One Wild Night

Chapter 934  The End Of Henry Rosewood

"Margaret, could you get that?" Shawn called out, his eyes never leaving Diana's face.

Margaret hurried to answer the door, leaving Shawn and Diana in a charged silence. Moments later, she returned, ushering in a distinguished-looking man in his late fifties with a professional air about him. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Dr. Morgan," Shawn greeted, standing up to shake the doctor's hand. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

Dr. Morgan nodded, "It's no trouble. What's the situation?" He asked, his eyes flicking over to Diana and widening in recognition.

Before Shawn could do the introductions, Dr. Morgan smiled, "Diana Locke?" He asked, and Diana, who had been hoping he wouldn't take note of her, rose to greet him.

Diana nodded, her face a mask of composure. "Hello, Dr. Morgan."

"Dr. Locke was one of best my students," Dr Morgan told Shawn before turning to her again, "It's been a long time. What are you doing here? I thought you work at Royalty International Hospital in Ludus now?" He asked and before she could respond, Shawn cut in.

"Please save the pleasantries for later. I have more pressing issues. Let's go to the study," he said, gesturing for them to follow him, while politely reminding Dr Morgan that he was here for something else.

In the study, Shawn sat down behind the desk and motioned for the doctor and Diana to take their seats opposite him.

"Now, Shawn, what seems to be the problem?" Dr Morgan asked after they were seated.

"It's Henry," Shawn began, explaining the situation in a succinct but thorough manner. "I will need you to take over from the doctor and have Henry transferred to your clinic once he's out of emergency. And I need you to run a pregnancy test on Diana."

Diana's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Shawn with a mixture of surprise and defiance. "Why are you doing this, Mr Rosewood?"

Shawn's expression was neutral. "I'm trying to get a clear picture of things, Diana. To do that, I need to confirm all the little details before I move on to the bigger ones. I can't take anyone's word for it until I get answers to all my questions."

Dr. Morgan turned to Diana, his eyes filled with concern. "Doctor Locke, are you pregnant?" He asked, his voice gentle but firm.

Diana hesitated for a moment, then realized there was no point in lying if the test would reveal the truth and she was going to be caught. It was just her luck that things were not going as planned. "No, I'm not pregnant."

Shawn nodded to Dr. Morgan. "Thank you, Doctor. I'll take it from here. Please go over to the hospital to check on Henry now and have him moved if you think it's safe."

Dr Morgan looked between the two of them, sensing the tension. "Alright. I will take my leave now. It's been nice meeting you again, Dr Locke," he said before walking away.

Once he had left the room, Shawn turned to Diana. "Before I say anything else, I should thank you for not wasting all our time. I really hate it when people waste my time. Now, let's get back to our discussion before the doctor arrived. I want to know exactly what you're doing with Henry and why you're trying to kill him."

Seeing that Shawn had caught on to her, Diana didn't see any reason to keep pretending anymore. She straightened her shoulders, her eyes blazing with defiance.

"Don't for a moment think that I'm scared of you or being turned over to the police, Mr Rosewood. The only thing that bothers me right now is not being able to do exactly what I have in mind."

"And what do you have in mind? Killing him??" Shawn asked, his voice calm but firm.

Diana took a deep breath, her eyes burning with a mix of anger and pain. "I'm not trying to kill Henry. I want to destroy his life and watch him suffer for all he's made me and countless others endure," Diana said, her voice filled with venom.

Shawn's curiosity was piqued. "What did Henry do to you?" Shawn asked, genuinely curious.

Diana hesitated, sizing up Shawn to determine if she could trust him. Seeing no other option, she decided to lay her cards on the table.

Diana's eyes filled with pain but her voice was steady as she began to speak. "Henry's company was ruthless in its expansion. He used underhanded tactics to crush competitors. My brother, Daniel, was one of those competitors. He ran a small but thriving tech company. Henry saw him as a threat and tried to buy him out, but when Daniel wouldn't yield to him, Henry decided to eliminate him."

Diana's eyes darkened with the memory. "Henry launched a smear campaign against Daniel, accusing him of fraud and embezzlement. He bribed key officials and manipulated the media to ruin my brother's reputation. Clients and investors pulled out, and Daniel's company went bankrupt."

