Nonetheless, it was no surprise. Evangeline was never short on admirers.Caden's thoughts drifted to Walter's sour face, and he muttered to himself.Was there really no chance left for Evangeline and Walter?In the sleek Lamborghini, Wade glanced at Evangeline's pale face with a touch of concern and smoothly fired up the engine."Miss, your birthday's coming up in a few days, and with your identity all over the news, Grandpa wants to throw you a blockbuster birthday party. Got any thoughts on that?"He knew his young mistress had been tough as nails and would not have wanted anyone fussing over her. If he let on how worried he was, it might just have stung her pride. Thus, he kept it strictly business when he asked about the party plans. "So, who's gonna run the show?" She was not surprised that Cole had wanted to go all out for her birthday. His health had been on the rocks, which just made him all the more determined to shower her with every good thing under the sun, including
A text had come in. Tapping the screen, she was greeted by a photo of Julia, grinning wickedly as she dropped a pill into a blue cocktail. It all clicked for Evangeline. The one who had sneakily sabotaged her at the Whiskey Barrel Pub was none other than Julia! It made sense.Evangeline was always kind, never the type to stir up trouble. If anyone had a grudge, it had to be Julia and her family.Evangeline's fingers tensed, and a fierce glint sparked in her eyes. She swiped to reply and typed with purpose, [Snatch her up, take her to our spot.] Hitting send, she felt a wave of relief wash over her.'Julia, you like playing dirty? Two can play at that game.' She would be waiting to watch her fall.To Evangeline's dismay, it was not long before she got another message, one that turned the tables. [Julia's gone.] Just two words, yet they carried a weight of meaning.Julia, a nobody starlet, missing? How could she pull a vanishing act without a trace?She had managed to sneak away ri
The call connected, yet Walter did not jump to speak. What could he possibly say to Evangeline, who was practically his ex at this point?Unable to hold back her fury any longer, Evangeline on the other end confronted him. "Out with it, Walter. Is Julia there with you?"Her voice was full of righteous indignation, demanding.A heaviness settled in Walter's chest. His gaze lingered on a black metal door before he turned to look outside. With a scoff, he replied to the fiery spirit on the other end of the line."Ms. Rearden, unless I'm mistaken, isn't Ms. Julia your half-sister? It seems a bit off for you to grill me like this, doesn't it?"Evangeline was not in the mood for Walter's evasive games. "You know perfectly well what my relationship with Julia is like. Let me be clear, my people have been searching high and low for her, and she's nowhere to be found in Avalon City! Everyone knows the Gordons rule the South and the Fosters dominate the North. Apart from my own family, who
"This is a kidnapping! It's against the law! Do you even know who I am? I've got the Gordon family of Avalon City backing me up, Mr. Walter Gordon himself! Let me go now, and I'll talk to Walt! Maybe he'll go easy on you, give you a break!"Julia was bound hand and foot on a stark black iron bed, immobilized.Amid this grim scene, she was not the least bit scared. Instead, she threw Walter's name around like a shield, her voice full of false bravado.Interesting…A smirk played at the edges of Walter's mouth, his face a mask of amusement that did not quite reach his eyes. Those eyes were like bottomless pits, hiding any trace of his true emotions, leaving everyone guessing.He was not one to waste words. No matter how much Julia ranted, he would not give her the satisfaction of a response.Standing by the window, Walter casually lit up a cigarette, blowing smoke rings while Julia watched, her eyes wide with disbelief."Walt?" Her voice was laced with utter shock, her heart in he
Truth be told, Julia's family antics were all on Walter's radar. He knew exactly what they were up to, good or bad. He had been biting his tongue for years, turning a blind eye, all out of respect for the old days.At last, he reached his breaking point."So what if it is?" Julia's face, once filled with sorrow, snapped back to a cool composure, her tears vanishing as if they had never been.She had been head over heels for Walter, bending over backward to win him over, aiming for his heart.What had she gotten for it? A one-way ticket to being kidnapped by Walter himself?"Walter, cut the act! Aren't you just as miserable as I am? Evangeline married you, so why give her the cold shoulder? Is it because you heard Alex is coming back? Now Evangeline is about to become a total stranger to you after the divorce cooling-off period ends in a month!"He had to hand it to Julia; she was sharp. Her words had been like daggers, stabbing right at Walter's heart.Walter shook with rage, st
Little did Walter know, this night was not going to be just any ordinary night, and the quiet he longed for was nowhere in sight.Evangeline, having failed to find Walter at his Crystal Waters apartment, decided to camp out at the Gordon family mansion. With Julia out of reach and nothing better to do, she figured she might as well wait there. She could not imagine Walter would stay away from home forever.By the time she arrived, Trey had fallen asleep, and her ex-mother-in-law Aria, who never got along with her, was out of sight. Evangeline shooed away the servants and settled into the living room, ready for a long, solitary vigil.She had expected to sit in the quiet, waiting for Walter to show up. Before she could even get comfortable, however, a familiar figure appeared, carrying a steaming cup of tea to the coffee table."Evie, you're back! How was work today? Tired? Here, take a break and have some tea," the voice said cheerfully.Instead of setting the tea down, the cup wa
