Chapter 885:
Paola was completely shaken, struggling to process the scene unfolding before her. She shouted, barely able to piece her thoughts together.
“We were kidnapped! The kidnappers threatened to kill us if the ransom wasn’t paid! How could you still be alive? How is that even possible?”
“It was all a setup,” Mylo said, his voice low and cutting, his eyes fixed on her face. “Every step was planned. The so-called kidnappers, the ransom demand, even the false report of my death—it was all arranged as a test. My parents and close friends wanted to see whether what you felt for me was real or driven by greed. If your love had been genuine, if you had chosen me instead of Evan, they were prepared to accept you and stand behind us, even to entrust us with the family business together. But in the end, you made your choice.”
He let out a hollow, humorless laugh, his voice laced with pain and contempt.
“When that fake news reached the ship, you didn’t hesitate for even a second. You turned your back on me and threw yourself into Evan’s arms. You smiled at him, flirted with him, basked in his status while I was presumed dead. You never loved me, Paola. You loved the prestige, the power, the glitter that came with my family name. That’s why, when the kidnappers issued their ultimatum, your decision came so easily.”
“No, that’s not true!” Paola cried, stumbling backward in disbelief as her mind desperately rejected the reality before her. Her fingers trembled as she rummaged through her purse and pulled out her phone. With shaking hands, she frantically dialed Evan’s number, clinging to the last shred of hope that he would answer.
Instead, a flat, mechanical voice echoed through the receiver.
“The number you have dialed is not in service.”
The recorded message rang through the corridor like a cruel verdict, each syllable slicing into her composure until it shattered completely.
“Why… why can’t I reach Evan’s phone?” she gasped. Her trembling fingers flew across the screen as she redialed again and again, each futile attempt deepening the hollow ache in her chest. She sent message after message—pleading, demanding, begging for a response—but the silence on the other end only grew heavier.
Your story hub is gⱯlnσν𝓮ℓs․𝓬𝓸𝓂
When she turned to his social media accounts, her world finally collapsed. Every profile was gone. Every trace erased.
Evan had vanished as though he had never existed.
In that instant, a crushing darkness enveloped her, swallowing every trace of light and reason.
She stood motionless, trembling as a chill seeped into her very marrow. Her breathing grew shallow and ragged, as though the air itself had turned against her.
Rylie watched quietly, and Laurel, who had rushed to Paola’s side, did the same.
Then Rylie spoke, her voice calm yet merciless.
“Evan is a cosmetic surgeon, wealthy and well-known. Do you really think he lacks beautiful women? He has created more of them than you can imagine. Your little games mean nothing to him. Paola, are you truly that gullible, or has your desperation to escape your own life clouded every shred of reason?”
Her tone remained composed, but each word cut like a finely honed blade as she continued.
“You were born into privilege, the daughter of immense wealth, yet you walked straight into the simplest trap. If you had paused to think for even a moment, you would have seen it for what it was. Instead, you let greed and vanity guide you, throwing yourself headlong into deceit without a second thought.”
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