Chapter 132: Life is too beautiful to waste.
A bitter smile crossed her lips. Unable to hold herself together any longer, she covered her face with both hands and burst into tears.
Elena’s heart tightened. Without saying a word, she wrapped an arm around Evelyn’s shoulders and gently pulled her into a comforting embrace.
The car continued moving steadily through the city streets.
Inside, the only sounds were Evelyn’s sobs and the soft hum of the engine.
Elena didn’t interrupt. She simply let Evelyn cry.
After a while, Evelyn finally spoke again," Ian never loved me. He never wanted to get married. But I was hopelessly in love with him. I wanted him to belong only to me."
She gave a self-deprecating laugh. "So I kept chasing him until he finally agreed to marry me."
She closed her eyes as memories from those seven years flooded back. "But he was never happy. I thought having a child would soften his heart."
Another tear rolled down her cheek. "Instead, he only grew more distant. He stayed late at the hospital almost every day. He traveled constantly for medical conferences. He always found something to keep himself busy. I was so frustrated."
Elena silently listened. She understood that feeling all too well.
Noah had often worked late into the night. Business trips had become routine.
Back then, she had believed he was simply devoted to expanding Sinclair Group. Only later had she discovered that many of those so-called business trips had been excuses to spend time with Tessa.
She knew exactly how painful it was to keep waiting for someone who never made you their priority. She gently stroked Evelyn’s back.
"It’s all over now," she said softly. "You don’t have to keep hurting yourself over someone who couldn’t treasure your love. You have Leo. You have Elias and me. We all love you."
She smiled. "Life is too beautiful to waste mourning someone who never learned your worth. Don’t ruin it."
Evelyn let out a soft laugh through her tears. "I won’t."
She wiped away the remaining tears. "I’ll live happily."
"That’s the spirit. Never let someone else decide your happiness. If they couldn’t appreciate you, that’s their loss, not yours."
Evelyn chuckled. "You are surprisingly good at comforting people."
She tilted her head with a teasing smile. "No wonder my brother fell so hard for you."
A blush immediately spread across Elena’s cheeks. "You are exaggerating."
"I’m not," Evelyn laughed. "My brother has always been difficult to impress."
She nudged Elena playfully. "But with you, he never stood a chance."
Elena lowered her head shyly, unable to hide her smile.
The laughter inside the car gradually chased away the lingering sadness, and the heavy atmosphere finally gave way to a sense of warmth and comfort.
~~~~~~~~~
At Sinclair Group...
Richard slammed a file onto the desk with a deafening bang. "Look at what you’ve done."
Noah sat in silence, his head lowered.
"Because of your stupidity, we lost the Novacrest Global partnership." Richard’s voice thundered through the office. "Do you have any idea how many companies were fighting for that contract? We had already secured the deal, yet it was cancelled. All because of you."
Noah rubbed his aching forehead. "It was my fault," he admitted quietly. "I made a terrible mistake."
Richard’s face darkened.
"That’s all you have to say?" he barked. "Do you even realize how badly you’ve damaged Sinclair Group? The moment the news spread, several newly signed contracts were cancelled. Investors withdrew their funds overnight."
He jabbed a finger at the financial report on the desk.
"Our share price crashed the moment the market opened. The board is in panic, shareholders are demanding explanations, and the company’s reputation is in ruins."
His chest heaved with anger. "And all you can say is that you made a mistake?"
Noah’s patience finally snapped. "I already admitted I was wrong," he roared. "What else do you want me to do?"
"You never should have targeted Elena’s husband," Richard shot back. "When Elena was your wife, you never cherished her. You broke your promise to Thomas. Now that she is gone, suddenly you can’t live without her. What the hell is wrong with you?"
Pain flashed across Noah’s face.
"I realized my mistakes," he said through gritted teeth. "Tessa manipulated me from the very beginning. Every word she told me was a lie."
His voice grew hoarse.
"I wanted to make things right with Elena, but she wouldn’t even give me a chance. I became desperate. I didn’t know Elias Rowan was the heir of the Rowan family."
"I warned you about Tessa long ago," Richard said coldly. "But you were too blind to see the truth."
"I’m sorry," Noah roared.
Every heartbeat reminded him of everything he had lost—his marriage, Elena’s trust, and the countless times he had chosen Tessa over the woman who had always stood beside him.
Richard’s jaw tightened.
"You know exactly why Thomas entrusted Elena to you before he died." His voice turned heavy. "His final wish was for you to protect her."
Richard stared at him with disappointment. "And what did you do? You betrayed that promise. You betrayed the man who sacrificed everything for this family."
"I never forgot anything," Noah replied immediately. "I never wanted to abandon Elena. Tessa’s deception simply blinded me."
"Enough," Richard cut him off with a wave of his hand. "What’s done is done."
He leaned back in his chair.
"From this moment onward, your priority is Sinclair Group. Stay away from Elena. She is Mrs. Rowan now. We cannot afford to offend the Rowans any further. Is that clear?"
Noah silently clenched his fists.
He knew challenging Elias now would only destroy Sinclair Group. But giving up on Elena... That was something he couldn’t do.
He had promised Thomas he would protect her. He still intended to keep that promise, even if Elena hated him.
Richard picked up another file. "Orion Holdings has expressed interest in collaborating with us. I want you to meet their CEO and finalize the partnership."
Noah looked up. His brows furrowed.
’Why would Orion Holdings approach us now?’
With Sinclair Group under pressure, most companies were distancing themselves. Why would Orion Holdings do the opposite?
Something felt wrong. Still, he couldn’t afford to reject a potential opportunity.
"I’ll go."