Chapter 285

Chapter 285
Evelyn's POV

I sat rigid in my seat, clutching my purse so tightly my knuckles had turned white. The bouquet of lilies and hydrangeas lay abandoned on the empty chair beside me, their sweet scent now cloying and suffocating. My heart hammered against my ribs as whispers continued to buzz around the conference room.

"Mr. Blackwood," Daniel called from the podium, his voice forcibly composed despite the chaos that had erupted moments ago. "Would you like to continue your presentation?"

All eyes in the room shifted between Dorian and me, their gazes burning into my skin like hot coals. I kept my expression carefully blank, though inside I was screaming.

Dorian leaned close, his cologne—that familiar, expensive scent I'd grown to associate with our shared bed—invading my senses. "Stay here," he whispered. "I'll finish this, and then we'll talk. Everything will be fine."

I nodded stiffly, not trusting myself to speak. When he tried to touch my shoulder, I instinctively jerked away. Something flashed in his gray-green eyes—hurt, confusion, maybe even anger. I didn't care. The image of him in bed with my sister was seared into my brain, impossible to unsee.

As Dorian returned to the front of the room, I noticed two women in the front row—both familiar faces from Beverly Hills charity events—turning to stare at me. One leaned toward the other, whispering behind her manicured hand while throwing glances my way. I felt like a specimen under a microscope.

"Let's continue," Dorian announced, his voice steady despite the scandal that had just erupted. The consummate professional, as always. "As I was saying, the Sunset Ridge project represents a unique opportunity to blend luxury real estate with essential community services..."

His words faded into background noise as I fought the urge to flee the room. Every stare felt like a knife slicing into me, each whisper a fresh wound. The prestigious developers and investors who filled the conference room were no longer focusing on Dorian's pitch—they were focused on the scandal.

Daniel rushed to Dorian's side as soon as he stepped away from the podium, his face contorted with panic.

"Tell me that wasn't real," he hissed, just loud enough for me to hear. "Tell me that photo was fake."

Dorian's jaw tightened. "The photo is real, but it's not what it looks like. I never slept with Sage. I was drugged that night. Someone set me up."

"Who would do that?" Daniel demanded.

"Marcus," Dorian replied without hesitation. "Don't worry, I've got leverage against Marcus - a compromising video of him kissing Aria!" He pulled out his laptop, fingers flying over the keyboard. His expression darkened. "It's gone. The file's been deleted."

"What? How is that possible? You never let anyone touch your computer."

"I don't know," Dorian muttered, shooting a quick glance in my direction.

I looked away, pretending I hadn't been eavesdropping. Let him wonder. Let him squirm.

"You realize we're fucked, right?" Daniel ran his hand through his hair. "Even if we win this bid, that photo is going to be all over town by dinner."

Dorian shook his head. "One problem at a time. This has Marcus written all over it. The timing is too perfect."

"It's more than that," Daniel insisted. "Someone's deliberately trying to destroy you."

"The committee will make their decision based on the projects, not gossip," Dorian said coldly. "Let's focus on what we can control."

My phone buzzed with a text. From Dorian: I swear I'll explain everything. Please believe me.

I slipped the phone back into my purse without responding. I was done pretending to believe his lies.

The next company began their presentation. Their spokesman, a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair, clicked through his slides with confidence.

Beside me, Daniel's sharp intake of breath caught my attention. He leaned forward, staring at the screen in horror.

"That's our design," he whispered to Dorian. "Those are our fucking plans!"

I looked closer at the project being displayed. The similarity was undeniable—from the layout of the buildings to the specialized medical facilities, it was virtually identical to what Dorian had just presented.

"They're exactly the same," someone behind me murmured.

Daniel slumped back in his chair, his face ashen. "Dorian, we're done. Everything we worked for... it's gone."

Dorian's expression remained stoic, but I could see the muscle twitching in his jaw—the tell-tale sign of his barely controlled rage.

The presenter continued, oblivious to the tension radiating from our corner. "Our most innovative feature is the placement of automatic external defibrillators every three hundred meters throughout the Sunset Ridge area," he explained. "In cases of sudden cardiac arrest, these AEDs will provide life-saving intervention within the critical four-minute window."

Several members of the Beverly Hills development board nodded in approval. It was a brilliant idea—one that Dorian had developed after I'd mentioned a case at the hospital where a patient died because the nearest defibrillator had been too far away.

The presentations dragged on for another hour. I sat there, a perfect statue, while my insides churned with a mixture of vindication and an emotion I refused to name. When the committee finally announced they were ready to reveal their decision, the tension in the room was palpable.

A stern-faced woman stepped to the podium. "After careful consideration, the committee has decided to award the Sunset Ridge development project to..." She paused, glancing down at her notes. "Apex Innovations."

Confused murmurs swept through the audience. Neither Dorian's company nor Marcus's had won. Instead, the contract had gone to a company no one seemed to have heard of.

"Who the hell is Apex Innovations?" Daniel hissed.

As if in answer to his question, a man rose from the back of the room and made his way toward the stage. My breath caught in my throat as Hunter stepped into the spotlight, looking devastatingly handsome in his dark blue suit.

I watched Dorian's face as recognition dawned. His eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously as Hunter accepted the committee's congratulations with a modest smile.

"Thank you for this opportunity," Hunter said into the microphone. "Apex Innovations may be new to Beverly Hills, but we're committed to creating a community that serves all its residents."

My gaze fixed on the silver tie clip gleaming against Hunter's dark blue tie—identical to the one I'd given Dorian, the one he was wearing right now. It was a detail no one else would notice, but it sent a clear message to the man who had betrayed me.

Dorian's head whipped around to stare at me, his expression a mix of fury and dawning comprehension. I met his gaze steadily, allowing myself a small smile.

The first phase of our plan had worked perfectly. Dorian's professional reputation was in tatters, his personal life exposed as a scandal, and now his prized project had been stolen from under his nose. The man who had manipulated and lied to me for months was finally getting a taste of his own medicine.