Chapter 217: Marry Me
Ten minutes later, in a private VIP room. The curtains were drawn, and an old projector hummed, casting a grainy image on the wall.
The camera wobbled and then focused. It was the entrance of this very bank. Manhattan looked different then—fewer skyscrapers. A young woman in a floral dress was laughing at the camera, holding an ice cream cone with a bit of cream on her lip.
It was Madeleine. She looked so young, her eyes full of happiness, not fear.
"Stop filming, the family will see," Madeleine laughed, trying to block the lens.
A man’s warm voice came from off-camera. "Let them see. I want the world to know I love Madeleine Lawrence."
It was her father’s voice. Evelyn curled into a ball on the sofa, sobbing.
The scene changed to a small apartment. Madeleine was stroking her baby bump. "Be good, little one. We don't have money or a big house, but we will give you all our love. You are our angel."
"What should we name her?" the man asked.
"If it’s a girl, Evelyn," Madeleine said, her eyes shining. "It means life. It means light."
The tape ended in static. Evelyn was inconsolable. She wasn't a burden or a mistake. she was an angel born of love.
A warm hand gripped hers. Ryan was on one knee. There was no ego, only pure devotion. "They loved you very much," he whispered, wiping her tears. "And you lived up to the name. You are the light, Evelyn. You lit up my life."
He pulled a velvet box from his pocket. "I’ve wanted to give you this for a long time."
He opened it. It wasn't a gaudy diamond. It was a unique band of black gold holding a rare Padparadscha sapphire—the color of a sunrise meeting a sunset.
"Not for a merger. Not for business. Just because I’m Ryan and you're Evelyn. Wherever we go, I want to hold your hand."
"Marry me?"
Evelyn looked at the ring, then at the man who had stood like a mountain for her. Every fear and bit of exhaustion vanished. She held out her hand. "Yes."
He slid the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. He kissed her hand as if it were the most sacred thing in the world.
The manager knocked and entered, holding a thick file. "Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence," he said, already changing his tone. "There is a supplemental agreement for Vault 77."
Ryan stood up, shielding Evelyn. "Speak."
"Besides the... special funds," the manager said, pointing at the bonds. "Madeleine Lawrence set up an irrevocable family trust."
"What?" Evelyn was stunned.
"The principal was only five million dollars, but it was deposited thirty-five years ago and managed by our top team. With compound interest and a few lucky bets on tech stocks, the balance is..." He took a breath. "Eight hundred and seventy million dollars."
Nearly nine hundred million dollars. Clean, legal, and entirely hers.
"It’s clear," the manager said, handing over a pen. "Only Ms. Evelyn and her direct descendants can inherit. This is enough to run a foundation or buy half of Fifth Avenue."
Her mother hadn't just left love; she had used her foresight to build her daughter a bridge to a better life.
"Donate the bonds to the anti-violence foundation," Evelyn said, looking at the blood money with disgust. "As for the trust..." She took the pen. "I’ll use it to rebuild Nova Group's design department."
The paperwork went through smoothly. Evelyn was now one of the wealthiest women in Manhattan. But Ryan only cared about one thing: the doctor’s orders.
"Mrs. Lawrence must stay in bed," the doctor said, pointing at the ultrasound. "The blast and the stress have left you in a fragile state. If you want to keep this baby, you need rest."
Ryan immediately issued a memo to Nova Group. All meetings were moved to video calls. He moved his entire office into the VIP suite at St. Mary’s Hospital.
Evelyn lay in bed, watching him pile files onto the coffee table. "Ryan, I’m not made of glass."
"You don't get a vote on this," Ryan said without looking up. "You rest. I handle the rest."
A knock came at the door. A middle-aged lawyer entered with a briefcase. "Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence. I am the executor for Damian Green. He left a final request that this reach Ms. Evelyn personally."
Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat at the name. The lawyer pulled out a stock transfer and a sealed envelope.
"Mr. Green amended his will a week before his accident. His fifteen percent non-dilutable stake in the Omni Group is gifted entirely to his son, Elias Green. Until Elias is of age, the voting rights and dividends are to be managed solely by you."