Evangeline took a deep breath, realizing this would not be the day things got resolved.After yesterday's ugly confrontation and her plotting against him, she was sure he would be looking for payback.Walter chuckled as if she had told a joke.He slipped into a black robe, nonchalantly pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. He was not a regular smoker, but he let the bright flame flicker and smoke swirl around him.The smoke masked the icy storm in his eyes. "Didn't you say you didn't want it yesterday? Leave!"Evangeline's mind raced back to the previous day.She did not need to guess; she was certain Walter had been with Julia."I was wrong yesterday."She approached him, eyes downcast.Walter sat sprawled out before her, a picture of languid arrogance tinged with a hint of gloom. At her admission, he scoffed. "Ms. Rearden, are you admitting a mistake? That's a rarity."He pulled her closer, right between his parted legs, and tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.
Walter rubbed his fingers together, chasing the ghost of Evangeline's touch.Unable to shake the agitation within, he found himself lighting a cigarette, breaking a long-abandoned habit.Evangeline, alone in the bathroom, let the water cleanse her as if it could wash away her troubles.Just then, a call from Cole's assistant, Asher came in. She snatched up the phone, desperate for news about her grandfather.With a trembling finger, she hit the answer button.Relief washed over her as Wade, her bodyguard, delivered the news with barely contained excitement. "Miss, your grandfather's out of surgery, and the doctors say he's out of the woods for now.""That's wonderful," breathed Evangeline, her emotions a tangled mess."However, you're still needed to lead the company, to keep everyone steady. We're making critical moves up north, and Strata King Group isn't making it easy," Wade pressed on.Evangeline's resolve hardened. "Wade, let them know I'll be there for the meeting tomorr
"Walter, I'm all cleaned up. What's next? If there's nothing, I'm off to bed."Evangeline was about to head to the guest room, being considerate.However, Walter called out, "Wait.""What's up?" she looked back at him."Come here, sit with me."Evangeline hesitated. With a resigned nod, she complied.Walter's eyes gleamed with mischief as he watched her approach.She walked over and brazenly sat on his lap. She pushed him back onto the bed and untied the robe's sash."I didn't see this coming," Walter murmured, his desire flaring."Oh? There's a lot you don't see coming," Evangeline quipped as she climbed onto him, the robe falling away to reveal swathes of pale skin. "Tell me, how did Julia take care of you last night?"Beneath her, a bath towel was the only thing left covering him. It was clear he was more than ready for her teasing.As their skin brushed against each other, the air crackled with electricity. The room was charged with a sultry heat and unspoken promises.
Evangeline nestled into the bedding, her body coiled with discomfort, commanding herself not to ponder where Walter had disappeared to.She tried to focus on the upcoming board meeting and what challenges it might bring.Everyone knew that in the Foster family of the South was a beloved young woman who was the center of attention and adoration. She was the cherished granddaughter of Cole and the niece of James, the fifth son of the Cole family. She had been groomed as the future heir to the Foster family's century-old legacy.The 'Little Princess Foster' was once a legend among the southern gentry. She was said to be fiery, radiant, and imperiously unyielding, always getting her way.Yet, for the past three years, the princess who was once the object of envy and spite had vanished.Rumors swirled that she had lost her inheritance for crossing Cole. Whispers of foul play within the family's ranks circulated.However, the truth of her absence was unknown to all—she had married. Mar
Eventually, Cole left his gambling life behind and, with his friends, founded Foster Group. The company expanded rapidly, dominating the north and starting to clean up its act.The Foster family became untouchable, a name that commanded respect and fear alike.The old-timers at the company were Cole's original crew, the brothers-in-arms who had been through thick and thin with him.Back in their younger days, they thrived on freedom and carried that same laid-back attitude into their work, creating a company culture that broke the mold of traditional business.That meant things got done fast, but it was not without its share of dark corners.…Evangeline was practically invisible to them in the conference room.A privileged princess, they had thought. Was she really up to the task of steering the Foster Group's stormy ship?Amid the murmurs, a sudden thud echoed through the room.The middle-aged man who had been blabbing that Evangeline was Cole's goddaughter was kicked far aw
Evangeline's gaze swept across the room as she spoke, sharp enough to keep everyone from looking her in the eye.Gone was the gentle composure she showed with the Gordon family, replaced by the ironclad authority of a woman in charge."Any objections? Now's the time to speak up," Evangeline stated calmly.With Cole's right-hand man, Asher, standing behind her, his respect bordering on reverence, it was as though Cole himself had entered the room. Who would dare step out of line?After all, Cole, the notorious gambling tycoon, was a name that sent shivers down their spines. Cole might be bedridden, doting on Evangeline with every fiber of his being, but his reputation in the business and underground worlds was still formidable.Everyone was convinced that she was Cole's granddaughter, and her eyes—calm yet piercing—were a mirror image of Cole's own.David, who had just been ousted, served as her first lesson to the company. She did not even spare the old-timers' pride.Who would
