Chapter 412

"Mom! I'm so sorry, I messed up!" Dominic's voice cracked with desperation. "I thought we had everything under control, but then this happened. I never imagined Vanessa would be reckless enough to kidnap Evelyn. How could she do something like that? And..."

Dominic hesitated, stealing a nervous glance at Genevieve.

"I had no idea Lucien was a drug addict. His reputation is in ruins—everyone knows it!"

The truth had only come to light after Dominic dug deeper, desperate to understand why Vanessa had vanished and why Lucien had suddenly gone silent.

Now it all made sense. The authorities in Laurentia had arrested them.

"Enough. He deceived me too."

Genevieve massaged her temples, the mere mention of Lucien sending a sharp pain through her skull. She had been careless, too trusting.

She had believed Lucien was brilliant, a prodigy in his field.

After all, he had won prestigious awards.

But those accolades had been built on lies—plagiarism and scandal.

"He tricked you too?"

Dominic's eyes widened in shock, his gaze lingering on Genevieve a little too long. She bristled under his scrutiny, shooting him a sharp glare.

"What exactly are you implying? I had no idea what kind of man he was. I was fooled just like you."

"Oh..."

Dominic exhaled in relief, but his expression only irritated Genevieve further.

"Honestly, what goes through that head of yours?"

"I—I just wanted to prove myself to you, to make you proud. But instead, I've ruined everything," he muttered, his voice thick with regret.

Genevieve's stern expression softened slightly.

Despite everything, guilt still gnawed at her. She had been absent for too much of his life.

"It's not the end of the world. Things could be worse. At least we still have options." She paused, then arched a brow. "Speaking of which, I heard you've been trying to win Evelyn back?"

Dominic's face darkened at the mention.

"Not going well, I take it?"

Genevieve gave him a sidelong glance. She wasn't surprised.

"Honestly, did you expect her to just forgive you? After how you treated her? The Hawthornes probably still despise you. You need to be patient."

"Patient?" Dominic scoffed. "Mom, it doesn't matter how patient I am—she's already with someone else!"

Genevieve froze.

"Who? I haven't heard anything about this."

Dominic clenched his fists, the name bitter on his tongue.

"Alexander Kensington."

Just saying it aloud made his stomach twist. The man was untouchable.

"Who?"

Genevieve's sharp exclamation didn't surprise him.

"You heard me. Alexander Kensington—CEO of Celestia Group, head of the Kensington family."

Silence.

Genevieve stared at him, stunned.

After a long pause, she finally regained her composure.

"Where did you hear this?"

Rumors spread like wildfire these days. People lied for protection, for advantage—for any reason at all.

Genevieve wasn’t about to take Dominic’s word for it.

Dominic’s jaw tightened.

"I saw it with my own eyes."

His voice was hollow, the words tasting like ash.