Chapter 166: For Her, Against the World
Damian sat in the back of his car, fingers tapping his knee, wearing a confident smile.
He had just told the driver to head to Evelyn's apartment. In his hand was a fresh Italian pizza, a kid's favorite flavor.
"Sir, there seems to be traffic ahead." The driver checked the GPS. "Looks like the big screens in Times Square are drawing a crowd."
"A bunch of clueless idiots." Damian snorted dismissively and pulled out his phone to message Evelyn. "Go around. I have important business tonight."
Just then, the music on the car radio cut out, replaced by an emergency news bulletin.
"Nova Group President Ryan Lawrence is holding a press conference to address the scandal that broke today. This is Mr. Lawrence's first time publicly facing the cameras on this matter..."
Damian said, "A dying gasp. Turn it up. I want to hear him cry and apologize."
Meanwhile, Evelyn curled up on her apartment sofa. The living room was dark, lit only by the cold blue glow of the TV on her bloodless face.
Elias was already asleep. She clutched her cracked phone screen tightly.
On the TV, Ryan Lawrence walked out in that same soaking wet suit.
He hadn't changed. His hair fell messily over his forehead. But it did nothing to diminish the dangerous edge radiating from him.
Camera flashes exploded. Shutters clicked in an endless storm.
Ryan stood behind the podium, his gaze sweeping the room before locking onto the camera directly ahead. His eyes were sharp enough to pierce through the screen.
"I'm not here to apologize. I don't need PR spin."
Ryan's voice carried through the microphones, filling the venue and reaching Evelyn's ears.
He pulled a folded document from his pocket and slapped it onto the podium.
"This is an official medical report from Johns Hopkins Hospital, along with my physical examination records from the past five years."
Ryan's pace was steady, but every word hit like thunder. "I have congenital oligozoospermia. My chances of conception are virtually zero. Medically, I'm classified as absolutely infertile."
Dead silence.
Evelyn shot upright, her pupils contracting sharply.
In his car, the smile froze on Damian's face. His phone slipped from his hand. "What?"
Ryan coldly surveyed the stunned reporters. "Ms. Lena claims she was pregnant with my child? That it was already formed? That would be the medical miracle of the century."
"Furthermore..." Ryan waved to Vincent behind him.
Audio began playing on the large screen.
Crystal clear quality. Obviously recorded with professional equipment.
"Two million dollars. After it's done, I'll arrange for you to walk in Paris Fashion Week. Just swear Ryan raped you. Destroy him..."
Then Lena's trembling but greedy reply. "I want the money first. Ryan Lawrence is dangerous. I'm risking my life here."
Next came screenshots of bank transfers. The recipient was Lena. The sending account, hidden behind layers of shells, traced back to an offshore company belonging to the Astor family.
The truth was out.
There was no seduction and abandonment. Only a filthy, calculated smear campaign.
The room erupted. Reporters frantically documented the reversal.
Ryan ignored the chaos below.
When he finished, he braced both hands on the podium and leaned forward slightly. Those deep eyes no longer held ice. Something long suppressed churned within them.
"Sophia."
He suddenly called out that name to the camera.
Evelyn's heart lurched. She almost forgot to breathe.
"I know you're watching." Ryan said. "I also know how awful I was to you this afternoon at the studio."
"But I need to set something straight."
Ryan took a deep breath, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Yes, I'm a businessman. I'm used to weighing pros and cons. I'm used to achieving my goals through strategy. But I have never treated feelings as a bargaining chip."
"I did scheme to get close to you."
He looked into the camera with a focus that was heartbreaking, as if the whole world had shrunk to just him and the person on the other side of the screen.
"But I truly love you. Not because you're new and exciting. Not out of pity. And definitely not to cover up some godforsaken past."
"Sophia, when you were struggling in hell, I was drowning in an abyss too. You showed me the light."
Ryan's eyes glistened. "I don't care about your past. I don't care who you've been with or that you have a child. I only want to share a future with you and Elias."
Ryan straightened and faced the audience, extending his hand solemnly. "Give me a chance to pursue you. A real chance. Not for PR. Just because Ryan Lawrence has fallen in love with Sophia Bell."
On the TV screen, that untouchable man had just humbled himself to the dust.
Evelyn covered her mouth. Tears slipped through her fingers and splashed onto her phone screen.
When Ryan announced his congenital infertility, his tone had been steady.
But Evelyn's mind exploded.
She understood exactly what those words meant for him and his family.
In a dynasty like the Lawrence family, as one of the heirs, this flaw was enough to destroy his position and power.
This wasn't a PR strategy. This was a suicide move.
A calculating businessman would never salvage his reputation this way.
He had countless more dignified options to clear his name. Instead, he chose the most brutal one, exposing his most shameful secret to the world.
He had weaponized his own destruction to silence everyone and burn his bridges.
In that moment, Evelyn finally understood. She wasn't bearing this alone.
Someone was truly willing to sacrifice himself first, then take on the whole world for her.
After the press conference ended, a short while later, the phone on her coffee table buzzed.
A familiar name flashed on the screen. Ryan.
Evelyn answered with trembling hands. Before she could speak, his voice came through, tinged with uncertainty and breathlessness.
"I'm downstairs."
"Don't hang up. Don't send me away." His voice broke in the wind. "Give me five minutes. Please."
Evelyn didn't respond. She threw down the phone, didn't even bother with shoes, and ran barefoot to the door.
The moment she opened it, she crashed into an embrace that carried the cold and the smell of rain.
Ryan was still in his press conference clothes. Soaked through, hair still dripping, looking utterly wrecked. But his arms locked around her waist with crushing force.
"Evelyn..." He buried his face in the curve of her neck. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Evelyn felt the cold and the trembling radiating from him. Her last wall crumbled.
She raised her arms and held him back.
"Are you an idiot?" Evelyn choked out. "Why would you tear yourself open like that..."
"Because I didn't want you to misunderstand." Ryan lifted his head, cupping her face, his thumbs wiping away her tears. "I didn't want you to think I was garbage. I didn't want you to push me away because of that damn lie."
He looked into her eyes, his gaze impossibly complex. "Besides, there are things I need to tell you. If we're starting over, I can't hide anything from you anymore."