The sound of someone clapping broke the silence once the song ended, making Evangeline's heart skip a beat.She turned and was startled to see who it was."Uncle Yale? What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.Yale stopped clapping and walked into her room with a smile. "I'm here to check on you."Evangeline's face had gotten so thin over the past few days that it was like all her health had just vanished. It was all Walter's fault, that jerk!Yale was seething inside, but he cared too much about Evangeline to let his anger show."Uncle Yale, have a seat." Evangeline gestured for her uncle to sit on the living room couch, then she tucked her violin away."How's everything been? Holding up okay?" Yale asked.Just a few days before, Evangeline had shown up out of the blue at the old Foster family place, looking for some alone time. She told Yale in secret that she needed a break. Yes, the company had Hank, the ever-reliable CEO, but sometimes, it still nee
In that tiny space, on that freezing night, under the flickering streetlight, Evangeline caught a glimpse of Walter's face, twisted into something dark and sinister.At that heart-stopping moment when she was penetrated, she realized she was no longer the cherished princess of the Foster family, nor the esteemed Mrs. Gordon. She felt like nothing more than a prostitute—an object at the mercy of Walter's every whim and desire, regardless of her own feelings.Why did it come to this? Why did her love for Walter drag her down to such depths?Liking someone was not wrong, and falling in love, dreaming of marriage, was not a crime.Regardless, knowing she was nothing more than an afterthought to him and still chasing after his affection like a doomed moth to a flame... that was her mistake.Uncle Yale could not fathom the storm raging in Evangeline's heart. Seeing her put on a brave face, his own heart twisted with pain."Evie, the important thing is that you have no regrets," he said
Yale's solid argument made a lot of sense, but Evangeline was not buying it.She was the darling of the Foster family, fully aware of Yale's influence and abilities. Yale had a laundry list of reasons, even playing the guilt card about harming some poor girl, but he missed the mark.If Yale was dead set on marrying a woman, he would not let her be in any danger, would he? The bottom line was that he just did not want to do it!"Well, Uncle Yale, you've got a point." Evangeline nodded, looking pensive, and Yale saw a sliver of hope for escape."Your other four uncles are around the same age, less complicated, and without my long list of enemies. Helping them find partners would be really helpful..."Yale knew he was shifting the attention to his brothers, but he did not feel the slightest bit guilty about it. As long as he could slip out of Evangeline's grip, he would hand over his four little brothers on a silver platter without a second thought.However…Evangeline's hand shot
Yale wondered who could be so rude as to ring the bell and not even wait for an answer, rushing like that.The moment he opened the door, he was taken aback by the face he saw.Standing there was someone in their trademark outfit: A vest, a miniskirt, shiny black thigh-high boots, and a long gray coat that was clearly for warmth."Why are you here?""Why are you here?"They both blurted out the same thing, eyes locked.Catching the vibe, Roslyn quickly switched it up."Where's Evie?""Where's Evie?"After the echo, Yale went full-on gentleman mode. "You first."Roslyn looked away, feeling a bit awkward. "I came to see Evie. Where is she?"She had only been gone from the villa for a few hours. Evangeline had to be around, right?Yale, finally catching on, gestured her inside and pointed the way. "She's in her room."What they did not know was that Evangeline had seen the whole thing through the lens of a phone camera.Since when did Yale and Roslyn... click so well?Yale,
Roslyn, with her fiery temper cooled, finally sat next to Evangeline, content. "That's better."However, her relief was short-lived, as Evangeline's next words sent her heart racing again."You know, Roslyn, you've been acting super weird!" said Evangeline with a hint of drama."Weird? How?""Back in the day, you didn't care who let you in, just as long as you got to hang with me. But now, you're all worked up because Uncle Yale opened the door? You've made such a big deal out of it, even asking me to promise you stuff..."Spill it. Are you... hiding something?"Both Yale and Roslyn were acting odd, and the oddness always peaked when they were alone together.Evangeline could not shake the feeling that something secret was going on between them.With Evangeline's teasing tone and the playful lift at the end of her sentences, it was like she had hooked Roslyn's heart and was giving it a good yank.Roslyn's cheeks turned a soft pink, a reaction she could not control, especially
"What's the big deal? We can just grab whatever. As long as we're not hungry, it's all good, right?"Roslyn was thinking simple, while Evangeline's mind was racing a mile a minute."Here's the thing, I... I just got my period. But we're out of pads."Before Roslyn could even process what was going on, Evangeline clutched her belly and dropped a bombshell. "Uncle Yale is downstairs, and I'd be mortified to ask him to buy them. Could you maybe go with him to pick up some food and grab a pack for me?"Evangeline's eyes were pleading, almost begging.Roslyn's mind went blank with a buzz.Getting sanitary pads for Evangeline was not an issue, but going with Yale for the task was another story."Why don't we all go together?" Roslyn chimed in, trying to break the ice.She just could not shake off the weird vibes whenever she was alone with Yale."Me, this time of the month?" Evangeline quipped without missing a beat, her words dripping with sarcasm. "You wouldn't drag me out there,
"How's it going? I heard you've started acting in movies and TV shows?""Yeah, I've been on set lately." Roslyn's reply came quickly, but her gaze stayed glued to the window, as if this was no big deal.Yale swallowed a sigh and looked away. "So you went ahead with it."He bit back the words 'You never listen'.Still, even without him saying it, Roslyn got the message loud and clear."Does it even matter if I go or not? It's my choice, right?" Roslyn had been in the car for a while, but only now did she look over at Yale.He had not changed a bit. Sharp in his suit and shoes, he had that cool, collected look of a guy who got it all together.Just seeing him like that sent waves of longing through Roslyn. What a shame that a catch like him was never meant for her.No matter how hard she tried, no matter how sweet she was, she never seemed to catch his eye.Nonetheless, Roslyn had her pride, and she would show Yale how much it hurt. Thus, she hid behind a wall of anger."What's
Evangeline, peeking out from her villa, was over the moon seeing Yale and Roslyn heading out together. She knew them both well enough. Yes, there was an age gap, but why let good fortune slip away to strangers?She was practically on the edge of her seat, rooting for them, almost ready to give them a nudge closer.However, as she was about to step back from her secret lookout, a familiar shadow caught her eye. Her gaze sharpened with a hint of danger.She could spot him in a crowd, even if he disguised himself.She had to give credit to Walter. The guy had some serious moves, waltzing in and out of the swanky Emerald of the Highlands like he owned the place.She could not, in good conscience, fault the security. With Walter's connections, there was not a nook in Avalon City he could not slip into.However, what puzzled her was how he had even thought to look for her here. Since the birthday party wrapped up, they had not so much as whispered about this birthday gift.If he had p