Evelyn's eyes scanned the crowd of reporters, their lenses aimed and eager for a scandal. Her face tightened with visible irritation.

"Isabella," she demanded, her tone sharp with frustration. "Explain this. You said you wanted to apologize. Why is this circus here?"

Isabella's phone invitation had been nothing but a clever trap, designed to force a public showdown.

With the ambush set, all pretense vanished.

Isabella's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Evelyn, I suggest you think very carefully about what you say next. Drop all charges against my son, and I'll make this entire mess disappear," she whispered harshly.

A bitter laugh escaped Evelyn. The sheer nerve of Isabella's threat was almost unbelievable. How could she have been so foolish to trust her?

Julian and Isabella were cut from the same cloth, both experts in deception and cruelty.

"Isabella, let's be perfectly clear. Julian kidnapped me and tried to assault me. He will answer for what he did. That is final," Evelyn stated, her voice icy.

Her expression became an unreadable mask as she turned to leave.

Before Evelyn could take a step, Isabella lunged, grabbing her hands and throwing herself dramatically to her knees.

Evelyn flinched as Isabella's nails bit into her skin.

Despite causing pain, Isabella wailed loudly, "Evelyn, I'm begging you! Let my son go!"

This desperate cry was the signal. Reporters surged from their hiding spots, surrounding Evelyn and blocking her path.

Her arm aching, Evelyn violently wrenched her hand free from Isabella's grip.

Isabella collapsed onto the ground with a theatrical moan, drawing shocked gasps from the onlookers. Their stares turned to Evelyn, full of accusation.

Right on cue, Isabella appeared at her mother's side, fussing over her with exaggerated worry.

"Evelyn!" Isabella shrieked, pointing a shaking finger. "How can you be so cruel? You put Julian in prison, and now you attack his mother?"

Isabella's act was a masterclass in manipulation, framing Evelyn as the cold-hearted villain.

Isabella turned to the reporters, her voice dripping with fake indignation. "Look at this monster!" she screamed. "She left her boyfriend to marry a richer man, shaming him publicly! Then she had him arrested! And now, after we came to beg, she pushes his grieving mother to the ground! How evil can one person be?"

The reporters, clearly in league with Isabella and Isabella, immediately closed in on Evelyn, their cameras flashing relentlessly.

The blinding flashes made it impossible for Evelyn to see or find a way out.

They hurled questions at her, their voices merging into a chaotic roar.

"Is it true you abandoned your boyfriend?"

"Did you really have your ex-boyfriend imprisoned?"

"How can you be so heartless?"

"Answer us!"

The crowd pressed inward, forcing Evelyn to step back.

"Stop taking pictures!" Evelyn shouted, her voice shaking with fury.

In the confusion, someone deliberately stuck a foot out, tripping her.

She stumbled, losing her balance. The reporters in front of her moved aside in perfect unison, as if they had rehearsed it.

Evelyn gasped, bracing for the impact.

Suddenly, a powerful arm encircled her waist, stopping her fall.

Her heart hammered as she was pulled against a solid, warm chest. "Don't be afraid," a deep voice murmured near her ear. "I have you." Marrying A Secret Zillionaire: Happy Ever After