Chapter 198: Elias Collapses
"Fine," Evelyn said, taking a deep breath and pulling her hand from her pocket. "I'll do it."
A flash of predatory joy crossed Cain’s face. He reached out to grab her shoulder, his fingers inches from her collar.
Beep.
A tiny electronic chirp cut through the air. Evelyn hadn't pulled out a tracker. Instead, she held up her phone, the screen glowing red, showing an audio recording being uploaded to the cloud.
"I just sent everything you said to Bernie."
The mask of weakness vanished from Evelyn’s face. Her amber eyes were cold and sharp. "Kidnapping, extortion, plotting a terrorist attack, and forging legal documents. Cain, this time, you won’t even get the chance to see the inside of a prison cell."
Cain froze, then realized he’d been played.
"You bitch!" he roared, pulling a jagged serrated knife from his waistband. He lunged at her. "I'll gut you first!"
He was too close. Evelyn scrambled back, her heel catching on a piece of rubble. She lost her balance. The blade whistled through the air, aimed straight for her throat.
BANG!
A deafening gunshot echoed through the hollow tower like a clap of thunder. A mist of blood exploded from Cain’s wrist. The knife clattered to the floor.
"Argh!" Cain screamed, clutching his mangled arm and stumbling back.
The heavy iron doors were kicked open. Twin beams of high-powered flashlights cut through the darkness.
"Move in! Don't let a single one escape!" Ryan’s voice boomed, thick with murderous intent.
A dozen heavily armed security operatives swarmed the room, pinning the remaining thugs to the ground with professional efficiency. Ryan strode toward the center of the hall, smoke still curling from the barrel of his pistol.
He slammed his boot into Cain’s chest as the man tried to crawl away. The sound of ribs snapping was sickeningly clear.
"Who gave you the balls to touch her?" Ryan’s shoe ground into Cain’s shattered wrist. His eyes were terrifyingly dark. "I told you—touch one hair on her head, and I'll feed you to the dogs piece by piece."
Cain convulsed in agony, unable to muster a single word before blacking out from the pain.
The threat was neutralized. Ryan tossed his gun aside and turned to Evelyn. She was still sitting on the ground, clutching the forged agreement. She was pale, but her eyes were steady.
"Ryan..."
Before she could finish, Ryan was on one knee, pulling her into a crushing embrace. His arms were shaking—a sign of the sheer terror he’d felt at the thought of losing her.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." he whispered into her hair, his voice hoarse. "I should never have let you take this risk. I should never have let you face these animals alone. If I had been a second later..."
He had nearly suffered a heart attack when he heard the sound of the knife being drawn over the wire.
Evelyn felt his chest heaving. The knot of fear in her stomach finally loosened. she reached up, stroking his tense back with one hand while holding the crumpled paper with the other. "This forgery was actually pretty good. If I were a little stupider, I might have believed it."
Ryan pulled back, looking at the document. A flash of rage crossed his face.
"It’s fake," he explained urgently. "Evelyn, you have to believe me. I never signed anything like this. I have nothing with the Covingtons—"
"I know," Evelyn interrupted softly. "I know that seal is the one you stopped using. And I know that if you really wanted to sell me out, you wouldn't have waited this long."
She looked into his eyes. "Ryan, in this world, if I can't trust you, who can I trust?"
Those words carried more weight than any romantic declaration. Ryan stared at her, the shadows in his eyes replaced by a deep, overwhelming affection.
"You idiot," he murmured, before leaning down to kiss her.
It was a kiss that tasted of blood and gunpowder—rough, desperate, and filled with the relief of survivors. In the background, the guards discreetly turned away to clear the scene.
Finally, they pulled apart. Ryan draped his jacket over her shoulders and picked up the tin biscuit box from the floor.
"We got it," he said, brushing the dust off the metal.
Evelyn stared at the box. It contained the truth her mother died for, the secret Damian had guarded until his final breath.
"Let’s go," Ryan said, locking his fingers with hers. The warmth of his palm spread through her body. "Home. Elias is waiting for us."
Evelyn nodded. But as they reached the car, Ryan’s phone buzzed. It was a text from the hospital.
Julian is dead. A minute before he passed, a nurse entered his room. The nurse doesn't exist on the hospital payroll.
Ryan gripped the car door. The trail had gone cold again. The mastermind was faster and more ruthless than they had imagined.
"What is it?" Evelyn asked.
"Nothing." Ryan tucked the phone away and opened the door for her. "Just some trash that needs clearing out."
---
The next morning, at ten o’clock, the phone rang.
"Ms. Bell? This is Elias’s preschool teacher." The woman’s voice was frantic. "Elias suddenly collapsed with abdominal pain. The school doctor can't find a cause, but he's crying, covered in a cold sweat. Please, you and Mr. Lawrence need to get here immediately."
"Collapsed?" The glass in Evelyn’s hand shattered on the floor. "I’m on my way."
At the same time, Ryan was in a board meeting at Nova Group. He didn't even wait for the executive to finish his sentence. He threw the doors open and sprinted down the hallway, leaving a stunned room behind him.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the St. Mary’s infirmary at the same time. Their cars screeched to a halt. Ryan didn't even bother closing his car door before running toward a panicked Evelyn.
They forgot about the "breakup." They forgot the act. In that moment, they were just two terrified parents. Ryan grabbed her hand and they burst into the room.
"Elias!" Evelyn cried, her voice breaking.