiest and most influential Mafia organizations in the country, and Kevin had inherited its leadership at a remarkably young age. More importantly, he was the man Evelyn had been promised to since she was very young.

Their engagement had been arranged by their families. Although the agreement had remained in place for years, their schedules and circumstances had never allowed them to meet.

Before Evelyn was sent to the farm, she had occasionally wondered what kind of man Kevin would be. During the three years that followed, however, marriage had become something so distant from her daily struggle to survive that she had almost forgotten about him.

Now he was coming to the Fenrir estate.

The maid led Evelyn through the courtyard toward a quieter wing of the mansion, but before they reached the entrance, Evelyn noticed Marcus sitting beside Camille on a garden bench. His arm was protectively around Camille's shoulders while she spoke to him.

Camille noticed Evelyn first.

"Evelyn!" she called, rising from the bench despite Marcus's concerned expression. "Wait a moment. Please!"

Evelyn stopped reluctantly.

Camille approached with a gentle smile, although the slight redness around her eyes suggested she had been crying earlier.

"I'm sorry about what happened in the hallway," Camille began. "Marcus was only worried about me, but I know he shouldn't have spoken to you that way."

Evelyn remained quiet.

Camille lowered her gaze. "I've also wanted to tell you that I never truly blamed you for what happened three years ago. I know everyone was angry afterward, but I've never wanted you to suffer because of me. I was hoping that now you're home, we could finally start over."

For a moment, Evelyn thought Camille had simply come to make peace.

She no longer had the strength to argue about the past, and if Camille wanted them to stop fighting, Evelyn was willing to leave things as they were.

"We don't need to talk about it anymore," Evelyn replied quietly.

Camille smiled, but instead of leaving, she remained in front of her, nervously twisting her fingers together. After several seconds, her cheeks reddened, and her eyes began filling with tears.

"There's actually something else," she admitted. "It's about Kevin."

Evelyn looked up.

Camille hesitated before continuing. "I met him by accident two years ago. I liked him from the moment we met, Evelyn. I tried not to, because I knew about your engagement, but Kevin has always treated me with such kindness. He's thoughtful and protective, and he's never made me feel like I don't belong anywhere."

Evelyn watched Camille's expression change as she spoke, noticing the unmistakable affection in her eyes.

Camille took a small step closer. "Kevin and I have developed feelings for each other. I know this is unfair to you, but I love him, and I believe he loves me too."

Evelyn felt a faint pressure building in her chest.

She had only been home for a few hours. Her family had already made it clear that Camille had taken over many of her former responsibilities, and now Camille was asking for the one connection to her future that had supposedly remained unchanged.

"I know he was promised to you first," Camille continued, her voice trembling. "But you've never even met him, and we've spent the past two years getting to know each other. Please, Evelyn, would you consider canceling the engagement?"

Tears slipped down Camille's cheeks.

"This is the first time I've ever truly loved someone. I promise I won't ask you for anything else. If you could just let me have Kevin, I would be grateful to you for the rest of my life."

Evelyn stared at her, struggling to understand how Camille could ask such a thing while speaking as though she were the one being hurt.

Before Evelyn could respond, she noticed Marcus standing several steps behind Camille.

He had apparently returned during their conversation.

Marcus had heard enough to understand what Camille was asking, but he did not find the request unreasonable.

Two years ago, Camille had rescued Kevin after he was seriously injured. According to what Marcus had heard, Kevin had been deeply moved by her kindness, and their relationship had gradually developed into something everyone around them recognized.

To Marcus, they were an obvious match.

The only complication was the old engagement between Kevin and Evelyn.

But Camille had become as much a daughter of the Fenrir family as Evelyn was. Their parents treated her as their own, and Marcus himself trusted Camille with responsibilities Evelyn had once handled.

More importantly, the Hayes family was too powerful an ally to lose. Kevin was not merely a wealthy heir; he controlled one of the strongest Mafia organizations in the country, and maintaining the relationship between their families was essential.

Given Evelyn's recent imprisonment and damaged reputation, Marcus doubted the Hayes family would still consider her a suitable bride.

Replacing her with Camille seemed like the simplest solution.

"Evelyn," Marcus said as he stepped forward, "I think you should seriously consider Camille's request."

Camille turned toward him, looking embarrassed. "Marcus, I didn't mean to make things difficult for her."

"I know," Marcus replied gently before looking back at Evelyn. "You've never asked Evelyn to compensate you for what happened three years ago. If this is the first thing you've truly wanted, I don't see why she shouldn't at least consider it."

Evelyn slowly shifted her gaze between them.

Three years ago, she had been sent away because Camille was injured. She had endured hunger, beatings, and endless labor, believing that completing her sentence would finally allow her to return home without owing anyone anything.

Yet now, even after everything she had suffered, Marcus still believed she should surrender something else to make Camille happy.

As long as Camille remained unhappy about anything connected to the past, Evelyn would always be expected to give way.

She took a slow breath and opened her mouth to answer.

Before she could speak, the sound of a car approaching the mansion interrupted them.

A servant hurried into the courtyard, stopping beside Marcus with an excited expression.

"Mr. Fenrir, Mr. Kevin Hayes has arrived."