Evelyn Ross paused in surprise.

The car door opened.

Ryan Roland sat in the back seat, looking at her.

"Miss Nan, need a ride?"

Ryan was Mina Sherwood's cousin.

Since Chloe Roland was a bridesmaid, he was naturally present.

The wedding procession headed toward the hotel.

As part of the bride's family, he was attending the banquet.

The Sherwood family cars followed behind.

Ryan's gaze was probing.

Evelyn looked around.

The procession was long.

If Mina couldn't find her at the hotel, she would worry.

She stopped hesitating and got in the car.

"Thank you."

The car started.

Evelyn took out her phone.

Mina had sent a message: [Are you in a car?]

Seeing no reply, she sent five more messages in a row.

She also called via voice chat.

Evelyn replied immediately: [I'm in a car. Don't worry.]

She put away her phone.

Sensing Ryan's scrutiny, she turned to him directly.

"Is there something you need, Mr. Roland?"

Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, Ryan's eyes were sharp.

He seemed to be searching for a flaw, but found nothing.

He asked directly, "Miss Nan's records indicate a gentle personality?"

Evelyn smiled lightly.

"I used to be."

"I thought being a good wife and mother was enough."

"But my ex-husband taught me to reinvent myself."

She gave a self-mocking smile.

Fixed impressions were misleading.

Her sister seemed like such a delicate woman.

Yet deep down, she had incredible strength.

In the ocean, facing life and death, her sister had given her the chance to live.

How could someone like that be weak and incompetent?

A trace of sorrow flickered in Evelyn's eyes.

This expression confused Ryan even more.

He studied Evelyn carefully.

Could a major marital change really transform a person so completely?

It was possible...

Ryan felt he was overthinking it.

Evelyn Ross's body had been found in San Francisco.

The woman before him had no tear mole at the corner of her eye...

After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

"Alexander Vance is with you because you look exactly like his late wife."

"Did you know that, Miss Nan?"

Evelyn paused, lowering her gaze.

"My ex-husband heard about Mrs. Vance's funeral."

"He took me there."

"After he realized I resembled Mrs. Vance, he..."

She seemed to struggle with the words.

"My ex-husband gave me to Mr. Vance..."

"I didn't understand at the time."

"I only realized later."

Ryan was taken aback.

"That's it?"

Evelyn tilted her head.

"What else?"

Ryan continued, "I see Alexander Vance treats you unusually well."

Evelyn smiled bitterly.

"Just a substitute."

"He can't move past the grief of losing his wife."

"He seeks comfort in me, that's all."

Ryan suddenly understood.

At Evelyn's funeral, Alexander had refused to acknowledge the body was hers.

But multiple DNA tests had confirmed it...

Everyone said Mr. Vance had gone mad then.

Ryan had visited him.

In just a few days, he had become haggard...

Thinking about it now, he was stubbornly treating Grace Nan as Evelyn Ross.

Fooling himself.

Ryan figured out the logic and fell silent.

Evelyn didn't let the opportunity slip.

She turned to him with a smile.

"Mr. Roland, about the cooperation between our companies..."

"Will you really not reconsider?"

Ryan frowned.

"It's just some raw materials."

"I don't want to upset my sister."

Before he finished speaking, a phone appeared before him.

Evelyn opened a cooperation document and handed it to him.

"What if we collaborate on developing a new project?"

Ryan was stunned.

He looked at the content on the phone.

His eyes immediately lit up.

Evelyn said slowly, "As far as I know, the Roland family is one of the Five Great Families."

"But you've already fallen behind the other four."

"If you don't catch up, the Roland family will truly decline."

"Aren't you worried, Mr. Roland?"

Ryan's jaw tightened.

Because the Roland family had fallen behind, they had gone to San Francisco to cooperate with the Vance family.

They hoped to improve their standing.

After the cooperation, their status had recovered somewhat.

But it still wasn't enough.

The project Evelyn mentioned was too attractive.

The company's core technology needed updating.

But they lacked technical personnel.

Dr. Nan's latest technology was with James Klein's company.

Which now belonged to Grace Nan...

Seeing his silence, Evelyn took back her phone.

"Mr. Roland, you should think it over carefully."

Ryan fell into deep thought.

His sister was important, of course.

But could a great family abandon significant benefits for personal feelings?

If it were just a small matter, he would definitely indulge his sister.

But now...

Ryan rubbed the armrest, lost in thought.

It was a thirty-minute drive from the Sherwood residence to the hotel.

The procession stopped.

Evelyn looked at Ryan.

"Mr. Roland, if you change your mind, you can contact me anytime."

She opened the door and got out.

She quickly walked toward the bridal car.

Mina had already gotten out and was waiting for her.

Seeing Evelyn, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone entered the hotel's backstage rest area to wait for the wedding.

Among the bridesmaids, Chloe Roland saw Evelyn and was stunned.

She asked unhappily, "Whose car did you come in?"

Penelope Valentine also spoke up.

"What's going on?"

Someone nearby said quietly, "I just saw her get out of Mr. Roland's car."

Chloe was confused.

"Which Mr. Roland?"

The other person pointed at Ryan, who had just gotten out of the car.

"Your brother!"

Chloe's face immediately darkened.

She tossed out a sentence, "You go ahead first. I'll catch up later."

She stormed over to Ryan.

Her eyes were red with anger as she glared at him.

"Brother, how could you bring Grace Nan?!"

"Don't you know I hate her?!"

Ryan was helpless.

Seeing his sister's state, he knew he had to give an explanation.

After a long silence, he finally said, "I suspect Grace Nan is Evelyn Ross."