The Queen Returns—And She's Unforgiving

Leonard still looked as skinny as always. Going through chemotherapy wasn't easy, and he had to wear a knitted hat to cover his bald head.

He was basking in the sunlight on the balcony when Evelyn arrived.

She couldn't help but recall what she used to look like when he started

chemotherapy. Lost in thought for a moment, she swiftly handed over the two gifts to him.

"Happy birthday, Uncle Lenny! Here are the gifts from Lucas and me."

She got him a limited edition book on the topic of physics that took her a long time to find.

Leonard used to be a physics professor and was incredibly influential in the academic world, with countless students under his mentorship.

He had dedicated his whole life to physics. He might have been as highly acclaimed as Professor Graham Hill today if it wasn't for his current health condition.

As for the gift that she got on behalf of Lucas, it was a fountain pen from a luxury brand.

Costing over ten thousand dollars, it felt like a practical gift for Leonard that was also in line with Lucas's spending behavior.

"Is Mr. Grant busy?" Leonard asked as he gladly accepted the gifts.

Evelyn naturally followed up with a ready response. "Yes. It's the end of the year, so he's quite busy."

She knew that since they were already getting a divorce, convincing him to come along with her to explain things to her uncle and grandmother wouldn't be an easy task.

He didn't love her anymore and would only think it was a waste of time to deal with her family.

"Did you come alone?" Deborah came out of the kitchen, glanced toward the door, and shook her head in disappointment before placing a plate of honey-braised spare ribs on the table. "Oh well, let's make this a simple family meal, then."

A wave of guilt suddenly washed over Evelyn.

Her life was in shambles recently, prompting them to worry about her as well.

What made her feel even worse was that neither of them had ever been respected by Lucas.

Even when they decided to get a divorce, he couldn't bother to at least give her senior family members an explanation.

As for why she hadn't told them about the divorce yet, it was because she couldn't come up with a reason to reassure and comfort them.

Lucas' affair had been with the daughter of a woman who had once plagiarized Naomi's thesis and even slandered her, accusing her of having an affair with someone else.

If they found out about this, they would be extremely furious.

She needed Lucas to take the initiative to resolve this matter-and that was what troubled her the most.

"Mr. Grant is managing so many companies at once, so it's normal to be this busy, especially when the year is nearing the end. So it's fine if he can't make it." Leonard patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

Deborah handed Evelyn a bowl of freshly made chicken soup. "You're the one staying with Lucas. Don't worry about your uncle and me.

"Our family doesn't really care about formalities. As long as he treats you well, everything else shouldn't matter too much."

Leonard frowned as he looked at Evelyn, growing a little concerned. "You don't look too good recently. Are you feeling sick? Have you been to the doctor?" He felt something was off about her.

She had never been one for wearing makeup, but lately, she had been laying it on thick to make herself look more presentable.

She didn't seem too different on the surface, but it was clear that she had lost weight.noveldrama

Evelyn froze for a bit. She hadn't figured out how to tell them about her terminal illness. She could only try to keep it a secret as long as possible.

"I'm fine. I just got busy with my new job. There's no need to worry."

Leonard still was concerned about her.

Deborah also noticed something amiss. She kept putting food onto Evelyn's plate and said, "Is it because of stress? You don't have to feel like you're always walking on eggshells with us.

"I'll even sell our house. You can use the money to invest in your company. That'll give you some leverage. I've got your back, you know."

If Deborah put her house up for sale, it would be worth at least 200 million dollars in today's market.

Evelyn could still live comfortably without relying on the Grants.

She started tearing up, shook her head, and said, "No, you should keep the house. Don't sell it, no matter what. I know it holds a special place in your heart since you and Grandpa have been staying here your whole lives."

Deborah gently caressed her hand and said nothing more.

Evelyn decided to stay the night after dinner.

Without taking a break, she went straight to organizing her event planning.

Then, a WhatsApp message notification from Sebastian distracted her. He was practically spamming her with nearly ten messages in a row.

One of them was a collage consisting of nine photos, along with several other pictures of a man and a woman together.

They were screenshots taken from Tiffany's Instagram post with a caption that read, "Happiness made tangible."

The nine-photo collage depicted a dinner gathering. It included pictures of the restaurant and fancy dishes, along with one of the photos being a stylish woman chatting with Lucas.

There were also three separate photos of Lucas and Tiffany together.

Sebastian wrote, "Lucas is a person with strong connections, so he was able to bring Tiffany over to a dinner meeting with me last time. She followed me on Instagram later. Look at this. Is this her way of showing off?

"Your divorce proceedings haven't been finalized yet, right? They're not even trying to hide this anymore?"

Evelyn recognized the woman in the photo as Tiffany's mother, Millie Healy.

Thanks to the financial support from Naomi years ago, Millie had now transformed into a wealthy, classy woman.

It was no wonder Lucas was very adamant about being too busy to attend Leonard's birthday dinner today.

He decided to meet up with his future mother-in-law instead. If nothing else, he was very clear on what his priorities were.

In the photos, Lucas' gaze toward Tiffany was gentle. There was a constant smile on his face, albeit faint.

Both of them were staring into each other's eyes, full of warmth and affection.

Evelyn subconsciously searched through her memory and found it ironic that, aside from their marriage certificate, she had never taken a single picture with him throughout their three years of marriage.

He never liked taking pictures.

She once suggested taking a picture together to commemorate their anniversary, but he didn't see a point in doing so.

Yet, in his photos with Tiffany, he looked relaxed, carrying a hint of indulgence.

He clearly enjoyed capturing moments like these with Tiffany.