Shawn listened intently, his expression unreadable.

"Daniel tried to fight back, but Henry's reach was too vast. The police were either paid off or intimidated into silence. My brother was left with nothing and was buried in debt. He became despondent and when he couldn't bear the shame and despair anymore, he eventually took his own life. His wife, who was heavily pregnant, went into premature labor from the shock. She and the baby didn't survive."

Shawn's expression softened slightly as he absorbed her words. "That's... horrific."

Diana nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. "Henry destroyed the only family I had, and Daniel wasn't the only one. There are others who've suffered at his hands, people who lost everything because of his greed and cruelty. I've made it my mission to put an end to his cruelty, whether or not you've caught on to my plan. I vowed to make him pay."

Shawn absorbed her words, his mind racing. He had always known Henry was ruthless in business, but this level of cruelty was beyond anything he had imagined.

Shawn leaned back in his chair, considering her story as his mind raced with the implications of her words. "Do you have proof of all this? Show me the proof, Diana. I need to see it."

Diana looked at him with suspicion. "Why should I trust you?"

Shawn's expression was earnest. "I've heard sides of Henry today that I never knew existed. I need to confirm the truth for myself."

Diana hesitated, then opened her handbag and took out a flash drive, her hands trembling slightly as she handed it to Shawn. "This contains everything. Documents, emails, pictures, recordings. It's all there."

Shawn took the drive, and turned on Henry's desktop, "Do you know the password?" He asked her and she nodded.

"It's your father's birthday," she said, and Shawn unlocked the laptop.

After connecting the flash drive to the desktop, he looked through its contents. The evidence was damning, painting a clear picture of Henry's malicious actions, and detailing not just the destruction of Diana's brother but other individuals and families who had been ruined by Henry's machinations.

As Shawn reviewed the contents, he felt a knot forming in his stomach as he realized the extent of his brother's cruelty. His anger towards Henry grew and his resolve solidified. He would ensure that justice was served, not just for Diana but for all of Henry's victims.

Diana watched him closely, her voice softening. "I don't expect you to take my side. But you need to know the truth about the man you call your brother if you don't already know it."

Shawn looked up at her, his expression a mix of sorrow and determination. "It's not about taking sides. It's about right and wrong. Thank you for sharing this with me. I promise I'll get to the bottom of this"

"Why didn't you go to the police with this?" Shawn asked, although he already suspected the answer.

Diana shook her head bitterly. "As I said, the police were on his payroll. Any attempts to seek justice were shut down. I realized that if I wanted to make Henry suffer, I would have to do it myself."

"And that's why you came into his life," Shawn concluded. "To get close to him, to find a way to ruin him from the inside."

Diana nodded. "Exactly. I became his confidante and learned his secrets. I wanted to dismantle his empire piece by piece, just like he did to my brother."

"I can't blame you for wanting to do any of this. Henry is my half-brother yet I feel protective towards him. I can only imagine how you felt about what he did to your brother. However, even though I understand your reason for doing this, I want you to stop now and walk away. I won't expose you or do anything to hurt you since everything is still contained. If I ask you to let me take it up from here, will you listen?" Shawn asked and Diana looked at him skeptically.

"Why should I trust you? You're his brother. How do I know you will handle it?"

"Because," Shawn said firmly, "I believe in justice. And if Henry is guilty of what you claim, he needs to be held accountable. I won't let him get away with it, but I also won't let you take matters into your own hands anymore either. I don't want the drama that this could result in. Do you have any idea how much I and my family would have suffered if news of any of this had gotten out without our knowledge? We don't even know what he is up to, yet by virtue of him being a Rosewood, the reputation my family has worked so hard to build could crumble. I'm giving you my word, Diana. I will compensate you for all your brother lost and I will deal with Henry. But I can't let you destroy my family's reputation in the process of bringing down Henry," Shawn said and Diana shook her head.

