As if that was not enough, Evangeline let out a couple of low, suggestive moans.A tidal wave of shock surged in Walter's eyes. He grabbed her hand with a stern look, his voice rough with barely contained frustration, "Evangeline, cut it out..."Then, Julia's voice shattered the tense air."What the heck are you two doing?!" she shrieked, "Walt..."On the other end of the line, Julia was a mess, her words tangled in sobs. Her mother, Lydia, took the phone from her, her voice thick with tears as she explained the night's horrors.After the charity dinner, Julia had been forced into a car by strangers. If not for a random traffic police checkpoint, she might have been assaulted by the men inside.Julia, naive and unprepared for such horror, was frozen with fear.Back home, overwhelmed by shame and anger, she had tried to take her own life, but Lydia found her just in time. They then rushed to the hospital, Julia still in the throes of panic."Walter, you've got to help our Julia.
With no other choice, Roslyn laid it all out.It turned out that Roslyn had recently shifted her obsession from anime to the adrenaline-pumping world of real-life racing, fixating on a racer named Jordan, who was also rumored to be a college student. However, Jordan was a tough cookie, too proud to race unless the competition was fierce.However, Roslyn was not one to back down from a challenge. She knew her best friend Evangeline was a powerhouse behind the wheel. Thus, she spread the word that the enigmatic racing goddess would be gracing Sunlit Heights with her presence and even sent a cheeky challenge to Jordan's way.Evangeline was in high spirits, so she let herself be swept up to the racetrack."Seriously, Jordan's a total babe, like a heartthrob straight out of a magazine," gushed Roslyn, her eyes practically sparkling.Evangeline chuckled in response. "Okay, okay, keep it together—you're almost drooling. I'll join in. Might as well chill out a bit."Evangeline's love aff
[Walter: Where are you all at?][Caden: I'm tearing up the track at Sunlit Heights. Don't you dare come and ruin my fun. If she's not Mrs. Walter Gordon, I'm shooting my shot with both these ladies.][Walter: You're really going for it, huh?]Jordan, who was really Caden in disguise, could easily pass for some carefree youth. His family was high-profile, and they would flip if they knew he was risking his neck in races. They would rather see him confined to a wheelchair than reduced to ashes in an urn.Staring at the photo, Walter's gut told him it was Evangeline. That unmistakable, killer figure could only belong to her, and it clicked—he remembered her dramatic motorcycle exit the last time she stirred up trouble.A wild urge surged through him, powerful and unstoppable.Walter slipped into his racing gear and roared out of the garage on his long-neglected bike, gunning it towards Sunlit Heights.'If that is you out there, Evangeline, ready to throw down, count me in.' Walter'
At the shrill blast of the whistle, a dozen bikes shot off like unleashed beasts, kicking up a storm of dust.Roslyn's bike picked the worst time to act up, leaving her stranded. She shrugged it off, knowing she could not outpace Jordan anyway. She revved up her cheers and sent a drone to capture the action.The mountain was swarmed with fans, all there to witness the clash of the titans.The race did not disappoint, delivering heart-pounding thrills, especially from the leaders who drove with wild abandon.Walter, the dark horse, had surged ahead, overtaking Jordan and leaving Evangeline trailing.However, Evangeline was not one to give up easily. She made a daring move on a high-speed curve, flirting with the edge of a cliff.Sparks scattered in a wild dance as Evangeline leaned into the turn, her knees a whisper away from kissing the asphalt. Walter's pulse raced when he saw the reckless display in his rearview mirror.What was she thinking? Was winning worth her life?With
Walter shrugged her off, his fury unfurling like a stormy night, enveloping everything in its path.His piercing look swept over Caden, who nearly collapsed, before he said, "Hey, aren't you supposed to be the queen of the track? What are you doing here? Where's the real deal?"Clearly, that was not the same queen of the track from earlier. The real one had bolted.The girl turned ghostly pale, her voice quivering, "I… I have no clue...""Don't blame me, Walter. Mrs. Walter Gordon probably panicked and took off," Caden quickly interjected."Big deal!" Walter snapped, smacking the gloves against Caden's face, and marched off with purpose."Hey! Walter, where to?"Caden sure did not want Walter making a scene in his haste. He feared Walter's wrath, a fallout he was not ready to face.…Evangeline had sped down the mountain in Roslyn's car, a smirk on her face after duping Walter. The only downside was missing the chance to see him make a naked dash for it. However, as she reache
Walter was angered at the sight of Evangeline causing chaos in the dead of night.He was sure the figure he had spotted was not Evangeline, even though they wore identical helmets. After Walter and Caden came up empty in their racetrack search, he dialed her number."Where am I, you ask?" Evangeline's voice stretched out teasingly, "At home, but I'm about to head to the hospital to check on your sweetheart. You know, I've heard that mistresses get a rough deal these days. Should I give her a taste of her own medicine?"Walter's expression turned stormy. "Evangeline! What are you trying to stir up now?""She insisted on this meeting, so let's make it at the hospital," she said, cutting off Walter without a second thought and abruptly ending the call with a decisive click.…Julia lay on the hospital bed, the very picture of vulnerability. Half-sitting, her face was a canvas of pallor as she tearfully shared the day's harrowing events with her online audience.Aiming for stardom,
