Evelyn’s POV
"I’m tired of this, Calvin," I said into the phone, not hiding how exhausted I was.
Every ti Calvin took the boys back to the Bloodbane Pack house, it beca nearly impossible for to reach them. I rubbed my temple, feeling a headache coming on.
"Every ti the boys are with you, I can barely contact them. First it was Clara, now it’s your grandfather. What’s next?"
I heard Calvin take a sharp breath through the phone. "Do you always have to pick a fight, Evelyn? They’ve lived with you for months, and now you can’t handle having them at the pack house for a few days?"
The last ti I tried to discuss custody with him, he’d changed the subject completely. I wasn’t going to let that happen again. This needed to be settled once and for all.
"Let’s be honest with each other," I said firmly. "Have you ever considered giving custody of the boys?"
His silence said everything.
I knew that despite my success with Evelink Biosciences, I couldn’t compete with the century-old legacy of the Bloodbane Pack or Wolfe Haven International. Calvin had built that company into an empire with his intelligence and ambition. It wasn’t sothing I could match in just a few years.
I’d thought long and hard about what was best for the boys. With custody currently in Calvin’s hands and Clara out of the picture, maybe fighting wasn’t the answer. If Calvin truly cared for Rowan and Rhys, and they were happy with him, I might not need to battle for full custody.
"Let’s ask the boys what they want," I suggested. "See if they’d prefer to stay with ."
The constant struggle to reach my children when they were at the Bloodbane house was wearing down. I needed a better arrangent.
"I propose we change from sole custody to joint custody," I continued. "We can schedule specific tis for when they’re with you and when they’re with ."
With Calvin’s personality, direct confrontation rarely worked. We were both busy with our careers, and the boys needed stability. Working together seed like the only solution.
"Where are you planning to go?" Calvin suddenly asked.
I’d been splitting my ti between Viremont and my international lab, with Ravenshade now added to the mix. But that wasn’t his business.
"That’s my concern," I replied coolly. "We’re discussing the boys’ arrangents. Can we et tomorrow to talk face-to-face?"
"No ti," he snapped.
I sighed, glancing out the window at the garden below. The roses were in full bloom.
"Fine. You pick a ti, and I’ll make myself available."Calvin fell silent. I hung up, staring at my phone. Part of still wanted to block his number permanently, but our children made that impossible.
A gentle knock at the balcony door pulled from my thoughts. Eryx leaned against the doorfra.
"Boss," he said. "Alexis won’t eat without you."
On cue, I heard Alexis calling "Mommy!" several tis from the dining room.
I couldn’t help but smile. "Coming."
Alexis and I were halfway through dinner when the video call ca through. My daughter imdiately abandoned her fork and spoon, her eyes lighting up.
"Brothers!" she exclaid, reaching for my phone.
I handed it to her, watching as Calvin’s face appeared on screen with the boys.
The twins excitedly showed Alexis their new toys, while she listened with rapt attention. When they explained they couldn’t talk long because their piano teacher didn’t allow electronic devices during lessons, I nodded.
Alexis looked disappointed but managed a bright smile. "Good luck, brothers!"
After dinner, I went to my study where Eryx and I discussed our plans for the Red Cedar Resort property. The bidding war was intensifying, with Calvin being our main competition. Even the Eros Pack from Duskwatch Bay had entered the fray.
I’d surveyed nurous properties, but this one was perfect for cultivating the rare herbs needed for my research. The Moon Root that grew there was essential for my LDS treatnt formulations. Even the cultivation of Stellaris Moonbane Root required this land.
"We need to discuss the bidding strategy," I said, gesturing for Jackson, Eryx, and Gary to join at the conference table.
Jackson opened his laptop, looking serious. "Soone’s been investigating our identity because we’ve been bidding anonymously with unusually high offers."
I looked at him, nodding for him to continue.
"Now we’re facing two of the nation’s largest packs," he said. "If we remain anonymous bidders, our success rate will drop significantly."
I nodded thoughtfully. "Then we’ll prepare for both scenarios. Have a backup plan ready with our public identity revealed."
I didn’t want to beco a public figure unless absolutely necessary, but with stakes this high, every advantage mattered.
Eryx looked troubled. "I don’t understand why Eros Pack is getting involved in this."
I thought of that old woman from Eros Pack—Marcia. If she hadn’t been Luna and built up the pack’s wealth, considering Logan’s father’s affairs and illegitimate children, Eros Pack might never have beco Duskwatch Bay’s largest pack.
I glanced carefully at Gary. After all, Eros Pack was his birth pack. Though unrecognized by his father, Gary didn’t seem to harbor resentnt toward his half-brother Logan. If anything, he seed guilty about disrupting Logan’s succession ceremony.
Gary noticed my glance and imdiately said, "Marcia has sharp business instincts. Knowing her thods, she’s probably built quite a network of alliances."
"It’s fine," I replied. "But her influence is limited to Duskwatch Bay. This land—we’re taking it."
I looked at the three n. "Eryx will accompany to the bidding. Gary, keep monitoring the lab projects. Jackson, continue tracking everyone else’s movents."
After the eting ended, I found myself looking forward to next Sunday’s auction.
Sunday arrived. We reached the bidding venue and checked into the best local hotel. In the elevator lobby, I ca face to face with Calvin.
Calvin wore his usual white shirt and black pants, that cool deanor surrounding him completely.
He rarely saw dressed so formally and looked twice. "What are you doing here?"
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