Chapter 464

In the hospital room, Shawn lay quietly on his stomach after the anesthesia wore off, his back wrapped in layers of gauze.

Seraphina sat by the bed, studying this "contract fiancé" carefully for the first time.

Shawn was actually quite handsome.

It's just that he was too stubborn.

When the nurse came in to change the dressing, Seraphina insisted on helping.

When the gauze was removed, revealing the bloody, mangled wound, her eyes were stung once again.

"Does it hurt a lot?" she asked softly.

The nurse sighed. "Sulfuric acid burns are among the most painful, but Mr. Jones is very strong. He doesn't make a sound during dressing changes."

Seraphina's fingers gently brushed over the uninjured part of Shawn's shoulder.

There was an old scar there that she had never noticed before, but now it somehow made her feel uncomfortable.

"You don't need to feel pressured," Shawn said casually, still lying on the bed. "I didn't do it for you."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Seraphina stared quietly at his back for a long time without saying anything.

When the agent came to see them, he said:

"Colleen confessed during questioning that Sandra hinted for her to do this, but there's no direct evidence. She had no choice but to talk - if she didn't, she'd be in trouble. What she did was intentional assault, which is a crime. Even God can't save her now."

Shawn and Seraphina exchanged a glance.

They both knew this was another one of Sandra's kill-two-birds-with-one-stone schemes - getting revenge on Seraphina while getting rid of the now-useless Colleen.

Seraphina smiled coldly. "Then let's make this even bigger and get everyone to blame the person behind it all."

The agent immediately understood and got someone to post online, spreading everything Colleen had said. By the next afternoon, Sandra was surrounded by reporters and could barely get out.

She was furious and called security to drive them away, but a fight broke out between both sides, injuring two reporters, and the situation escalated again.

Galaxy Entertainment's executives had to come out and apologize. The incident kept growing for several days, causing huge losses to Galaxy Entertainment before it was finally suppressed.

Meanwhile.

In her branch office in Pinecrest, Evelyn signed the last document and set her pen down heavily on the marble desk.

"Everything arranged?" she asked her personal lawyer standing nearby.

He nodded. "Your three domestic companies that had business dealings with Galaxy Entertainment have terminated all seven joint projects with Galaxy Entertainment. Penalty fees have been paid."

"Our European partners have also been notified that any business dealings related to Sandra will affect their relationship with you."

Evelyn looked at the photo frame on her desk showing her and Sandra together, her fingers gently tracing the edge of the frame. "You did well."

"Galaxy Entertainment's stock price plummeted 15% this morning," the lawyer added, pushing up his glasses. "Reliable sources say Louis will remove Sandra from her vice president position next week."

Evelyn closed her eyes.

After all these years, she never thought she would be "helping" the girl who once called her "Mom" in this way.

But the disappointment in Amelia's eyes and Sandra's repeated attacks without any bottom line told her that all of this had to end soon.

"She'll come looking for me, if not tomorrow, then the day after," Evelyn sighed quietly, standing up, suddenly looking much more worn.

The lawyer wanted to say something but stopped himself, finally just leaving quietly.

Evelyn took out an old photo album from the safe and turned to a middle page - five-year-old Sandra.

Back then, Sandra was bright and beautiful, wearing a little dress Evelyn had bought her, chasing a butterfly in the yard with a smile so pure it was blinding.

"My daughter..." Evelyn whispered softly, a tear falling on the photo. "I'll try one last time."

Sandra came sooner than she expected.

Sandra contacted her the very next morning, and they agreed to meet at a tea restaurant in the Pinecrest suburbs.

Sandra walked into the reserved private room wearing four-inch silver heels, radiating intense aggression.

The board had given her an ultimatum - resolve Evelyn's group's sanctions within three days, or be suspended immediately.

Having worked so hard to return, she naturally wasn't willing to give up just like that.

In the private room, Evelyn was making tea.

She sat there quietly, her profile gentle, her pearl earrings glowing softly under the lights.

Seeing Sandra out of the corner of her eye, the teapot in her hand paused slightly.

"You're here." Evelyn smiled, the love in her eyes so obvious, as if she still saw Sandra as her precious daughter.

Sandra laughed coldly and sat down across from her. "What exactly do you mean? This is a war between me and Amelia. What right do you have to interfere? You're cheating!"

Yes, she absolutely never expected Evelyn to do something like this.

It gave her another feeling of being betrayed and disappointed.

"Amelia doesn't know about this," Evelyn said, pushing a cup of tea toward her. "This was my personal decision."

Sandra didn't touch the tea.

She studied this Evelyn who once captivated her and found that the wrinkles on Evelyn's face were deeper than she remembered.

Evelyn's eyes were no longer the reassuring warmth of the past, but... a complex emotion she couldn't read.

"Just say it - what will it take for you to withdraw the sanctions?" Sandra suppressed her anger and asked bluntly.

"I want you to leave here," Evelyn said, still looking at her calmly. "Come with me to Astoria and start over."

Sandra looked like she'd heard the biggest joke, her red lips curving into a mocking arc. "Why should I?"

"Because if this continues, you'll destroy yourself!"

Evelyn suddenly raised her voice, her fingers gripping the napkin tightly. "Look at what you've become! To surpass Amelia, you've forgotten who you used to be. You don't hesitate to hurt others, using every dirty trick. What's next? Murder? Can you even sleep at night?"

Sandra's eyes instantly turned ice-cold. "What right do you have to lecture me? Who do you think you are?"

"I'm your mother. I raised you for over twenty years, watched you grow up with my own eyes, nurtured you with my own hands. No one in this world has more right to lecture you than I do! The way you've turned out now is also my failure!" Evelyn looked at her painfully, tears welling in her eyes.

"Sandra, stop now. Let's leave together, get away from here, and then there won't be anyone..."

"Shut up!" Sandra laughed coldly, saying through gritted teeth, "I'm not your daughter. Your daughter died long ago. You think if you say these things, I'll listen to you? You underestimate me. Since you've already chosen those two sisters, why bother coming back to me? I hate you! I hate you so much!"

She finally admitted that she was Sandra.

Evelyn had already guessed she would react this way. Ignoring her rage, she calmly poured another cup of tea. "No matter what you want to say, have some tea and calm down."