Julia saw him when she turned—Walter, looking like he had just trekked through a dust storm, standing at the hospital room's entrance.Evangeline nearly whistled in admiration. He had arrived quicker than she had expected.At that moment, Julia was a picture of distress with tears streaming down her face. Andrew was slumped in a chair, clutching his chest as if wounded."You made it," said Evangeline, her voice dripping with mock surprise.True to form, Walter had come running the moment Julia needed him. Evangeline realized she had been the fool for far too long—it was time to bow out."Walt, she's lost it. I'm terrified." Julia clung to Walter by the bedside, her eyes brimming with tears, the picture of a damsel in distress."Don't worry, I'm here now," Walter reassured her, gently patting her back.His gaze fell on the livestream, and his face turned to stone.Julia quickly killed the feed.Evangeline did not wait for Walter to respond.The show was over, and she had said
"Miss, you know how it is—gossip spreads faster than wildfire. How about I call in the PR team to sort this mess out? Give it a few days, and those keyboard warriors will have moved on to their next target," offered Wade."Hold on. Let things play out just a bit more," said Evangeline calmly, unfazed. If Julia was so keen on grabbing the spotlight, Evangeline was more than happy to help her shine—right before taking her down a notch.Wade watched Evangeline, who seemed to enjoy the drama unfold, and felt exasperated. She had the full weight of her family's power behind her, yet she stubbornly refused to use it, letting some nobody strut around like she owned the place.Wade was about to try his luck at persuading her again when her phone buzzed with a call from her eldest uncle, Yale Foster."Hey, Uncle Yale, you've just finished a Peacekeeping mission. Didn't you head off to Bali for a vacation? What's up with calling me?" Evangeline's voice was playful.Her uncle was a tough guy
The pain was so intense that Alex felt like he was choking.He tried to speak, to ask why, but memories of his younger years clamped his mouth shut. After all, calling out Trey for his unfairness was like asking to be kicked when he was already down.Alex had always been the outsider in the Gordon family, especially in Trey's eyes.Both were grandsons, but Trey treated Alex and Walter worlds apart. Alex could do something flawlessly and barely dodge a scolding, but if Walter did the same, Trey would sing his praises to the heavens.Eventually, every servant in the Gordon mansion knew Alex was the grandson Trey did not care for. He became the invisible one, the kid who got nothing from the Gordons but food, drink, and a ticket to school. Not a shred of the warmth and affection that should come with family.Little Alex watched everyone fawn over Walter, and a seed of envy and jealousy sprouted silently in his heart. Those feelings for Walter, tangled and twisted, just grew more comp
However, the line between paradise and disaster was just a heartbeat away.At Walter's eighteenth birthday bash, Trey handed over the reins of Gordon Group to him as a rite of passage gift, right in front of everyone.Alex, who had always seen himself as the head of the Gordon family, turned into the punchline of a bad joke that day, in the eyes of all the guests and the Gordon family.Stunned, Alex stood rooted to the spot until Trey's pointed look snapped him back to reality.He gritted his teeth and stayed until the party was over. Walter, holding the appointment papers, looked bewildered as he caught Alex's eye.It was obvious that he was just as clueless about why a simple birthday had turned his world upside down.The brothers were about to speak when Trey suddenly whisked Alex away.In the silence of the study, Trey did not lecture Alex. He just floated a few comforting words his way."Alex, you've put in a ton of work at the company over the years. Now that Walter is al
Alex's eyes were dead serious. He was not kidding around.Walter's gaze sharpened as he tucked away his inner scoff. "Why the sudden need for a job? What's got you coming to me?"Or could it be that the mighty son of the Gordon family can't snag a job in the sprawling Avalon City?"By the end of his words, Walter's eyes brimmed with scorn.The brothers had shared their childhood, growing up side by side.Walter, the youngest son of the family, was always tagging along after Alex, calling him 'big bro' this and 'big bro' that. They had been thick as thieves.However, at some point, a thin veil of distance had settled between them, turning their once robust bond of brotherhood into something delicate and strained.Then came Evangeline, whose arrival sent their shaky bond into a tailspin.Out of everyone in the Gordon family, Alex was the one Walter could not stand the most.However, Walter's petty schemes barely registered with Alex, who just gave a half-hearted smirk, a grin th
