Chapter 143: Reconciliation
The crowd was stunned. Sienna, who had just been escorted out by the police, heard every word. Seeing Evelyn protected by such a powerful man broke her remaining sanity.
"Why! Why do you get to have everything!"
Sienna suddenly broke free from a female officer, her hair a mess as she charged at Evelyn. "You ruined me! You ruined everything! I’ll kill you!"
Her face was a mask of rage as she clawed at Evelyn. Ryan’s eyes went cold, and he prepared to kick her away. But a dark shadow suddenly lunged from the side, grabbing Sienna by the hair and jerking her back.
Slap!
A heavy blow landed on Sienna’s face, sending her spinning before she hit the concrete hard. It was Damian. He was breathing heavily, clutching crumpled papers in his hand.
His secretary had shoved them into his hand as court adjourned. They were the real prenatal records from the private clinic. The conception date was clearly listed. He had been in London then.
"You bitch!" Damian roared. "You’re carrying someone else’s bastard and lied to me that it was a Green heir?!"
Sienna clutched her swollen cheek. Seeing the report in his hand, her madness turned to terror. "No... Damian, let me explain..." She scrambled backward. "It’s a mistake... I love you..."
"To hell with your love!"
Damian snapped. All the regret, anger, and shame of being played erupted into raw violence. He lunged at Sienna, kicking and punching her. He kicked her in the stomach and back with every ounce of his strength.
"Liar! Everyone lied to me! I pushed Evelyn away for you! I became a pauper for you! How dare you! How dare you cuckold me!"
Sienna curled into a ball, screaming in pain. The memory of their past sweetness was now a cruel joke. Reporters scrambled to capture the ugliest, most scandalous moment of the drama. The prestige of Omni Group was being trampled into the dirt.
"Stop! Police!"
The officers regained their senses and pulled the hysterical Damian away, pinning him against a patrol car. Sienna lay on the ground like a pile of rags, her makeup ruined by tears and her expensive suit covered in blood and dust. She looked at the pinned Damian and let out a hysterical, broken laugh.
Damian panted, his tie askew. Through his messy hair, he saw two people about to get into a car nearby. Ryan was shielding Evelyn’s head as she stepped in, his movements gentle and gentlemanly. They looked like they belonged to a different world—clean, dignified, and untouched by the filth around them.
That woman had been his treasure for eight years. He had personally pushed her into another man’s arms. Panic flooded him.
"Evelyn!" Damian found a burst of strength and broke free from the police. He didn't run away. He ran toward Evelyn.
Thud.
He dropped to his knees a few meters away from her. His knees hit the hard concrete with a heavy sound. "Evelyn, don't leave..." He crawled forward. "I know I was wrong. I really know it now. I shouldn't have believed that witch. I was blinded!"
"Please, give me one more chance. I don't want anything else, I just want you back. Let's start over, okay? Evelyn, look at me..."
Evelyn’s hand paused on the car door handle. But she didn't look back. Even with the man she had loved for eight years sobbing behind her, even as he groveled in the dirt. Her eyes were no longer full of light; they were cold and dead.
"Let’s go," she said quietly.
Ryan gave the man on the ground a look of utter mockery, then closed the door. The black Maybach started up and drove off, leaving behind nothing but a cloud of exhaust. Damian knelt there, watching the car disappear around the corner, his last bit of strength gone.
Later, Ryan brought Evelyn back to the hospital before heading off to wrap up the loose ends. As Evelyn leaned back against her pillows, there was a soft knock on the door.
Ethan entered, followed by a shrinking figure. It was Sophie. She looked even worse than she had in court. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were terribly swollen.
"Evelyn..." Sophie said. "I’m sorry... I’m so, so sorry..."
She kept her head down, tears splashing onto the floor. "I was terrified. Fifty million dollars... Sienna said the debt would vanish and I’d be Lead Designer if I just listened. I was blinded by greed. I was blinded by jealousy."
Sophie looked up, her face full of shame. "It wasn't just the money. I was jealous of you. Since college, the professors only ever praised you. All eyes were on you."
"Even after being a housewife for eight years, you could sketch something that amazed everyone, while I couldn't keep up with half of what you did. That gap made me go crazy. I thought if I destroyed you, people would finally see me..."
"But I was wrong. So wrong." Sophie slapped herself hard across the face. "If it wasn't for you, the loan sharks would have killed me long ago. I actually hurt the only person who was ever real with me, all for the sake of my pathetic pride."
Ethan stood by, watching the once-cheerful girl who was now groveling in the dust. He sighed, but said nothing. Some mistakes had to be carried by the person who made them.