Chapter 11

This was the second time she'd walked in on something so disgusting. Just looking at Evan made Samantha sick to her stomach.

"I'm waiting downstairs at the café. If you don't want everyone at the office to know your dirty little secret, you'd better come down now."

Evan, calmly buttoning up his shirt, stared at her in disbelief. "Are you threatening me? You're just the maid my family hired. Where'd you get the guts?"

The first time she caught him, he wasn't even embarrassed. Now it happened again, and the guy still acted more chill than her, the bystander.

Watching him put on his gold-rimmed glasses like he was some upright gentleman, Samantha let out a cold laugh and held up her phone. "Your call."

At the café.

The moment Evan walked up to her, he barked out, "Give me the phone."

It was clear he still saw Samantha as the servant he could order around at will.

Samantha set down her coffee, eyed him coolly, and got straight to the point. "You wrote that report, didn't you?"

"What report? Hand me the phone. Delete that crap!" Evan snapped, his brows pulling together.

His arrogant tone didn't faze her. Samantha just smiled slightly and shook her head. "Evan, do you even know why I used to go along with you, always trying to keep you happy?"

"You wanted to climb the social ladder, right? Now that you've found someone richer, you're showing your true colors. Damn, I really didn't see this side of you before," Evan sneered.

The more she looked at him, the more laughable he seemed. He was the textbook example of a spoiled mama's boy, thinking the world revolved around him. He'd never understand the real reason—her gratitude toward Grace. That was the only reason she'd put up with him before.

But she had her own way of honoring that kindness now. Evan's feelings? Not her problem anymore.

Refocusing the conversation, she said calmly, "I've got backups of everything on my phone."

"You gonna blackmail me with a couple of photos?" Evan glared.

She shook her head. "Nope. Not photos. Video."

Without caring about the packed café, she hit play right then and there. Evan practically jumped out of his seat when the audio started playing. "This is in front of my office! Are you out of your mind?"

Samantha paused the video and stared him down, lifting her phone. "Tell me now—did you write that report or not?"

"I have no clue what you're even talking about," Evan scoffed. Yeah, she was good-looking, but too hard to get, which just made him more annoyed.

Samantha pinned her gaze on his eyes behind those fancy frames. Living with him for three years taught her all she needed to know—she saw right through him.

"The second that news hit, it blew up online. You think an ordinary doctor can hit trending like that without some ‘help'? Let's be real here..."

Evan cut her off, clearly rattled. "Samantha, do you just live in some tiny little bubble? Something happens and the first person you suspect is someone you know? Do you even realize how many people Noah's pissed off? Do you know how much money he's taken under the table? I'm telling you—he's not some perfect golden boy. He's trash, and you picked him up like he's some prize."

Samantha sat calmly across from him, her gaze steady and unmoving. "So this was the point all along?"

Evan was thrown off. He wasn't used to seeing her like this. The Samantha he knew was always quiet, busy cleaning or trying to stay in his good graces. When had she gotten so sharp, so fearless?

Hadn't she run away in a panic the last time she walked in on him with Monica?

Now, Evan was starting to feel uncomfortable.

He seemed to forget that after Samantha had caught him back then, she didn't raise a fuss—but she left. And not just left quietly—she married Noah out of nowhere and completely cut ties with the Smith family.

"You're paranoid," Evan scoffed and looked away, avoiding her eyes.

"You smeared Noah's name first because of that whole thing with Toby Carlson—you want payback. Second, you're trying to prove that without you, I'd end up with someone even worse, so you can point and laugh and say ‘told you so.'"

Her tone wasn't loud, but every word hit its mark, sharp and precise.

Evan's face darkened. "Where do you get off saying that? This is slander!"

She kept going, calm and firm. "Then I guess Noah and I will take you to court for defamation."

Evan's eyes bulged with anger. "Are you serious? Do you even know what kind of man Noah really is? You think suing me's gonna help? When his dirty laundry gets aired, it's him who's going down—maybe even behind bars. You'll be a widow before your honeymoon's over."

She met his gaze without flinching. "Remember three years ago, when you were still hustling in sales? To make quota, you had your mom fork over a ton of money to buy the meds you were selling. When your dad noticed money missing, he grilled everyone in the house."

Evan snapped, "Why are you dragging up old stuff? That was family business—shut your mouth!"

Her eyes narrowed in on him. "The way you looked back then—it's exactly how you're looking now. I remember every second of it."

Evan felt a chill crawl up his spine. He forced a laugh. "Fine, let's say I wrote that letter. So what? You can't touch me."

His smirk crept back. "Even if you prove I did it, even if I say it out loud, what then? You really think Noah's squeaky clean? If there's even a speck of dirt on him, he'll be scrambling to cover it up. What can he do to me?"

He leaned in slightly. "And let's say you force me to admit the gift box was mine, and the money was Noah's, wrapped up all nice and neat and just happened to land in the cops' hands. So what?"

"The internet's gonna chew me up, sure—say I bribed a doctor to push my meds. But have you thought about what's waiting for Noah on the other end?" Evan's eyes narrowed, voice low and cruel.