[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322E1C3D0-238":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},238,24,"Chapter 24: The Last Card Up Her Sleeve","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Evangeline felt as though she were walking through a thick fog; she couldn't even recall how she had arrived at the Alexander Corp headquarters.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her body burned with an unnatural heat, and a cacophony of voices screamed inside her skull, clawing at her sanity. The pounding in her head reached a fever pitch until, finally, her strength gave way in front of the elevator. She crumpled to the floor, losing consciousness.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Miss Montgomery! Miss Montgomery!\" the young receptionist cried out, panic thick in her voice. She quickly braced herself, catching Evangeline before her head could strike the marble floor, then screamed, \"Get Preston on the phone! Now!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Preston didn't waste a second. He burst into the executive office, breathless. \"Sir! Miss Montgomery just collapsed in the lobby!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus was on his feet before the words had finished hanging in the air, his stride long and lethal as he moved toward the elevators. \"Call Damian. Get him to the private clinic immediately!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"On it!\" Preston barked back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When the elevator doors slid open, they found Evangeline curled on the ground, her skin the color of ash.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Evangeline!\" Marcellus roared, scooping her into his arms as if she were made of glass.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Waylen was already holding the car door open, engine humming.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"To Damian’s clinic! Now!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Waylen slammed his foot on the pedal, the car tearing through the city streets like a bullet.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Damian was waiting in the treatment room, his face taut. \"Bring her in. Quick, over here!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus laid her down with trembling hands, his lips white, his eyes fixed on her with a raw, desperate intensity.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Marcellus, you have to leave. Let us work,\" Damian said, physically nudging the paralyzed man toward the door.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus stood rooted to the spot, his gaze locked onto the closed door as if he could stare his way through the wood. His legs were stiff, anchored by the sheer weight of his anxiety. Waylen stood nearby, pacing like a caged animal; he was terrified that if Evangeline didn't pull through, his boss would be the next one hitting the floor.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Thirty minutes later, the door finally swung open. Damian emerged, his expression unreadable.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"How is she?\" Marcellus’s voice was a jagged rasp, barely recognizable as his own.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Like I told you yesterday, the trigger—the person or event she needed to push through this—has appeared,\" Damian said grimly.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I don't give a damn about your theories! Tell me how to fix her!\" Marcellus snapped.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"She’s been sedated. She’ll wake up soon. But… if her emotional state doesn't stabilize, we’ll have to move to electroconvulsive therapy.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What does that mean?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Using a low-voltage current to stimulate the brain. It can be highly effective in recalibrating her nervous system, but… there’s a risk. She could suffer memory loss.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Bang.* Marcellus slammed his fist into the wall, the drywall fracturing under the force. \"Always the memory! It’s always about losing her!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Calm down! Let’s see how she is when she wakes up. We’ll try traditional psychotherapy first, okay?\" Damian urged, his voice loud enough to break through the man's rage.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Evangeline…\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A tiny, fragile sound drifted from the room. Marcellus tried to walk toward her, but his knees buckled. He crashed to the floor, collapsing under the sheer pressure of his fear.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Sir!\" Waylen lunged forward, hauling Marcellus to his feet and ushering him into the room before retreating to guard the door.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus reached out, his fingers hovering over her pale cheek. \"Evangeline? Can you hear me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"My head… it hurts,\" she whispered.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Evangeline… we need to start the treatment, okay?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Evangeline had heard the whispers through the door. She didn't want the electric shocks; she didn't want her mind to turn to mush, and she refused to lose a single memory of him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Marcellus, stay with me. Just stay, and I’ll be fine.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"But if this happens again—\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Nothing will disturb my peace of mind again,\" she cut him off, her eyes blazing with a sudden, sharp clarity.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Seeing the doubt still etched into his face, she added softly, \"If I undergo that treatment, it’ll ruin my chances of ever giving you a baby.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus froze, a flicker of light returning to his eyes before a dark, protective shadow fell over them again. \"I just want you healthy. I want you here with me forever.