bChapter /bb85 /b

Hiram was stunned by what he’d just heard. When the shock wore off, bfury /btook bits /bce. He wrenched his arm free from Charlotte’s grasp and stormed up to Tricia, voice shaking with rage. “You liar! You’re the reason my sister got hurt! You promised you’d make a public apology, and now you’re going back on your wordb?/bb” /b

“Hiram, don’t-”

Charlotte tried to hold him back, but it was toote.

Before Hiram could reach Tricia, Evander stepped forward and knocked him to the floor with a swift kick. At a signal from Natalie, two security guards moved in, pinning Hiram down.

“Let go of me! I didn’t do anything wrong!” Hiram’s voice cracked with anger and frustration. “If it weren’t for her, my sister wouldn’t have been attacked–she made it happen, I have the recording to prove it!”

Evander’s eyes darkened as he turned to look at Tricia.

Tears streamed down Tricia’s face, her voice trembling. “It’s not true, Evander. He forced me to say those things. He said if I didn’t, he’d kill me…”

“Miss Winthrop, I admit my brother was wrong to kidnap you. I can apologize on his behalf for that. But he’s not a killer.”

When she’d first heard about Hiram kidnapping Tricia, Charlotte hadn’t been afraid for Tricia’s life. She knew her brother–he would never go that far. Her real fear was that Hiram, reckless and impulsive as ever, might seriously hurt Tricia like he had with that college ssmate, ruining his own future in the process.

“Dr. Sterling!” Tricia’s voice rang out, strong and clear. “I was the one who was kidnapped! Of course you’d defend him–he’s your brother!”

“That’s exactly why-”

“Enough!” Evander cut her off, his patience clearly worn thin. His eyes were cold as

ice.

“He kidnapped someone. That’s a crime. Are you really going to defend a kidnapper?”

Charlotte fell silent, frozen where she stood. Of course–kidnapping was a crime, in and simple. If Evander pressed charges for Tricia, Hiram would go to prison, even if he hadn’t physically hurt anyone.

b08:45 /b

“Evander, he recorded me when he forced me to say those things. I’m bafraid /bbhe’ll /buse those recordings to threaten me in the future…” Tricia’s jaw clenchedb. /bbShe /bcouldn’t let that recording be a weapon against her.

Evander nodded to the guards.

They moved in to take Hiram’s phone, but he clung to it desperately. “This is the proof my sister is innocent! Don’t touch it! Give it back!”

Despite his resistance, the guards eventually pried the phone ifrom /ihis grasp and handed it to Evander.

Tricia’s heart leapt with satisfaction. “Evander, may I have it?”

Hiram thrashed, his face flushed and wild. “Don’t touch my phone! Don’t give it to

her!”

Charlotte, watching her brother’s desperation, finally realized how important something on that phone must be. “Miss Winthrop, if you’re truly innocent, why worry about the recording? If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. Why do you want my brother’s phone? Are you trying to destroy evidence?”

Panic shed in Tricia’s eyes. She despised Charlotte in that moment.

It wasn’t just the recording she needed to erase. There was her secret deal with Mrs. Fontaine–she couldn’t let Evander discover it.

Her eyes reddened further. “Dr. Sterling, you’re still protecting a criminal. Or did you put him up to it?”

Hiram exploded, his voice hoarse. “How dare you use my sister like that, you witch!”

Evander’s expression grew even darker. Without hesitation, he handed the phone over to Tricia right in front of everyone.

A glimmer of triumph passed through Tricia’s eyes as she took the phone.

Did they really think they could beat her?

Charlotte caught the look and clenched her fists. “Evander, what if there’s evidence on that phone?”

ortant

Evander’s reply was cold iand /icalm. “Evidence of what? Kidnapping?”

Charlotte faltered, breathless. “Hiram wouldn’t do something like this for no

reason…

08:45

“Does a kidnapper ever need a reason?” His words left no room for argument.

Whenever it came to Tricia, Evander was always this ruthless. He’d rather trust her blindly than ever question her motives.

Tricia quickly erased the phone’s memory, then let it slip from her hand, sending it crashing to the floor.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” she murmured, instinctively shrinking behind Evander, as if terrified of Hiram.

Staring at the shattered phone, Hiramughed–a hollow, broken sound. All the evidence he’d worked so hard to collect was gone. It was all gone.

08:45