Chapter 215

Holden strolled out, cracking jokes as he tugged Evangeline along.

The once bustling office fell eerily silent, so devoid of life that Walter felt utterly alone.

Slumped in his chair at the desk, Walter reached for a file on instinct, but he moved too fast, and a sharp jab of pain shot through his injured abdomen.

The pain forced a hiss from his lips, but he tried to ignore it.

In the scuffle with Evangeline's uncles, he had relied on finesse over brute strength, aiming to take them down with a single move. Of course, even the slickest moves require some effort, and it was no surprise that he had aggravated his injury.

Despite the throbbing pain, and the very real possibility that the wound might reopen and bleed, he stubbornly refused to dwell on it.

The image of Evangeline, not hesitating for a second to agree to that blind date, kept replaying in his head, causing a different kind of ache, one that seemed to compete with the physical pain.

He could not tell which hurt more, h