Chapter 112: The Reversal
Ryan lowered his head, close to her ear. “You were captivating today on stage, fighting back against Damian. That resolve, that coldness—it made me want to rush up there and kiss you.”
Evelyn’s heart hammered.
“But…” Ryan’s tone shifted. “I worry this is just a moment of spite. Does your heart still hold a flame for that bastard? Are you doing all this just to make him regret it, to make him crawl back?”
The memory of the betrayed days and nights, Sienna’s insults, Damian’s indifference, and the former version of herself that had died in the rain—all flooded her mind.
“Shut up!” Evelyn stood on her toes and fiercely kissed Ryan.
Ryan was stunned for a second, then instantly took charge, cupping the back of her head to deepen the kiss. Evelyn’s hands trembled, but she firmly unbuttoned her dress. The sound of fabric sliding to the floor was loud in the quiet room.
She shoved Ryan toward the large, soft bed, pinning him beneath her, looking down at him. “I don’t love him. Ryan Lawrence, I can prove it to you.”
Ryan looked at her, the darkness in his eyes impossibly thick. He flipped their positions, pinning her beneath him, and stole all her breath in a stormy kiss.
Just as their clothes were half-shed and the atmosphere was about to completely spiral out of control—Riiing!—the internal phone rang insistently, like a bucket of ice water suddenly extinguishing the room’s passion.
Evelyn gasped, instantly snapping back to reality. She pushed Ryan away in a panic, grabbed a nearby duvet to cover her exposed shoulders, and gasped for breath.
Ryan frowned and answered the phone. The receptionist said, “Apologies for the interruption, Mr. Lawrence. We have a Mr. Damian Green downstairs demanding to see Mrs. Green. He is quite agitated.”
“Our security team has intercepted him in the lobby lounge and activated privacy protocols. He will not be allowed past the elevator. We are calling to ask if you would like us to call the police or simply escort him off the premises?”
Damian. Hearing the name, Evelyn grew tense. Even knowing this was the city’s most secure hotel, the long-standing shadow of being controlled and scrutinized still rushed over her.
“Toss him out,” Ryan said simply.
“Wait!” Evelyn said.
Ryan turned to look at her.
“Let him come up.”
Ryan asked, “You want to see him?”
“No… I want to cure him of his delusion.” Evelyn explained, “If we throw him out now, tomorrow’s tabloids will claim I was guilty, hiding in this room doing something scandalous. I want him to see for himself what I’m doing here.” She didn't want to be a canary relying on Ryan's power to handle everything. She wanted to publicly shred the slander Damian threw at her, even if her method was clumsy. “Ryan, help me. I need to alter the design, right now.”
Ryan lowered his eyes, his gaze resting on her pale, stubborn face, then briefly on her slightly trembling hand. This so-called “self-justification” seemed both unnecessary and absurd to him, but watching the faint yet tenacious spark in her eyes, his throat bobbed. He reversed his hand, squeezed her cold palm, and then put the receiver back to his ear.
“Send him up in five minutes. Also, send Leo up immediately. Bring the complete set of design tools and fabric swatches.”
Hanging up, Ryan stood up. He pulled two tissues from the nightstand and wiped the cold sweat from Evelyn's brow. “Don’t worry,” he said, putting on his shirt and buttoning it all the way to the top, covering the telltale red mark near his collarbone. “I’ve got your back.”
Five minutes later, BANG! The heavy mahogany door of the penthouse suite was violently kicked open from the outside.
Damian burst in, radiating fury. He had received an anonymous text claiming Evelyn was with another man. He was consumed with images of Evelyn sleeping with another man. “Evelyn! You slut, how dare you cheat on me…”
Damian’s roar stopped dead the moment he took in the room. The spacious, bright living room held no scene of debauchery. Fabric swatches and design blueprints were spread across the coffee table. The famous male model Leo stood in the center of the room, wearing the half-finished suit sample, a measuring tape in his hand. And Evelyn, fully dressed, though her hair was slightly messy, looked like nothing more than a busy designer. She held a drawing pencil, pointing at a detail on Leo’s suit with a serious expression.
Sienna rushed into the room right behind Damian. “Evelyn! You shameless whore! I knew you were sleeping with men behind Damian’s back! We caught you red-handed, what do you have to say for yourself!” Sienna lunged forward, raising her hand to grab Evelyn’s hair.
SMACK! The sound of a perfectly clean slap echoed. Sienna staggered two steps, clutching her rapidly swelling cheek. “You… you hit me?”
Evelyn stood her ground, retracting her hand. She grabbed a design sketch from the table and threw it hard at Sienna’s feet. “Open your damn eyes and look.”
“I had to track him down to this hotel to secure a partnership before other designers could. The man standing right here is Mr. Leo, an international top male model, and he will be the exclusive model for my entry in the upcoming fashion design competition.” She took a step forward, glaring at Sienna with an aggressive tone. “We were discussing fabric drape and tailoring details. And you, without knowing anything, burst in here screaming. Sienna, you are not only insulting me, you are insulting Mr. Leo’s professionalism and sabotaging a potential business opportunity for Omni Group!”