"I don't want any compensation. I can't stop. I can't walk away. I need to see this through to the end. I won't involve your family. My business is solely with Henry…"

"Tell me something, do you think Henry's death would be enough to make up for what he did to your brother? Do you think destroying all he has worked for will fill up the emptiness you feel inside? Do you think you will find peace after you've destroyed Henry and all that he owns?" Shawn asked and Diana's lips trembled as she looked at him without responding.

"I will tell you for free that you won't feel better. Nothing you do to Henry will ever make up for your loss or fill the void that Henry's wickedness has created inside you. If anything you're just going to keep being bitter and live with guilt. Good people don't do bad things. You shouldn't condemn your life that way. Let it all go," Shawn advised softly.

"Why are you doing this? You don't even care about Henry. Why are you meddling in my business?" Diana cried in frustration.

"Because Henry is still my younger brother and I feel responsible for all of this. I feel like we may have turned him into the monster he is. In his quest to impress the family and gain acceptance, he became a monster," Shawn said with a weary sigh.

"I'm sorry for all Henry has done to you, Diana, but you don't need to be a monster too. The society doesn't need any more monsters. Good should overcome evil, Diana, not the other way. You have your life ahead of you, don't let your hate for him destroy you too," he pleaded, and Diana broke into a sob.

Shawn rose from his seat and took a tentative step towards Diana, his expression softening as he reached out to her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, feeling the tension and anger that radiated from her.

"Diana," he said gently, his voice low and soothing, "I understand your pain. I really do. But you have to believe me when I say that taking matters into your own hands will only consume you. It will destroy you from the inside out."

Diana trembled beneath his touch, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she fought to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she tried to maintain her composure. But Shawn's words, the kindness in his voice, broke through her defenses.

With a sob, Diana buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she let out the grief and frustration she had been holding back for so long. Shawn stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle embrace. He held her tightly, offering silent comfort as she wept.

For a moment, they remained like that, the room filled with the sound of Diana's sobs. Shawn stroked her back, murmuring soft words of reassurance. "It's okay," he whispered. "Let it out."

Diana eventually pulled back, taking out her hanky in her handbag to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to steady herself. "I didn't expect things to turn out this way," she admitted, her voice hoarse from crying.

Shawn nodded, his gaze steady and understanding. "I know. And I'm sorry that you had to come this far."

Diana looked away, her expression conflicted. "I've already injected Henry," she confessed quietly. "He's going to be permanently paralyzed."

Shawn sighed deeply, his brow furrowing. "It's unfortunate that you've done that, Diana. But what's done is done. You can leave the rest to me. Let me handle this for you, and for everyone else that Henry has hurt," Shawn said, thinking of Mia who had suffered at Henry's hands.

Being paralyzed was not punishment enough for all that Henry had done. His deeds were unforgivable and he had also soiled the good name of the Rosewood family.

Diana hesitated, biting her lip as she considered his words. She briefly thought about mentioning Jeff since he wasn't on the list she had compiled, but she decided against it. She wasn't sure yet what Shawn's plan was, and she didn't want Jeff to be in trouble.

"I will make sure to compensate everyone who has suffered at his hands," he promised. "I'll restore your brother's image and the company too, so you can trust me and leave now."

Diana looked at him, her eyes searching his face for any sign of deceit. Seeing none, she gave a small, reluctant nod. "Alright. I'll leave. But if you don't do as you have promised and make him pay for all he has done, I will make sure to get it done myself, one way or the other," Diana said, and Shawn nodded.

"Thank you."

With one last lingering look, she turned and walked towards the door. As she reached for the handle, she paused and glanced back at Shawn. "Thank you," she said softly.

Shawn gave her a reassuring smile. "Take care, Diana. You will hear from me again after I've settled everything."

She nodded, then slipped out of the room, leaving Shawn alone with his thoughts. He sat down at the desk, the flash drive in his hand, and stared at it for a moment.

Now that he had gotten a clear picture of everything, he would make sure that all of Henry's victims received the retribution they deserved. And he would do it in a way that protected his family's reputation.

The only way to achieve both would be to expose Henry himself, that way there would be no backlash on the rest of the Rosewood family, and no matter Henry's connections, justice would be served because he had much greater influence than Henry.