Daniel and Mrs. Davis slunk away in defeat.

Evelyn took a deep breath.

She looked at Alexander, her heart tangled in knots.

That embrace had said everything.

Denying it now would be pointless. He wouldn't believe her.

But what good would admitting it do?

An insurmountable chasm still lay between them.

As she was lost in thought, Mina's voice carried from the doorway. "Grace! I'm here to keep you company!"

Before the words faded, Mina burst into the room.

She spotted Alexander and paused. "And who is this?"

She studied his face for a long moment, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. "Have we met before?"

Evelyn's heart clenched.

Mina was a Sherwood.

Alexander's biological mother was also a Sherwood, making her Mina's aunt by marriage.

His resemblance to his mother was undeniable…

Evelyn quickly interjected. "Mr. Vance, please excuse us. Mina and I need to talk."

Alexander's eyes darkened at the sight of a Sherwood.

His lips pressed into a thin line. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke. "Evelyn, I don't know what you're planning, but I will be back."

With that, he turned and left with his assistant and bodyguards.

The moment he was gone, Mina sidled up to her, winking. "Grace, who was that? The way he said your name was so strange…"

Of course it was strange.

He'd called her Evelyn, not Grace.

Evelyn answered silently before changing the subject. "What brings you here?"

Mina took her hand. "You got divorced! I'm taking you somewhere special tonight to celebrate!"

A warmth spread through Evelyn's chest.

She knew Mina was worried about Grace being sad…

She smiled. "That's not necessary. I need to stay with Chloe."

Little Chloe walked over and tugged Evelyn's hand. "It's okay, Mommy. You go have fun with Aunt Mina. Nanny Lopez can stay with me."

Mina bent down and scooped her up. "As if I'd forget you! Tonight's place is perfect for our little Chloe. Come on, Auntie is taking you both out!"

She carried Chloe out, leaving Evelyn no choice but to follow.

Soon, Evelyn realized Mina had brought them to an indoor amusement park.

It had facilities for both children and adults.

Mina grinned. "We used to come here all the time as kids. We always said we'd bring our own children here one day. Grace, I wanted to bring Chloe after she was born, but first she was too little, and then…"

Then they had lost contact. The opportunity never came.

Evelyn lowered her gaze. "Mina, I'm sorry."

She believed if her sister were here, she would say the same.

Mina waved a hand. "Hey, none of that! Come on, little Chloe, Auntie is taking you to the ball pit!"

"Yay!"

The ball pit arena was massive. A seemingly bottomless pool of colorful balls stretched out, with a winding slide descending from above. Mina took Chloe down the slide once.

They expected her to be scared, but the little girl loved it. She wanted to go by herself.

Mina and Evelyn shared a smile, letting Chloe slide down on her own.

There was only one slide. Mina went first.

She let out an exaggerated yell as she slid into the balls, burying herself. "Chloe, come find Auntie!"

Chloe giggled as she slid down, digging through the balls near Mina.

Evelyn watched, amused.

As Chloe was digging, a chubby boy around five years old suddenly picked up a ball and threw it at her.

The balls were made of soft plastic. It didn't hurt, and everyone in the pit was throwing them around. Chloe thought the boy was playing.

Good-naturedly, she picked up a ball and gently tossed it back. It lightly bumped his arm.

The boy flew into a rage. "Why did you throw that at me!"

Chloe was stunned by his yell. "S-sorry… I thought you were playing…"

Before she could finish, the boy burst into tears. "Mommy! She hit me with a ball!"

Evelyn sensed trouble and immediately moved to go down. Mina also looked up from the balls.

But they were both too late.

A woman dressed in expensive clothes rushed over. She slapped Chloe across the face, then shoved her hard!

The push was vicious. Chloe's small body was thrown backward, landing heavily in the ball pit!

Terrified, Chloe flailed her little hands in the balls, bursting into loud sobs.

Evelyn and Mina both rushed to her side, pulling her from the balls. Evelyn held the tiny girl tightly.

Chloe wasn't her biological daughter, but after a month of朝夕相处, coupled with their strange blood connection, she had become Evelyn's only family in this world.

Evelyn cherished her deeply.

She soothed her quickly. "Shhh, it's okay, don't cry… Mommy's here…"

Chloe had often been abused by Mrs. Davis at home. She had only known stability for this past month. Thoroughly frightened, she immediately closed her mouth at the words "don't cry," letting out a small hiccup.

Her pitiful expression broke Evelyn's heart.

Mina turned her fury on the parent. "What do you think you're doing!"

The woman was comforting the boy. She turned with a cold laugh. "I should be asking you that! Someone, call the manager! I want to know what will be done about this little brat hitting my son!"

She was utterly arrogant, pointing at Chloe and shouting. "Where did this little bastard come from? How dare she play here! No manners at all! Who said you could hit my son? Do you have any idea who we are?!"

Whispers rose from the surrounding crowd.

"That's Miss Valentine! The Valentine Group's cousin!"

"Oh god, it's her. No wonder she's so arrogant… The Valentine family branches wanted a daughter but never had one, so they adopted this distant cousin into the main family. Spoiled rotten since childhood… Her brothers are not to be trifled with! Especially young master Marcus Valentine! He's a notorious troublemaker!"

"Apologize quickly, or this won't end well!"

Hearing this, Mina's face turned pale with anger. "I don't care who you are! This is between children! How could you, an adult, lay a hand on her!"

The woman sneered. "I did. What are you going to do about it?"

"You!"

Mina was too angry to speak. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned to find the usually timid Grace looking frighteningly calm.

Evelyn handed Chloe to her, her voice low. "Hold her for me."

Mina was taken aback. Before she could process it, she instinctively took the child.

Then, her eyes widened in shock!!