Chapter 24
Another Bombshell
The ballroom fell into stunned silence.
Everyone except me: “……?!”
Rita had just thrown Seraphine under the bus.
And Seraphine?
She looked like she was about to collapse.
A Family in Shambles
Seraphine’s voice shook.
“No, no, it wasn’t like that…”
Her hands trembled as she tried to explain.
“I didn’t force her! She said she had a way to get Olivia to sign the compensation agreement—that’s all! I just…”
She swallowed.
“I lured Olivia to the hotel, but I didn’t know she’d use that method! I thought they’d just scare her!”
“I only wanted her to sign the agreement!”
But it was too late.
Her words confirmed her guilt.
And Rita?
She pounced on the opportunity.
Tears streaming down her face, she wailed—
“Aunt Seraphine, how could you do this?! You were the one who complained about Olivia being greedy—”
“She raised the price from one million to one and a half million!”
“I felt sorry for you and Julian, so I helped!”
Her voice trembled with false innocence.
“You said you were afraid Julian would hate you!”
“You begged me to contact those people!”
Seraphine’s fingers clawed at the air, rage consuming her.
“You… you… you’re lying!”
“I’m not.”
Rita sniffled, tilting her head with a sickening sweetness.
“Aunt Seraphine, for my future with Julian, just admit it.”
Seraphine’s breath hitched.
She looked like she might pass out.
And the Crowes?
They saw what was happening—
And took their cue.
They turned on Seraphine instantly.
Blaming her.
Shifting all the guilt onto her.
The woman who had once wielded power over me was now—
Alone.
Forgotten.
And fighting for survival.
The Guests’ Reactions
The onlookers were mesmerized.
They had underestimated the drama.
This was better than any scandal they had ever witnessed.
Twists.
Turns.
Betrayals.
One after another.
And me?
I watched it all unfold.
Rita biting her own grandmother to save herself.
The Crowes scrambling to escape the fallout.
I glanced at Julian.
His expression was frozen.
Like a thick layer of snow covering his face.
This man—
So obsessed with appearances, reputation, control.
And now?
Everything he built was crumbling.
This was the price of his infidelity.
Rita’s Last-Ditch Effort
Suddenly—
Rita turned to me, voice full of fake remorse.
“Olivia Frost, I apologize.”
She grabbed my hand, squeezing it in mock sincerity.
“I’ll pay for your medical expenses… your treatment…”
Her voice trembled.
“Modern medicine might be able to cure AIDS.”
The words hung in the air.
A deliberate smear.
Even exposed, ruined, humiliated—
Rita didn’t stop.
She was still trying to drag me down.
Still hoping to destroy me.
My Response
I stared at her.
Her nonexistent tears.
Her feigned regret.
But behind it—
A vicious glint in her eyes.
She didn’t care that she was exposed.
She didn’t care that she had thrown her own grandmother away.
As long as she could convince people I was dirty, ruined, diseased.
As long as she could still hurt me.
I let out a slow, cold laugh.
Then—
I spoke.
“First—”
“I don’t forgive you.”
The words echoed in the ballroom.
“Second—”
I tilted my head, voice laced with mockery.
“You’re wrong.”
A murmur spread through the room.
I took a step forward.
“Last night, someone saved me.”
I looked Rita dead in the eyes.
“They didn’t succeed.”
“I don’t have AIDS.”
“I’m not dead.”
“But you—”
I smiled.
“You’re going to jail.”
Rita’s Breakdown
Her face froze.
The remorse, the sadness, the fake regret?
It peeled away in an instant.
Her true self emerged.
Dark.
Ugly.
She screamed.
“That’s impossible!”
Her voice was shrill, desperate.
“That hotel is famously private!”
“The room was secluded!”
“No one would have gone there!”
Her hands clenched into fists.
“Who would have saved you?! Who?!”
“A god?!”
The Unexpected Arrival
I smiled.
“If you must say so…”
I let my voice drop to a whisper.
“Yes.”
“He is quite godlike.”
A hush fell over the room.
I continued—
“His scent, his gentle reassurance…”
“Felt like a divine intervention.”
“He was tall, handsome… radiant.”
Rita laughed bitterly.
“I don’t believe you.”
“There’s no such person.”
“You just don’t want Julian to think you’re unclean.”
I scoffed.
“I don’t need him to think anything.”
“If I were assaulted, the filth and the guilt wouldn’t be mine.”
I stared at her.
“It would be theirs.”
“And yours.”
Rita froze.
Her expression wild with rage.
She lunged forward—
“Stop with the useless talk! You say there was someone, right?”
“Call him out!”
“Summon your god!”
“Let everyone see who this savior is!”
I remained silent.
I couldn’t reveal Evan.
A man of his stature wouldn’t want to be dragged into this mess.
I wouldn’t betray his kindness.
I wouldn’t cause him trouble.
Rita’s voice rose.
“Can’t say anything?”
Her smile turned triumphant.
“I knew you were lying!”
Julian’s eyes dimmed.
He didn’t stop her.
Because deep down—
He wanted to know, too.
Then—
A voice.
A calm, deep voice from the back of the crowd.
“Not a god, but a person. I was the one who saved her.”
Silence.
Everyone turned.
And saw him.
A strikingly handsome man.
Elegant.
Tall.
Breathtaking.
A whisper rippled through the crowd.
“Evan.”
Someone gasped.
“Which Evan?”
A voice hissed.
“Are you stupid?!”
“Chicago doesn’t have many Evans.”
“My god—”
“The Jones family heir.”
“…Wait.”
Their eyes widened in realization.
“Did he just say—”
“He was the savior?!”
Gasps.
Shock.
Chaos.
The Crowes and Shaws looked stunned.
Julian’s jaw tightened.
Animosity flashed in his dark eyes.
And Rita?
Her hands shook.
Her jealousy burned.
Because even after everything—
I had still attracted a man like Evan Jones.
And Evan?
He slid his hands casually into his pockets.
His voice was calm.
“I happened to be dining here.”
“Seeing the commotion, I decided to take a look.”
His gaze swept the room—
And every single person felt it.
The power.
The authority.
The arrival of someone untouchable.
