Mark Black looked at Evelyn Vale, flashed a wide grin, and respectfully called out,
“Hello, Sister-in-law!”
His sister-in-law was the best!
Not only was she beautiful, but she was beautiful on the inside too.
Evelyn immediately blushed.
For some reason, she found herself developing an even better impression of Mark.
But…
Wasn’t it a little too early for him to call her sister-in-law?
Although the title sounded surprisingly pleasant to her ears, she couldn’t help glancing toward a certain someone.
She wondered whether he would object.
Evelyn turned her eyes toward Alexander Blackwood.
Sure enough.
Alexander’s expression had darkened.
His cold gaze swept toward Mark.
“It’s Miss Vale.”
Mark’s grin froze.
Aunt Eleanor quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
“For now, you should call her Miss Vale.
They aren’t married yet.”
Mark scratched the back of his head.
“But sooner or later, I’ll have to call her Sister-in-law anyway.”
He muttered under his breath,
“I still think Sister-in-law rolls off the tongue better…”
His voice gradually became quieter under Alexander’s icy stare.
The young soldier immediately straightened and obediently corrected himself.
“Miss Vale, my name is Mark Black.
From now on, I’ll be responsible for taking care of the Battalion Commander.”
“Thank you, Brother Mark.”
Evelyn smiled sincerely.
She was genuinely grateful to him.
Mark Black was truly loyal to Alexander.
In her previous life, after she married Damien, Mark wouldn’t even look her in the eye.
He had openly despised her and even scolded her for the way she had treated Alexander.
And the tragedy was…
Not long after Mark returned to active military service, he died during a mission.
The memory made Evelyn’s heart tighten.
She remembered what happened afterward.
Alexander had locked himself inside his room for three entire days and three nights.
He refused to eat properly.
He refused to speak to anyone.
He simply sat alone, drowning in grief over the death of the soldier who had followed him so faithfully.
And from that point onward, the relationship between Alexander and Damien became even more strained.
Evelyn’s eyes darkened.
She had always suspected that Mark’s death had something to do with Damien.
Perhaps it was more accurate to say that Damien had indirectly caused it.
Evelyn believed that possibility was highly likely. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Damien was an extremely petty man.
He was the kind of person who could hold a grudge over the smallest offense.
In her previous life, Mark had never shown Damien much respect.
He had openly disliked him.
On more than one occasion, Mark had even called Damien petty to his face.
Although Damien had pretended not to care, Evelyn knew him well enough.
He would never truly let something like that go.
It was entirely possible that Damien had secretly held onto that resentment.
And later, after gaining more authority within the military, he could have used his position to settle the score.
At that time, Damien had already been rising rapidly through the ranks.
Alexander’s military achievements had created an enormous amount of glory around the Blackwood family.
Damien had benefited from that reputation and used it to advance quickly.
For someone with authority, sabotaging the career of an ordinary soldier like Mark would not have been difficult.
And if Mark died during a dangerous mission afterward…
Who would question it?
Evelyn’s hands slowly tightened.
This time, she would not allow history to repeat itself.
Mark would live.
Alexander would live.
And Damien…
She would make sure he paid for every debt from her previous life.
Meanwhile, Hannah’s expression had become increasingly ugly.
It was one thing for Evelyn to repeatedly talk back to her.
But how dare a mere soldier disrespect her?
She was still the wife of a high-ranking military officer.
Her husband, the second son of the Blackwood family, was a respected commanding officer.
Her position in the family was not something an ordinary soldier could casually challenge.
The third son of the family, meanwhile, had never joined the military.
He was a university professor, and his wife, Eleanor’s sister-in-law, worked as an editor for a major newspaper.
That couple was known for being refined, educated, and reasonable.
Hannah, however, had never possessed their patience.
She pointed accusingly at Mark.
“How are you speaking to me?”
Her eyes were filled with disdain.
“Don’t you know any manners?”
Alexander’s expression immediately turned cold.
“Hannah.”
His voice carried a warning.
“If you have an objection, come at me.”
Hannah’s face changed.
Before she could respond, Grandfather Blackwood’s stern voice rang through the room.
“What are you arguing about?”
His eyes swept across everyone.
“If you’re unhappy here, then move out.”
He struck the floor lightly with his cane.
“You’re disturbing the entire house, and you’re upsetting the old man.”
Hannah’s expression immediately changed.
how would I dare argue?”
She quickly lowered her voice.
“It was them who started it…”
But inwardly, she was furious.
The old man was always biased toward the main household.
Always.
He had treated Alexander like the most precious grandson in the entire family.
Hmph!
Now that Alexander had been injured and the main household had practically fallen apart, she wanted to see what the old man would do in the future.
Would he still be able to protect them forever?
“Enough.”
The cold voice of Hannah’s husband cut through her thoughts.
He glared at his wife.
“Stop talking.”
Hannah immediately shut her mouth.
Although anger still burned in her eyes, she didn’t dare argue any further.
Evelyn watched the scene silently.
She sneered inwardly.
The worst people in the Blackwood family had always come from this household.
Not one of them was truly innocent.
Hannah was loud and shameless.
But her husband was even more dangerous.
He was exactly like Damien.
A gentleman on the surface.
A schemer underneath.
He rarely raised his voice.
He rarely lost his temper.
Yet Evelyn knew that men like him were often far more frightening than people who openly displayed their anger.
At least with Hannah, you could see the hostility coming.
With her husband, the knife was always hidden.
Grandfather Blackwood let out a low snort.
In the past, when Alexander had been healthy, he had tolerated Hannah’s petty temper and constant provocations.
He had deliberately turned a blind eye to many of her little schemes.
After all, they were family.
And as long as Alexander was fine, those trivial arguments weren’t worth his attention.
But things were different now.
Alexander had returned from the battlefield seriously injured.
The entire household needed peace and quiet.
He would not allow anyone to create unnecessary trouble around his grandson.
If Hannah continued behaving as she had before…
Grandfather Blackwood wouldn’t show her any more mercy.
If necessary, he would throw the entire household out of the Blackwood residence.
His eyes hardened.
No matter what happened to Alexander’s legs, he was still his grandson.
And no one was going to make Alexander’s recovery harder than it already was.