The Queen Returns—And She's Unforgiving

It was 4:00 pm.

Outside, the sky was overcast, and a biting wind howled against the windows.

Evelyn's phone rang again. It was Deborah.noveldrama

"Granny, what's wrong?"

Deborah rarely called during work hours unless something urgent had happened.

There was a pause before Deborah hesitantly said, "Evie, remember how I told you I was thinking about selling the house? I had it listed, but when you disagreed, I called the agency to cancel it. But just now, they called again, asking if they could bring a buyer over to view the property..."

She figured Evelyn should know about it. Evelyn's expression shifted slightly. So, that call earlier wasn't a scam.

"Granny, you don't have to worry about whether I have enough money. I'm working now, and my annual dividends won't be small. There's no need to sell the house. Just live there peacefully."

She knew Deborah had good intentions. Deborah was afraid she was being mistreated by the Grant family and wanted her to have something solid to hold onto.

Deborah hesitated before sighing. "But the buyer is insisting on a meeting... I don't understand why they're still pursuing it after I had the listing removed."

Evelyn rubbed her temples. "I'll go check it out. Don't worry about it."

Deborah sighed again but didn't press further.

She noticed that Evelyn had changed in the past few months. She was constantly buried in work, day and night. It worried her. She thought maybe her granddaughter was suffering in her marriage, so she figured selling the house and giving Evelyn the money might give her some security.

After all, material things meant little to her now. At her age, she didn't have many years left. But since Evelyn refused, she wouldn't force it.

...

Evelyn quickly gathered her things, called the agency back, and confirmed the meeting location before taking the subway there.

At the real estate office, a young agent greeted her with an eager smile. "Ms. Reed, the buyer is very wealthy! If you agree to sell, you'll make way above market value. You've got amazing luck!"

Lucas leaned back leisurely, his gaze slowly settling on her. His voice was casual, indifferent. "Have you got time to talk now?"

A sharp pain stabbed at her chest. So, this was why he had called earlier.

And beside him sat Tiffany, her expression composed as she scrolled through her phone. Across from them was Mason, who had been texting, but he looked up in amusement when he saw Evelyn.

Tiffany barely reacted. Mason, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

Evelyn took a slow, steadying breath before stepping forward. "You're the ones trying to buy my grandmother's house?"

Mason shook his head as he said, "Nope, not me-her." He nodded toward Tiffany.

Tiffany had been searching for a house for Millie ever since they moved back because Millie's health wasn't that great. Out of all the options, Millie had fallen in love with this one. Tiffany, being the dutiful daughter, wanted to secure it for her. Mason was surprised to find out Evelyn was the seller of the said property. She was a woman who had been married into wealth and supposedly living comfortably, yet here she was, selling Deborah's house.

Meanwhile, Tiffany was spending millions to ensure her own mother lived well. The contrast was glaring.

Evelyn's face turned paler, her breath feeling cold in her lungs. She hadn't expected this.

Tiffany crossed her legs and finally looked at her. "My mother really likes this house. Name your price."

Evelyn's lips pressed into a thin line as she stared at her.

Deborah's house was in a prime location. The property was worth at least 20 million dollars. But the way Tiffany spoke about it, it was as if she were just picking up groceries.

Evelyn's gaze flicked to Lucas, who sat there as if this had nothing to do with him. Her voice wavered slightly as she said, "I'm not selling."

Lucas knew this was Deborah's home. Yet he had still brought his mistress to buy it. What did he take her and Deborah for?

Deborah already knew about his affair. How would she react if she found out about this?

Tiffany gave a small, knowing smile. "You can take your time to think. Like I said, name your price."

She paused before adding in a slow, deliberate tone, "Opportunities like this don't come often. Even if you work hard your whole life, you might never earn this kind of money."

This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for someone like Evelyn. After all, she wasn't particularly skilled, nor did she have an impressive academic background. This could be her way out.

Lucas remained silent, watching Evelyn with an unreadable expression. He neither defended nor intervened.

Evelyn's lips curled into a cold smile. She had never been one to fight over things.

But at that moment, she stared directly at Tiffany and said, "You and I both know the Moore family doesn't have the financial means to buy a 20-million-dollar property."

The real wealthy elite-the old-money families were in a different league.

Even if Millie had gotten a decent settlement from her divorce, it wouldn't be enough to play at this level.

Tiffany's brows twitched slightly.

Mason frowned, clearly annoyed. "No need to get hostile. It's just a business deal."

Evelyn didn't miss the implication. She was turning the offer down because the buyer was Tiffany. But Mason didn't take her rejection seriously.

No matter how much she resisted now, he figured she would eventually cave.

In the end, wasn't she just like every other woman who wanted to hold onto a man? The jealousy, the bitterness was all inevitable.

Lucas finally spoke. His tone was even, detached. "So, is there no room for negotiation?"

His gaze was calm as he looked at her, as if the answer didn't matter to him either

way.