Chapter 195

Penelope Sinclair stumbled backward, her heels catching on the uneven pavement. She barely caught herself before falling, her face draining of color.

Before she could regain her balance, Yuna Takahashi lunged at her again, eyes blazing with fury.

"You used me to go after Evelyn Sinclair!" Yuna's voice was raw with betrayal. "Why didn't you tell me she was the Sterling heiress? The Sterlings own half the industry! My family spent years securing a deal with Sterling Corp in Seoul, and you ruined it—you ruined everything!"

The reporters swarmed closer, cameras flashing relentlessly. The live broadcast captured every humiliating second.

Penelope's carefully constructed image was crumbling in real time.

Security finally managed to drag Yuna away, but the damage was done. Penelope's designer dress was torn, her hair a tangled mess. Red scratches marred her porcelain skin.

The once-glamorous actress now looked like a cornered animal.

Panic clawed at her throat as she scanned the crowd. Every reporter's gaze felt like a knife.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

She was supposed to rise, not fall.

Her desperate glare landed on Evelyn, who stood calmly at the edge of the chaos, an amused smile playing on her lips.

A reporter shoved a microphone toward Evelyn. "Ms. Sterling, what's your response to Penelope Sinclair's actions?"

Evelyn tilted her head, feigning thoughtfulness. "Well..." She sighed, her tone dripping with false sympathy. "Even though Ms. Sinclair hired people to harm me and my brother, it wouldn't be right for me to... add insult to injury, would it?"

With that, she turned and walked away, her bodyguards clearing a path.

Penelope's jaw clenched.

Not good to add insult to injury?

The phrase echoed in the air, heavy with implication.

The last shred of public sympathy for Penelope evaporated instantly.

Evelyn slid into her car, unbothered. The online backlash was already being steered—she didn’t need to lift a finger.

Meanwhile, the evidence she'd handed over—proof that Reginald Sinclair had bribed Maxwell Thornton—sent shockwaves through Sinclair Group.

Stock prices plummeted.

Investigations opened.

And in less than two weeks, Sinclair Group was absorbed by Sterling Corp, reduced to nothing more than a subsidiary.

Penelope had no choice but to crawl back to acting—except no one would hire her.

At Sterling Manor, Evelyn lounged on the sofa, scrolling through a luxury shopping livestream.

She deserved this.

After everything, she definitely deserved this.

When "@RichBaby" appeared in the chat, the streamer nearly choked.

Evelyn smirked.

Leo, curled in her lap, watched the screen with far more interest than she did. His tiny tail flicked.

"I'm going to shower," Evelyn murmured, scratching behind his ears. "Buy whatever you want, okay?"

Leo purred, flashing his little fangs. "I will."

Just as Evelyn stood, the next item appeared on screen.

Her breath caught.

Two billion dollars.