Chapter 131: The Backlash
"This is a hospital. No shouting," the guards Ryan placed at the door blocked Sienna’s path.
"Do you know who I am? I am the future Mrs. Green!" Sienna was wearing a flashy red dress and carrying a designer bag, her heavy makeup completely out of place in a hospital. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to peer into the room.
Through the gap in the door, she saw Damian. The powerful, arrogant man was kneeling before Evelyn like a dog.
A fire of jealousy burned away the last of Sienna’s logic. "Damian! Damian, are you in there?" she shrieked. "Don't let that woman trick you! She’s faking it to frame Aunt Octavina!"
Inside the room, Damian’s body stiffened, his face twisting into a rage unlike anything he’d ever shown. Before he could react, Ryan walked toward the door.
Ryan didn't even look at Sienna. He simply waved a hand at the guards. "Throw her out."
"You wouldn't dare! I’m—"
Before she could finish, a guard grabbed her by the collar and lifted her off the ground.
"Let go of me! Damian! Help!"
No matter how much she struggled or screamed, the guard dragged her toward the elevator, drawing stares from every patient in the hallway. In the last second before the elevator doors closed, she saw through the crowd that Damian remained kneeling at Evelyn’s bedside. He hadn't even turned his head.
For the first time, true dread began to crawl into her heart.
The Green family’s PR machine moved with terrifying speed. Less than twenty-four hours later, Octavina Green walked out of the police station.
Despite the bandage on her face from the tablet Evelyn had thrown, she held her head high for the cameras. She posed not as a suspect in a murder-for-hire plot, but as a victim of a terrible misunderstanding.
"This is a total frame-up," a Green family spokesperson told the flashing cameras, reading from a script. "The 'recordings' were maliciously edited fakes. The 'hitman' was an actor hired by Evelyn Worth herself. As for the unborn child..."
The spokesperson paused, wearing a look of calculated regret.
"We are sorry to inform the public that, according to our investigation, the child was not Mr. Green’s. It was a 'bastard' of unknown origin. Ms. Worth staged this entire tragedy to cover up her infidelity and extort the Green family assets."
Driven by massive capital, public opinion flipped overnight.
#EvelynWorthAffair #TheFakeMiscarriage #EvelynTheSnake
These hashtags dominated social media. Meanwhile, Sienna sat in her luxury apartment, sipping wine as she scrolled through the hateful comments.
"Just wait, Evelyn. You can't win," she hummed, tapping her screen.
Several blurry videos were uploaded to an anonymous forum. In the dim light, a woman who looked like Evelyn was seen kissing a tall man in a hotel hallway. The man’s profile looked exactly like Ethan’s.
Even though Sienna had paid lookalike actors to film it, the internet was in a frenzy. Nobody cared about the truth.
"Look, there’s your victim. Sleeping around behind his back!" "She even seduced her doctor. No wonder he helped her forge the records!" "Losing that baby was God's punishment!"
The vicious comments poured in, even affecting Evelyn’s career. Professor Hayes’ design team received a call from their partners.
"I’m sorry, Professor," the voice on the line was cold. "We’re terminating the partnership. Evelyn’s image is too toxic. Any brand associated with her will be dragged through the mud. We’ll pay the kill fee, but that woman needs to be off our project list immediately."
"Evelyn is my student. I know she wouldn't do those things. If that’s how you feel, then the partnership is over!" Professor Hayes snapped and hung up.
She took off her glasses and rubbed her temples. She remembered Evelyn as a student—how she’d been scolded for a one-millimeter error and spent all night fixing the drawings without a word of complaint. Evelyn always swallowed her pain. Even now, with the world attacking her, she hadn't called once to cry for help.
Professor Hayes looked at the termination emails flooding in. A flash of pity crossed her eyes. Her student was facing a tidal wave of malice alone. As a teacher, she felt powerless.
She printed the termination letters, stacked them neatly, and locked them in her bottom drawer. If she couldn't help with anything else, she would at least handle this professional mess so Evelyn didn't have to worry about it.
In the hospital, Evelyn leaned against her pillow, looking at the comments calling for her head. She was pale, but her eyes were as calm as a deep lake.
She didn't break down. She didn't cry. After facing death and losing Director Worth, internet trolls couldn't hurt her anymore.
"They are digging their own graves," Ryan said, sitting in a chair nearby. He was peeling an apple, the sharp knife spinning expertly in his fingers. "Octavina thinks she can wash the blood off her hands by muddying the water. She forgot that some stains never come out."
"Do it," Evelyn said, gripping the apple he handed her. "Release everything."
Ryan nodded and sent a command from his phone.