Chapter 27 The Perfect Trap
Maya responded to Evelyn's text instantly, dripping with confidence and smugness. ‘Come to the house. I'm always here now. Can't go out due to my popularity.’
Evelyn had sworn never to set foot in the Hayes mansion again, but this was different—and necessary. Taking a deep breath, she returned to the place that had caused her so much pain.
She found Maya lounging in her lavish bedroom, clothed in loose, expensive loungewear. Her hand rested possessively on the small, visible curve of her stomach.
"Look what the scandal dragged in," Maya purred, with a vicious smile on her lips. "Here to beg? I might spare you if you grovel properly"
Evelyn let her shoulders slump in defeat, keeping her gaze downcast. "I just... I want this to stop."
“Of course you do,” Maya said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. “It must be so hard, being hated by everyone. But you know how to make it stop. Restore our family's contract with the Sinclairs. Plead for Nathan's forgiveness. Then maybe—maybe—I'll tell everyone I forgive my poor, confused stepsister.” She said puckering up her lips.
Evelyn bit her lip, trembling slightly. “I just don’t understand… Why? Why him? Why my fiancé? I really loved him, you just had to take him away”
Maya's eyes flashed with malicious glee. This was what she lived for—rubbing her victory in Evelyn's face. She stood and sauntered closer.
“Why? Because I could. Because he wanted me. You were just the boring obligation, Evelyn. The duty he had to fulfill for his old man.” She laughed coldly. “For two years, he’s been coming to me. Telling me how dull you were. How he couldn’t wait to be done with you.”
Evelyn made a small, choked sound, perfectly selling the heartbreak.
Emboldened, Maya stroked her belly and continued, "He was always so... eager. Begging for me. And now, we have this." She gazed proudly at her stomach. "Three months along. A real Sinclair heir, growing right here. Something you could only fake."
“He… he said that he loved me,” Evelyn whispered, her voice breaking.
"He said what he had to," Maya scoffed. "But his hands, his lips… they never lied. They were always on me. In my bed, in his car, in this house while you slept upstairs. You were just a placeholder until he could find a way to make me his wife."
Evelyn let a perfect tear trail down her cheek. “You're horrible. Taking him wasn't enough—why—” she swallowed hard, “why destroy me online too?”
"Because I'm the winner," Maya corrected, her smile widening. "And you're the fool who lost everything. Your reputation, your fiancé, your family's respect. All you have left is that ruthless uncle, and who knows how long he'll keep you around?"
She leaned in, and whispered tauntingly. “When this baby is born, the Sinclair family will have to accept us. Nathan will be back in the will, and you? You’ll be nothing. Enjoy being the grandaunt to my child, Evelyn. You'll bow when we enter a room. As for the online drama—weren't you bold with that recording? Let's see you survive this world with your tarnished reputation. Even if the news dies down, you'll always be remembered as the most vicious, scheming stepsister in history."
Her voice turned sharper and colder. "Evelyn Hayes, as long as I live, you'll always be in my shadow. I told you I'd take everything from you. Even your life, if necessary."
Evelyn bowed her head, hands clenched as if crushed by the words.
"Why... why do you hate me so much?" she sniffled.
Maya laughed cruelly. "I don't need a reason. The fact that you exist is enough."
Evelyn's eyes flashed with cold satisfaction. She's had everything she needed.
"Just leave," Maya said dismissively, waving her hand. "This isn't over until I say it is. You look pathetic.”
Without another word, Evelyn turned and fled in apparent devastation. The moment she cleared the driveway, her false trembling stopped. She pulled out her phone and the pinhole camera, stopped the recording, and saved the file.
Perfect.
With her evidence compiled, Evelyn crafted her counter-narrative. She decided to maintain Roman's pregnancy claim while subtly adjusting the hotel story—the server had delivered her to an empty room due to "misinformation," and her involvement with "Nathan's uncle" stemmed from a previous encounter in another city months earlier. Lena ended the statement boldly: 'So, ladies, if your fiancé is cheating? Aim higher. Go for his uncle. Or better yet, his dad. You deserve the upgrade 😏’
Lena clicked the post button. They watched the status bar fill. Upload Successful.
For three minutes, they sat in tense silence, waiting for the explosion. Nothing happened. Lena refreshed the page. “That’s weird. It’s not showing up on the timeline.”
She tried again. Upload Successful. Another refresh. Nothing.
“What’s going on?” Evelyn leaned in, a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach.
“I don’t know.” Lena’s tech-savvy confidence faltered. She created a brand-new, anonymous account on a different platform. She compressed the file, changed the format, and uploaded again. Success. They waited. The video appeared for a fleeting second in the feed before it simply… vanished.
“It’s being taken down,” Lena whispered, her eyes wide. “Immediately.”
“How? Who?”
They spent the next several hours in a frantic, sinking battle against an invisible enemy. They used VPNs, anonymous browsers, uploaded from different devices. Each time, the result was the same: a momentary success, followed by a digital void. The evidence was being erased from the internet as swiftly as they could put it up, like writing a message on water.
"Someone's deliberately blocking us," Evelyn said, growing anxious. It was the third day—Roman's deadline. He had reminded her about the deadline this morning, telling her he would step in and take control of the situation if it wasn't resolved by the end of today. But she didn't want that, she wanted to be able to stand up for herself.
“Yeah,” Lena breathed out. “This is a level of tech suppression I can’t counter. Not alone.” She grabbed her phone. “Wait. Let me call someone. I know a guy. If there’s a digital ghost blocking us, he’s the one who can find it.”
\---
Meanwhile, following Alexander's morning declaration, an emergency family meeting was called. The extensive Sinclair family branches made a full gathering impossible, so only the family elders, Alexander's children, and the family lawyer were summoned.
Roman was in the middle of a crucial board meeting when the news reached him. He immediately adjourned the meeting to head back.
"Any updates on the online situation?" he asked his assistant, Leo, as they headed to the car.
"Still the same, sir. No resolution yet."
Roman's jaw tightened. "Handle it. If this isn't resolved by midnight tonight, take immediate action." He slid into the car, loosening his cuffs and collar. "Full media suppression, legal threats, whatever it takes, use every resource to bury it." He said, his gaze turning cold.
“No one hurts my wife and walks away unscathed.”
“Understood, sir.”
Leo hesitated before speaking up again. "Sir... your elder brother has returned to the country."
Roman, who had been staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought, replied. "I know."
Leo braced to be reprimanded for not reporting it sooner, but none came. The silence was heavier than any scolding.
Finally, he ventured, "Do you think this meeting concerns your brother, sir? Should I investigate or make any preemptive moves?"
Roman finally turned his head, and waved dismissively. "Whether it involves Marcus or not, we'll find out when we get there.”