The Queen Returns—And She's Unforgiving novel Chapter 178

Eveyln was surprisingly formal, almost as if she were discussing business with no emotions involved. But soon enough, she frowned. What she had initially thought was a somewhat considerate gesture from Lucas quickly faded.

There were two other clauses in the agreement that made her pause. One was that she couldn't tell Maria the truth about the divorce for the next year. The other was that, without his permission, she couldn't disclose to anyone that they had been married for three years, nor could she reveal the exact date of their divorce.

Evelyn's fingers slowly curled into a fist, and she looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

"What does this mean?"

Lucas' gaze was just as detached as ever as he replied, "Which part don't you understand? Would you like Mr. Harvey to explain?"

"Why can't I tell Grandma the truth?"

"She's in poor health. I hope you understand."

Evelyn took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure. "And the other part?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice still calm. "It's quite literal."

Evelyn almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. She knew exactly what he was getting at.

He didn't want her to reveal to the world that they had been married or the exact timing of their divorce not because of any other reason but because he was protecting Tiffany's image. By making sure no one knew when Tiffany had entered the picture, he could erase any trace of her involvement in their marriage.

Lucas was working hard to safeguard Tiffany's reputation, leaving nothing behind to tarnish her.

Evelyn took a steadying breath. "What if I don't agree?"

Lucas calmly placed an elegant, vintage ring box on the table in front of her.

"You agree, and this ring will be returned to its rightful owner."

Evelyn stared at the box, recognizing it immediately—it was the Reed family's heirloom.

She never imagined it would come to this. She had thought that bringing Immanuel to negotiate would work in her favor, but now, Lucas was using the ring to leverage her.

Of course, Immanuel could tell that while Lucas' wealth was beyond measure, as a businessman, it was unlikely that he would part with so much money unless he truly wanted to. The question was whether Evelyn would accept his terms.

Evelyn lowered her gaze.

If this were the old Evelyn, she would have never agreed to these terms. To her, it felt like an insult. The old her would have flat-out refused to sign the agreement.

But things had changed. With her health deteriorating, she didn't have the time or energy to drag things out with Lucas any longer.

"Give me the pen." Evelyn quickly made her decision. She borrowed a pen from Immanuel and signed the agreement with precision in front of Lucas.

Mason's smile faltered, his confident assumptions shattering. He stared at Evelyn in disbelief.

She signed it?

She really signed it?