Chapter 8

Back then, Evelyn would have entered the aerospace engineering industry if she wanted to continue her studies in her field of her dreams. Drones were one of the most important technologies within their era as it could be used to help the military, the people, and the agriculture industry. She had received a recommendation letter to join the Aerospace Research Institute because of her development of the combat drone, UN. With the drone's long endurance, ability to handle large weights of objects, high speed, and automated operations, she had made a breakthrough within the industry. In fact, her combat drones had even been adopted for military purposes. It had become a star of the century within the drone-making industry. After wasting all those years of her life in marriage, she had ended up being physically and emotionally drained. She was also diagnosed with cancer at such a young age and didn't even know how long she had to live. However, all of those experiences had taught her one thing—a person always had to prioritize themselves and not live for others. Even if she could not win against her battle with cancer, she also wanted to make sure she had no regrets left within the limited time she had left. She wanted to return to her field and dedicate herself to fulfilling her dreams! Although Justine did not understand the technicalities behind drones, the Flying Seal Group had an expert leading them in the field. All she had to do was come up with the money, while the other person focused on researching drones. Over the past few years, the Flying Seal Group had managed to climb up the ranks and had become a formidable company within Clementon. However… "You and I both know that he refuses to see me after I decided to marry Lucas. He has a say in the company, and there's a chance that he won't agree to me joining in." Sebastian Hill's father, Graham Hill, had also written a recommendation letter for her back then. The father and son duo had high hopes for her and cared deeply about her. They were both confident that she would make a name for herself and even bring honor to their country. However, she had let them down by marrying Lucas. Justine smiled as she scratched her head. "You and I both know that Sebastian's just stubborn. I'll set up a meeting for the two of you to talk things out. Actually, he misses you too." Evelyn smiled bitterly. Derek had been greedy to climb the ranks. If he had not schemed against her, tricking her into sleeping with Lucas and threatening her to give up on her dreams, perhaps she would have been able to live a brilliant and glorious life. Suddenly, her phone rang. Seeing that it was Sophia calling, Evelyn frowned and declined the call. She was about to divorce Lucas, so there was no need for her to indulge in Sophia's spoiled behaviour. However, Sophia was relentless as she continued to call repeatedly. Her actions were the epitome of being spoiled and entitled. After the fifth call, Evelyn pursed her lips in annoyance and answered the call. Sophia immediately shrieked, "You're so annoying! Can't you see that I've been calling you?" "What is it?" Evelyn asked. "I have a parent-teacher meeting at 10:00 am. I need you to attend on Lucas' behalf. If anyone asks you about your identity, just say that you're one of my family's housekeepers, got it?" Lucas and Tiffany had just gone public with their relationship, and she did not want anyone misunderstanding Tiffany's position. Pursing her lips, Evelyn calmly answered, "I'm not your mother, nor am I your sister-in-law either. You can ask your legal guardian to attend it instead. Also, you're not a child anymore. It's about time you learn what manners mean." With that, Evelyn ended the call, feeling exhausted. Sophia had never liked her. She had seen how her parents and elders had treated her and learnt from them. She also believed that Evelyn had forced Lucas into marrying her. Hence, whenever Sophia was on vacation and came over, she would purposely torment Evelyn, making her wash the clothes and cook. She even brainstormed ways to torment her. When Lucas and Tiffany started getting close with each other, Sophia would deliberately come over and occupy Evelyn's time to prevent Evelyn from interrupting their dates. Sophia was already 17, so it was about time she learned some manners. Evelyn was no longer obligated to indulge her with her spoiled and entitled attitude. Seeing how Evelyn had stood up for herself, Justine finally believed that Evelyn was determined to get a divorce. Hence, she hurriedly went back to the Flying Seal Group to persuade Sebastian into meeting Evelyn. At around 5:00 pm, Evelyn had received a call from Sharron Lowe, Lucas' mother after finishing her IV drip. She hesitated momentarily before answering Sharron's call. "Where's Sophia? Didn't she ask you to attend her parent-teacher meeting? Her teacher called and told me you didn't go. Sophia had also taken the day off from school, and we can't find her now." Sharron spoke in an extremely overbearing tone as she questioned Evelyn in annoyance. Not expecting such a turn of events, Evelyn frowned. Sharron had never liked her, and one could even say that Sharron despised her. If it weren't for Evelyn forcing Lucas to marry her, he would have married someone suitable from high society instead. "I don't know where she is." "You're the one who did not show up for the parent-teacher meeting. Are you trying to shirk from your responsibility now? You weren't even able to have a child after three years. Now, you don't even have the most basic sense of responsibility toward a child." "Calm down now. You know that's not what Evie is like," Maria cajoled on the other side. She coughed lightly and continued, "Sophia is no longer a child, and she isn't Evie's responsibility." Maria Walker was Lucas' grandmother, and she was the only person in the Grant family who treated Evelyn well. She had supported Evelyn throughout her three years of marriage. In fact, Lucas had only agreed to marry her because Maria was in poor health and could not handle any stress. Besides, Lucas' grandfather, Arthur Grant, and Evelyn's grandfather had been comrades in war. Additionally, Maria was also fond of Evelyn, so she had helped smooth things over for the marriage to happen. Seeing how Maria was now involved in the situation, Evelyn gave the situation some thought before she said, "I'll try and contact Sophia then." Perhaps she had spoiled Sophia too much in the past and embarrassed her today. Sophia was at a rebellious age, and it was dangerous for her to run off on her own. She was also particularly at fault for speaking so harshly to Sophia too. Evelyn removed her IV drip, stumbling a little due to her dizziness. She then called Sophia multiple times, but Sophia refused to answer and declined her calls instantly. It was almost as if Sophia was playing a game with her. After working in the PR department for three years, Evelyn had a keen eye and was able to honed her attention to details. She quickly scrolled through Sophia's Instagram, Spotify, and Twitter to look for some clues. Once she was sure that Sophia was at a club, she rushed over there. However, when she entered the private lounge, she immediately saw many familiar faces inside the room. In the middle of the crowd sat Lucas and Tiffany. At that moment, Sophia was clinging onto Tiffany, asking her about her alma mater, Aurelian University. Spotting Evelyn through the corner of her eyes, she immediately grabbed Tiffany's hands, claiming, "Since Lucas likes you so much, I might as well start treating you as if you're my sister-in-law. Is that alright with you?"