Curiosity got the better of Walter. "You're quite the actor, so I have to ask. The wheelchair… is it for real? Or is it just another one of your performances? Let me think…"It was like a lightbulb went off in Walter's head, his eyes sparkling with the thrill of a major eureka moment."I get it. You can't walk, and you've been wheeling around like you're totally helpless. But you clam up whenever we ask about your injury. What's the deal with your legs, huh? You've been pulling one over on us, right?"Walter did not even pause for Alex to answer before he dropped his verdict."You went to extreme lengths for a pity party, even letting your legs go to waste. Alex, my man, you play a tough game. I have to hand it to you!"However, in a flash, Walter's eyes took on a predatory glint. He reached out to Alex with an inviting gesture.Alex eyed him warily, clueless about Walter's next move."Let's make it interesting with a little wager, just between us brothers. You used to sneak aro
"Are you out of your mind?" Evangeline shoved Walter's incoming punch aside, her stunning sea-green eyes wide with shock."Don't you get it? That's your brother Alex behind me, and he's hurt! He can't move his legs and relies on a wheelchair to get around."Life's already thrown him enough curveballs. Why are you trying to add to it by getting physical? Picking on your own brother who can't even defend himself in a wheelchair, what kind of person does that make you?"Walter scowled, waving Evangeline off with a flick of his hand. "This is between me and Alex, step aside!""No way!" Evangeline stood her ground."If I've seen it, I can't just ignore it. If you're dead set on going after Alex today, you'll have to go through me! Knocking me down won't cut it. You'll have to knock me out cold, so I can't get in your way!"Walter's fist paused mid-swing, his eyes sharp with a pain he could not hide.His body shook with rage.He bit back a growl and asked in a low voice, "Evangeline,
"But it hit me today, when I caught a glimpse of his true colors—I don't deserve to have a crush on Walter."How could she say she was in love with him if she did not even know what he truly was? It was less like love, and more like she had found a face that fit perfectly with the one in her dreams and convinced herself it was love.Alex was in his wheelchair, leading the way, while Evangeline pushed him along, step by step.He could not see the look on her face, but the tears that the wind whisked away landed softly behind his ears."Evie, don't be disappointed," he said.Caught in the chilly embrace of the autumn breeze, Alex struggled to find words that could comfort Evangeline and settled for a simple plea."I've got a knack for saying the right thing, and trust me, you're going to find your slice of happiness."Alex tried to sound upbeat.Evangeline felt the tug of his quirky consolation and could not stay wrapped in her blanket of sadness. She mustered a smile to match th
"Absolutely, Walter's my top grandson!" Trey's eyes lit up with pride at the mention of Walter."Grandpa, you've got seven grandsons. What's so special about Walter?"Alex probably wanted to get to the bottom of that question, too.Trey pondered, "Out of all of them, only the oldest and Walter take after me the most. But Walter's got his differences; he's often not tough enough. Once he's older, runs the company longer, and sees more of the world, he'll get it."Walter… was not tough enough?Evangeline recalled Walter throwing punches at Alex in the garden without a second thought.It hit her then that she was clueless about the Gordon family's hardcore way of raising kids. Walter's scary transformation had plenty to do with the Gordons' survival-of-the-fittest style.Thinking this over, Evangeline was not sure who to blame anymore.However, it would not be long until Walter would not be her problem. All she had to do was make sure her own kid did not end up in the Gordons' clu
Out of nowhere, the sweet melody of her phone's ringtone snapped Evangeline back to reality. She stared at the name dancing on the screen, hesitated for just a second, and then accepted the call."Make it quick, and don't mess with my downtime!" She was not in the mood for Walter's rambling and made that clear right off the bat.To her surprise, it was not Walter's voice on the other end."Evangeline, do you always boss around Mr. Walter Gordon like this?" Caden's voice came through, laced with an awkward chuckle.Evangeline's lips quirked up in a half-smile.Was it fate that the first time she flexed her muscles with Walter, Caden had to be the one to catch it?"Spit it out."She had laid down the law, and Caden was not about to forget it.Evangeline maintained her cool facade, determined to show nothing but ice.Evangeline's words snapped Caden back to reality, and he could hear the panic creeping into the voice on the other end of the phone."Uh, Evangeline, I'm at Kronovi
Evangeline's gaze hardened into a look that could kill, though clearly not meant for Caden. After all, without his heads-up, she would not have found Walter so fast.All she wanted was to cut off Walter's manhood, to save him from his mess…Then it hit her—Walter's outrageous behavior was meant for her to see.A live show from Walter of the Gordon family was not something she could stumble upon every day. If she caught it on video and posted it online, would she not rake in a whole bunch of new fans?Evangeline did not hesitate and reached for her phone, but in the few seconds she had been lost in thought, the lively room had emptied out. Caden had slipped away when she was not looking.With that, the once noisy space was eerily silent, with just Evangeline and Walter left.Walter somehow found the energy to sit up from the couch, but he was so weak he ended up leaning heavily against Evangeline's shoulder. Evangeline gave a firm shrug. "Walter, snap out of it! If you want to sle
"What's gotten into you?"Evangeline snapped, but Walter's bold proposal replayed in her mind, hard to shake off.Seeing Walter's silly, expectant grin, she suddenly felt a playful urge to mess with him.Considering Walter was usually like a ticking bomb, who would have ever dared to tease him?Things were different. Walter, with his goofy, drunken grin, was just too adorable."Walter, you said you're going to marry me, right? Is that for real?" She boldly pinched Walter's ear, her tone dripping with confidence.In the past, she would not have dared to be so forward.Walter would not remember a thing tomorrow though, so she had nothing to worry about."Yep!" Walter nodded eagerly, like a kid waiting for Evangeline to hand over a piece of candy.He was just too cute!His good looks combined with that expression made Evangeline's heart turn to mush.She stroked her chin, feigning indifference, and asked, "So, what's good about you, huh?""Good about me?" Walter's eyes clouded
Walter's claim was fierce and bossy. His eyes, red and piercing, locked onto Evangeline as if she belonged to him and him alone. Evangeline froze, her heart skipping a beat.How much better would things be if Walter said these words when he was sober? Life never dealt in what-ifs though.Evangeline's eyes fell, and a pang of guilt hit her. She had not meant to tease Walter, not really. She wanted to see him stumble a bit, but somehow, she was the one who ended up getting hurt.She swatted Walter's hand away with a sharp smack and barked out her command. "Can you walk or not? If you can, then get yourself home—now!"The clock had already struck eleven, deep into the night.Evangeline checked the time and, with a heavy sigh, decided to change course. Trey, with his years piling up, would worry himself sick if he knew Walter was very intoxicated.She was not planning on bringing Walter to her place either.Mulling over her options, Evangeline let out a sigh and picked a path at the