Undressed By His Arrogance-Chapter 241: A Hit And Run

"What’s that?"

Sylvia crossed her arms, tilting her head. "You promised you would get Winn and Ivy back together. And now I hear she is seeing someone."

"I did my best but you can take a horse to the river, you cannot force it to drink." He paused, letting the truth settle. "Your brother is still legally married, and Ivy says she is done with him. And honestly..." He straightened. "I am beginning to think she needs to stay far away from your brother."

"Evans—"

"Did you know she was attacked again yesterday?" Evans cut in. "A hit and run."

The color drained from Sylvia’s face. "Is she okay?"

"Barely. And I am absolutely sure it has something to do with your brother. Every time he comes near her, trouble follows. Chaos follows. And now? Someone tried to run her down in broad daylight."

"Evans...I understand your fear. But we have to bring Elizabeth back home at some point." She took a careful step forward, as if approaching a skittish animal. "Do you really want her to be raised by broken parents?"

"I’d rather have broken relationships than a dead niece," Evans affirmed.

"Evans..." Sylvia started gently, her brows knitting.

"No!" he cut her off sharply. "I am going to do what my niece needs from now on. If she wants your brother, fine. Even if worrying about her will send me to an early grave." He exhaled shakily, rubbing his eyes with his palms. "And if she wants someone else, there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I just... I need her alive, Syl. Alive."

Sylvia sighed. "This is not going the way we planned," she murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"No, this is not going the way you planned," Evans corrected. "I planned to keep my niece and grand-niece safe. You wanted to keep your brother happy. At some point, our goals aligned." He leaned back, gaze sharpening. "Now? I’m not so sure, okay?"

Sylvia swallowed. "You’re right," she admitted quietly. "Elizabeth is safe. That’s... good enough, I guess." Her fingers twirled the strap of her expensive handbag. "Did you make any headway with my dad? It’s taking too long."

"How much do you know about your father’s brother?" he asked.

"I didn’t even know he has a brother. He doesn’t talk much about his family." She rubbed her temples. "What’s going on?"

"Oh, he has a brother. But he doesn’t want anything to do with Tom Kane," Evans said.

"What does this have to do with getting rid of my dad?" she asked.

Evans inhaled slowly, fingers steepling. "Tom has always been careful with his shenanigans," he said. "He doesn’t leave loose ends. I looked into his business. People who have looked too deeply at Tom have either disappeared or ended up in jail claiming to be innocent of some random crime." He leaned forward. "Tom gets rid of competition and people by manipulating them into implicating themselves... or they just go off the grid entirely."

"We already know this," she said.

"Except in Diane’s case," Evans continued, "which he handled himself." He opened a drawer and slid a thin folder forward. "If I dig too deep into Diane, Tom will not take the fall, Syl. You will. Because he made sure all evidence points at you."

"What are you saying?" Her eyes darted toward the folder but didn’t dare touch it, as if it were radioactive.

Evans exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face. "It’s complicated to explain. Simply put..." He met her eyes directly. "Tom put your digital footprints around Diane on the day of her accident."

Sylvia went stone-still. "That’s not possible," she whispered. "I wasn’t anywhere near Diane. I was at the church for Winn’s wedding. We were waiting for Ivy."

"He built the narrative just in case he ever needed a scapegoat."

Sylvia covered her mouth with her trembling hand. "So if you push him—"

"He uses you as the fallout," Evans finished.

Sylvia looked away, blinking rapidly. "God... he really plans for everything. That’s why he kept claiming we did it together when I wanted to come clean with Winn," she murmured, half to herself. "I didn’t think much into it."

She had replayed those arguments with Tom a hundred times, but only now did she understand the venom laced beneath his manipulations.

Evans nodded slowly. "You had motive, you had the means, and he made sure you had the opportunity."

Sylvia lifted her chin, brittle resolve forming in her eyes. "What’s your plan?"

It came out stronger than she felt. There were cracks beneath the surface—fear, guilt, dread.

"I cannot get him on Diane, Syl. That door is locked. Even trying to pry it open puts you in direct fire." He paused. "But I am looking far back... and Tim is the answer. Tim being his brother."

"Fine," she said after a moment. "I am not needed here apparently." Her smile was hollow. "Let me know when to bring Elizabeth back, will you?"

She rose from her seat. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Of course," Evans replied, also standing. An oddly gentle expression flickered across his face. "You realise they will chop off our heads, right? Winn and Ivy both?"

The rueful humor didn’t mask the real fear beneath it.

"Yeah. At least all you did was keep Ivy’s baby safe. I, on the other hand..."

She didn’t finish. She didn’t need to. The ghosts of her mistakes sat between them. "My brother will never forgive me," Sylvia whispered.

"I wish I could tell you otherwise, but..." Evans’s eyes met hers. "I have always known Winn to be vindictive."

"I am his sister," she argued weakly. "Surely, at some point..." But the conviction died halfway through, dissolving into a heavy silence. She knew better. If Winn felt betrayal, he burned bridges to ash. And she had not just crossed a line—she had obliterated it.

"Alright," she said at last. "Thank you. I’ll see you soon. Hopefully."

"Goodbye, Miss Kane," Evans said. Sylvia gave him a polite nod, a faint smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, and walked out of the office.