David took the keychain and offered it up to Walter with all due respect. "You dropped this."Walter only realized what David was handing him when he saw it—a keychain. He took it, turning it over in his hands, feeling its weight. "Thank you. This means a lot to me.""Did... Did Mrs. Gordon give this to you?"David knew better than to dig into his boss's personal life, but he could not help asking, given how much Walter seemed to care about the keychain.To David, it seemed like only Evangeline could make Walter hold something in such high regard.Walter managed a weak smile in response. "I wish it was from her..."If only Evangeline had been the one to save him, then all the troubles he faced would have melted away…He let his voice trail off, making no attempt to hide his feelings."You didn't bring it up, but I almost forgot. When you get back, you'll have more than just your regular duties. You'll need to help me with an investigation..."He was determined to find out the
Guilt washed over David, and his heart throbbed with pain.A thought struck him. Maybe he owed it to himself to try again, to make amends to the woman who had lost hope because of him.Little did David know, his seemingly simple question had set off a tidal wave in Walter's heart.Walter's history with Evangeline was like a jigsaw puzzle with too many pieces missing. It was not as easy as just wanting something anymore.Without Cole, without the kids, Evangeline, who never really liked him, would not even spare him a second glance. It was just like Alex had said.Evangeline had only married him because she thought he was someone else.For whatever reason, Julia, with her web of lies, made him neglect his one true love, Evangeline. He even shamed her when she longed for a child.The mistake was made worse, the guilt heavier. Even if he could not make sense of it, his chances were gone…With that thought, Walter cracked a wry smile. "We're different, and whether it makes sense or
"Is there really no chance for you and Celina to...?" Walter began, his curiosity getting the better of him, but David cut him off."Mr. Walter Gordon, it's time to leave the past behind."With the Southern Crownlands diamond mine case wrapped up, David felt a weight lift off his chest.He could not afford to take a break. The moment he did, Celina's face, filled with disappointment in the blizzard, would haunt him.He had always figured that being a guy, it was normal to miss out on time with Celina because of work commitments. He just had to swallow his pride, talk to her heart-to-heart, and she would get where he was coming from.Thus, when he finally got to see her, he laid his cards on the table, all his sincerity on show.However, things did not pan out the way he had hoped, and it was not just him who paid the price—Evangeline and the Foster family got dragged into a whole heap of trouble.Then, haunted by guilt, Celina's disappointed face haunted his dreams, growing shar
In the past, Julia would not have batted an eye at whatever grand gesture Ethan made for her.However, things had changed. After pouring her heart out for Walter, only to have it wasted, how could she not feel a pang of guilt and a rush of gratitude when Ethan still stood by her side, ready to give his all?Ethan gently stroked her hair, his eyes soft with affection. "Julia, you shouldn't have to worry about this...""But I can't help it!" Julia's voice broke through her restraint, loud and clear. "Why should Walter get away with hurting me, and then turn around and manipulate you?"Ethan's eyes flickered shut for a moment, clearly done with the conversation. "Let's go home."Hand in hand, they made their way onto the plane at Meadowvale's private airstrip. Walter, bound by his deal with Ethan, had no choice but to bid them farewell.He watched the sleek private jet take off, his gaze deep and calculating, a sly smile playing on his lips. That was his first chess move against t
Julia gazed at the man's face, her mind wandering.Was it true? This man, who everyone looked up to, dropped everything—his work, his family duties—to be there, all because he did not want her to be alone?What kind of feeling was that?Whatever it was, just seeing what he had done was enough to stir any girl's heart.Even Julia, who had Walter in her thoughts, could not hide her emotions.Tears filled her eyes, and without a care for the watchful eyes of the bodyguard, she lunged into the man's embrace."Thank you. Thank you for still choosing to love me, Your Highness."She hardly ever used such formal titles for the guy, standing in front of her.Titles like 'duke' or 'viscount' from overseas just were not her thing. She even thought that using them created an invisible gap between people.However, right then, she felt compelled to use his title, as a reminder to herself of just how incredible he was.In Julia's eyes, Ethan Jefferson was infinitely better than Walter—by a
The diamond mines in Southern Crownlands were a gold mine, literally. Any official could name their price and be set for life. There was no way they would turn down a fortune that was practically in their hands.Unless... It was all because of the guy standing in front of Walter.As Walter locked eyes with him, the man casually threw up his hands. "No need to be suspicious. I gave him a ring before I came to see you. For a deal this big, he wouldn't dare call the shots without backup."Walter's stoic expression betrayed none of his thoughts, while the man in front of him seemed like he could not wait a second longer."Do you still have reservations? If you do, why don't you mull it over here while I go see Julia?" The man spoke as he casually opened his arms, allowing Walter's crew to give him a quick pat-down."Don't worry, I'm here to rescue, not to wreak havoc. Why would I bring anything dangerous?"Walter caught his bodyguard's eye with a meaningful glance.Getting the hint,