“Enough!”
The loud shout echoed through the room, catching everyone off guard. All eyes turned in shock.
John Baker had finally spoken! Ever since arriving, he had remained silent, but now he couldn’t hold back any longer. His bloodshot eyes glared, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably, giving him a terrifying appearance.
He stared at Kayden with an expression filled with disappointment. Yesterday, John had trusted him, but today, Kayden had done something so vile it was beyond forgiveness.
It was clear that John had chosen to believe Ryder’s words. After all, when John had pushed open the door earlier, he saw Kayden pressing down on his daughter, Emma, in the bed. Ryder’s story made more sense. Emma herself had said that if Ryder had any intention of harming her, he wouldn’t have needed to resort to such despicable methods. The truth seemed obvious-Kayden was the one responsible.
Everyone stared at John Baker in stunned silence. After a brief pause, he roared, his voice hoarse with anger:
“Kayden, you’ve let me down! I treated you well-how could you do something like this to Emma?”
Kayden froze for a moment, his face filled with disbelief. He looked at John and asked, “Mr. Baker, do you really believe his lies?”
John Baker’s eyes were filled with despair as he replied, “I’m not believing anyone’s lies-I’m believing what I saw with my own eyes. When I walked in, you were the one on top of Emma. Are you still going to deny it?”
“Exactly!” May interjected, her voice sharp. “From the moment you met Emma, you’ve been after her, haven’t you? Don’t deny it. I saw you following her that day. After seeing her with Mr. Steele, you got jealous and resorted to these disgusting tricks. You’re a beast! Emma is innocent, and you dared to-”
May’s voice broke off as she gasped in anger, her face flushed with rage.
Kayden ignored May’s accusations, but John’s words cut deep. He had saved Emma for John Baker’s sake, yet now he was being so thoroughly misunderstood.
“Mr. Baker, do you really trust him over me?” Kayden asked one last time, his voice strained.
John Baker scoffed. “Trust? You speak as if I’m falsely accusing you. If you had truly pursued Emma with sincerity, I wouldn’t have said a word. But using such vile and underhanded methods-kidnapping her-this is despicable! Your father was a man of integrity. How could you stoop to such depths?”
“You’ve disappointed me, Kayden. You’ve disappointed your father. Leave now! I won’t call the police. Let’s just pretend I never met you.” John Baker pointed to the door, his face as deflated as a punctured balloon.
Kayden nodded slightly. “Fine. But let me make one thing clear-I haven’t shamed my father’s name, nor am I as despicable as you think. Most importantly, I never had any interest in your daughter.”
With that, Kayden turned and walked out without looking back.
It was the truth-he had no interest in Emma. Compared to the women he had known, Emma was unremarkable.
Hearing this, May felt insulted. She shouted at Kayden’s retreating figure, “Did you hear that, John? He’s trying to make himself look noble now! Not interested in my daughter? As if my daughter would ever be interested in someone like him! What nonsense!”
Emma, still crying, was embraced by May, who comforted her. “It’s over now, Emma. My sweet girl, it’s all over.”
Ryder emerged slowly from under the bed, his expression twisted with anger. “Don’t worry, Emma,” he said through clenched teeth. “I won’t let him get away with this. I’ll make sure that bastard pays for what he’s done.”
Emma looked gratefully at Ryder. “Thank you, Mr. Steele. If it weren’t for you, I might’ve been ruined by that scum!”
Ryder forced a bitter smile. Inside, he was seething with hatred for Kayden. This was the second time Kayden had ruined his plans. If not for his own quick thinking, things could have gone horribly wrong.
“It’s nothing,” Ryder said magnanimously. “It’s what I should do.”
At that moment, John Baker, who had remained silent, suddenly seemed to remember something. He shouted, “I’m going to check the surveillance footage!”
May blinked in confusion. “What footage?”
John explained, his heart heavy with doubt. Kayden’s last words lingered in his mind. If he had truly wronged Kayden, how could he face the memory of Ambrose Scott, his late benefactor?
“The hallway cameras. They’ll show us the truth. I won’t let the real culprit go unpunished.” With that, John turned and walked out, but not before shooting Ryder a menacing glare.
Ryder’s heart sank.
“Hey!” May called after John. “What’s the point of that? Are you saying you don’t believe Mr. Steele?”
John was already gone, too far to hear her.
“Unbelievable!” May muttered. “Mr. Steele, I’m so sorry. Let him check if he wants to. We have nothing to hide-everyone knows it was that pervert Kayden.”
Ryder swallowed hard, his thoughts racing.
“I… I think I need to go to the hospital,” Ryder said suddenly, clutching his arm. “My hand hurts too much-I need to get it treated.”
Without waiting for a response, he slowly stood and walked out the door, never looking back.
He knew that once John saw the footage, everything would come to light. It would be too late to explain then. Although he wasn’t afraid of the Baker family, he couldn’t afford any complications now.
John Baker didn’t take long. He returned, holding a piece of surveillance footage, his face alight with excitement.
“I knew it wasn’t Kayden!” he exclaimed. “It was someone else! Kayden was the one who saved Emma!”
He placed the footage in front of May and Emma.
The hallway camera had captured everything clearly. At first, a thin, scruffy, and sinister-looking man carried Emma into the room and disappeared inside. Moments later, Ryder-the man they trusted and had considered a hero-was seen entering the room from the hallway…