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
Walter's face turned stormy, yet he quickly played along. "Yeah," he said, "We've been married for two years, and you've never once shared my bed. Now that we're splitting up, I figure it's time I did my husbandly duty and gave you something to remember."As Walter leaned in, his words kept coming. "Otherwise, what would people say if my wife was still a virgin after two years? That'd surely tarnish my reputation."He grabbed Evangeline's wrist with a strong grip, his towering frame ready to loom over her."You jerk, get off me!" Evangeline fought back with her free hand, kicking out fiercely. "I'd rather take my chances with a beggar than let you lay a finger on me! So what if you're Mr. Walter Gordon of the Gordon family? So what if you can shake the heavens and the earth with your power? Your heart's as dirty as they come, not even a street beggar would stoop to your level!" Evangeline cursed her past self for being blinded by his looks, for casting aside her pride for him.Walt
After a night's exploration, Walter knew every sensitive spot on Evangeline's body.With just a gentle touch in the right place, he could make her catch her breath.Evangeline lay there, her body rigid and tense, gasping for air like a fish out of water.Walter, however, was not satisfied. He wanted her to plead with him.His actions grew more daring, his fingers boldly probing, stirring up a storm within Evangeline's mind.A soft moan broke through the silence, Evangeline clapped a hand over her mouth as if shocked by her own reaction.What was happening to her? She felt pleasure from Walter's touch!"Stop it, Walter, you're making me sick!" Her body instinctively fought back, trying to protect itself from his unwelcome advances.Evangeline fought back against Walter with a flurry of punches and kicks, even targeting his weak spots.When one of her kicks missed its mark, Walter's patience, already hanging by a thread, snapped. He flipped her over with a swift move and the nex
After a night of madness, Evangeline woke up in Walter's bed for the first time with only one thought in her mind, and that was pain.She staggered out of bed, her legs shaking, glaring at the empty half of the bed, seething with anger.She could not believe she let that jerk win again!Clutching the spot that throbbed with pain, Evangeline seethed with fury.Walter was no human. He had put her through the wringer all night, and before she even came to, he had pulled up his pants and left without a second thought, not even bothering with protection. It was downright vile!What if she ended up pregnant? They were both divorced. How on earth could she have Walter's baby?Evangeline's phone erupted into a loud ring just then.Nearly scrambling on all fours, she got to her bedside, snatching up the phone. It was a call from Wade.Her eyes widened at the sight of dozens of missed calls—she was totally shocked.Evangeline was unaware of the drama that had been unfolding elsewhere.
'Oh Evangeline, what's become of you? You are the Foster family's darling girl! How did you end up in such a mess?'Tears traced paths down her cheeks, dripping off her chin and soaking her thighs. Evangeline could not keep up with them, eventually stopping trying and letting the tears fall freely.A phrase she had once scrolled past online flashed through her mind."If being with someone doesn't make you happy, then maybe that relationship was never meant to be."Evangeline knew deep down, even if she could not face it: Marrying Walter, against her grandfather and uncles' advice, was a colossal mistake.Out of nowhere, the click of a key in the lock snapped her back to reality.The door swung open, and there was Walter, slipping a tube of white cream into his pocket as he walked in.She could not stand the sight of him, the guy who had brought her nothing but grief. She turned away, staring out the window instead.Walter, cool as ever, just moved to stand in front of the windo
Evangeline could never have imagined that after all the pain Walter had caused her, he still had the audacity to want more from her.The strength between a man and a woman was too uneven, however. Even though Evangeline's shove took him by surprise, Walter quickly steadied himself and began to peel off the pants she had just managed to put on.Evangeline's skin prickled with the anticipation of the agony that was to come."You've hurt me twice already! My legs are throbbing with pain..."She fought desperately against Walter's iron grip.Then, with a sudden squeeze of his strong arms that almost sounded like a plea, Walter urged, "Don't move! Let me check."His voice had been gentle, and his commanding touch had been careful not to hurt her, yet Evangeline's trust had long been gone."The best thing you can do for me is to keep your distance!"To Evangeline, keeping away from someone who seemed ready to pounce at any moment had been the only safe option.The more she squirmed,
Walter's tone took a sharp turn, a sly grin spreading across his face. "And as for you..." His eyes roamed over her with a look that made her skin crawl. "Given how much I'm enjoying your company these days, being stuck in bed would be getting off easy."Evangeline's mouth twisted in disgust. Stuck in bed was getting off easy? Was he implying she might end up dead? The thought sent shivers down her spine. She had heard of guys overdoing it and kicking the bucket, but was that a thing for women too?"Oh, and drop the birth control," he continued, oblivious to her discomfort. "You've been dying to have my baby, right? Well, wish granted. No more acting. If you get pregnant quickly, it'll put your grandpa's mind at rest. Who knows, without those pills, you might just get lucky this time."The mention of her sick grandfather squeezed her heart with guilt. His dearest wish was to see his great-grandchild. Evangeline was too used to clashing with Walter, and she could not help but hit bac
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