Chapter 93: Betrayal

Evelyn’s heart tightened. Worry flashed across her face. “Because what, Stella?”

The question hung in the air while Evelyn studied her sister’s trembling lips.

After a few seconds had passed, Stella finally confessed, “Be-Because Mom forced me to enter the company,” her voice small, her eyes wide with guilt as they darted back at Evelyn. “She forced me to give up my medical school…”

“What?” Evelyn’s voice rose in disbelief. “Your mom did that?”

Evelyn had always assumed it was their father pulling strings because Alicia had wanted Stella in a white coat, not a business suit.

“Yeah. She did.” Stella bit her lip before whispering again. “Mom said… it was for my future.”

Evelyn was stunned. Utterly stunned when a sickening thought struck her like lightning.

’What the hell… Was it Alicia who convinced Dad to kick me out, so that Stella could take my place?’

Instantly, Evelyn felt her blood turn to ice. The thought of Alicia betraying her crawled over her skin like a thousand ants, making every hair on her body stand on end.

’No. No. Impossible. She’s always nice…She couldn’t… She wouldn’t… right?’

She tried not to believe her own thought, but it was difficult to do so.

No matter how she tried to shove it down, it kept digging deeper, and with it came the sharp sting of betrayal. Alicia’s betrayal. The woman who had sworn to protect her. The woman she had trusted for so long, whom she had always presumed to be naïve and innocent.

The pain stabbed into her chest like blades twisting in slow motion.

Then,

Stella’s voice pulled Evelyn back from her terrible thought.

“Sis, I never really wanted to join the company. I wanted to study medicine. But Mom insisted… and Dad didn’t even bother explaining my role. He just threw me into Second Uncle’s division. At first, I tried to cope, I really did, but I feel… I didn’t belong there.”

Hearing Stella’s words and seeing her tears well up, spilling down her cheeks, Evelyn’s fists clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms.

Evelyn wanted to comfort Stella, but words stuck in her throat. She couldn’t speak, not while her mind was still thrashing in the storm of Alicia’s betrayal.

Stella let out a trembling laugh.

“You know what’s funny? For a while, I thought I could manage work there. But then Lana swooped in. The moment she stepped into the role of CFO, everything started to get a bit chaotic.”

“She made work a nightmare. Petty assignments, pointless reports, endless errands. She never taught me a damn thing. That woman hates me, sis. I don’t even know why.” Her laugh died quickly, replaced by quiet sobs.

“And then today…” Stella’s voice cracked, her body trembling. “Today she sent me to him. To that beast. To that bastard. How could she do that? She knew. She knew… That meeting was a trap! And she still sent me there.”

Evelyn’s heart twisted. She wanted to scream, to break something, to demand the universe explain how the people she trusted could betray her so cruelly.

Instead, she reached out, pulling Stella close, letting her cry against her shoulder.

Evelyn let Stella cry, venting everything she had been holding inside.

She didn’t rush her, didn’t interrupt, just let her sob until the storm passed.

Eventually, Stella’s trembling shoulders stilled, her breathing evened out, and the only sound left in the room was her sniffling.

Finally, Evelyn asked quietly, “So what are you going to do now? You already know Lana set you up. What’s next?”

Stella wiped her damp cheeks with the heel of her palm. Her eyes were swollen and red, but there was a new glint behind them, something almost fierce.

“Sis,” she said with a hiccup, “I don’t want to go back there. I no longer care about Mom, Dad, or their businesses. I want to leave the Walters Group. I want to pursue something I actually like… something that doesn’t make me hate waking up.”

Evelyn’s heart clenched.

This wasn’t the fiery, sharp-tongued little sister she remembered. This was someone beaten down, trapped. And it made her furious that Stella had been forced into that role at all.

But before she could respond, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She fished it out, and the name on the screen made her pulse skip.

Axel Knight.

She opened the message.

“It’s almost midnight. Do you want me to pick you up?”

A tiny laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it. The man’s timing was terrifying.

If she stayed much longer, he would probably appear like a shadow out of nowhere.

She turned to Stella. Her sister was still dabbing her eyes, looking small and worn.

“Alright, it’s already eleven, Stella,” Evelyn said gently. She reached over, took her sister’s hand, and patted the back of it. “Shall we continue this tomorrow? I promise you, I’ll find a solution for you. Something that gets you out of that mess.”

Stella nodded, biting her lip.

“O-Okay. Sorry, sis. Our reunion should’ve been fun, and instead, I dumped all my problems on you. I didn’t mean to make you deal with my sadness.”

Evelyn squeezed her hand.

“No. Don’t say that. We’re sisters. This is what we do. We clean up each other’s disasters.” She gave her a small smile and stood, her voice lightening. “That’s your room over there. I’m pretty sure Liam already brought your suitcase. You can settle in and rest.”

Stella managed a weak smile and nodded again.

After a few more minutes of soothing words, Evelyn excused herself. She slipped out of the apartment and into the hallway, her phone clutched in one hand.

She didn’t even wait for the elevator to arrive.

Axel had already texted once; if she delayed, he’d probably text again, and the next step after that would be him physically coming to drag her back upstairs. The man had the patience of a wolf.

So she took the emergency stairs, heels clicking softly on the concrete steps as she descended.

Her heart was still heavy from Stella’s confession, but under it was a flicker of something else. Warmth. Nervousness. Her husband, waiting for her upstairs, had a way of shaking her up no matter how steady she tried to stay.

As she reached the fifth floor, she looked at her surroundings and froze.

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