Evelina thrust her heavily pregnant belly forward, desperately hoping it would act as an impenetrable shield.

Lemira's voice dropped to a glacial chill. "It's not my kid."

Panicking, Evelina immediately looked toward Evander, silently begging him to intervene.

Evander's brow furrowed in irritation. "Evelina, if you can secure that evidence and ensure the Sinclair family rots in prison, I promise I will take care of you and the baby."

Evelina ducked her head, chewing on her bottom lip in silence.

Lucian stepped forward, his tone equally cold. "Evelina, the act is over. You need to prove your worth if you want to stay in the Langston family. If we lose this lawsuit because your father decides to play games, you will absolutely be thrown out on the street."

He then shot a pointed look at Evander. "And if you can't bear to be separated from that kid, you can pack your bags and leave with her. Let's see how much you enjoy playing house when you're completely cut off and flat broke."

Evander's face drained of color. He quickly backed away from Evelina. "I won't lift a finger to help you if that happens."

The memory of her grueling, poverty-stricken days on the run flashed through Evelina's mind. The thought of going back to a life with zero money made her stomach churn.

She wasn't stupid. Looking up at Lemira, she asked, "What exactly do you need me to do?"

"Get the evidence. I don't care how you do it. Figure it out."

Lemira had zero intention of spoon-feeding her a strategy. For someone as manipulative as Evelina, extracting information shouldn't be difficult.

Evelina gritted her teeth. "I'll try."

"You better do more than try. Do it for your own survival. If this case goes south, do you really think I'll let you walk away unharmed?"

Lemira's gaze was pitch-black and predatory. A violent shiver racked Evelina's spine, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her stomach.

Lemira let out a dark chuckle. "I will do whatever it takes to get my revenge. Frankly, I've always thought it would be better if that kid never saw the light of day."

Evander remained dead silent in the background. If they failed to avenge their parents, he would never be able to live with the shame.

The threat finally landed. Evelina nodded frantically. "I'll make it happen."

"Good. We're going to visit your father tomorrow."

With her piece said, Lemira turned on her heel and headed upstairs, leaving Evelina paralyzed by a sudden, creeping dread.

What if her father really didn't have the evidence? What if it was all a desperate bluff?

Evelina didn't even want to entertain the consequences.

Once Lemira was gone, Lucian pulled Evander aside, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Keep a tight leash on Evelina. I don't care if you have to bribe her or play the emotional care make sure Hale spits out the location of that evidence."

Evander nodded grimly. "I'm on it."

"We need to hold the line on this, Evander. We cannot give Lemmy a reason to look

down on us and think her older brothers are entirely useless."

The words struck a painful nerve.

Evander watched the empty staircase where Lemira had disappeared, then instinctively reached down to touch his

prosthetic leg fie Maple Group Gen 2 Al Prosthetics felt like it had been custom-engineered just for him.

The longer he wore it, the more he was haunted by memories of his little sister.

He remembered her as a little girl, fiercely promising she would invent a prosthetic that functioned exactly like a real leg so he could stand tall again.

He had let the years bury that memory, but Lemira had actually kept her promise.

And in return, he had completely failed her as a brother.

A suffocating wave of regret crashed over him.

The next morning, Lemira came downstairs for breakfast. The atmosphere at the table was incredibly tense, with Evelina and the Langston brothers looking like they were marching to their execution.

Lemira, however, was a picture of calm. After finishing her coffee, she looked up to

find them all staring at her in nervous silence.

She stood up. "Let's go."

Before they could move, Asher suddenly spoke up. "Is Maple Group launching the Gen-2 Al Prosthetics?"

Lemira's gaze snapped to him, instantly guarded. "How is that any of your business?"

Asher looked slightly frustrated. "Didn't you break up with Orion? Why don't you dissolve the partnership?"

She was a Langston, after all. She belonged back with her family.