Chapter 165: Just a Contract
A private club in Manhattan. A smoke filled room.
Damian Green slouched on a leather sofa, his tie loose around his neck, dark circles under his eyes.
Ever since Ryan publicly humiliated him and took Evelyn, he hadn't slept a peaceful night.
"I don't see why you came to me." Damian knocked back a shot of whiskey. "Lawrence guards her like a rabid dog now."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Mr. Green."
Valerie Astor sat across from him, a slim cigarette between her fingers, red lips exhaling a ring of smoke.
She remembered the humiliation at Tiffany's and the gala. The hatred in her eyes nearly overflowed.
"Don't you want to see Ryan Lawrence ruined? Don't you want that tramp Evelyn to realize what kind of man she chose, then come crawling back to you in tears?"
Those words hit Damian right where it hurt.
"You have a plan?" He set down his glass and leaned forward.
"Of course."
Valerie pulled a file folder from her Hermès bag and tossed it on the table.
"I found out about one of Ryan's old flings from a few years back. A model named Lena. It caused quite a stir, but Nova Group paid to bury it. Give her enough money, promise her some opportunities, and she'll say anything."
Damian flipped through the documents, frowning slightly. "But this looks like a consensual arrangement."
"Does the truth matter?People only believe what they want to believe. A powerful tycoon assaulting a helpless young model. Forced abortion. Used and abandoned. That's the story that sells."
"I want Ryan Lawrence destroyed. I want Evelyn to learn that her so called salvation is just another abyss."
...
Two days later, a bombshell exploded across New York media.
Every outlet that should have been covering Fashion Week teasers suddenly cut their feeds to broadcast an unexpected press conference.
On camera, the washed up model Lena appeared bare faced, wearing a thin white blouse. She looked utterly broken.
Facing dozens of microphones, she burst into tears before saying a word.
"I wanted to take this secret to my grave... but when I saw that designer, Sophia, I saw myself. I couldn't watch another innocent woman be deceived by that monster."
Lena produced a crumpled pregnancy test report and some blurry printed chat logs with trembling hands.
"Five years ago, Ryan Lawrence raped me. He used Nova Group's power to threaten me. If I went to the police, he'd make my whole family disappear from New York."
"Then I got pregnant... He had me dragged to a private clinic and injected me with abortion drugs. The baby was already formed..."
Lena collapsed against the table, sobbing hysterically. "He's a devil in human skin! Sophia, if you're watching, please run! Don't end up like me!"
This carefully choreographed confession instantly ignited public outrage.
#RyanLawrenceRapist
#BoycottNovaGroup
#SophiaRun
Public opinion turned on a dime.
People who had envied the "CEO romance" now felt sick to their stomachs.
Evelyn sat in her studio, her coffee long cold.
She stared at the weeping woman on her computer screen, the words "rape" and "forced abortion" echoing in her ears.
Logic told her this could be a setup.
These past few days, Ryan's patience with Elias, his respect for her, didn't fit a man capable of such things.
But a bone deep fear spread through her body beyond her control.
Four years ago, Damian had also sworn he loved her. Then he ground her into the dirt for another woman.
Men were masters of disguise.
Ryan Lawrence did have a playboy reputation. Who could guarantee all those rumors were lies?
What if this was all true?
What if he got close to her for the thrill of something new, or to cover up his dirty past?
"Boss..." Her assistant crept in nervously. "There's a mob of reporters downstairs. Should we call the police?"
"No."
Evelyn stood, closed the webpage. "Lock the door. I'm not seeing anyone."
Just then, hurried footsteps and security guards' voices came from the hallway.
"Get out of my way! I need to see her!"
That was Ryan's voice.
Gone was his usual composure. Panic and urgency filled every word.
The studio door flew open.
Ryan burst in, soaking wet, water still dripping from his hair.
He had clearly rushed back and hadn't even grabbed an umbrella.
When he saw Evelyn by the window, he strode toward her and reached for her hand.
"Evelyn, don't believe that news! It's all lies! Lena is lying!"
Ryan explained desperately, chest heaving. "I never touched her! That baby isn't mine! She faked the evidence back then to extort me. I have complete proof..."
Evelyn stepped back, avoiding his hand.
That single movement hit Ryan like a bucket of ice water.
His hand froze in midair, fingers trembling.
"Evelyn?"
Evelyn looked up. Those amber eyes held no anger, no accusation. Only a chilling calm and distance that made his heart skip.
Like she was looking at a stranger. A business associate.
"Mr. Lawrence."
She used the most formal address.
"The truth doesn't matter to me."
Evelyn walked behind her desk and picked up a document, pretending to read it to hide her shaking hands. "We were always just a contract. You needed to fend off admirers. I needed protection from Damian."
"As long as this partnership is beneficial, I don't care how messy your personal life is."
Ryan stood frozen, his face darkening.
"Personal life? Is that what you think? These past few days, everything I've done for Elias, what I said on the Ferris wheel, that was all just fulfilling some damn contract?"
"What else would it be?"
Evelyn slammed the document shut and met his eyes. "Should I believe a businessman's devotion? Ryan, I was married once. I know how worthless a man's words can be."
"Even if that woman is lying, where there's smoke, there's fire. If you were really innocent, why would you have this kind of dirt on you?"
Ryan felt like someone had grabbed his heart and crushed it.
He looked at this guarded, defensive woman bristling with thorns, and a profound helplessness washed over him.
He wanted to tear out his heart and show her, but she thought it was dirty.
Her past wounds were an uncrossable chasm between them.
No matter how hard he tried to bridge it, the slightest wind would send her retreating into her hard shell, pushing him far away.
"Fine."
After a long silence, Ryan let out a hoarse laugh. It looked worse than crying.
"A business relationship. You're right. Let's keep it professional."
He slowly withdrew his hand and shoved it into his soaking wet pocket.
"PR will handle this. It won't affect Nova's stock price or your studio."
Evelyn gripped the edge of the desk until her nails nearly broke. She forced out a single word. "Good."
"As you wish."
Ryan gave her one last long look. His eyes held too many emotions to name. Pain. And beneath it, a love that had been shattered but still remained.
He turned and walked out, his back resolute.
Bang.
The studio door closed.
All the strength drained from Evelyn's body. She collapsed into her chair.
She stared at the closed door, her vision blurring.
She knew how cruel her words had been. But in that moment, fear had overpowered reason.
She was a coward. Afraid of losing again, so she flipped the board first.
...
Meanwhile, in a high rise apartment in Manhattan.
Valerie watched Ryan on the TV screen and raised her wine glass to clink with Damian's.
"See? Trust. So fragile."
"Well done. Now it's my turn to 'comfort' her."