She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 279

Melanie asked casually, only to see Elina clasp her hands together in a posture of devout prayer.

“I wish… that Melanie could be my real mommy.”

The three adults—Melanie, Preston, and Bryant—all froze in unison at Elina's sweet, childish, yet incredibly serious wish.

***

At the same time, at Northwell Haven Medical Center.

Lila was out of danger, but the doctor recommended keeping her in the emergency room for observation overnight.

Evelyn let out a sigh of relief, her expression softening slightly.

But she noticed that Dominic’s face was still grim.

“Lila’s fine now, you don’t have to worry so much.”

Evelyn approached Dominic, her voice soft and comforting.

Dominic didn’t respond.

His expression didn't change.

Evelyn knew he was still brooding over the day's events. She was about to speak again when Dominic beat her to it.

“Come outside with me.”

Dominic’s tone was flat, betraying no emotion.

But the calmer he sounded, the more uneasy Evelyn felt.

She followed him hesitantly outside the emergency building. They had hired a nurse to watch over Lila.

The sky outside had turned completely dark.

Though it was still the peak of summer, the evening breeze carried a surprising chill.

Dominic stopped, his back to Evelyn.

They stood in silence for a long time before Dominic finally turned to face her.

Dominic said her name, the tone still intimate.

Evelyn relaxed slightly.

“I do love you… but I’m not a fool.”

Dominic took a step toward her.

As if her innermost thoughts had been exposed, Evelyn took a guilty step back.

“You kept saying it was Melanie who hurt Lila, but you couldn’t produce a shred of evidence… yet when Melanie and that model guy bluffed you, you let it slip… Who do you think I believe is the real culprit?”

Evelyn was speechless.

“Evelyn, you should know how much I love Lila. To get her into the best preschool program, I went behind Melanie’s back to pull strings so you could move here, letting you and Lila live in my home while Melanie was left homeless. I made an exception to get you into my company and repeatedly helped you steal projects from Melanie. I even let Lila call me ‘Daddy’ in public… I did all of that for Lila, for you…”

“Stop talking…”

“But what have you done for me? What have you done for Lila? You bankrupted my company, ruined my projects, and crashed my stock price… and now you’re even disregarding Lila’s life and health just to frame Melanie! You did it all out of jealousy, drugging your own daughter! What makes you fit to be a mother?!”