Chapter 629

The awards venue buzzed with anticipation. Reporters clustered like vultures, cameras poised to capture Evelyn Carter, the night's double laureate.

She stood at the epicenter of this media storm, every journalist desperate for an exclusive.

But Alexander Whitmore had other plans. Cradling his wife protectively, he navigated through secret exits, leaving the press pack bewildered by their disappearance.

By the time anyone noticed Evelyn's absence, the couple was already speeding toward the medical center.

History would remember Evelyn as the most elusive winner in the ceremony's annals.

After thorough examinations, the physician confirmed the baby's stable vitals.

But when Evelyn visited the restroom, she discovered alarming spotting.

The doctor's expression darkened when she reported this.

"We're admitting you for observation," he declared. "Strict bed rest is mandatory."

Alexander immediately turned to Simon Graves. "Fetch our essentials from home."

Evelyn protested, "You have work tomorrow. Hospital couches are torture devices. The doctor said we're just being cautious."

Alexander's jaw tightened. "Abandoning my family here? That's not happening." He began rearranging the waiting area furniture. "I'm camping right here. One word and I'm at your side."

Evelyn surrendered to his stubborn devotion.

Exhausted from the awards chaos, she succumbed to sleep quickly.

Outside, Alexander made a call that crackled with icy disappointment.

"Isabella," he greeted tersely.

Isabella Morgan answered swiftly, her silk robe clinging to shower-damp skin. The golden hour light caught on a discarded condom in her wastebasket. With a frustrated kick, she sent the trash can spinning away.

Alexander cut to the chase. "You owe Evelyn a public apology for today's disgrace."

Isabella's breath hitched. She'd anticipated this confrontation but not its severity.

"Alexander! My reputation's in tatters online. Where's your sympathy?"

"You earned every bit of backlash," he spat. "Plagiarizing Evelyn? Shoving her? I'm disgusted."

Were it not for his debt to Andrew, he'd have dragged her before cameras immediately.

"Evelyn's hospitalized. I'm sending the address. Apologize sincerely or consider our friendship terminated. Don't come crying for favors afterward." The line went dead.

Isabella erupted. Luxury skincare bottles shattered against her floor in a cathartic explosion.

A knock interrupted her tantrum. "Ms. Morgan? Maestro Green demands your presence."

Wiping furious tears, she changed hastily and marched out.

Too late, she noticed the eavesdropping chorus girls. Their smirks fueled her rage.

Once she passed, their whispers detonated.

"Plagiarism queen thinks she's royalty?"

"Bet Green's axing her tonight."

A blush crept over one girl's cheeks. "Did you hear... noises from her room earlier?"

Giggles erupted. "Oh! I saw a music department boy scaling the fence!"

Scandalized gasps followed. "In our chaste dormitory? How trashy!"

"With her billionaire fiancé? Cheap thrill seeker."

"Exposing us to their kinks? Revolting!"

Meanwhile in the conductor's office, Isabella faced a tribunal of section leaders. Their collective glare could've frozen lava.

"The board voted unanimously," Theodore Green announced. "You're expelled effective immediately."

Isabella's nails bit her palms. She'd expected consequences but not this nuclear option.

"Understood."

To her, the orchestra had always been a stepping stone. She turned sharply, offering no apologies to the colleagues who'd stayed late to oust her.

The violin master adjusted his glasses. "Not even remorse? Who recruited this viper?"

HR manager Leonard Herty raised a timid hand. "Her credentials seemed impeccable..."

Theodore's gavel-like voice fell. "In music, character outweighs talent. Always."

Leonard nodded frantically, sweat beading his brow.

"Absolutely, Maestro!"