Chapter 177: Damian: I Want No Custody But You to Admit He’s Mine
The crowd erupted in a frenzy.
Ryan swiped the screen, playing an audio clip. It was Valerie’s voice—sharp, mean, and dripping with smugness: "Remember, don't back down even if the police show up. Just stick to the story that the kid is yours. Ruin that woman's reputation, and I'll double the final payment."
Valerie Astor, who had been trying to sneak toward the exit during the chaos, froze in place. Her face turned as white as a sheet. Every camera in the room swung toward her.
"This is a fake! It's been edited!" Valerie shrieked, hiding her face behind her Chanel bag. "Ryan Lawrence! You're framing the Astor family just to help that bitch!"
"The police will decide if it’s a frame-up."
Ryan snapped his fingers.
Sirens wailed outside right on cue. Vincent entered with several officers, heading straight for the terrified "parents" and the trembling Valerie.
"Take them," Ryan said coldly.
The lobby descended into total chaos—Valerie’s screams, the reporters' shouting, and the police orders. But the people at the center of the storm felt like they were in another world.
Damian didn't give the arrested Valerie a single glance. His eyes were fixed on Elias. Even though the scam was exposed, his suspicions weren't gone; Ryan’s overprotection only made them grow.
"Evelyn." Damian took a step forward. Suddenly, his knees buckled.
Thud.
In front of everyone—the cameras, the press, his rival—the powerful head of Omni Group dropped to his knees.
Ryan frowned, moving to lead Evelyn away.
"Don't go!" Damian reached out for the hem of Evelyn’s dress but missed. He looked up, utterly humbled. "I know I don’t deserve it. I know I was a monster."
His eyes were bloodshot and he looked like a wreck. "I don't want custody. Evelyn, listen to me—I am not asking for custody."
Damian’s voice shook. "Just admit he is my son. I’ll have my lawyers draft the papers right now. I’ll waive all my rights. I’ll transfer half of Omni’s shares into his name. I’ll even promise never to interfere in your life again."
"I just ask... I just ask to see him once a month. No, once a year is fine."
"I want to hear him call me Daddy. Please."
The man who had once held his pride higher than his life was now grinding his dignity into the dirt, all for the sake of the truth.
Evelyn’s arms trembled as she held the boy. She looked at the man sobbing on the floor, but all she could see was that anniversary four years ago. She had waited for him with so much hope, wanting to tell him they were having a baby.
And what did he do? He used work as an excuse to stay away, only to end up in his mistress's bed.
Delayed devotion is cheaper than grass.
"Mommy..."
Elias was terrified. He buried his face in Evelyn’s neck, his voice breaking as he cried. "I want to go home... I don't want to be here... I only have one mommy. I don't want that mean uncle..."
The boy's words were a serrated knife to Damian's heart.
Damian’s body went rigid. The light in his eyes died out, leaving only a grey, hollow despair.
Mean uncle. In the boy’s eyes, he was nothing more than a mean uncle.
Ryan watched the scene with a complicated expression. He didn't offer any more insults. He simply wrapped an arm around Evelyn’s shoulder, using his body to shield her from Damian’s sight.
"Let's go," Ryan whispered. "Don't let the boy see any more of this."
Evelyn took a shaky breath. Without another look at the man on the floor, she turned and walked away with Ryan. Damian remained on his knees until their shadows disappeared through the revolving doors.
The next morning, Victoria Hayes—the legend of the design world—called her own press conference at the Nova Group headquarters.
Dressed in a sharp black suit with her silver hair perfectly coiffed, the Professor didn't give the reporters a chance to speak. She had her assistant project a document onto the screen.
"If we don't clean out the trash, this city’s design circle will remain a sewer," her voice boomed through the speakers.
"This is Elias Bell’s legal adoption paperwork. It was completed four years ago in Seattle. Every step follows federal law."
Her sharp gaze cut through the reporters who had questioned Evelyn. "As for Miss Astor, she tried to use disgusting tactics to slander a mother and harm a three-year-old child."
Professor Hayes adjusted her glasses, her voice turning icy. "Such a person is a disgrace to the word 'design.' As long as I, Victoria Hayes, am alive, Valerie Astor will never set foot in a high-end runway show again."
It was a total industry ban.
Standing in the back of the room, Evelyn’s eyes blurred with tears as she watched her mentor defend her so fiercely. Ryan stood beside her, his hand resting supportively on her back.
Two hours later, in Professor Hayes’s private studio on the Upper East Side.
"Sit," the Professor said, pointing to a large oak workbench. She opened a locked safe and pulled out a yellowed envelope, tossing it in front of Evelyn. "Open it."
Evelyn confusedly pulled out the drawings. When she saw the first one, her breath caught. It was her junior year assignment, themed "Flowers in the Ruins." Back then, her style was raw, but the life in the drawings was unmistakable.
"I kept them for you."
The Professor leaned back with an espresso. "When you dropped out for that man, I was so angry I threw them away. But I went back and got them. Because I knew that someone with your talent would eventually come back."
She looked at Evelyn, her eyes softening with the wisdom of a mentor. "Evelyn, the heart of design is honesty. You’ve faced betrayal, pain, and struggle. Those aren't stains on your character. Forget the fancy techniques and ask yourself—why did you pick up the pencil again?"
Evelyn touched the familiar lines, her fingers shaking. Why come back? Because she refused to give up. Because she wanted to prove herself. Because she didn't want Elias to have a weak mother.
"I want to... continue," Evelyn said, looking up. The amber in her eyes glowed with a new light. "The continuation of life, of dreams, and of love."
"Then do it," the Professor said, tapping the table. "The theme for this competition happens to be 'Continuation.' Whether it’s the Astors or the Lawrences, the only way to crush their schemes is for you to become strong on your own."