Aria approached Walter, but then she saw his ashen face and the beads of sweat on his brow.A mother's intuition was never wrong.Even though Walter had recently fought with her over his wife, Aria's heart ached at the sight of him."Walter, what's wrong?"She reached for his arm instinctively and gasped at the sight of the blood on his sleeve."Blood? Where are you hurt? Let me see! What happened? How did you get this?"Walter was not really hurt. He had just squeezed Julia a bit too hard, and her neck had bled onto his sleeve.That was a secret he would never share with Aria."I'm okay, it's just a little cut," sighed Walter, feeling a mix of frustration and resignation as he wriggled out of Aria's grip and headed for the stairs. He was aware that Evangeline had shown up, but after their last phone call had ended on such a sour note, he was not sure what they could possibly talk about.Evangeline, however, was not the type to let things slide so easily. She had not skipped o
Walter had heard every harsh word Julia's family had thrown. There was no way he could ignore it.All that, and he stood by her side, shielding her from more harm. The unspoken truth of his loyalty did not need to be spelled out.Evangeline's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and as she looked at Walter, a wave of emotion washed over her, burying both her tears and the last bits of her daydreams about him.She wanted to confront him, to ask, "Walter, does Julia mean that much to you? And what about me? Am I just someone you spent one night with?"The words would not come, however.Her pride, the pride of the Foster family's darling daughter, had been crushed once when she pressured Walter into marriage. She could not let it happen again.Evangeline inhaled sharply, her face a mask of frost, her eyes glinting like ice. "Give me Julia, and I'll disappear."Julia's actions were beyond forgiveness.Evangeline might not have cared what Walter thought. However, she wanted Julia to pa
Aria was stunned for a moment but quickly regained her composure. "Is it a special day or something? Not only is Evie home, but Walter is here, too. Now we're all here together! What a lively family reunion."Walter slowly walked into the room.Since Evangeline was sitting, he had to stand by the side.Trey felt more giddy when he saw Walter entering.Walter immediately understood Trey and quickly said, "Everything at home is fine, Grandpa. You don't need to worry. Just focus on getting better here."Trey nodded, mumbling, "The company…""The company is fine, too. Don't you trust that Alex will take care of the company? And I wasn't just loitering around after I left the company. I've been doing things I like, living quite freely!" Walter spoke lightly, his smile so bright that it was almost blinding.If Evangeline had not seen the news that had caused such a huge stir, she might have believed what Walter said.When did Walter become such a good actor?Evangeline was inwardly
Evangeline quickly walked over and helped Aria to her feet, concerned as she asked, "Mrs. Gordon, what's wrong? Is it... Is it about Grandpa Trey?"Aria looked at the young face in front of her, and only then did she realize that it was Evangeline."I'm not seeing things, am I? Evie, is it really you?" Aria wiped her eyes in disbelief, her voice tinged with surprise.Before Evangeline could respond, Aria grabbed her hand. "You're here to see Grandpa Trey, right? He's inside, still sleeping. He hasn't been feeling well lately and just keeps sleeping. I'll wake him for you!"Aria stepped toward the door, but Evangeline, upon hearing that Trey was sleeping, quickly stopped her. "Let's not wake him now. I just came to visit."Evangeline handed the gift in her hand to Aria."How can that be?"Aria took the gift and quickly replied, "You don't know this, but he lies in bed every day just hoping someone will talk to him. Walter and the others are too busy to visit. Now that you're here
Evangeline stiffened, wiping away the tears in her eyes and pushing away Roslyn's embrace."Gordon Group is under Alex's control. Why should I be worried about Walter?"Although Roslyn knew Evangeline was just being stubborn, she did not want to argue with her."Okay, okay, you're not worried about him. But what about Trey? He's in the hospital now, and we don't even know his condition. Why not visit him?"Evangeline's gaze froze.Ever since Trey fell seriously ill, she had only seen him once and had not visited since. The old man was getting on in years; every visit might be one less time she could see him. She might have severed ties with Walter, but Trey was like her own grandfather. How could she bear not to check on him since he was in such a state?Even so…"What if I run into…"Trey was Walter's grandfather. What if she showed up and found Walter there, caring for him? Would that not be awkward?Roslyn patted the back of her hand, urging her to relax. "If I hadn't see
