<b>Chapter </b><b>95 </b>


    Ian took the card and headed upstairs.


    Ynda stood alone in the living room, feeling like she was just some heartless yer.


    She headed out, drove the SUV to downstairs at the studio, and had someone drive her Lamborghini back for


    her.


    At the very least, she definitely couldn’t let Charles see her in the SUV, or he’d start getting suspicious.


    She nced down at her phone and sent a text to Raelyn’s agent, wording it diplomatically but making it clear that Ian wouldn’t be attending.


    The agent went quiet for a few seconds, then shot back a sarcastic smirk emoji.


    Then another message came through.


    [Yeah, he’s trending now, but his foundation’s still shaky. Being rumored with Raelyn long–term? It’s all upside for him, no downside. Go check–every guy who’s ever been linked to her has seen his career skyrocket.]


    Ynda felt a bit uneasy. Sure, Ian wasn’t as big a star as Raelyn right now, but isn’t hooking up supposed to be a two–way street?


    Since they’d already turned down the offer, and they were bound to cross paths in the future, there was really no reason for the agent to be so petty about it.


    She didn’t bother replying.


    Brittany Carpenter, the agent, was fuming, gripping her phone tightly in frustration.


    Raelyn had already slipped into a pretty nightgown. When she saw how upset Brittany looked, she could pretty much guess that Ian wasn’ting over.


    During filming, Ian always kept to himself, quietly sitting in his chair until it was his turn to shoot. He was polite and low–key–if it weren’t for that ridiculously handsome face and the fact that he was the male lead, Raelyn wouldn’t have given him a second nce.


    She was always the one calling the shots in situations like this. It wasn’t about trading her body for favors or career moves<b>–</b>she just wanted to sleep with men she actually found attractive.


    She’d just snagged a major award and was now at the top of her game–an A–list actress with real talent. Any guy she picked was usually more than happy to say yes.


    Butn was the one exception.


    It really got under her skin. After always being the center of attention, tasting defeat like this just made her <b>obsess </b>over it even more.


    With a frosty look, she told Brittany, “Go check him out. See if he’s got any family. The brands he wears aren’t


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    even expensive, and before all this online buzz, he was practically a nobody—those guys barely scrape by. Dig up anything that could be his Achilles‘ heel.”


    Now she just had to have him–her pride wouldn’t let her back down, and the thrill of the chase was too tempting.


    Who knows, maybe after just one night,n would be the one hooked and begging for more.


    Brittany didn’t mess around–she went out and followed Ian herself, and actually managed to find the care facility where his mom was staying.


    The view there was nice, and they were super strict about patient privacy.


    Ian rarely came by.


    This time, he showed up in a hat and pushed open the door to the room.


    His mom was skin and bones, but her eyes lit up the moment she saw him. “Ian, you’re here!”


    Her eyes went red as she cupped his face. “Let me get a good look at you. You look thinner. Weren’t you busy with worktely? Why’d you suddenlye see me?”


    Ian scanned the room, his eyes sharp. “That man hasn’t been here, has he?”


    Though she looked worn and thin, his mom still sat up straight, her features striking–she must’ve been a real beauty when she was young.


    She stayed silent, wringing her hands in front of her.


    His


    eyes grew cold. “Mom, are you really still not willing to let this go? Hasn’t he already hurt you enough?”


    She looked a little awkward, picked up some fruit and handed it to him. “Don’t say that. He’s still your father. It wasn’t easy raising you all by myself all these years. I just thought… maybe someday we could all sit down together. If he saw how amazing you’ve be, maybe he’d finally care. I just… I just can’t let it go.”


    When a woman pours too much of herself into a man, it’s hard not to end up with this kind of unwillingness


    to move on.


    The deeper it gets, the more it turns into an emotional knot you just can’t untangle.


    Ian didn’t take the fruit. “Do you remember that time you took me to see him, and we almost got run over? He’s not clueless–he knows you’ve been raising me on your own all these years. Don’t kid yourself.”


    She swallowed hard, clutching the fruit in her hands, silent.


    Ian wasn’t much for words, especially when it came to family stuff.


    He looked down, just sitting there in silence.


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    After a long silence, she finally spoke. “If he everes looking for you, just try to be polite, okay? Ian, you’re his son too–you deserve a share of thatpany. His family made sure you never got your diploma, kept you from finding a job, did everything they could to make your life miserable. I hate him. I honestly don’t even know if I love him or hate him anymore. I just want to get something out of him for once. We struggled for so many years, and now knowing he and his wife are living the good life… I just can’t sleep. I haven’t slept in days.”


    She’d been through hell–lied to, used, left pregnant and almost dragged off for an abortion. She barely managed to run away, hiding out in the filthiest alleys to give birth, too scared to even try finding a job, living like a cockroach in the gutter.


    But they still wouldn’t let her go. They had a bunch of people torment and humiliate her for seven straight days. She didn’t even dare to die.


    When she finally stumbled back, barely alive, she saw little Ian scraping up bread so tough it was like a brick off the floor. Right then, she just broke down and sobbed.


    After being tormented by those men for a week, she figured maybe dying was easier, but she just couldn’t let go of her kid.


    After that, her mental state just kept getting worse. She knew she hadn’t really been good to Ian.


    But this kid never let her down–he always made her proud, with top grades and good looks to match.


    Tears streamed down her face. “I just can’t let it go. I’ve been scraping by all alone in the gutter, and every time I close my eyes, all I hear are those men’s curses. These past two years, every time Ie to, I’m scared out of my mind. Ian, it’s not that I still hope for anything from him–I want to ruin him. You’re my son, and you’re incredible. What I couldn’t do, I know you can, right?”


    Ian pulled her into a silent hug, gently patting her back. His eyes darkened with something unspoken as he murmured, “Yeah.”


    Softly, he spoke four words: “I’m already on it.”


    “I’m already on it.”


    田