Chapter 89: Rushing to Catch the Cheaters
Sienna attached a voice note, her voice hushed, feigning shock and distress. “Damian… I came back to apologize to Ms. Vance, but… I saw Evelyn with a man… Oh God, they’re in the alcove above the studio… I’m so scared…”
Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, Sienna’s phone vibrated. It was Damian calling. Sienna answered, and before she could speak, Damian’s roar came through the receiver.
“Where is that bitch?! She’s at the estate?!” Sienna glanced at the alcove, pretending to panic. “Yes… she’s on the second floor. The man is still touching her… Damian, please don't be angry. Maybe Evelyn is just talking business…”
“Does ‘doing business’ involve touching her leg?!” Damian’s voice was full of shame, anger, and violence. The background noise included screeching brakes and an engine revving.
“Keep an eye on them! Don’t let them get away! I’ll be there in ten minutes!” Damian hissed, every word squeezed out between clenched teeth. “I’m coming to catch them! I’ll ruin both of those cheating dogs!”
Sienna hung up, looking at the photo on her phone, her smile widening with malicious pleasure. Evelyn, let’s see how you get out of this one.
In the alcove, Evelyn’s heart was racing. Just as she was recovering from Ryan’s gentleness and probing questions, her phone vibrated. It was a text from Sophie.
Careful! Damian is going crazy, rushing here with men, says he's catching cheaters! Every word in the text conveyed urgency.
Evelyn looked up, the color draining from her face. “What’s wrong?” Ryan noticed her panic, and the intimate atmosphere between them vanished.
“Damian is coming.” Evelyn’s voice trembled. She pushed Ryan’s chest. “You have to leave! He can’t see you here.” If he was seen, it could trigger a massive family scandal, sink the group's stock price, and potentially ruin everyone.
Ryan didn't move. He looked down at the frantic Evelyn, a slight curve forming on his lips. “He certainly is fast.”
“Ryan!” Evelyn’s eyes were red. “This isn’t a joke! There’s only one way in and out of this studio.”
“Shh.” Ryan placed a finger on her lips, stopping her words. He walked toward a tapestry on the wall and pressed a decorative carving. Click. A seam opened in the wall, revealing a hidden passage.
Evelyn stared at the hidden door. “It’s a secret passage.”
The noise downstairs was growing louder. Footsteps were rapidly approaching the second floor.
“Go now,” Evelyn urged, pushing him. Ryan looked at her, his expression unreadable. He gave her earlobe one last gentle squeeze, then stepped into the darkness. The wall slid shut, the tapestry falling back into place as if no one had been there.
Evelyn leaned against the glass window, breathing heavily, her heart pounding.
BANG! The door flew inward, splinters scattering. Damian burst in, followed by several men who blocked the exit.
“Where is he?!” Damian’s eyes were bloodshot, his tie askew, radiating sheer rage. His gaze swept the room, finally stopping on Evelyn by the window.
Evelyn stood with her arms crossed, her face pale. “Damian? Who are you looking for?”
Sienna emerged from behind the bodyguards, pointing into the room. “He was right here! I saw a man pin her against the window! He was touching her leg!”
Damian strode over, tore open the curtains, and kicked the side table. Besides Evelyn, the room was empty.
“Where is the man?” Damian demanded.
“It’s just me,” Evelyn said. “Damian, have you lost your mind? You stormed onto Ms. Ayla’s property with a crew because of a lie from Sienna?”
“I must have seen wrong?” Sienna grabbed her phone and thrust the photo at Damian. “Look! Here is the proof! They were standing right here!”
Damian snatched the phone. The screen was dark, showing two overlapping figures. It was clearly a man and a woman in an intimate position. But the photo was blurry, taken against the light. The man's face was in shadow, his body swallowed by the darkness. It was impossible to identify him or confirm what they were doing. He had charged in without looking closely when Sienna first sent it.
Evelyn sneered. “Sienna, do you spend so much time cheating that you see affairs everywhere? I was just finishing my meeting with Ms. Ayla and looking at the view. How does that become a man in your story?”
“You’re lying!” Sienna shrieked. “I saw him! Damian, search! He has to be nearby!”
“Enough!” A woman’s voice cut in. Ayla Vance stood in the doorway, wearing a silk robe and a shawl, her face livid. Sophie stood beside her, followed by the butler and security staff.
“Mr. Green,” Ayla said coldly. “You brought your people, kicked down my door, and are shouting in my estate. Is this the Green family’s standard of behavior?”
Damian froze, his rage slightly receding. This was Ayla Vance’s territory, after all. “Ms. Vance, I apologize,” Damian gritted out, pointing at Evelyn. “But this is a family matter. Someone reported my wife was acting improperly, and I have the right to investigate.”
“Acting improperly?” Ayla scoffed as if she’d heard a joke. She walked into the room, her gaze sweeping over Sienna. “The only man who has visited my estate tonight, besides my staff, is my art consultant.” Ayla paused, her eyes briefly flicking toward the hidden wall. “He delivered a painting and left. What, is this young woman implying that Mrs. Evelyn and I were doing something improper in here?”
Sienna’s face went white. “No… that’s not what I meant…”
“Throw her out,” Ayla ordered the bodyguards. “Vance Estate does not welcome this woman ever again. Send her photo to security and blacklist her.”
“You can’t touch me! I’m the Omni…” Two bodyguards stepped forward, grabbed Sienna, and dragged her away. Sienna’s shrieks faded into the distance.
Only Damian’s ragged breathing remained in the room. Ayla looked at Damian. “Mr. Green, if you want to continue your tantrum, I don’t mind calling the police and pressing charges for trespassing and property damage. Otherwise, you can take your people and leave.”
Damian’s chest heaved. He hadn’t found the man. But he didn’t believe it. His gut screamed that someone had been there. That scent of pine and cedar—it wasn't Evelyn's perfume.