When Walter left the company, David resigned as well. With Walter back, the likelihood of David returning was high. At that time, where would Emma's position be?Walter immediately noticed Emma's worry. "Of course Mr. Zimmer will come back, but he is seriously injured right now and can't return for the time being. Once he recovers, he'll have his place. Just focus on your work."Emma nodded, understanding his words. "So what should we do next? The press conference by The Bennex Corporation is about to start."She glanced at the time; there was still an hour before the conference began."Should we just wait for them to make their move and not respond at all?"The issue The Bennex Corporation exposed at the press conference was a devastating blow to Gordon Group.Although the Gordon Group had a solution, the public did not know that, and it still impacted their reputation. A slight mistake could lead to irreversible damage!Walter stroked his chin. "No need for a response, but whe
"I will handle both matters properly and provide a clear explanation to all shareholders within a week."Walter's working style had always been swift and decisive. With just a few words, he managed to soothe the shareholders' concerns.As soon as he finished, the room erupted in thunderous applause. Praise followed closely behind, ringing out alongside the clapping.This was exactly the effect Walter had intended. With Alex gone and Walter regaining control of the company's management, the shareholders were fully convinced and showed no dissatisfaction.The meeting concluded.Walter was the first to return to his office.Unexpectedly, Emma followed him in without waiting for instructions.After entering the office, she stood across from his desk with her head lowered, looking hesitant as though struggling to find the words to speak.The sight annoyed Walter, and he decided to break the silence. "Ms. Carter, is there something you want to say?"Ever since discovering that Emma
Walter understood—Alex was handing the company over to him.Perhaps Alex finally regretted his decision to ally with a traitorous group.Emma, who had witnessed the entire upheaval, was still in shock. She stood frozen, staring blankly at the people around her, unsure of what to do.Noticing her dazed state, Walter did not seem upset. Instead, he chuckled lightly and reminded her, "Ms. Carter? The unwelcome guest has left. Why don't you close the door now? Our meeting is about to officially begin.""Of course," replied Emma softly with a lowered head. Nonetheless, her actions were swift as she moved to shut the meeting room door.Still, every step she took was unusually heavy, filled with trepidation and caution.For the first time, Walter saw a sense of complete submission in Emma's demeanor. Even so, he did not care about any of that.If it were not for David's severe injuries preventing him from attending the meeting, none of this would have fallen onto Emma's shoulders in th
"Go ahead, play it! Don't just grab some random video online and bring it here to slander me. I won't acknowledge it!"Walter found this response amusing."My dear brother, how can you be so certain that the video I have is just something I found online?"Alex's lips curved into a smirk. "There are no cameras in the CEO's office. Even if I did do something, it wouldn't have been recorded. Really, Walter, waving that USB drive like that—who are you trying to scare?"'Was Alex determined to deny everything until the bitter end?' thought Walter.Before he could respond, Emma stepped forward. "Exactly! I can understand your desire to return to the company, but you can't tarnish our CEO's name for your own selfish motives. Don't you agree?"Walter did not respond immediately.His sharp, dark eyes swept over both Emma and Alex before he calmly inserted the USB drive into the laptop he had prepared in advance.The video quickly appeared on the screen, but instead of projecting it onto
"Impossible! How could Mr. Alex Gordon possibly do such a thing?""Exactly! They're all part of the Gordon family. If Gordon Group collapses, how would that benefit him?""Well, you never know. Don't you remember what happened back then? Mr. Alex Gordon didn't leave Gordon Group voluntarily—he was forced out by Mr. Trey Gordon and Mr. Walter Gordon!"Everything was going smoothly, and then he was suddenly kicked out. Who wouldn't hold a grudge over that?"The crowd buzzed with speculation, including Emma, who had always been loyal to Alex.She looked at Alex in disbelief. "Mr. Gordon, what he said… it's not true, is it?"Her expression was complicated, tinged with visible disappointment.The reason she had helped Alex with those things was because she cared for him. She believed that he had returned to Gordon Group to achieve something great and that Trey and Walter were just thieves who had stolen the fruits of his labor.Walter's revelations seemed to suggest that Alex had be
Alex took a deep breath, his face darkening as he demanded, "Walter, you've been removed from the company. Grandfather personally stripped you of your authority in front of all the shareholders."You have no decision-making power in any company affairs. So, please leave my meeting room immediately. Thank you!"Contrary to expectations, Walter, despite being blatantly dismissed, remained unfazed. He sat firmly in his chair, unmoved."Yes, you and Grandfather forced me out of Gordon Group. But so what? Under your leadership, in these so-called traitor's hands, Gordon Group is on the brink of collapse."As a member of the Gordon family, am I supposed to just stand by and watch you drag Gordon Group into the abyss?"He leaned back slightly, his voice calm but sharp as a blade. "Or should I let these shareholders watch you use their hard-earned money to fill a bottomless pit—one that leads straight to an unmarked grave?"Alex's face paled at the accusation, and his hand trembled as he