Chapter 33
Chase stepped forward and kicked Orson to the ground.
Only then did Evelyn realize that Orson's injuries weren't just the superficial bruises and swelling on his face.
He was curled up on the ground, trying several times to get up but failing each time.
"Say one more word of nonsense, and I'll rip out your tongue!" Chase stepped on Orson's shoulder and ground down hard. Orson screamed in pain.
Benjamin pressed Evelyn's head against his chest. His voice was calm as his hand kept patting her back soothingly.
"Orson, Evelyn is here today, so I don't want to make things difficult for you."
"But if you keep spouting nonsense, once she leaves, I don't mind crippling you completely."
Benjamin's casual tone made the badly beaten Orson sense the ruthlessness beneath it.
If he kept pushing the blame onto Benjamin, he probably wouldn't make it out of here alive.
But if he didn't say anything...
Various thoughts flashed through his mind before he finally turned to Evelyn, crying and begging.
"Evelyn, you and Sophia are so close. How can you bear to see her upset? Besides, even if I did something wrong, the law should punish me. What Benjamin is doing now is just cruel."
Evelyn had been raised sheltered and innocent, seeing everything in black and white.
That's why she looked down on the White family's involvement with the underworld.
She'd had plenty of conflicts with Benjamin over this before, but now...
"More cruel than your false accusations against him?"
Still trembling in Benjamin's arms, Evelyn's voice lacked force, but her defense of him was crystal clear.
"You say he framed you, so tell me—why would he frame you?"
Orson clearly hadn't expected Evelyn to take Benjamin's side, but having come this far, he couldn't back down now.
"It was for you, of course!"
"You know how much he wants you, don't you?"
"And wasn't the evidence Matthew showed you yesterday enough?"
He seemed to be in too much pain from Chase's foot, whimpering on the ground before continuing: "If he hadn't given the signal, who would dare lay a hand on you?"
"You make a good point. Everyone in Emerald City knows I'm his fiancée, so naturally, no one would dare target me openly."
Evelyn's single sentence shifted the atmosphere in the room.
Benjamin just looked down at her without any reaction, his expression unchanged.
She remained leaning against him, but her eyes on Orson were filled with disgust.
"But behind the scenes is another story. As Sophia's brother, you must know all the disgusting things she's done behind my back, right?"
Shock flashed across Orson's face, then turned to sadness.
"How can you think that? Evelyn, did Benjamin say something to you? Have you forgotten how good Sophia was to you before?"
"Besides, you saved the Brown family. What good would injuring your leg do for the Brown family?"
Orson's questions made it seem like Evelyn was the ungrateful one.
She looked down at Orson, her eyes clear and bright, no longer showing the fear she'd had when first entering the hotel.
"Cripple my leg, and Sophia becomes the lead dancer. Matthew officially becomes the Thomas family heir. Then the Brown family and Thomas family would have deeper cooperation, right?"
Even though she'd already imagined all the schemes they might have plotted behind her back, her heart still churned with disgust, making her want to vomit.
"Too bad all your plans failed. But they'll still pay the price they owe—every bit of it!"
Sophia resented not having Evelyn's background, so Evelyn would make Sophia lose everything she relied on and become someone with nothing.
Starting her revenge with the Brown family seemed more interesting.
"What are you doing? Evelyn, what are you doing! That's my brother!"
Sophia's voice came from behind.
Without looking, Evelyn could imagine her tearful expression.
Evelyn frowned: "I'm beating up your brother, and of course, I won't forget about you either."
Evelyn's cold tone scared Sophia so much that she forgot to cry.
She looked at Evelyn leaning in Benjamin's arms, her expression and voice full of disbelief.
"How did you become like this?"
"Before, I thought it was because Matthew broke your heart that you became so ruthless."
"Now I finally understand why he doesn't like you—because you're not worth it!"
By the end, Sophia's voice had become shrill, as if she were extremely upset.
In the past, hearing that Matthew didn't like her would make Evelyn anxious and easy for Sophia to manipulate.
Evelyn would follow Sophia's suggestions and do things to make Matthew happy.
And what was the result?
Evelyn had ruined her own life completely.
A flash of hatred appeared in her eyes: "I'm not worth it, but you are? Sophia, then let's wait until Matthew is kicked out of the Thomas family and the Brown family goes bankrupt, and I'll watch you two get married. How about that?"
Poor couples fight over everything.
Especially people like Matthew and Sophia, who were used to living in luxury. Even the strongest feelings would wear down into resentment toward each other.
Sometimes living is more cruel than dying.
Benjamin looked at the cold Evelyn and frowned slightly, patting her head: "Today is about the car accident."
Evelyn sensed Benjamin's displeasure. She pressed her lips together slightly. Did Benjamin think she was too harsh?
But thinking of all the suffering she'd endured because of Matthew and Sophia in her previous life, she couldn't suppress the hatred in her heart, though she ultimately said nothing more.
Benjamin ignored the tearful Sophia and turned to Orson: "Tell the truth, and I'll spare your life."
Sophia wanted to stop him, but didn't want to show her true nature in front of Benjamin. For a moment, her expression was anxious.
Orson had long since lost the ability to think from the pain and spoke somewhat confusedly: "It was Matthew. He hates you and had me bribe the driver... Spare me, it hurts so much..."
As Orson's screams rang out, Evelyn's expression grew even colder.
The Thomas family had treated Matthew like their own son, yet he was this vicious and had started this early.
Getting him kicked out of the Thomas family couldn't wait—she needed to speed things up.
"How could this be?"
Sophia's surprised voice rang out: "Evelyn, I didn't know. How is this possible? There must be some misunderstanding. How could Matthew do such a thing?"
"Yesterday he told me he'd discovered some secret he wanted to tell you."
"Could it be that because of that secret, someone set up Matthew and used his name to make my brother do this?"
With a few sentences, Sophia cleared them all of blame and instead pointed the finger at Benjamin.
Evelyn naturally had doubts about the photos Matthew had shown her yesterday, but she knew in her heart that Benjamin would never harm her.
That driver's blood alcohol level was so high—there was definitely something wrong.
"Is that so?" She narrowed her eyes at Sophia. "Then who do you think would do such a thing?"
"Well... car accidents can be big or small. I heard it was a truck and the driver was drunk, but you only got minor injuries."
Sophia thought carefully, even raising her hand to wipe the tears from her face: "With such careful planning, why would they let you off? Could it be that they just wanted to use the accident to break down your defenses and make you devoted to him?"
The room fell silent.
Sophia realized what she'd said and quickly glanced at Benjamin, covering her mouth: "I said the wrong thing!"