CHAPTER 5 - BEGINNING OF AN ALLIANCE

Evelyn barely slept.

Sometime after two in the morning, Gale had finally returned to their bedroom carrying the unmistakable scent of expensive perfume and another woman on his skin. He slipped into bed beside her, draping an arm around her waist with practiced familiarity.

Every instinct inside her screamed to shove him away. Instead, she forced herself to remain perfectly still until his breathing settled into a deep sleep.

They must have been so engrossed in each other that Chloe didn't even bother reminding her about movie night. The shamelessness was appalling, but Evelyn couldn't care less. Only her meeting with Blackwood Enterprises mattered now.

Her posture straightened the second the appointment confirmation illuminated her screen: 10:00 AM. Blackwood Enterprises Headquarters.

They had agreed to see her.

She immediately got out of bed, showered, and got dressed. Before leaving, she scribbled a brief note on a sticky pad: I have to meet a friend this morning. Please make sure Chloe doesn’t feel neglected while I’m away.

She stuck it to the nightstand, grabbed her bag, and walked out.

“I hope you two enjoy yourselves before I rip your lives apart,” she muttered softly under her breath, stepping into the crisp morning air.

Driving through bustling city traffic, she pulled up in front of a towering glass skyscraper. Standing at the base, anxiety churned in her stomach. She still wasn't entirely sure how high-level executives would react to a woman offering to dismantle her husband's company, but she was past the point of turning back.

“Right this way, Mrs. Ashford,” the secretary instructed, leading her down a quiet hallway.

“Please, just call me Evelyn,” she requested, the married surname tasting like dust on her tongue.

The secretary nodded. “Very well, Evelyn. The Blackwood partners are waiting for you in the primary boardroom.”

Evelyn paused mid-step. “Partners? Plural?”

“The Enterprise is co-led by three managing partners,” the woman explained. “All three rescheduled out-of-town commitments just to attend this meeting personally.” I do hope your information proves worth their time,” she added, gesturing toward the heavy oak doors at the end of the corridor. “You may enter whenever you are ready.”

Leaving Evelyn alone before the heavy oak doors, the secretary walked away.

She had prepared to negotiate with a single representative—not all three. Why would three high-level executives drop everything for her?

Setting her jaw, she knocked softly and pushed the door open.

Three pairs of eyes lifted simultaneously and recognition hit her instantly; everyone in the corporate world knew the formidable trio leading Gale’s primary rival —a sprawling global conglomerate. Seeing them in the flesh only reinforced that she had made the correct move.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet our informant, Mrs. Ashford,” a deep, commanding voice broke through her shock.

The man at the head of the table rose to his feet, extending a hand. Evelyn’s eyes flicked over to the other two men, who watched their colleague with raised brows.

“Nice to meet you as well,” Evelyn said, taking his hand. “You can call me Evelyn... formalities aren't necessary. I’m the one asking for a favor.”

“I hope you won't hold it against us for staying seated, Evelyn,” a second man called out smoothly. “We’re just surprised Darren here stood up at all.”

“He never does that,” the third man chimed in with a relaxed grin. “I’m Caleb Sinclair. Beside me is Aaron Whitmore, and the gentleman whose hand you just shook is Darren Blackwood.”

Their voices... Evelyn’s fingers tightened almost imperceptibly. There was no mistaking it. They were the exact three voices that had desperately shouted her name in her final moments. She had never met any of them in her past life—so why had they been present at the scene of her murder?

Darren gestured toward an empty chair. “Please.”

Once seated, he folded his hands neatly on the table.

“Let’s bypass the pleasantries and get down to business, Mrs. Ashford. What information do you hold, and what do you expect in return?”

“I am not here to ask for charity or protection,” Evelyn started, meeting his gaze. “What I am proposing, Mr. Blackwood, is purely a strategic partnership where both sides gain immensely.”

“And what exactly is that gain, Evelyn?” Caleb interjected.

The casual drop of her given name caught her slightly off guard, but her expression remained stoic.

“I provide you with full evidence of Gale’s fraudulent transactions, offshore accounts, and illegal laundering activities—evidence capable of crumbling the Ashford Group from the inside out.”

“And what do you expect from us?” Aaron asked, leaning forward with a light smirk.

“I need your resources,” she stated plainly. “Your financial oversight, your investigative team... and most importantly, your access to the nationwide childcare and orphanage database network.”

Darren’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly. “Why do you require access to that database?”

Evelyn exhaled slowly, her face void of emotion. “I need to locate my son... My real son.

He was swapped at birth and hidden away by my husband and his mistress.

They stole my child, so I intend to find him.”

Silence settled over the room before a quiet hum of surprise escaped Aaron. She hadn't come appealing to pity, she had delivered a cold, structured business proposal.

“Give us a moment to confer, Evelyn,” Caleb said smoothly, stepping toward the corner of the room alongside Darren and Aaron.

After a minute of fast-paced murmurs, Darren stepped forward to address her directly. Our foundation oversees hundreds of facilities nationwide,” Darren said calmly. “If your biological child entered any part of that system, our team will trace him. However, I will not offer guarantees until we inspect the records.”

A faint, relieved smile touched Evelyn’s lips. “Does this mean we have an agreement?”

Darren gave a single, firm nod. “We will initiate the search the moment you deliver actionable evidence.”

“I’m glad we could reach an understanding,” she replied, standing up.

Her eyes briefly met Caleb's and Aaron's. Both men were still watching her with an undeniable intensity—a look she was old enough to recognize as genuine interest. But after dying once at the hands of those she trusted most, she was far too pragmatic to read into it. Promises, attraction, and affection were meaningless to her now.

Her only priorities were severing ties with Gale, recovering her biological child, and taking back everything that belonged to her.

“Thank you for meeting with me,” Evelyn said formally, moving toward the door. “I will compile the files and forward them directly to your secretary by this evening.”

“No,” Darren stated firmly. “You will contact us directly.”

Evelyn paused, turning back.

“Reach out to Aaron for corporate assets or legal strategy,” Darren continued. “Direct security logistics through Caleb... and bring everything else straight to me. This matter is too sensitive for third parties.”

Evelyn offered a reluctant nod. “Understood.”

“Until next time, Evelyn,” Caleb and Aaron offered almost in unison.

She offered one last polite nod and stepped out into the hallway, the heavy doors clicking shut behind her.

“Well... she is certainly not the sheltered, spoiled socialite I was expecting,” Aaron admitted, an amused grin spreading across his face.

Caleb chuckled. “No kidding. She walked in here with a calculated proposal. What kind of idiot cheats on and robs a woman like that?”

Darren stood silently by the window, staring down at the skyline as he tried to suppress the unexplainable sense of familiarity that had gripped him the second she walked in.

“We’re about to find out,” Darren murmured softly.

Aaron crossed his arms. “Do you think we made the right call trusting her so quickly?”

Darren turned back, his gaze cold and calculating.

“My instincts have never failed this firm. But for the first time in years, my instincts are raising questions my logic can't answer.” He admitted eyes on the closed door.

Aaron and Caleb exchanged swift, amused glances.

Darren pulled out his phone, his expression turning stern. “Initialize the database search for her child the second her transmission comes through.”

None of the three men realized it yet.

The woman who had just walked out of their boardroom was about to change every single one of their lives.