Chapter 144: The Breaking Point
Evelyn watched Sophie in silence. She remembered their college days, heating up muffins in the dorm while rushing through assignments. She remembered the worry in Sophie’s eyes the day she fled from Damian. She also remembered Sophie’s final, resolute turn in the courtroom.
If Sophie had followed the dark path to the very end, Evelyn would never have forgiven her. But in the final moment, Sophie chose to destroy her own future to save Evelyn’s.
Evelyn pulled back the covers, got out of bed, and walked barefoot to stand before her. Sophie was kneeling on the floor, her shoulders hunched. Hearing the footsteps, she reached out a trembling hand to grab the hem of Evelyn’s dress.
Evelyn took half a step back. Sophie’s hand hung in the air for a second before falling limply to her side.
"Get up, Sophie."
Evelyn didn't reach down to help her. "Fifty million dollars is a lot of money. Anyone might break under that kind of pressure. Jealousy is human nature. You chose to give in to it, and I saw that."
Sophie looked up sharply. "Evelyn, does that mean..."
"But I won't forgive you," Evelyn interrupted. "Understanding is one thing; acceptance is another. What we had is over."
"I can't trust someone who might sell me out the moment it benefits them."
"Evelyn..." Sophie’s mouth opened, but only broken sobs came out. Huge tears splashed onto the floor. The feeling of losing her best friend was more suffocating than the fear she had felt earlier.
Just then, the door pushed open. Professor Hayes walked in, dressed in a sharp black business suit. Her eyes flicked over the kneeling Sophie with a slight frown before turning to Evelyn. She pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses.
"Now that you’ve cleared that up, let's talk business." She handed a thick contract to Evelyn. "The organizers of New York Fashion Week contacted me. They watched the trial and are fascinated by the design concept of your 'Rebirth' series. This is the contract for the opening ceremony’s exclusive collection. You are the lead designer."
Evelyn took the heavy document. Her hands brushed the paper—this was the dream she had buried for a ridiculous marriage. Now, it was hers again.
Professor Hayes looked at Sophie, her expression cold. "As for you, there is no official ban in the industry, but your reputation is ruined. My studio has no room for people with bad character."
Sophie used the floor to steady herself as she stood up on shaky legs. She wiped her face, her eyes still swollen, but for the first time, she looked directly at them.
"I know," Sophie said, her voice raspy. "I don't deserve to be in your studio."
She turned to Evelyn and gave a deep, long bow.
"I’m going to a garment factory in the West Side to start as a basic seamstress. Evelyn, I don't expect your forgiveness. But I will find my own way to make amends. Even if it takes ten or twenty years, I will find the conscience I lost."
Without another word, she turned and walked out. Her silhouette looked thin, yet possessed a new kind of resolve.
The room fell quiet. Evelyn’s thumb traced the edge of the contract. This was the stage every designer dreamed of. The price had been high, but she finally saw things clearly.
She turned and met Ryan’s deep gaze. He stood against the light, his charcoal suit making him look tall and imposing. The affection in his eyes was unmistakable.
Ryan stepped forward and, in front of Professor Hayes, gently took Evelyn’s hand. His palm was warm and dry, radiating a steady strength. Evelyn’s heart fluttered, and her eyes grew misty as she squeezed back.
Two weeks later, at the top floor of the Nova Group headquarters.
Outside the windows was the New York skyline, but the tension inside the office was high. A legal notice was slammed onto the desk.
"This is your PR team's plan?" Evelyn pointed at the document, her voice shaking with anger. "To push all the blame onto Professor Hayes? To claim there were copyright flaws in her original sketches?"
An hour ago, the "Heritage" series—a major collaboration between Nova Group and Hayes’s team—had been hit with an infringement claim. The partner was demanding massive damages. To save Nova’s stock price, Ryan’s team suggested sacrificing Professor Hayes by labeling the crisis a "personal error" on her part.
Ryan sat in his large leather chair, looking grim. He tapped the desk rhythmically—a habit when he was thinking. He looked cold and detached.
"Evelyn, be reasonable," Ryan said, looking up. "This is a business move, not a game. They came prepared. If we don't cut ties quickly, Nova’s stock will plummet tomorrow. We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars."
"Hundreds of millions..." Evelyn let out a cold laugh. "For money, you’re willing to destroy a woman’s lifelong reputation? That is her entire career! If you release this statement, she’ll be branded a plagiarist forever."
"I’ll compensate her," Ryan said, frowning at Evelyn’s intensity. "I’ll personally fund her studio afterward. I can even double her retirement fund. But business is business. As the leader of Nova, I have to put the group’s interests first."
"Business is business?" Evelyn looked at him as if he were a stranger.
The Ryan who gave her an umbrella in the rain and protected her at the auction was being replaced by a cold-blooded capitalist. A familiar, suffocating fear gripped her throat. Once, Damian had told her the same things.
Evelyn, you have to put up with Sienna for the sake of the IPO. Evelyn, the stock can't drop anymore. Stop making a scene.
It turned out that all the warmth was just a bargaining chip to be sacrificed for profit.
"Ryan," Evelyn’s voice was like ice. "So you think sacrificing your principles and betraying a mentor is just part of the game?"
Ryan stood up and walked around the desk, trying to take her hand. "It’s not betrayal; it’s damage control. Evelyn, you’re being too emotional. You don't understand the rules of the world..."
"Don't touch me!" Evelyn snapped her hand away.