Andrew was ghostly pale.The room turned super awkward in an instant, but Evangeline seemed to be the only one keeping it together.She knew all too well how much Julia meant to Walter, so she would not be shocked by anything he did for Julia.Even so, why did her heart still ache like this?In front of Andrew and Lydia, she fought hard to keep her hands from clutching at her chest.'How can you still not get it, Evangeline? Walter is all about Julia. You've got to let him go!' she chided herself.Walter made it to the Foster Group building in under 10 minutes.Stepping into the reception room, his towering figure instantly made it feel cramped.Lydia latched onto Walter's arm like he was her lifeline. "Walter, that vixen Evangeline claimed Julia was with you! Is that for real?"You've been guarding Julia like she's some state secret. Why didn't you clue me in sooner? We, the old folks, need a little peace of mind, you know!"But you know, Julia's had it rough from the start
Evangeline watched the drama unfold with a serene expression. She could not believe the words coming out of Walter's mouth, but she stayed cool and collected, curious to see how he would wiggle his way out of Lydia's wild accusations.Walter just put a finger to his lips and shushed her—as if that would make everything alright.Lydia's voice dropped to a whisper as she locked eyes with Walter, her gaze wide with fear. "What are you planning? You're not thinking of shipping me off to Northern Montavia too, are you?"Walter let out a scoff, his words dripping with scorn. "As if! You're way past your prime, and your organs are hardly worth anything. They'd probably complain about having to feed you for nothing if we sent you to Northern Montavia!"His sneer was like a knife, cutting deeper into Lydia's hopelessness. "I just wanted to give you a little heads-up," he said coolly. "The cops... They're here already."He had dialed 911 the moment he arrived with that incriminating photo.
Everything happened in a blur, so fast that Evangeline could not wrap her head around it. When she snapped back to reality, she saw Walter staggering in front of her, his body about to collapse. The bodyguards were quick to catch him.Evangeline moved to face him, about to ask if he was okay, when she noticed the sharp knife from Lydia's hand buried in Walter's stomach, blood pouring out like a crimson fountain.Chaos erupted around them. Walter, hurt and unable to think straight, acted on pure instinct. He ripped the knife out and lunged at the person who had caused all this mess.The cops were just as shocked, rushing in and yelling, "Mr. Walter Gordon, please calm down!" In the nick of time, they pulled Lydia back, and the knife meant for her heart only slashed her arm.Lydia was spared, but Walter, drained from the effort, collapsed. The cops could not waste another second. They whisked Lydia and Andrew off to the squad car.Walter's assistant David and the paramedics showed u
Evangeline huffed in annoyance. "If they hadn't let their guard down, Andrew wouldn't have had his chance. Whatever, just remind your guy to be more careful next time."Dwelling on the bodyguards' slip-up was pointless. It was not something worth her precious time.Then Wade brought up something else. "Um... Mr. Walter Gordon's in surgery right now. The knife got him pretty deep, and he lost a lot of blood. You thinking about dropping by to check on him?"He glanced at Evangeline's face as he said it.The whole of Avalon City was buzzing with the news that Evangeline was planning to divorce Walter. Even Wade, her ever-present assistant, could not quite figure out how she felt about Walter."No, I need some quiet time," Evangeline replied, pressing a hand to her forehead.This day had been a whirlwind, with one revelation after another shaking her whole worldview of Walter. She had to get her thoughts straight before she could even think about how to deal with him.It was best to
The Foster Group's private airstrip was just a stone's throw from the public one.Evangeline and Wade got there just as two swanky private jets were touching down.Evangeline was buzzing with excitement. Which two of her uncles would be stepping off the planes?Her uncles had struck out on their own when they were just kids, so even though she was raised by her grandfather, she had not really gotten to know all of them. It was something she always felt a little bummed about.With her birthday celebration bringing everyone together though, she figured it would be a blast for them and a real treat for Cole.The planes came to a halt, and as soon as they stopped, the hatch on the plane to Evangeline's left swung open.A tall guy in a crisp white outfit and shades made his way down the steps.On the right, a dude wearing a cool black getup with a hip-hop vibe hairstyle stepped off the other plane.Evangeline saw both uncles disembark at the same time and was torn on who to greet fi
"Now we've got you, Evie, and there's no way we're letting you go through that again, letting that loser push you around!"Aemon's fists were clenched tight, his face a mask of anger."Absolutely! Walter's not getting off easy!"Holden jumped in, his tone even more biting than Aemon's."We're going to make that awful couple pay! They'll apologize to Evie in front of everyone! Tomorrow! I want the whole world to know you don't mess with the Fosters. A tiger is still a tiger, even without its teeth. We might be running a clean business now, but we're still the Fosters, and nobody better forget it!"Evangeline watched Aemon and Holden speaking with such passion. She felt a mix of relief and concern stirring inside her.The Foster family had not always had it easy, but thanks to Cole's heroic smarts, her uncles enjoyed a life of peace and stability. Evangeline knew their happiness was hard-won, and she could not bear the thought of her uncles facing turmoil again just for her sake.
Evangeline stood right by Cole, blushing a little from the attention."That's right, I've got to grow up so I can take good care of Grandpa!" she chimed in, playing along with Cole's sentiment.Her sweet words made Cole's heart swell with pride."Sweetheart, you're so charming!"As they chatted, a thought seemed to strike Cole out of the blue. "You know, when it comes to being dutiful, Walter's really something. Without him getting that top doctor, Dr. George, I wouldn't have bounced back so fast. Now, all I'm waiting for is some great news from you and Walter."If you could give me the chance to cuddle my precious great-grandkid, I could close my eyes this very second and say I've lived a full life!"Evangeline could not help but roll her eyes at the non-stop compliments.Was Walter that generous? She had to make a trade for his help, did she not?That was something she could not admit, though. Grandpa Cole was just starting to get better, and if anything about her and Walter
The thought that Walter was hurt because of her sent a pang through her heart that she just could not shake off.Walter's eyes fluttered open on the hospital bed, and he spotted Aria keeping vigil by his side. He parted his lips to speak but then thought better of it, his hand shaking as he reached for the water glass on the nightstand.Was he parched?Evangeline caught on and, tossing aside any concern for her own belated entrance, burst through the door and hurried to Walter's side.Just as her fingers grazed the glass, Aria, who had only been dozing, snapped awake.Spotting Evangeline behind her and seeing Walter's hand hanging in the air, Aria instantly grasped the situation. She snatched the glass before Evangeline could and placed it firmly in Walter's grasp."You finally show up, huh? Some savior you are," said Aria, her voice dripping with scorn.Her son had been coddled from birth, yet here he was, hurt because of Evangeline. She had not even had the decency to check on