Chapter 190: The Shadow of the Twin Snakes
"Elias..." Damian turned his eyes toward the child, who was shivering in Ryan’s arms.
"Uncle..." Elias sobbed.
"Kid... I was wrong... I was a bad example..." Damian’s vision began to blur. He fought to see the boy’s face. "Don't be like me. Be... be a man. Take care of your mom... protect her..."
He looked at Ryan. It was a silent handoff between men, a final bow from the loser. "Ryan... take care of them..."
Ryan remained silent for a moment before nodding solemnly. "I will. You have my word as a Lawrence."
With that promise, the last bit of life seemed to leave Damian. He looked back at Evelyn. In his eyes was one last, humble wish.
"Evelyn... in the next life... if I find you first... can I have... one more... chance..."
His voice trailed off into nothing. The hand gripping hers went limp and hit the bloody floor with a heavy thud.
"Damian? Damian!"
Evelyn held his cooling body and let out a choked, agonized cry that echoed across the ruined rooftop. In the distance, the fire reached for the sky, reflecting the tears and soot on everyone's faces.
Albert’s men finished clearing the site. Marcus’s remaining forces were captured, but the victory was heavy. Ryan walked over to help Evelyn up, but he noticed Elias squatting where Damian had fallen, clutching something small.
"What’s that?" Ryan knelt down and asked gently.
Elias opened his palm to reveal a metal emblem stained with blood. It wasn't Damian's. It was a piece of metal that had been shaken loose from the falling slab, or perhaps something Marcus had dropped in his panic.
Evelyn looked at the emblem through her tears. It was a black, two-headed snake. The eyes were small rubies, glowing with an eerie, sinister light. Her pupils contracted. She had seen this design once before—hidden in the back of her mother’s diary.
The diary had warned: Marcus is just their gatekeeper. The real devils hide behind this symbol.
It turned out that even Marcus was just a pawn in her mother's death. Behind this thirty-year conspiracy lay a much deeper, more terrifying abyss.
Ryan stared at the emblem, his brow furrowed. He pulled Evelyn and Elias into a tighter embrace. "Don't be afraid," he whispered. "Whether it’s hell or the abyss, I’m with you until the end."
The air in the morgue smelled of sharp disinfectant and lingering smoke. Evelyn stood before the stainless steel table, watching as the white sheet was pulled over Damian Green’s face.
Only hours ago, this face had been full of the pathetic pleading she loathed. Now, in death, there was only peace. She didn't cry. Her tears had dried on the rooftop. Now, she felt a suffocating emptiness. The hate had died with the man.
"We found this in his inner pocket." Vincent stepped forward, holding a plastic bag stained with ash and blood.
Evelyn took it. Inside was a phone with a shattered screen and a micro-hard drive wrapped tightly in waterproof tape. Beneath the drive was a folded note with frantic, messy handwriting.
If I’m dead, give this to Ryan. These are the leads I found on the 'Snake' symbol. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I want you to live a good life.
Evelyn gripped the paper. He had known he was going to die. The selfish, cowardly Damian who would sell anything for profit had, at the very end, used his life to clear a path for her.
Ryan stood at the door, watching her. He walked over and gently hugged her from behind, careful of the wound on her arm. "Albert has a private jet ready. We fly to Washington in two hours."
His voice was low, testing her. "Evelyn, you don't have to get on that plane."
Evelyn turned to look at him.
"Marcus is desperate. The water in D.C. is much deeper than in New York," Ryan said, his hands firm on her shoulders. "If you’re tired and don't want to fight anymore, I can take you and Elias away. Paris, or anywhere else the Lawrences can't reach. Even without my inheritance, I can give you the best life possible."
It was a tempting offer. A life of peace, far from the killing and the schemes.
Evelyn looked down at the blood-stained snake emblem, then at the hard drive Damian had left behind. If she didn't go, her mother’s death would remain a mystery. If she didn't go, Damian had died for nothing. If she didn't go, Marcus would haunt her like a nightmare for the rest of her life.
"I’m not leaving."
Evelyn looked up. The fragility in her amber eyes was gone, replaced by a cold, metallic hardness. "I’m going to Washington."
She squeezed the emblem in her hand until the sharp metal edges bit into her skin.
"It’s not just for revenge, Ryan. The finals for the Star Awards are in D.C. I’ve worked years for that ticket. I won't give up on my dreams because of fear."
Ryan looked at her, his worry turning into deep admiration. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Then we take Washington together."