The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot-Chapter 43: Master Manupilator

"Vincent?" Even Damien frowned. The Blake heir had never been on his suspect list. The worst he had considered were Sophia or Sabrina—both women with plenty of reasons to loathe Evelyn.

Zevian’s eyes narrowed, his thoughts mirroring Damien’s. Without a word, he flicked the dart, its point driving deep into Monu’s palm.

"Ahhh! I’m telling the truth!" Monu screamed, the sharp pain shooting through his hand as another dart pierced his flesh. When Zevian paused, eyes cold and unyielding, Monu pleaded, "Why would I lie when I’m this close to death?"

"Fool," Damien muttered with a disdainful snicker. "If you knew the consequences, why did you even take the job?" His question cut through the air, and Monu knew any false answer wouldn’t save him.

"I have stage 3 lung cancer," Monu confessed, a twisted smile creeping back onto his face. "I was dying anyway, so I thought, why not go out leaving a mark?"

Damien scoffed loudly, sensing the truth in his words. Touching the Reign family would indeed make this psychopath infamous posthumously. "But why did he want her dead?"

"Go ask him yourself," Monu grumbled, his hands numbing from the pain—only to be hit with another dart, this one embedding itself in the tip of his pinky.

Zevian’s expression didn’t waver, picking out a few more darts from the table. Monu cried, glaring at him in pure pain. He realized too late that Zevian was planning to continue regardless of his answers.

"It was his mother who hired me!" Monu blurted out, his voice trembling as he tried to confuse them further.

"Fucking hell! Stop it, please!" Monu’s screams echoed through the cell as Zevian hurled two more darts, each sinking into his palm with merciless precision.

Zevian’s midnight black eyes were alight with clear intent, to ensure that no part of the hand that had not only dared to touch Eva but threw her in a grave would be spared. And this was only the beginning of the real torture.

"Spit it out before he goes into devil mode," one of the men warned, having witnessed Zevian’s wrath before.

"I swear! She called me through Vincent and asked me to ruin your wife, just like you did to her brother, Nicholas."

The pieces began to fall into place, and Damien signaled for him to continue. Monu described how the Blake family was devastated when they found Nicholas, comatose and screwed from head to toe two days ago. When Felicia discovered it was because of Evelyn, she sought revenge.

"I have recordings on my drive! You can check them," Monu added quickly, sensing their suspicion. His ultimate goal was to bring down the Blake family, and when the opportunity came through Maverick’s lead, he seized it without hesitation. Who better than Zevian Reign to help him destroy them completely?

"Now, kill me already!" he begged, his mind fracturing under the relentless pain. Zevian didn’t respond. Instead, he threw another dart, this time targeting Monu’s other palm.

"Take them out, one by one," Zevian ordered, his voice full of menace. The command sent Monu into a mad frenzy of screams again. He should have seen this coming before hastily accepting the deal. In his mind, he cursed himself for letting his vengeful emotions be manipulated so easily by Sophia and her pawns.

Hours later, a sinister smile curled Sophia’s lips as she sat in the Wright mansion. Annabelle, who had been silently observing her mother, frowned as she noticed the woman laughing darkly, her gaze glued to the live stocks of the Blake company.

"Oh, he fell for it," Sophia chuckled, lifting the wine glass she had poured earlier. She took a slow sip, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction as the news highlighted the Blake family’s sudden stock crash. She proudly took another sip, being the mastermind behind this yet another amusing scandal.

"How did you even manage it?" Annabelle asked, a mixture of awe and caution in her voice. She had seen Sophia panic that night after receiving a text, storming out of the house, only to return and be forced to confess everything to Annabelle.

"I was a bit lucky," Sophia admitted, her voice tinged with self-satisfaction. "Monu was already hired for the job. When my contact shared the news, I knew there was no better person to replace Maverick than him. They had the same physique and also the same level of madness."