"Let Strata King Group have their moment with that tempting opportunity. Once we've got our stock prices back on track, we'll be back in the game stronger than ever," Evangeline mused, her fingers gently tracing the contours of the ring her grandfather had cherished for so many years."However, you know the saying that goes, 'Gordon rules the north, Foster owns the south.' Strata King may be the brainchild of Walter Gordon, but it's the Gordon family that's pulling the strings. They've outpaced the original Gordon Group and now sit at the top of Halcyonia's corporate ladder."If we challenge Strata King, we're challenging the Gordons head-on. And despite the old bonds between our families, in business, there's no room for stepping aside. If we abandon the northern markets for charity work in the northwest, what will that say about the Foster name?" someone said."Who's saying I'm ducking Strata King Group? That's the biggest laugh I've had all day!" In that instant, Evangeline's dor
Julia paced the floor of her suburban villa outside Capital City, her eyes burning with fury as she stared at the letter from Foster Group. In a fit of rage, she hurled a vase against the wall, shattering it into a thousand pieces.Her mood had been in the pits. She had returned to the country, fully expecting to kick Evangeline out of the Gordon family and banish her back to the sticks. To her shock, Evangeline had managed to charm Walter into her bed.The image of their heated kiss haunted Julia, igniting a desire to rip Evangeline apart.She was desperate to confront Walter, but he had been dodging her for days. She tried to reach out to Evangeline, to give her a piece of her mind, but realized she had been blocked.The sting of rejection was more than she could bear.She refused to believe Walter did not care about her. After all, had he not gone out of his way to save the Garside family for her sake? All that, and just last night, she had heard they had disappeared from Avalo
Evangeline felt a stir in her heart as Alex's persuasive voice washed over her. She knew he was twisting the truth, but she could not quite pin down a comeback to shut him down.Hurting someone in the name of love could not possibly be true love, could it?She saw right through Alex's charming tricks—classic manipulator moves. If she let herself get sucked into his logic, she would be brainwashed in no time, turned into his personal puppet. 'Alex, you're seriously scary,' she thought to herself.If she fought back too hard, he would only come at her with worse, and she was not exactly in a position to fight back. She was about as intimidating as a kitten.No, she had to be clever about that."I believe you," she said, her voice light and airy as if she did not have a care in the world. Even tied up as she was, her smile and bright eyes made her look utterly adorable."You know, Alex, you're making a lot of sense. I mean, what have I gotten from chasing after Walter all this tim
Foster Group had revamped its game, and it was a whole new ballgame. However, just because they had ditched their old ways, did that mean nobody was left to pick up the slack?Alex was clued in on all of that, yet fear was not in his vocabulary."You really think I'm scared to mess with you because of that?" Alex's voice dripped with icy mockery. "Evangeline, the only reason I haven't pushed you is because I love you too much to make you do anything... intimate."However, if my caring turns into your scorn, then sorry, I can't just stand by and do nothing.""Too much love to force me?" Evangeline laughed like she had heard the funniest joke ever. "Does your face turn red when you say that? Does lying make you squirm?"You say you can't force me, but did I come to this creepy place because I wanted to? Did I ask you to tie me up like this?"Alex's face hardened, and his words were laced with pure fury."Evie, if you keep bad-mouthing me, keep getting me wrong, I'm going to lose
"Spill it, why did you bring me here, and why am I all tied up?"Evangeline had already taken in every detail of the room, feeling a wave of strangeness wash over her.She knew for a fact she had never set foot in that place before.Then again, this was Alex's secret lair. How could she have ever been there?Alex did not answer right away. Instead, he caressed her cheek with one hand, boasting arrogantly, "When I bring my girl to my place, there's no need for a reason."Evangeline tried to shrink away from his touch, but the ropes made it impossible to move.She resigned herself and thrust her bound hands toward Alex. "Alex, is this your idea of treating a woman right?"Drugging me, tying me up while I'm knocked out? Don't you think these tactics are a little low, even for you?"Before this, Evangeline had never thought Alex could be so vile.However, there he was, his hand casually resting on the ropes that tied her up, while his other hand reached out to grab hers. He looked
