"I'm sorry..." Evangeline muttered an apology without thinking, accidentally stirring up Julieta's own heartaches."Don't worry about it, Ms. Evangeline. Beyond our jobs, we're both just people, right? If you ever want to get something off your chest, I'm all ears."Evangeline glanced at Julieta, noticing the tears welling up in her eyes, and shyly looked away. "Is that true?"Julieta, I lost my mom when I was little, and even though my grandfather and uncles are super sweet, they're guys. They don't really get the whole 'heart-to-heart' thing. You're the only one I can talk to about this stuff."Evangeline inhaled deeply, feeling overwhelmed by life's curveballs.Her best friend Roslyn was a whirlwind of energy, not exactly the type to grasp those fragile feelings. Why bother dumping all that on her and dragging her down too?Julieta offered a soft smile. "Anytime you need to talk about anything, I'm here for you.""I guess I know talking won't change much." Evangeline's gaze d
However, Evangeline just could not let go!They had shared nights of fiery passion, deep conversations that bared their souls. She had once held the heart of the man she adored. How could she just erase such treasured memories?…Before she knew it, winter had crept into Avalon City.Minnie had used the excuse of delivering documents to Walter to camp out in the CEO's office all day. The secretaries were murmuring their disapproval, but David smoothed things over.David did not want to clean Minnie's messes, especially when Walter doted on her way more than he did on Evangeline from the Gordon family, or even Julia.However, there he was, dealing with the fallout, all because Walter's office was the coziest spot during the biting winter. Minnie, always playing up how frosty she was, had ditched all pretenses and practically moved in, spending her days with Walter and David.David was sick of her constant chatter, her relentless pursuit of their boss' attention. Nonetheless, Walt
Walter's affection was smothering Minnie, his love a tight band around her chest.The excuses Minnie had conjured were crumbling before they could even take flight.The disappointment in Walter's eyes melted her resolve."I just couldn't stand to leave you!" She nibbled on her lip and smoothed out his unruly bangs with a gentle hand. "But I'd just get in the way of your work, sticking to you like glue. If I messed with the company's bottom line, wouldn't I be the villain stealing bread from our team's table?"She laid it on thick, hoping Walter would catch on to her desperate need for a breather and buy her flimsy excuse, if only for a short while.However, Walter's reaction was unexpected. His brows knitted together, and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes. "Who's been saying you're a distraction? That's just not fair. Spill it. There's been too much gossip flying around the office, and it's high time for a crackdown."Minnie had never seen that side of Walter and braced herself
Minnie's face twisted into a look of distress. She took Walter's large hand and gently swayed it back and forth. "Walter, please, just let me go..."Walter could tell she was dead set on leaving, but he still asked with a tone of finality, "Are you sure you want to go?""Positive!" Minnie nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at the ground for food."When will you be back?"Walter was asking Minnie, but he could not help glancing at his watch."Two hours, tops. I can't spare any more time.""I guess I'll just have to deal with being apart from you for two hours." He said it with such resolve that Minnie knew there was no point in arguing.However, the thought of escaping Walter's gaze for even a moment filled Minnie with joy. She figured two hours would be plenty.With a spring in her step and a smile on her face, Minnie hurried out of the company.Little did she know, right after she left, David made up some excuse to duck out of the office and, with a companion in tow, stealth
Walter did not waste any time diving into the report David had sent over.'Sunny Glow Beauty Salon'.The name was catchy and easy to remember.It looked like just another beauty salon, small and freshly opened.Minnie was a sucker for beauty treatments, always fussing over her complexion, so her patronage was not odd on its own.However, what did not add up was why Minnie, a woman who had traveled the world and pampered her skin, would choose that no-name spot for her facials. She could pluck any salon from the streets of Avalon City and it would outshine that place in fame, size, and service.The moment Walter flipped to the first page, his instincts told him something was not right.He had a hunch that the rest of the report, even if it did not spell everything out, would point him toward the truth.He was right—the salon was at the heart of his suspicions.It was a place with no history and no reputation, yet its clientele was the city's elite, dropping thousands without a
Snow Wolf had a sixth sense for sniffing out the unusual, and it was not often he labeled something as odd.That alone was enough to grab Evangeline's attention, and she pressed him, "What's so odd about it? Out with the details."However, Snow Wolf was never one to play it by the book. "I'll shoot the details over to you. Take a look and we'll see if we're on the same page."The ping of a sent email echoed in her ear, and Snow Wolf was quick to add, "Check your inbox, I've sent the info.""You could've just told me straight up. Why the pop quiz?" Evangeline grumbled. His skills and temper always went hand in hand, but she never believed it—until Snow Wolf came along.The guy was a no-nonsense doer, but his moods are out there. If he did not want to spill, prying a word out of him was a monumental task."So, anything else? If not, I'm about to hang up." Evangeline had already clicked open the email attachment, ready to dive into Snow Wolf's latest 'challenge' as soon as the call
Evangeline was clear when she laid down the plan: She wanted to keep this private from the Foster family.She had a baby on board, and if her overprotective uncles caught wind she was still fretting over Lydia, they would probably storm the villa to make sure she was playing it safe and baby-focused. It was best to keep things on the down-low for smooth sailing.Unbeknownst to each other, Evangeline and Walter's crews ended up loitering around Sunny Glow Beauty Salon. Little did they know, a shadowy figure in black had just slipped away as they arrived.Inside, Minnie was living the dream, pampered by the salon's top professional with some fancy skin treatment. Breaking free from Walter's grip allowed her to relax. Stepping out of the office earlier, she felt like she had just uncaged her spirit.However, her bliss was on borrowed time. As she was about to nod off, her phone blasted a ringtone. Not wanting to mess up the pamper session, she had the salon guy fetch her earbuds and p
Walter could not stand the thought of being away from her, so even though he said yes to her going out, he still had a bodyguard stuck close to her side, did he not?If that was really what was happening, Minnie could not decide if she was more upset or just plain annoyed.She could not get mad at Walter for being so protective, but perhaps she was just annoyed with herself for being so oblivious. There she was, all grown up, and she did not even notice someone tailing her.Whatever the reason was, one thing was clear: This place was not safe anymore."Director, how's my mom doing?" Minnie asked.Dressed in a pink uniform and sporting a mask, the director answered promptly, "Mrs. Lydia wasn't really hurt. She's been up and about for some time now.""That's a relief," said Minnie with a nod."Ms. Kast, missing your mom? How about I invite Mrs. Lydia over after we finish up here? Would you like that?"Minnie jumped at the director's kind offer without a second thought. "That woul