[Carter Enterprise]
The elevator doors slid open with a sharp metallic hiss.
Evelyn didn't wait for them to fully part—she shoved her way through, Patricia jogging behind her, whispering frantic warnings.
"Evie—Evie, slow down."
"No."
Her heels struck the marble floor like bullets with each step echoing with her fury and humiliation.
Employees scrambled out of her way as she cut across the hallway, eyes blazing, throat tight with betrayal she could taste on her tongue.
When she reached her father's office, she didn't knock.
She burst inside and stopped dead.
Gregory sat behind his desk and Alexander was there.
Alexander stood at the far end of the room with a file in his hand, a file she instantly recognized. It was the shares spread across the table like a bargaining chip.
Evelyn froze for a whole second, then the hurt in her chest detonated.
"What—" she breathed, voice thin with disbelief, "is this?"
Alexander looked up sharply, surprised. "Evelyn—"
