Based on Evelyn's understanding of Agnes, she was used to contacting her only via mobile phone. The five consecutive calls from the Stark household’s landline felt strangely ominous. After leaving the studio, she took the initiative to call Agnes’s mobile, but it went unanswered three times.

She tried calling via WhatsApp voice as well, but it was the same result. At that moment, Evelyn felt a sudden, inexplicable panic and worry. Although their relationship had been strained over the years, Agnes was the closest person to her in this world.

Evelyn could choose to ignore her and avoid seeing her, but she hoped for nothing more than her safety and well-being!

As she dialed the Stark household’s landline, her hand trembled several times.

The voice on the other end was Yoon, the housekeeper who had worked at the Stark household for over twenty years. “Yoon, why can’t I reach my mother’s phone?” Evelyn asked anxiously.

“Finally, you returned the call, Miss Eve. This morning, your mother was in an accident on her way to a wellness center; she was hit by a truck that ran a red light,” Yoon sighed softly. “There was a lot of blood, and the car seat was stained red. Fortunately, she only hurt her leg and is not in any life-threatening danger.”

“Can’t my mom even answer her phone right now?” Evelyn asked, confused.

“Your mother has a mild concussion and is still being observed in the ICU, so she can’t access her phone,” Yoon said earnestly. “Miss Eve, you should come see her. When your mother was taken for emergency treatment, she kept calling your name.”

“I’ll book a flight right away.” Feeling flustered, Evelyn ended the call and booked a flight to Lycheeville for 2 PM.

When William called, she didn’t answer.

After returning to 9 Bliss Garden to pack two sets of clothes, she rushed to the airport.

Once she passed through security and was waiting to board, she considered whether she should inform Jason. Jason was naturally suspicious, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, she reluctantly dialed the number she didn’t want to call.

The call went to the secretary's office and could leave a message.

She chose to hang up, her mind a jumbled mess, unable to sort through her thoughts.

Realizing she could send Jason a text, she was already in the cabin when the flight attendants requested everyone to switch their phones to airplane mode.

She thought to herself that she would have to wait until she landed to call Jason and inform him.

The one-hour flight ended quickly, and Evelyn found herself back in the city she hadn’t returned to in three years, feeling a wave of nostalgia.

She was born, raised, and educated in Lycheeville, spending twenty-one years of her life there. To say she had no feelings for it would be a lie. However, the betrayal and scheming that occurred three years ago had plunged her into a pit of despair.

Lycheeville had also become a place of heartache she never wanted to revisit.

After getting Agnes's hospitalization information from Yoon, Evelyn took a taxi straight to the hospital.

Agnes was in the best private hospital in Lycheeville. When Evelyn arrived, she had already been moved from the ICU to a top-tier private room. A female housekeeper and a nurse were working harmoniously together, attending to her care.

Evelyn stood at the door of the room for a full three minutes before being invited by the housekeeper to approach Agnes’s bed.

The two women locked eyes.

Three years had passed since they last saw each other, and Evelyn had long shed her youthful innocence, gaining more maturity and competence.

Agnes’s well-maintained face looked a bit haggard and pale, but aside from that, she hadn’t changed much since three years ago, exuding the aura of a distinguished lady in her every gesture.

During the three years Evelyn hadn’t visited Lycheeville, Agnes had gone to Riverton two or three times a year, but Evelyn always avoided seeing her.

Both of them remained silent.

The atmosphere was suffocating, and past memories seemed to tug at their hearts like invisible hands, squeezing them mercilessly.

Every breath Evelyn took felt painful.

She noticed that Agnes’s right leg was in a cast, and there were several scrapes on her forehead and arm.

The fact that Agnes had come out of the ICU so quickly indicated that the situation was not too serious.

“Eve.” Agnes was the first to speak, her voice tinged with the urgency of three years apart. “You finally decided to come back.”

Upon hearing Yoon say that Agnes had been in an accident, Evelyn wanted nothing more than to fly to the hospital immediately, hold Agnes tightly, and cry out "Mom" to express the bitterness of the past three years.

But when she truly saw Agnes, the softness she had kept hidden evaporated instantly, leaving only resentment and bitterness.

Standing two meters away from the hospital bed, she quickly suppressed all her concern and cleared her throat, “What did the doctor say?”

“Your mother has a comminuted fracture in her right leg; she’ll need to rest in bed for at least three months,” the nurse quickly replied.

“Eve, come sit next to Mom,” Agnes said, her expression calm, yet her eyes sparkled with a hidden joy at their reunion.

Seeing Evelyn standing still, Agnes glanced at the nurse beside her. “Get two rose pastries, the ones Eve loved the most when she was little. Hurry!”

The nurse promptly agreed and left the room.

Agnes, feeling uncomfortable in her pajamas, sent the housekeeper back to the Stark household to fetch her silk nightgown.

The hospital room was left with only the two of them.

“Eve, close the door. Mom has something to say to you.” Agnes tried several times to sit up but couldn’t manage it.

At that moment, the joy of their reunion was openly written on her face.

Evelyn ignored her, glancing coolly at Agnes. “I need to hurry back to Riverton. If Mrs. Johnson has something to say, please say it quickly.”

Agnes’s eyes glistened with tears as she waved her hand toward Evelyn. “Eve, come closer so Mom can see you well—”

“Since Mrs. Johnson isn’t in serious condition, I’ll be heading back to Riverton. Take care, Mrs. Johnson.” As Evelyn uttered the last two words, her voice had already started to choke up.

“Eve!” Agnes called out, her tone urgent and piercing, a stark contrast to her usual aloofness. “Mom has a few more things to say to you; please wait until I’m done before you leave!”

Her heart was not made of stone, so she hesitated but kept her back to Agnes, refusing to turn around.

At that moment, her eyes were already red, and she feared that if she met Agnes’s gaze, she wouldn’t be able to control her emotions and would burst into tears.

“Try not to come back to Lycheeville if you can avoid it. As long as you want to see Mom, I’ll go to Riverton to see you,” Agnes spoke quickly, fearful that Evelyn might turn to leave.

“Take good care of yourself with Jason; hurry up and have a child—two or three would be even better. No matter what, you have to hold onto the name of Mrs. Stark, because—when Mom is gone, only Jason and the Stark family can protect you.”

Upon hearing this, Evelyn scoffed coldly. “Mrs. Johnson, this sounds like you're making arrangements for your will.”

“Eve—” Agnes trembled as she spoke, “One day, you will understand the plans and heartache behind Mom’s words. Your father was the kindest, most upright man in the world. But fate is so unfair; good people lose their lives, while the bad ones continue to thrive—”

Just hearing someone mention her deceased father sent a suffocating pain through Evelyn’s chest.

“If one day I’m gone, it means I’ve reunited with your father. We will protect you from another world—” Agnes smiled bitterly. “Once I finish the last thing for your dad, you might never hate Mom again.”

Evelyn's thoughts wandered as she turned away in anger.

“My father was always honest during his career. We didn’t even have a single piece of valuable furniture at home! He took out an eight-thousand-dollar loan from the bank to buy me a piano and took six months to pay it back. How could someone so meticulous possibly embezzle five million?”