?Chapter 975:


    Evelyn’s POV:


    The moment the three princes left, I found myself rooted to the spot, my limbs leaden, as though shackled to an invisible, thousand-ton anchor. A hollow numbness crept through me, leaving me utterly drained—too weak even to lift my hands. A shiver slithered down my spine, the cold seeping from my feet all the way to my scalp, wrapping around me like a vice of suffocating dread.


    I thought back to the past, to when those very princes had mistaken me for Anthea’s sister. Back then, I had secretly reveled in my supposed triumph, believing I held them in the palm of my hand, bending them to my will. How na?ve I had been. How foolish.


    Now, I understood the truth with bone-deep rity—those three were terrifying. A single disdainful nce from them had been enough to crush me.


    “Evelyn!” Cody’s sharp voice sliced through the heavy fog of my thoughts, yanking me back to reality.


    “Mr. Harrison.” I snapped to attention, forcing my gaze onto him. The moment the princes were out of sight, Cody’s fawning smile had vanished like mist under the sun, reced by a sharp, domineering air.


    “What are you daydreaming about? Can’t you see there’s work to be done?” he barked, irritation shing in his eyes.


    I parted my lips to speak, but my throat tightened as if an unseen force had gripped it. My voice came out hoarse, barely a whisper. “I…”


    A surge of urgency shot through me. I wanted—needed—to warn him. This was a trap. We’d walked right into the princes’ snare! But the second the thought formed, an unbearable pain ripped through my chest, as if invisible ws had sunk into my heart and wrenched it apart.


    A gasp escaped me. My knees trembled as a wave of dizziness hit, cold sweat forming along my brow.


    Cody seemed to notice. “What’s wrong with you?”


    I forced a brittle smile, teeth clenched against the pain. “Nothing… nothing at all. Just thrilled to see our n unfolding so perfectly.”


    At my words, he let out a derisive snort, his lips curling with amusement. “The Lycan princes? A bunch of ipetent fools. They’re nowhere near my level.”


    He lifted his…


    Chin, already envisioning the moment of his triumph and Dayton’s downfall. The fire of ambition burned bright in his eyes, his expression steeped in arrogance. “Once Marehelm falls into my hands, let’s see how long the king and his sons can keep up their airs!”


    Jenny and I were too frightened to utter a word. Even back when I had been by Antoni’s side, I had vaguely suspected that the Harrison family’s ambitions stretched beyond their given power. But hearing Cody voice his intentions so openly now, the reality struck me with a chilling force.


    They didn’t just crave influence. They wanted everything.


    This wasn’t just a reckless gamble—it was a deadly game yed on a knife’s edge. One misstep, one wrong move, and the entire Harrison family would be dragged into ruin. And us along with them.


    Cody seemed to remember our existence then, casting a cold, condescending nce our way. “To show the princes how much I value you,” he said with a smirk, his voice dripping with mockery, “you’ll be staying at my main house. Consider it an honor. But don’t get any ideas—stay put, don’t wander, and most of all, don’t bother me. If you do… well, don’t expect mercy.”


    With that, he turned on his heel and strode away, not sparing us another nce.


    I watched him disappear, my heart a tangled mess of unease and dread. Momentster, the butler appeared, stone-faced as usual, motioning for us to follow. I lowered my head and fell into step beside Jenny, each movement feeling heavier than thest.


    .


    .


    .