A lump formed in Soren''s throat.


    He wanted to exin that Evangeline''s infertility was his fault.


    But as if reading his mind, Clyde spoke up from the side. "A man who aplishes great things cannot be ruled by his emotions."


    "Poppy''s achievements have already proven her capabilities. Whether it''s from an emotional standpoint or for the good of the Fawkes family, you cannot abandon her. At least, not right now. It would give everyone something to talk about."


    "Soren, I know you were married for five years. You''re not without feelings for Evangeline."


    “But things have reached this point. She''s now standing in opposition to you. Even if you don''t choose to help Poppy, you can''t go back to helping Evangeline. You know what the consequences of that would be."


    Everyone in Serenity City knew about Soren and Evangeline''s divorce.


    In the time since, Poppy had been by his side, helping Fawkes Enterprisesunch new projects and standing with him in public. Regardless of the truth, or whether Poppy was right or wrong, the evidence was murky. If Soren chose to help his ex- wife and turn against Poppy, the Fawkes family''s reputation in Serenity City would be destroyed.


    Helena wanted to say more, but Clyde had made his point and left it at that.


    "Let him think it through himself."


    Clyde knew his son. Once Soren made up his mind, no amount of persuasion could change it. The responsibilities of the Fawkes family wereid bare before him. Clyde trusted he would handle it properly.


    But Helena was still worried. As they stepped out of the hospital room, she confessed her unease. "Soren has a kind heart, and he can''t stand injustice. Sinceing back from the cliff fall, his attitude toward Evangeline has clearly changed."


    "Didn''t you see it just now? He almost got into an argument with Flora over Evangeline. Soren has never contradicted Flora like that before."


    “What if he stubbornly decides to help Evangeline anyway?"


    Helena''s fears were not unfounded. She didn''t know what had happened during the time he was missing, but she could see that when it came to Evangeline, Soren''s entire demeanor had shifted.


    Clyde took her hand, patting the back of it reassuringly. "Don''t worry. We still have some room to maneuver."


    "Find some time to meet with Evangeline."


    As Clyde spoke, Helena understood. They had previously contacted the Carlisles, hoping Kearney would persuade Glenn to drop the matter, but that old fox had agreed readily while doing nothing but stalling. They had been forced to react passively. But now that Evangeline was back alive, they could tackle the problem by dealing with her directly.


    At this thought, Helena calmed down considerably. She took out her phone and called Evangeline.


    Evangeline was at her desk, carefully reviewing the files she had just received from Theo Shaw. During the time she had been missing, alongside some good news, there had also been some less favorable developments. After theunch of UME''s new product, some of its technology had been leaked, and a small number of knockoffs had already appeared. These imitationscked the core technology and were of mediocre quality, but they managed to mimic the basic functions almost perfectly. Of course, this was a natural part of market evolution. In time, the number of counterfeitpanies would only grow, inevitably eating into their market share.


    Evangeline was contemting her next move when the phone beside her suddenly rang. Seeing Helena''s name on the screen, her fingers instinctively moved toward the "ept" button. Just as she was about to press it, she caught herself. Hér fingers paused, then tapped "decline."


    She was no longer Soren''s wife, nor was she Helena''s daughter-inw. She didn''t need to bend over backward to win their approval. She didn''t have to be on call, waiting for their orders.


    Apparently, Helena understood this as well. She didn''t call back but sent a text message instead. Evangeline opened it. It was a time and an address.