Chapter 202: Humiliation
"This is the Lawrence family’s main residence, after all," Camilla continued. "Keeping a nameless ex-girlfriend here... where would the Covingtons hide their faces if word got out?"
"No!"
Ryan practically roared. He pulled Evelyn behind him, his eyes savage. "The engagement is the limit! Evelyn and the child stay here, where I can see them! If anyone touches them, I will burn this entire group to the ground and take everyone with me!"
The sheer ferocity of his tone made even Richard flinch.
"Enough!" Victor tapped his cane, playing the peacemaker. "Evelyn is a design consultant for the group. It’s perfectly reasonable for her to stay in the guest wing. This matter is closed. Meeting adjourned!"
Richard snorted and stood up to straighten his suit. "Ryan. Tomorrow morning, ten o'clock. Press conference. Don't be late."
He swept out of the room with Camilla and the elders. As Camilla passed Evelyn, she stopped and whispered just loud enough for her to hear: "Don't get comfortable. This is going to be a long game."
Inside the hall, only Ryan, Evelyn, and Victor remained. Ryan collapsed into a chair, burying his face in his hands. Watching him in such pain was agony for Evelyn, but she forced back her tears and gently patted his back.
Half an hour later, Evelyn walked out of the main building alone to get some air. The biting wind in the garden couldn't clear the heaviness in her chest.
"Ms. Bell." Camilla’s voice rang out again. She had been waiting, holding a slip of paper.
"What do you want?" Evelyn stopped but didn't turn around.
Camilla circled around her, holding the paper up in the dim light of the streetlamps. It was a check. There were more zeros than most people see in a lifetime.
Fifty million dollars.
"Take this money. Take your brat and go back to New York, or whatever hole you crawled out of." Camilla lifted her chin, her eyes full of contempt. "Ryan is only bowing his head for power. How long do you think he’ll protect you? Once we’re married and have children, do you think he’ll even remember your name? This is your price. Sell while the offer is good. It’s more dignified than being kicked out later."
Evelyn didn't reach for the paper.
"Keep it," Evelyn said. "In this house, you’re going to need a lot more money than that to buy people’s loyalty. As for whether Ryan remembers me, I don't need a reminder from you."
"You—" Camilla started to snap, but Evelyn had already wrapped her coat tighter and turned toward the guest wing.
"You’ll regret this! By the wedding day, I’ll have you begging me on your knees!" Camilla’s shrill voice echoed behind her.
Evelyn didn't stop. Once she closed her door and locked out the cold, she slid down against the wood, finally letting go.
Over the next two weeks, Washington’s social circles exploded with the news.
Lawrence and Covington Families Unite: The Engagement of the Century.
Newspapers, TV, and the internet were flooded with images of Ryan and Camilla together. Ryan looked handsome but cold in his custom suits, while Camilla clung to his arm, laughing for the cameras. The massive pink diamond on her finger was nearly blinding. It was an engagement ring provided by the Covingtons, not one Ryan had chosen.
Evelyn sat by the window in her room. The TV was broadcasting a charity gala. Camilla was shown affectionately straightening Ryan’s tie for the cameras. The media called them the "Perfect Match."
Evelyn turned off the TV and picked up her sketchbook.
The "Origin" collection had been a massive hit in New York. Even without a formal runway show, a few leaked photos of the pieces had caused a stir in the fashion world. Professor Hayes had used all his connections to put Evelyn’s designs on the New Year's cover of Vogue. Orders were pouring in.
Evelyn wasn't in the mood to celebrate. She called Professor Hayes.
"Professor, I need you to look into Richard Covington. Not his scandals—his textile mills in Southeast Asia. I suspect he’s using illegal child labor and tax evasion schemes."
"That’s dangerous, Evelyn," Hayes said seriously. "Covington is an energy titan. Textiles are just his way of laundering money."
"Which is exactly why there will be holes. Ryan is checking the family from the inside. I’ll handle the outside."
Meanwhile, in the main study.
Ryan sat behind his desk, seemingly handling group business. In reality, encrypted data streams were flying across his screen. These two weeks of "playing along" hadn't been for nothing.
To please his future son-in-law, Richard Covington had even granted Ryan access to certain family fund records under the guise of "asset integration." It was incredibly arrogant.
Ryan’s fingers flew across the keyboard. Richard thought he had the Lawrence family by the throat, but he was actually sticking his own head into a noose.
The data matched. Richard’s private accounts had seen over three hundred million dollars in transfers over the last five years to Julian, the elder who had "suffered a stroke." The final destination for that money was an anonymous trust in Zurich—the exact fund Marcus used to finance the "Twin Snakes" organization.
So that was it. Julian was the mole, and Richard was the financier. Together, they were parasites draining the Lawrence family, planning to swallow the entire group through this marriage.
Ryan shut his laptop and lit a cigarette. Through the smoke, his eyes were terrifyingly cold.
He just needed one more piece of physical evidence.
The Lawrence estate ballroom was a sea of gold and crystal. This was the final internal family dinner before the formal engagement announcement. Nearly every powerful figure tied to the Lawrence and Covington families was present.
Camilla wore a gold mermaid gown, looking like she had draped every piece of jewelry she owned onto her body. She strutted through the crowd like a peacock, soaking up the flattery.
In contrast, Evelyn looked out of place. She wore a black velvet gown from her own collection—minimalist, with only silver-threaded withered roses embroidered at the waist. She hadn't wanted to come, but Richard had demanded that "all consultants" attend. He clearly wanted to humiliate her one more time in front of everyone.