The room was so soundproof that Evangeline did not catch a word of the conversation. If she had, she would have laughed and said that the biggest danger she faced was Alex himself.Too bad Evangeline was out of earshot, and Yale was clueless that Alex was just faking concern. Considering how close Alex seemed to be with Evangeline and how worried he acted, Yale pushed aside his suspicions.Alex played the caring friend perfectly, offering Yale a few comforting words. However, Yale was too focused on the search for Evangeline to chat, so he hung up quickly.As soon as the call ended, the worried look on Alex's face melted away, replaced by a smug grin.'Yale, I wonder how you'll look next time we meet, when I'm introduced as Evangeline's boyfriend? Will you be relieved, or will you be steaming mad? Either way, I bet it'll be a picture worth seeing.'Of course, Yale's reaction did not matter. Alex had one thing on his mind today: to win Evangeline over.In a perfect world, he would
Walter did not buy the story for a second, his eyes locked on Thomas."That toy you're holding is the Shadow Wing, isn't it? A casual one million five hundred thousand dollar purchase—come on, you're no average person."Even though Thomas was riddled with doubts, he knew that was not the time to get caught up in them."Thomas, once we wrap this up and Evangeline's back safe, let's really get to know each other, okay?"Thomas just gave a nonchalant shrug. "Sure thing, I'm ready whenever you are."Just then, Thomas's eyes sparkled as he zeroed in on the screen."Got her! She's right here!"Walter glanced over at Thomas, and there was Evangeline's face on the screen, pale with fury.In a room on the third floor of the mansion, at the turn of the corridor, Evangeline was lying on the bed, a flimsy blanket her only cover. Tightly bound beneath the thin fabric were her wrists and ankles.As the memories from before she blacked out rushed back, Alex's triumphant smirk haunted Evangel
The gas pedal hit the floor, and the car surged forward faster than ever.Walter's mind was racing, fixated on the upcoming rescue.However, the place they pulled up to was all too familiar.It was the very villa where Walter's secret rendezvous had once been exposed.Stepping out of the car, Thomas could not suppress a chuckle at the sight of the private estate."It's kind of funny, you know? I thought bumping into an old friend while out and about was surprising enough, but to end up in the very same place, too?"Walter was not shocked, however.He had suspicions about Alex and had done his homework. This villa? It was Alex's hideout.What he did not expect was Alex could be so bold as to drag Evangeline there.Walter had been to that villa once. It was huge, with rooms galore, and pinning down which one Evangeline might be in was like looking for a needle in a haystack. If they were going to find her, they would have to check each room, which was a real pain.Walter caught
"How do I save Evangeline? And who the heck are you?"That enigmatic tipster, who kept dropping hints about Evangeline's peril, was no ordinary person.However, instead of an answer, all Walter got was the infuriating buzz of a busy signal.[Meet at the Dell family's alley crossroads in ten minutes.]Walter stared at the text, his curiosity about this cryptic informant spiking. It was like they knew exactly where he was, setting up the rendezvous right around the corner from the hospital.[Why should I trust you? And who are you, really?]Uncertainty swirled around Walter like a thick fog, but he was not about to let go of that mysterious lifeline that might just pull Evangeline back to safety.He shot back a quick reply and turned to David. "How many can we muster from the Gordons' forces?"Walter never imagined his grandfather would kick him out of Gordon Group. He had always focused on keeping the business running smoothly, never bothering to build up his own crew.However,
The thought struck David like lightning."All the Bennison family's clout is in Alex's grip. Could Alex be plotting against Ms. Evangeline? But wait, doesn't Alex have a thing for her? They could meet up in the open, no problem. So why would the Fosters kick up such a storm?"Nonetheless, who else in all of Avalon City would dare to mess with the Fosters' darling Evangeline in the open?As Walter was racking his brains, David suddenly gasped, a eureka moment lighting up his face."I got it! Alex has booted you from the company and got the thumbs up from Mr. Gordon. Gordon Group's practically his. He's on top of the world. If he now goes after Ms. Evangeline..."David clamped his mouth shut mid-sentence, realizing the rest was too risky to voice in front of Walter.However, he trusted Walter's smarts. Even without spelling it out, Walter would get the picture.He did. The moment Walter caught on to the unspoken words, panic washed over him, and he started sweating bullets.Alex
Yale's search revealed that the bodyguards assigned to Evangeline had been secretly taken out.The enemy's bad intentions were obvious.However, they were clueless and had no idea who the bad guy was.Evangeline had vanished without leaving a single clue, leaving Yale with nowhere to start."What do we do now?" Roslyn was pacing back and forth, frantic.Celina, biting down on her teeth with regret, said, "If only I'd stayed with Ms. Evangeline when she went out, or stopped her from leaving!"However, wishing for do-overs was like hoping for a magic cure for regret. It simply did not exist. No matter how much they were hurting, they could not rewrite the ending.The real problem was, they were clueless about who they were up against. The people the Foster family had sent out were just running in circles at the last place Evangeline had been spotted, like they were chasing their own tails.Then, Roslyn had a lightbulb moment."Evie got a call before she left. Can we dig into her