Sophia took another sip, savoring the wine as she continued. "He was already dying and feared nothing, hence agreed to kidnap Evelyn. I simply called him through my men and suggested that it was the perfect opportunity to take down his family along with him. And it worked perfectly."

"Family?" Annabelle’s brows furrowed in confusion.

Sophia nodded, her smile widening as she explained, "Monu is the illegitimate son of Felicia’s husband. When he approached the family with proof, they threw him out, fueling his vendetta. After his mother’s death a few months ago, that grudge only grew, and I used it to cover our tracks."

Annabelle’s jaw dropped as she pieced together the story. This woman before her was no ordinary person, a master manipulator! Annabelle mentally noted to be cautious; convinced that Sophia wouldn’t hesitate to use her if needed. At least, she had something wild against her to save herself from becoming her pawn.

"I just hope they believe him completely and don’t dig deeper into this mess," Sophia murmured, heaving a small sigh. Little did she know, Monu had already caved under Zevian’s torture, digging a deeper grave for her. The Blake family’s bankruptcy was nothing more than a ruse, designed to boost her ego and soar her to the sky before Zevian would pull her down in the most exhilarating way possible.

———

The day flew by for Evelyn as she was shuffled through a few tests before being moved to Zevian’s home. Avery had stayed by her side throughout, and she was thankful that Rosalind was there too, supporting her friend who could easily panic in such situations. Fortunately, the shifting process was smooth, but what she couldn’t shake off was Zevian’s absence.

"I’ll manage from here. Go take a shower," Evelyn urged, helping Avery out of the bathroom. Avery looked exhausted and clearly needed a hot bath to unwind before she could rest.

"Don’t move from here until I get back," Avery insisted, gently guiding Evelyn to sit on the bed. The cut on Evelyn’s ankle wasn’t deep, but they needed to be cautious for a day or two. After seeing Evelyn nod, Avery quickly grabbed her clothes and disappeared into the bathroom.

Now alone, Evelyn’s thoughts drifted back to Zevian. She glanced at the clock, noting that it was already past eight in the evening, and her worry deepened. She picked up her charging phone from the nightstand, intending to text him, but after a moment’s hesitation, she decided to call instead.

The phone rang a couple of times before Zevian answered. "Where are you?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Right in front of you."

Evelyn looked up, startled by the familiar voice. There he was, leaning casually against the doorframe. A smile tugged at her lips, but she quickly masked it with a pout, annoyed that he hadn’t shown up all day.

Zevian slipped his phone back into his pocket and crossed the room in a few strides. Before Evelyn could say anything, he scooped her up from the bed, cradling her in his arms.

A surprised gasp escaped her, her wide eyes locking onto his as she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. "Wh-what are you doing?" she stammered, her cheeks flushing as his fingers brushed the back of her thigh. She cursed herself for wearing shorts today of all days!

"Where were you?" she pouted, unable to keep the question from spilling out as he carried her out of the room she shared with Avery.

"Got stuck in a meeting," Zevian replied smoothly, hiding the truth about spending the day extracting information from Monu.

"Did you have dinner?" he asked, his voice gentle as he glanced down at her.

Evelyn nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Rosalind cooked earlier, and it was delicious."

"And you?" Evelyn asked, looking up at him, forgetting she was still in his arms.

"I ate during the meeting," Zevian lied again, telling her what he knew would make her feel at ease. Evelyn nodded, satisfied, until she noticed the whispers and glances from the maids. Her face turned a bright shade of pink, realizing he was still carrying her!

"Put me down!" she grumbled, embarrassed by the attention. But Zevian only tightened his hold, making her blush even more.

"People are watching us! Put me down!" Evelyn insisted, her voice rising with each word. But Zevian remained unfazed, carrying her in a princess style that was drawing even more curious gazes.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" she demanded, her frustration barely masking her flustered state.

"To my room," Zevian replied calmly, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Wh-why?" she stammered, the question slipping out before she could stop it.

"To sleep with you, of course."