Chapter 36: It's Him Again
The door to the private room was violently pushed open. Barry's bodyguards rushed in, ready to seize Evelyn.
Just at this critical moment, two men in black suits, with cold, stern expressions, flashed into the room from outside the door, moving so quickly they left only afterimages. They subdued the aggressive bodyguards with muffled groans before anyone could even see how they struck, and the men collapsed softly onto the floor.
Evelyn recognized them. They were the same men Ryan had called to deal with the kidnappers at the hotel that day.
They ignored Barry lying on the floor groaning and the dumbfounded Dennis, walking directly to Evelyn. One of them bowed slightly. "Miss Evelyn, our boss happened to see you being escorted here and asked us to come and pick you up."
Their appearance brought a moment of clarity to Evelyn’s confused mind.
The other bodyguard had already taken out his phone and, without expression, snapped a picture of the mess in the room and the groaning Barry on the floor.
Evelyn was escorted out of the private room by the bodyguards. Her mind was blank, and her body trembled uncontrollably from shock and anger. It wasn’t until she walked out of the building and was hit by the cold night air that she somewhat regained her senses.
She asked the two men to drop her off at the parking lot entrance.
Not long after, Dennis Grady walked out of the elevator, his face full of gloom. He was cursing under his breath into his phone as he walked.
“Dennis!” Evelyn called out to him.
Dennis was stunned to see her, then his face contorted with anger and disdain. “You dare to stay here? Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused!”
Evelyn walked toward him step by step.
“Trouble?” she sneered. “Compared to what I just went through, what does any trouble matter?”
“Why are you pretending to be pure? All Barry wanted was to sleep with you! If you slept with him, the contract would be signed. What was the loss to you? You could even earn credit for the company, and Damian might even look at you differently. But you, you actually cracked the man’s head open! Are you out of your damn mind!”
Dennis cursed vilely, pushing all the blame onto her.
Evelyn walked up to him, raised her hand, and slapped his face with all her strength.
“Slap!”
The sharp sound echoed in the empty parking lot.
Dennis was stunned by the blow. He clutched his face, looking at her in disbelief.
“That slap was for myself.”
“You shameless, vulgar scumbag who sells women for profit! When you pushed me to that animal, did you ever consider that you have a mother and sisters too?”
“Oh, I forgot. A beast like you has no heart!”
Dennis’s face burned with pain, and the humiliation instantly turned into fury. He lunged at her, his face twisted in a snarl, trying to grab Evelyn. “You filthy bitch, how dare you hit me?!”
Evelyn was prepared. She stepped back, avoiding his grasp.
“What’s wrong? Furious with embarrassment? Want to hit me? You are welcome to try! I guarantee you, within ten minutes, every dirty thing you did tonight will be on the front page of major news outlets!”
Dennis froze. He remembered the two bodyguards who had suddenly appeared and their action of taking a photo. He pointed at Evelyn, his voice lacking conviction. “You... don't you dare threaten me! Evelyn, I'm telling you, don’t think you're important just because someone’s backing you! You are nothing now but a dog discarded by Damian! You know perfectly well, killing you is easier than crushing an ant!”
“Is that so?” Evelyn looked at him, her eyes filled with undisguised contempt. “Then I’ll wait.”
With that, she did not spare the trash another look and turned to leave. She had to tell Damian about this. Dennis was a company shareholder. Damian had to give her an explanation for his actions! No matter what their relationship had devolved into, she was nominally still his wife, the President of Omni’s wife!
Evelyn got into her car, her hands trembling as she pulled out her phone and dialed Damian’s number.
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.
“Hello?” Damian’s voice sounded impatient. In the background, a woman’s soft laughter could faintly be heard.
“Damian, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you, regarding company shareholder Dennis Grady...”
Meanwhile, in the Omni Group CEO's office, the massive floor to ceiling windows reflected the city's brilliant lights. Sienna was straddling Damian’s lap, wearing only his shirt, which was loosely draped over her. The buttons were wide open, exposing two round silicone breasts. She giggled, feeding Damian a peeled grape, her fingers lingering suggestively on his lips.
“Ugh... stop, Damian, your phone...” Sienna purred, pushing against his chest.
The phone’s vibration was particularly jarring in the luxurious and quiet office. Damian frowned, his face showing the frustration of being interrupted in the middle of passion. He glanced at the name “Evelyn” flashing on the screen, immediately hung up the call, threw the phone aside, and leaned back down.
“Ignore her, just a promotional advertisement. Let's continue.”
...
The next day, Evelyn walked into the Omni Group's doors, still enveloped by the anger and humiliation of the previous night. She hadn't slept, her mind replaying Barry’s twisted face, Damian's impatient voice on the phone, and that faint, jarring woman’s laughter.
She walked straight to the top floor, to Damian’s office.
Evelyn paused as she pushed open the heavy door. A sickly sweet scent that did not belong there hung in the air. It was Sienna’s favorite “Black Pearl” perfume, so intense it felt like it had marinated the entire space.
Everything in the office was neatly in place, yet Evelyn could sense a kind of invasion and disarray. The wide black ebony desk, the genuine leather sofa Damian had custom ordered from Italy, all seemed to silently mock her, the legitimate wife, for her slow realization.
Damian was sitting behind the desk, engrossed in a document. He heard the sound and looked up. A fleeting look of panic crossed his face, but it was quickly masked by his usual composure.
“You’re here,” he said, putting down his pen.
“Was Sienna here?” Evelyn didn't approach, stopping just inside the doorway. Damian’s eyes flickered.