Walter was already nursing an injury, and with Evangeline's five burly uncles against him, it was clear he was the underdog."No."While talking, Walter had nearly finished his snacks. He set his hand down a bit too forcefully and winced as the motion aggravated his wound.The sharp pain from the cut caught him off guard, and he clenched his teeth to stop any sound from escaping. His face went white, and a sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.Evangeline noticed the subtle shift in his demeanor and moved closer with concern."Walter, are you okay?""It's nothing."Evangeline pushed aside the arm Walter had put up like a barrier, his voice icy as he tried to show her the door."David's not around. Got anything else? If not, beat it—I've got work to do."Before, Evangeline would have walked away without a word. With Walter's stubborn act, there was no way she could just leave him like this."Not resting with an injury? What's the big idea?" Her temper flared, and her words c
Walter did not mind Evangeline's nagging one bit; it made him feel all warm inside. He even caught himself wishing they could always be like this.Then, a sharp pain from his wound snapped him back to reality, and he glanced at the one responsible."Ouch! You're hurting me!""Yeah, well, that was the point!" Evangeline could not believe her ears. "You're hurt, and you're still giving me that weird look. Is there anything in your head that's not totally out there?"Walter was honestly clueless, but he could not help but notice her stunning figure and the long, graceful legs revealed as she bent down to tend to his wounds.It was like the scene had suddenly unlocked a door in Walter's mind, and the memories flooded in uninvited.He had been close to her before, and he knew all too well how intoxicating her touch could be. Once a person had a taste of something that good, it was impossible to forget.Evangeline, unaware of any impending threat, had just finished bandaging him up an
Walter was already gone. Evangeline reached out for the cold space beside her, not at all surprised by his absence.She tried to sit up, only then fully realizing how over-the-top Walter had been. Her legs were jelly, shaking with every little move. Getting out of bed seemed like an impossible task.Evangeline's brow creased as she took in the room. She could not just keep crashing in Walter's office lounge forever, could she?Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stand, her legs shaking like leaves in the wind.As she moved, a hot flush of embarrassment coursed through her, starting somewhere deep and trickling down to her heels. She knew exactly what it was, and the mortification that followed made her wish she could vanish into the floorboards and never resurface.Walter, at least, had shown some decency. He ripped up her old clothes but thoughtfully prepared a fresh set in the bathroom, even including a pair of comfy flats.The light green jumpsuit he had chosen was crisp
All the emotions she had been holding back came rushing forward, sweeping away the last traces of her affection for Walter. This was the Walter she had failed to see until the moment.She had always known, deep down, that she did not have a place in his heart. It was her own wishful thinking, her heart skipping a beat because he had taken a knife for her.She finally got it: When it came to Walter, she had to guard her heart and shut down those feelings to protect herself, and she was determined to do just that.Under Walter's intense stare, Evangeline forced herself to eat the breakfast David had picked up at the crack of dawn, bite by bite. Then, without a backward glance, she walked out of the Gordon Group's towering skyscraper.Walter, on the other hand, was in high spirits, a stark contrast to Evangeline's turmoil. The man who was usually a stickler for perfection at work had transformed into a charmer, all smiles even when a top executive goofed up big time, offering nothing
Evangeline was thrilled yet a tad anxious about landing such an awesome CEO.Evangeline could not help but feel a mix of pride and worry. She was proud that she had seen Hank's potential from the start, but worried too. How could a guy with Hank's talent stick around as the CEO of the Foster family's company forever? He was just helping out, and sooner or later, his time would be up."I won't hold back, then!" Hank declared with his usual open-hearted charm, completely at ease in front of Evangeline. He never played his cards close to his chest, and he dove right into the menu.This was Hank's first time in Avalon City, let alone at this hotel's restaurant, so he had no clue which dishes were the hits."Hey, it's our first visit. Got any house specials to recommend?" Hank asked the waiter, who practically sparkled at the chance to make a good impression for his monthly review. He launched into a spiel with gusto."Everyone raves about our Wellington Royale Steak. And just for the
That piqued Evangeline's interest. Yale did not talk with her and instead went behind her back to talk to Hank, of all people?"What's the big secret? Why are you guys keeping me out of the loop?"Hank let out a big, easy laugh. "Keep you out of the loop? Please, if I wanted to do that, I'd just whip up some excuse, right? I wasn't going to tell you, but since you're asking, I guess it's time to lay my cards on the table."Evangeline felt a knot form in her stomach. Anything that needed such a clear stance was definitely not trivial.What Hank said next totally blindsided her."He told me that all five of them think I'm the best guy for you to marry. They even came to me to see what I thought about it.""And what did you tell them?"Evangeline's mind flashed back to the conversation in Walter's office, where Holden had confidently promised to set her up on a blind date.So, it was not just a spur-of-the-moment thing, and they had been scouting for a match for her all along?Th
Biting the bullet, Evangeline hit the answer button. Before she could get a word out, the caller's voice filled her ear."Evangeline, what's taking you so long? You're really dragging your feet picking up."Walter had been waiting forever and was losing his cool, especially after watching her stare blankly at her phone without making a move. He was so frustrated that he felt like running over and answering the phone for her!"I'm at work. What's up?"Evangeline was not one for lies. Her act was just a facade to hide the hollowness inside.If Walter found out she was out having lunch with Hank, it could unleash a whole mess she was not ready to deal with. She could not handle the drama of just one lunch date.All she wanted was to quietly and safely ride out the rest of the cooling-off period before her divorce from Walter, and then smoothly get her hands on that divorce certificate—the ticket to her freedom."At work?" Walter's voice rose in pitch as he stood up and quickly made
"You might think you're just keeping your promise to take me out to eat, but it's not that simple for me."Your uncles picked this place for dinner on purpose. They wanted to set us up on a blind date."Each word Hank spoke hit Evangeline like a bolt of lightning, leaving her mind a total blank.As she tried to wrap her head around his revelation, her mouth opened and closed, speechless.Hank had already shifted his focus to Walter."Walter," he said. "What gives you the right to sit here and act out some drama about catching a cheater? Evie is her own person. It doesn't matter to you if we're just having dinner or if we're more than that. Her uncles are cool with us, so why should you have a say?"Hank delivered his speech coolly, leaving Evangeline with one thought: This guy was a master at dropping bombshells!Stunned, Evangeline could not help but feel a twinge of glee at Walter's contorted, bitter expression. It was like he had swallowed a lemon.She could not help but lau