Chapter 3 Family Reputation

The sound of a loud slap echoed in the Collins family living room. "You shameless girl!" a middle-aged man shouted, his emotions boiling over.

Evelyn stood frozen, still shocked from the blow she received just after stepping through the front door.

"Where were you last night, huh? Who were you with?!" Richard's fierce gaze pierced through her. The dark circles under his eyes showed he hadn't slept well.

Evelyn bit her lip, unsure of how to respond. “I was—” she started, clenching her fists.

A girl with a pretty face hurried to hold her father's hand. She looked at Evelyn with concern. “Dad! Don’t be too harsh with Evelyn! Let her explain first!”

“Be quiet, Rebecca! How can I calm down when your sister was acting like a prostitute last night?!” Richard yelled, filled with rage. He then held up his phone, displaying a video for Rebecca and Evelyn. “Look at this!”

The video showed a blurry figure of a man entering room 1010. Shortly after, a girl in a tight red dress followed him inside, as if she had been waiting. Richard fast-forwarded the video, revealing that hours had passed with no sign of either of them leaving the hotel room.

When the video stopped, Richard shouted, “Explain what you did last night!”

The room fell silent, with Evelyn unable to find her voice.

Seeing her older sister's helplessness, Rebecca spoke up. “Dad, please don’t shout. Evelyn is already scared with you yelling like this.”

Richard huffed in frustration. The recording from the hotel manager clearly indicated what his daughter had been up to.

He wanted to confront the man in room 1010, but feared it might escalate the situation and jeopardize Evelyn’s engagement to Andre Sterling, the heir of the wealthiest family in New Santerra. To make matters worse, the hotel management seemed to be protecting the man's identity, further fueling Richard's anger.

He shot a furious look at Evelyn. “I don’t care who that guy is or what happened between you. But I will not let you ruin our family’s reputation or my plans!” Before leaving the living room, he gave her a final warning. “Even though Andre has expressed his wish to break off the engagement, I will make sure our family’s reputation stays intact. You won’t leave this house until I say so!”

Evelyn looked up, shocked by her father's punishment. She wanted to explain, but she knows he won’t believe him at all. Seeing the fire in her father’s eyes, Evelyn could only cry, feeling disappointed in herself.

At that moment, Rebecca turned to her sister, concern in her eyes. She embraced Evelyn, gently patting her back. “Don’t worry, sis. Everything will be fine. Dad is just temporarily angry,” she said softly.

“I messed everything up, Becca. Andre knows everything! He saw me!” Evelyn sobbed, heartbroken. “He will never forgive me.”

Unbeknownst to Evelyn, her words caused a subtle change in her sister's expression. A faint smile appeared as she continued to comfort Evelyn. 'Well, that’s good!'

**

“Come in,” Adam replied to the knock at his office door. His gaze landed on his assistant, Julian. “What is it?” he asked, refocusing on the documents in his hand.

“I’ve been following up on what you asked, but I haven’t found any information about that woman,” Julian explained, prompting a frown from Adam. “The hotel’s CCTV was down from nine PM until seven AM the next day, and none of the clients reported sending a ‘gift’,” he added. “I still don’t know the woman’s name.”

Hearing this, Adam slammed the documents on his desk, his mood souring. “The CCTV was down?” He scoffed in disbelief. “I want to sue the hotel for their security negligence,” he said.

Julian sighed. “Without any injuries or proofs, we can’t just sue the hotel,” he replied, aware that his boss was rambling. “Also, getting involved with the law in this country will affect the branch’s reputation. If the company shares drop, Mr. Henry will be furious.”

At the mention of his father, Adam clicked his tongue. He leaned back in his chair, speaking arrogantly, “We need to return to Capitol in two days. So, let’s consider the hotel lucky.”

Adam turned his chair to face the window, enjoying the city view from the highest floor of his family’s Dean Group branch. His ocean-blue eyes stared blankly outside, his mind drifting back to that hazy, hot night. Even just a memory, he could almost smell the inviting scent of roses that belonged to the woman.

It was intoxicating, he thought, savoring her fragrance.

“Back to that woman from last night, what should I do now, sir?” Julian asked, feeling frustrated. “Should I contact the police—”

“Forget it,” Adam interrupted, standing up and stepping out of the office, forcing Julian to keep pace with him. “Don’t look for that woman anymore,” he explained. “Taking control of the group in Capitol is my priority right now.”

**

Three weeks had passed since Evelyn had been confined to her home. Richard hadn’t allowed her to leave at all, except to attend a few important events. Even when she did go out, bodyguards accompanied her at her father’s command.

Despite this, rumors of Evelyn’s relationship with an unknown man continued to spread.

These rumors intensified after the Sterling family unilaterally decided to break off Andre and Evelyn’s engagement, sending Richard into a rage.

“Curses! Where are these people getting this news from?! Who is spreading such rumors?!” Richard fumed as he slammed the newspaper discussing his eldest daughter.

Evelyn sat silently on the sofa, looking worn out. Beside her, Rebecca, looking lovely, scrolled through articles about her sister’s scandal on her phone, stealing glances at Evelyn, as if waiting for her to react.

Seeing Evelyn’s silence only fueled Richard's frustration further. “If it weren’t for your foolishness, our family wouldn’t be in this mess!” he yelled.

Evelyn closed her eyes at her father's words. She thought losing her father’s trust, the purity she had preserved, and her long-awaited engagement had been the worst things to happen to her. Yet, there was still one more thing that would complete her suffering.

In one breath, Evelyn spoke a sentence that shook the Collins family to its core: “Dad, I’m pregnant.”