Episode 22: The Woman Behind the Headlines
Location: Global News Broadcast – Prime Time, 7:00 p.m.
A hush fell over the nation.
The screen flickered.
And there she was.
Evan Dendelion. Standing tall. Black blazer. No jewelry. Her hair pulled into a sleek ponytail. Her voice? Calm. Powerful. Unapologetic.
"My name is Evan Dendelion," she said.
"I was the woman hidden behind one of the wealthiest, most ruthless families in this country. I was erased, lied to, hunted…"
Her eyes lifted to the camera.
"And I have a son."
The world exploded.
---
Two Hours Earlier – Safehouse Dressing Room
Abel adjusted the cuffs of his charcoal suit. He'd never seen Evan this calm. And that terrified him more than anything.
"You don't have to do this," he murmured.
"I do," she replied. "For Elio. For every woman who's been silenced."
"You're painting a target on your back."
Evan gave a dry smile. "There's already one there."
A pause. Then she turned.
"Will you stand beside me?"
Abel met her eyes. "Always."
---
Back to the Broadcast – Evan's Statement Continued
"I carried a child created through deception. Engineered in a lab owned by Cassandra Virelli—a woman with more power than conscience."
Gasps echoed from behind the camera.
Evan didn't stop.
"My son, Elio, is innocent. But what they did to him isn't. He was a test. A trial. A warning of what happens when people play god."
"I'm not here to ask for sympathy," she said. "I'm here to expose the truth."
---
Elsewhere – Cassandra's Private Villa
Cassandra shattered a glass against the wall.
"She went public?"
Nathaniel—Evan's brother—stood calmly, arms crossed.
"She's smarter than you gave her credit for."
"I made her," Cassandra hissed.
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "Then you taught her to win."
She turned on him. "Are you forgetting your mission?"
His smile was cold.
"I remember."
---
Safehouse – Watching the Broadcast
Elio sat curled in Zane's lap, watching the screen.
"Mama looks brave."
"She is brave," Zane whispered.
Emrys turned the volume up. "Listen to the next part…"
---
Final Segment – Evan's Bombshell Reveal
"There's one more thing I need to say."
Abel's brows drew tight. This wasn't in the script.
Evan held up a photo.
"I found this two weeks ago. It's a birth record from the Phoenix Lab files. It lists me as a donor—but not alone."
The camera zoomed in.
Abel froze.
It was his name.
Abel Luciano Luna.
"I didn't know until recently that Abel Luna is Elio's biological father."
Gasps. Reporters scrambling. Flashbulbs firing.
Abel closed his eyes.
The secret was out.
---
Backstage – Chaos Erupts
Abel stood behind the curtains, his fists clenched.
Emrys: "You okay?"
Abel: "She said she wouldn't reveal it."
Emrys: "She changed her mind."
Abel: "Why?"
Then Evan appeared, calm and steady.
"Because hiding it would've made me no better than you."
Ouch.
But he deserved it.
"I get it," Abel said. "You wanted to reclaim the story."
"No," Evan replied. "I wanted to reclaim him. My son. My life. And yes—your son too. You deserve to know, just not to control it."
---
Later That Night – Luna Manor
The internet was melting. #EvanDendelion trended in 80 countries.
News anchors debated whether Abel Luna could survive this PR firestorm.
Some called him a manipulator. Others, a victim.
But Abel? He just stared at Elio's photo.
"…He has my mother's eyes," he whispered.
---
Meanwhile – Cassandra's Lab Ruins
Nathaniel stood among the ashes of Phoenix Labs, looking down at a steel briefcase. Inside it…
A vial.
A key.
A photo of a second child.
Not Elio.
Someone else.
Cassandra stepped beside him.
"He's not the only one I made, Nathaniel. Are you ready to use the backup?"
Nathaniel's voice was like ice.
"Let's see how she reacts to the second baby."
---
💥 End of Episode 22
> Coming in Episode 23:
Evan and Abel confront their broken history—while the media and the world descend on their every move.
Meanwhile, the mysterious "backup child" may be alive… and already watching Evan from afar.
And Cassandra's final plan? It begins with a name Evan buried long ago…