Chapter 752
Here is your revised version, carefully edited for native fluency, cultural adjustment, and faithful rendition of the original’s tone and nuances:
Evelina was slapped again, and a flash of impatience flickered in her eyes. “Asher, do you really think landing this deal with PZ Group was that simple? It only worked out because I promised them all those perks—they wouldn’t have agreed otherwise. The Waverlies and the Sinclair family have been after this project too. Why do you think they’d choose the Langston family out of everyone?”
Suddenly, Evelina seemed like a completely different person.
Watching Evelina assert herself, Asher’s anger flared up. “If something shady was going on, you should have told me. You don’t have that much experience—what if someone took advantage of you?”
Kickbacks like this aren’t exactly unheard of.
Asher wasn’t naïve-of course he understood how things worked. But he hadn’t expected Evelina to go behind his back like this.
Since when did Evelina get so bold?
Evelina let out a cold laugh. “If I’d told you, would you have believed me?”
She knew Asher’s personality inside out.
The first time the payment was due, he hovered over her the entire time, making sure she couldn’t do a thing.
For the second payment, he wouldn’t sign off until after she married Evander Langston.
If that didn’t scream distrust, she didn’t know what did.
Asher gave a derisive snort. “And now look what you’ve done. Is this not a mess? I don’t care what you have to do—tomorrow I want all that money back!”
“I can’t get it back right now,” Evelina answered flatly. “The project manager said he’s going to invest it first. In a week, he’ll transfer the money to PZ Group’s account. Everything will be under the radar and no one will notice.”
“Evelina, are you really that gullible? You actually believed that?”
Asher was so furious he could barely stand straight.
Afraid the money might be gone for good, he immediately called his team, ordering them to contact PZ Group’s project manager and make sure he didn’t try to disappear.
Tomorrow, he would go in person to get the money back.
At last, Lucian spoke. “Asher, the CEO of PZ Group was here in person today-that proves the partnership is legitimate. As for any private deals between their project manager and Evelina, talk it out quietly tryn let the CEO catch wind of this, or it could jeopardize ongoing
cooperation.”
“I know what to do,” Asher said. His harsh words were mostly just bluster; deep down, he understood this couldn’t turn into a scandal, especially not in front of PZ Group’s CEO.
But right now, he couldn’t hide his disappointment in Evelina. “I trusted you, and look what you’ve done. Just for a kickback, you risked everything. What if we never get that money back?”
“But Asher, if it weren’t for me, would you even be working with PZ Group right now Evelina shot back, her voice brimming with resentment. “I’m nothing but an outsider in this family-I’ll never measure up to you and your blood relatives.”
Asher clutched his chest in frustration. Haven’t I always been good to you? Ever since we were kids, it’s always been Lemira got the short end of the stick-who had to give way to you! Even when you plotted against Lemira and ended up assaulted by the butler, who was it that protected you?”
Evelina’s face turned crimson with anger. “I never schemed against Lemira! She’s the one who set me up, that spiteful cow!”
Lucian’s face was stone cold. “Watch your mouth, Evelina! Can’t you show a shred of decency?”
Lucian had always known Evelina could be two-faced, but he’d never witnessed this venomous side before.
Meanwhile, Lemira watched quietly from the sidelines. So this is her true face, she thought-the real “two-faced” girl.
Evelina probably acted this smug because she felt she held all the cards.
Evelina sneered, “No decency? Isn’t it you people who taught me that? All your talk about fairness—yet in the end, you force me to marry some hopeless cripple?”
Evander’s heart dropped. “Eve, what did you just say?”
Did she really just call him a hopeless cripple?
Is that all he meant to her?