Chapter 88

At Harmony Hospital, Evelina had just finished her treatment.

The ice pack had helped a little. Her cheeks weren't as red or swollen anymore, but the bluish mark on her forehead and the bump underneath were still painfully visible. They weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Once the doctor and nurse exited the room, Evelina quickly dismissed Phil's assistant with a casual wave.

Her lips curled into a wide grin as she scrolled through her phone. She and Marissa were all over the trending searches. The public adored her, while Marissa bore the brunt of the criticism. However, her satisfaction was short-lived when her phone buzzed with a call from Bryson.

"Don't respond to anything online," he instructed firmly."Let me handle this." "Alright." Evelina's voice trembled, laced with tears she wasn't actually feeling. "Thank you, darling."

"Since your photos are already out there, stay home for a few days. I'll send an assistant to bring you back."

"Darling, you don't believe those awful rumors, do you?" Evelina asked carefully, barely breathing as she waited for his answer.

The stories online were a messy mix of truth and lies,spun to mislead the public. But even so, they were dangerous.

Evelina's stomach twisted at the thought of her secret slipping out. She didn't care what the world thought, but Bryson's opinion mattered. It mattered more than anything.

"Of course not," he said firmly. "I know exactly what kind of person you are." Then, after a short pause, he added, "Even if those rumors are true, it's no big deal." Evelina froze. Her throat tightened as she asked in confusion, "Why?"

"Evelina, I'm your husband. Even if those things turned out to be true, it wouldn't change my trust in you."

The Hardy and Fletcher families were now tied together by both power and reputation, so whatever happened to one affected the other.

Bryson knew that better than anyone, and he wasn't about to start a fight with Evelina now.

First, they had to face their enemies outside before fixing anything between them.

Evelina didn't fully understand his words; she only heard what she wanted to, and a wave of pride washed over her as she thought about how flawlessly she had hidden her secrets.

"Thank you, honey," she cooed, smiling sweetly into the phone. "Thank you for trusting me. Love you so much." Bryson sighed, rubbing his temples, and hung up.But as he continued scrolling through the trending topics, his expression darkened.

One photo caught his attention-a blurry image of Marissa and a young man entering a restaurant together.

The picture wasn't clear, but he recognized her immediately.

Evelina hadn't told him what had really gone down at the makeup studio, but from the fragments she had shared, Bryson had already begun piecing the puzzle together on his own.

In truth, Bryson didn't care much about the Fletcher family's drama. Whether it was Evelina or Marissa who had taken care of him didn't matter.

However,now he feltstrangely restless.

He searched for Marissa's profile on WhatsApp for a long while, scrolling through names, bout her avatar was nowhere to be found. With a scowl, he turned off the screen and leaned back in his chair.

Could it really be as Marissa had once said-that during the time he was blind and deaf to the world,the one who cared for him wasn't Evelina at all, but her?

He thought of asking Jenna, but she always dodged any mention of Marissa. That hesitation from her only deepened his suspicion. Bryson exhaled slowly.

It seemed he'd have to look into this matter himself quietly.

Just then, his assistant walked in with a cup of steaming coffee.

"Mr. Hardy, your coffee," the young man said softly.

Bryson gave him a curt nod and gestured for himn to leave.

Picking up on the tense atmosphere, the assistant quickly set the cup on the table and left the room without another word. Bryson took a sip, opened his phone again, and started scrolling through the trending topics.

He wasn't one for gossip and had no patience for these kinds of things, but one particular post caught his eye. It was a long comment thread attached to a photo. Out of curiosity, he tapped on it.

The moment the image loaded, his blood ran cold. It was him, in sunglasses, standing beside Marissa.

They weren't close, and there was nothing suggestive about their posture, but the camera had zoomed in on one thing-the burn scar on her hand.

Rage shot through him in an instant.

His grip tightened, and inthe next second, his phone crashed against the wall with a deafening crack.

The sound made the assistant freeze mid-step, his hand still on the office door handle.

A few voices drifted in from the corridor."What was that noise?" "Well,someone must be having a hard time with their work and couldn't hold back anymore," one of them muttered half-jokingly.

The assistant turned back just in time to meet Bryson's cold, menacing stare through the slightly open door.

He immediately shut it and hurried to fetch the spare phone.

When he returned, he saw the smashed device on the floor-its screen cracked like shattered glass, yet still glowing faintly.

The image of Bryson and Marissa was frozen in place.

The assistant's eyes widened. He was new to Bryson's team, but even he could tell that whatever this photo meant, it spelled serious trouble.

These wealthy families were always tangled in something messy.

He carefully picked up the broken phone, set it back on the desk, and stepped aside silently.

Bryson's face was grim as his gaze lingered on the photo. His hand in the picture held a thermos, but the lid was in Marissa's hand.

What on earth had happened during the time he couldn't see or hear?

His thoughts spiraled. His two previous personal assistants had both resigned within the past few weeks-another coincidence that suddenly didn't feel like one.

With a sharp slam, Bryson's fist hit the desk. The cup rattled, spilling coffee across the surface.

Brown liquid spread, seeping under the broken phone. The screen flickered a few times and then went completely dark.