Chapter 227

Ethan stood frozen, his gaze vacant as the murmurs about the cello performance swirled around him.

He seemed miles away, detached from reality.

Vanessa's pulse quickened with unease.

She stole a glance at his expression before whispering, "Ethan…"

No response. He was trapped in his own thoughts.

Then Simon appeared. "Ms. Vanessa Hart, Mr. Whitmore requests your presence."

Her breath hitched. Instinctively, she looked toward Alexander, meeting his piercing, icy stare.

Her stomach twisted. Something was very wrong.

Guilt gnawed at her. She tugged lightly at Ethan’s sleeve, hoping he’d intervene.

But he remained motionless, lost in whatever storm raged inside him.

With a quiet exhale, Vanessa followed Simon to Alexander.

They stepped into a shadowed hallway, the air thick with tension.

Alexander tossed a small vial onto the floor in front of her, his expression unreadable. "Drink it."

A shiver raced down her spine. "Alexander, what is this?"

His lips curled in cold amusement as he took a slow drag from his cigarette. "You don’t recognize it? This is what you intended for Evelyn."

Simon watched with open disgust, his jaw tight.

Vanessa’s legs trembled. Her lips parted, her voice barely audible. "Please…"

Moonlight cut through the window, sharp and unforgiving, casting his sharp features in stark relief.

He exhaled smoke, refusing to meet her pleading gaze.

Tears blurred her vision.

When she didn’t move, Simon spoke, his tone clipped. "Ms. Hart, I’d rather not force this. My girlfriend would never forgive me if she found out."

A single tear traced down Vanessa's flushed cheek. "Alexander, Evelyn didn't touch it. Just... let me go this once, please?"

The cocktail contained a potent mix guaranteed to wreak havoc on anyone's digestive system for seventy-two hours straight.

Alexander's icy gaze barely flickered in her direction. "She didn't drink it because she was saving it for you. Did you truly believe there'd be no repercussions for pulling this stunt at Horizon Enterprises' gala?"

A humorless chuckle escaped him as he ground his cigarette into the marble floor, his patience visibly evaporating. "Unless you'd prefer Ethan to drink it in your stead?"

Vanessa's blood ran cold at the suggestion.

If Ethan ever discovered this, whatever fragile trust remained between them would shatter beyond repair.

Her manicured nails dug into her palms. "Fine. I'll drink it."

Alexander observed with detached amusement as she gulped down the tainted liquid.

Within seconds, an audible gurgle erupted from her abdomen.

Doubling over, she clutched her stomach as a wave of nausea hit her like a freight train.

She barely managed three steps toward the exit when a familiar figure materialized before her.

Ethan leaned against the corridor wall, his expression unreadable.

Ethan's piercing gaze was glacial, sending shivers down Vanessa's spine. The air between them crackled with tension, thick enough to slice through.

Her pulse hammered in her throat.

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to speak. "Ethan... what's going on?"

His expression remained unreadable, his eyes dark and distant—as if she were nothing more than a stranger standing before him.

"I gave you every chance," he said, his voice dangerously low. "Yet you chose to lie to me."

Vanessa stiffened.

"You betrayed me." The accusation cut through the silence like a blade. "All these years, you let me believe it was you. But it wasn't. The one who played the cello while I was in that coma—it was never you. Why would you deceive me like this?"

No one could possibly understand just how much that mysterious cellist had meant to him back then.

The weight of his words crushed her.