Chapter 287

Chapter 287
Dorian's POV

The conference room doors swung shut with a finality that echoed through my chest. Evelyn was gone. With Hunter. My Evelyn had just walked out on me in front of the entire development committee.

The blood rushing in my ears nearly drowned out the whispers that erupted around me. I stood frozen, my expensive shoes seemingly cemented to the floor as my world imploded.

"Did you see that?"
"Always knew there was something going on..."
"Poor Blackwood, humiliated in his own meeting..."

Marcus's voice cut through the haze, sharp and gleeful. "Well, cousin, looks like you can't keep track of your own wife. Perhaps you should focus more on your marriage and less on stealing my projects." His smirk burned into my periphery, but I couldn't tear my eyes from the door where she'd disappeared.

Daniel gripped my arm, his fingers digging in painfully. "We need to get you out of here. Now."

I shook him off violently. "Find her. Now."

"Dorian, don't make this worse—"

"I said find her!" I snarled, my voice too loud in the still-hushed room. Phone cameras continued to capture my unraveling, documenting every second of my humiliation for posterity.

James appeared at my side, his perpetually calm demeanor a stark contrast to the chaos in my mind. "Sir, I've asked the security team to discreetly locate Mrs. Blackwood and Mr. Pierce. I've also called for the car."

The chairwoman stood shakily. "Given the... unexpected developments, perhaps we should adjourn for today and—"

"No," I cut her off, straightening my tie. "Continue the meeting. The Blackwood Group's representatives will stay." I nodded to Daniel, who looked like he wanted to argue but knew better. "I have a personal matter to attend to."

Marcus's laugh followed me as I strode toward the exit. "By all means, go chase your wife, Dorian. The adults will handle business."

I ignored him, pushing through the double doors into the hallway. "Call Sage," I instructed James. "Tell her to meet me in conference room B. Now."

James hesitated. "Sir, she's at a physical therapy appointment across town."

"I don't give a fuck if she's with the President. Get her here."

---

Twenty minutes later, I paced the length of conference room B, the plush carpet absorbing the angry fall of my footsteps. Every second that passed stoked the fire building inside me. Every moment gave Evelyn more distance.

The door opened, and Daniel pushed Sage's wheelchair into the room. Her face was pale, eyes wide with alarm.

"Dorian, what's going on? I was in the middle of—"

"Shut up." I stalked toward her, watching her shrink back in her chair. "Start talking. What do you know about Evelyn and Hunter?"

Sage's eyes darted between me and Daniel, who stood by the door looking uncomfortable. "I don't know what you're—"

I slammed my hands down on the armrests of her wheelchair, leaning in until our faces were inches apart. "Don't. Lie. To. Me."

A flash of defiance crossed her features. "What happened? Did your precious wife finally show her true colors?"

"So you knew."

Sage laughed, the sound brittle and harsh. "Of course I knew. She's my sister, remember? The perfect Evelyn who could never do anything wrong." Her voice dripped with venom. "She's been playing you from the start, Dorian. She never loved you."

I straightened, taking a step back as her words landed like physical blows.

"She has seen those photos of us in bed together recently," Sage continued, a cruel smile forming. "She didn't care. She actually pushed me toward you. Can you believe that? She despised me so much that she was willing to share her husband."

I recalled Evelyn's strange indifference to my affairs, her calm acceptance when I'd stay out late. I'd thought it was trust. Or resignation.

It was neither. It was contempt.

"She's been feeding him information," Daniel filled in. "Using you to get intel on our projects, probably passing everything to Hunter."

Sage leaned forward in her chair. "She never stopped loving him, Dorian. They grew up together in that backwater town. They were planning to get married before..."

"Before what?" I snapped.

A strange expression crossed Sage's face. "Before you came along."

The pieces were falling into place, a sickening puzzle revealing itself. The matching tie clips. The identical silver bars Evelyn had given both of us.

"She spent weeks practicing those desserts," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. "Failed attempt after failed attempt."

"What?" Daniel looked confused.

"The night before the proposal presentation. She made this elaborate dessert—said she'd been practicing for weeks to get it right." I laughed bitterly. "She wasn't practicing baking. She was practicing her timing for today."

I couldn't stay here, surrounded by these walls, these people. I needed to find her.

"Sir," James appeared at the doorway. "I've located Mr. Pierce's residence."

I was already moving. "Let's go."

---

Rain fell in a light mist as James drove through the winding roads of Beverly Hills. I stared out the window, my reflection a ghost on the glass. Behind that ghostly face, memories played like a cruel movie.

Evelyn smiling up at me in bed, her amber eyes warm in the morning light.
Evelyn's soft laugh when I'd surprise her with gifts.
Evelyn's body against mine, her sighs in my ear.

Had it all been fake? Every moment, every touch, every whispered word of affection—had it all been part of some elaborate revenge plot?

"Sir, we're approaching the address."

James's voice pulled me from my thoughts. We'd arrived at a modern compound nestled against the hillside, sleek lines and glass walls partially obscured by ornamental trees.

"Park across the street," I instructed. "And wait."

The rain intensified, dampening my expensive suit as I stood on the sidewalk, eyes fixed on the compound's entrance. James stood a few paces behind me, holding an umbrella he'd tried unsuccessfully to share.

I wanted to feel the rain. Needed the cold clarity it brought.

Nearly an hour passed before a sleek black car pulled up to the gate. I straightened as the passenger door opened and Evelyn emerged, elegant in the same pantsuit she'd worn to the meeting. Hunter circled the car to join her, opening a large umbrella that sheltered them both.

They walked close—too close—her body fitting against his side with a familiarity that made my stomach turn.

"Evelyn," I called, my voice carrying through the rain-dampened air.

They both stopped. Slowly, Evelyn turned, her face a blank mask as she regarded me across the street.

"Is there something else?" she asked, her voice devoid of emotion.

I closed the distance between us, stopping a few yards away. Hunter shifted slightly, positioning himself between us.

"Do you have anything you want to say to me?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice steady.

Evelyn tilted her head, studying me like I was a mildly interesting specimen. "I believe I've already said everything that matters."

"How long?" The question escaped before I could stop it. "How long have you been planning this?"

"Why I did what I did—you should know better than anyone," she replied coolly.

Movement behind Hunter caught my eye. A man stepped out from the compound's entrance, tall and watchful. I recognized him—Liam.

"Were you with him the entire time?" I demanded, rain dripping from my hair into my eyes.

Evelyn met my gaze steadily. "Yes."

One simple word. Three letters that demolished years of memories.

"Every time you were in my bed—"

"Those days felt like an eternity," she cut me off. "Every minute I spent with you was torture."

I flinched as if she'd struck me. Memories flooded back—Evelyn's sighs as I moved inside her, the way she'd cling to me afterward, the soft kisses she'd press against my chest.

"You're lying," I said, but doubt had already taken root.

Her laugh was cold. "Believe whatever helps you sleep at night, Dorian."

Hunter's arm tightened around her waist. "I think we're done here."

They turned to go, presenting me with their backs—the ultimate dismissal.

Something snapped inside me. The pain, the humiliation, the betrayal—it all crystallized into pure, white-hot rage.

"James," I said, my voice deadly calm. "Bring her back."

The rain fell harder as tension electrified the air between us. Evelyn stopped walking but didn't turn around. Hunter's posture stiffened.

"Bring. Her. Back."