Chapter 279

Vanessa's gaze dropped subtly, then her eyes sparkled with sudden recognition.

"Isn't this Oliver's phone?" she murmured under her breath.

A wicked idea flashed through her mind, igniting a dangerous glint in her eyes.

That evening, Evelyn received a text from Oliver, requesting to meet.

Of course, she didn’t refuse.

The following day, Evelyn arrived at the designated café, only to find Vanessa waiting instead of her brother.

"Vanessa," Evelyn's voice turned icy in an instant. "You stole Oliver’s phone to lure me here?"

Realizing the trap, Evelyn spun on her heel to leave.

But before she could reach the exit, Vanessa seized her wrist and yanked her into the shadowed alley behind the café.

"Evelyn!" Vanessa’s voice was shrill with hysteria. "You’re already married to Alexander! Why are you still stealing Ethan from me? He wants a divorce—because of you!"

Evelyn met her frenzied stare calmly. "You dug this grave yourself, Vanessa. Did you really think Ethan would forgive betrayal?"

Vanessa's eyes burned crimson. The terror she'd endured these past days flooded back, igniting a firestorm of rage. "That night I begged you not to play," she seethed, fingers curling into fists, "why did you defy me?"

Evelyn stared, baffled. "You're shifting blame because your lies collapsed? Why fabricate such a story at all?"

A venomous laugh escaped Vanessa. "Spare me the debate. Do you know why you're here?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Remember Damian?"

The name struck Evelyn like ice water.

Vanessa lunged, nails biting into Evelyn's shoulders. "Three years ago, I told Ethan you slept with Damian to control him." Her lips twisted. "Guess how he reacted?"

She leaned closer, breath hot. "No man forgives betrayal, Evelyn. Now imagine—if Alexander and Ethan saw you defiled today, would they both snap?"

Her grip tightened. "Would Alexander discard you? Relive that hell—when everyone called you a monster. When no one believed you."

The warehouse walls seemed to pulse with her words. Somewhere, a pipe dripped like a ticking clock.

Vanessa's smile was all teeth. "Let's find out."

Vanessa's sudden shift into madness sent a shiver down Evelyn's spine.

Her fingers trembled as she took an instinctive step back. "What are you planning?"

Only then did Evelyn notice the alley entrance had been sealed off—blocked by a wall of burly men with cold, calculating eyes.

The realization struck her like ice water.

This wasn’t like three years ago, when Vanessa had orchestrated her own staged abduction.

This time, Evelyn was the one being taken.

And there was no escape.