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"If it happens again, I promise—I will be good, and I will do whatever the doctors say. Deal?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"…Deal.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Evangeline leaned into his chest, a soft smile playing on her lips.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Outside, Damian listened to the exchange and let out a frustrated sigh. *Idiots,* he thought. *Both of them.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">***\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Meanwhile, at Montgomery Enterprises, Edward had finished handing over the evidence. He ordered every remaining contaminated shipment incinerated and overhauled the entire internal supervision department. He wouldn't let anyone touch his business again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Austin,\" Edward said, rubbing his temples, his face lined with fatigue. \"Draft a public statement. We are formally cutting all ties with Cassidy. She is no longer part of this family.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Understood, sir.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Once the statement hit the news, the entire city turned on Cassidy. Everyone knew the story of the adopted daughter who had bitten the hand that fed her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When Jonah saw the news, he felt like someone had reached into his chest and carved out a piece of his heart. He remembered the nightmares of his past life—but in those dreams, Cassidy had succeeded. Here, in reality, she had been caught. *So it really wasn't just a dream,* he thought.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A strange relief washed over him. The tragedy wouldn't repeat itself. Evangeline wouldn't die. He still had a chance at redemption.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Good thing you never married that snake,\" Anthony Harrison said, clapping a hand on his son’s shoulder. \"She’s nothing but a jinx.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I always knew she was trouble,\" Angela Harrison added, shaking her head. \"It’s just a pity she ruined the engagement with Evangeline.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Jonah stayed silent, shoveling food into his mouth as his mind spiraled. *Evangeline will never forgive me,* he thought.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">At the Montgomery estate, the bodyguards had been pulled back, and Cassidy’s room had been scrubbed clean. Marilyn Montgomery sat on the sofa, sighing deeply.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It feels like we’re living in some soap opera. I can't even leave the house without people whispering about us.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The family didn't do anything wrong, Mom,\" Evangeline said, soothing her mother’s hair. \"Once the gossip dies down, people will forget.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I suppose so.\" Marilyn nodded, but her heart remained heavy. She couldn't understand how a daughter she’d raised since childhood could turn into such a stranger.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Edward wrapped an arm around his wife. \"Let it go, Marilyn. She isn't worth our tears.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The three of them sat in the quiet of their home. The nightmares of her previous life were gone, and for the first time, Evangeline felt a sense of peace.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The next morning, Jonah arrived at the detention center.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Cassidy sat in the visitation room, her hair disheveled, her eyes hollow.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Cassidy!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice. Her face lit up with a manic, desperate hope. \"Jonah! You came to get me out, didn't you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Jonah stared at her with icy disdain. \"You belong here, Cassidy. You’re a menace to everyone around you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You can't do this to me!\" she screamed, lunging toward the glass. \"I’m carrying your child!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I told you already—I’m not acknowledging that kid. You’d be better off getting rid of it now before it grows up to be a tragedy nobody wants.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Jonah, how can you be so heartless?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’m just reaping what you sowed,\" he retorted.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You only came here to mock me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I came to tell you that the Montgomerys have officially disowned you. Everyone in the city knows exactly what you’ve done. Even if you get out of here, you won't have a place to call home.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Cassidy gasped, her brain racing, trying to find a way out of the corner she’d been backed into.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"This is all your fault! Because you wouldn't marry me! It’s all your fault!\" she shrieked, her voice tearing at her throat.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Jonah didn't spare her another glance. He turned and walked away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Cassidy slumped in her chair, her face turning a ghastly shade of white. She was finished. Everything was gone.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Suddenly, a wicked gleam returned to her eyes. She reached down, gently stroking her stomach. *Heh,* she thought, a twisted smile spreading across her face. *As long as this child exists, you’ll never, ever be rid of me.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The guard standing nearby felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of her transformation. *That woman,* he thought, *is absolutely unhinged.*\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272911736]