Chapter 7

In the good old days at the Gordon estate, Evangeline lived as she pleased, fresh-faced and carefree. However, after she decided to divorce Walter, she was all glammed up—makeup, fashion, the works.

Evangeline tossed her hair back, and her lipstick-painted lips quirked into a smirk. "Who says I can't pay for my own lawyer?"

"Is that so? I bet you can't even cover the bill for this fancy suite anymore!"

What a laugh.

Evangeline sent Walter stumbling with a shove and strutted out of the suite, her heels clicking like a judge's gavel.

However, as fate would have it, the moment she hit the lobby, the hotel manager was on her like a hawk.

After a quick nod to Walter, he blocked her path.

"Ms. Rearden, so sorry to bother you, but are you checking out or staying longer? Could you please settle your bill at the front desk?"

That was when it hit her—this was a hotel under Gordon Group.

Despite falling out of favor, everyone still knew her as Mrs. Walter Gordon, and the manager had even given her the presidential treatment last night, complete with a VIP room card.

She had booked a whole month. However, with Walter on her case, that place had lost its charm.

"I'm out! Your hotel's as private as a fishbowl. It's only a matter of time before you're out of business."

She vowed never to step foot in a Gordon hotel again.

The manager, pale as a ghost, did not dare make a peep—Walter's orders were clear.

Charging the lady of the suite? He would not dream of it!

"Alright, Ms. Rearden, that'll be thirty thousand dollars for the night. And since you're checking out early from a month-long reservation, we have a thirty percent early checkout fee. Your total comes to two hundred ninety-one thousand dollars. Will that be Apple Pay or are you swiping a card?"

Evangeline did not hesitate as she said, "Swipe the card."

She walked to the front desk with the poise and confidence of a swan, head held high. Walter stood behind her, his expression unreadable. He watched as she pulled out her bank card and handed it over.

One by one, the cards were declined.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Rearden, but all your cards have been locked. Do you have another?"

Evangeline's face paled. That money was her allowance from Walter. She had lived well as Mrs. Walter Gordon despite his absences. However, she did not want to let Julia win or squander Walter's money on another man, so she did not bring her own stash of money.

She shot a frosty glare at the man beside her. "You locked my cards!"

Walter simply arched an eyebrow, finally giving her his full attention. "You wanted a divorce, remember? I said you'd walk away without a dime. Is it a problem that I locked your cards?"

He added, "And why should I fund your affairs with my hard-earned cash?"

Evangeline had not expected such pettiness. However, instead of getting mad, she just laughed it off.

She gave a slight nod, her understanding clear beneath the artful beauty of her made-up face. "So, you think by putting me on the spot this time, I'll just shrink away? Quietly slip back into the role of your invisible trophy wife?"

Walter's expression was rigid as he towered over her, his gaze dripping with condescension. "Admit you're wrong, and I might just forget all this ever happened."

He finished his ultimatum and casually checked his watch. "Time's ticking. Grandpa is waiting for us back home."

Walter's offer was steeped in arrogance.

He was, without a doubt, the most formidable man in Avalon City. That was why she had fallen for him, hard, all those years ago.

Describing Walter's looks as merely 'handsome' did not do him justice. His features were chiseled, his eyes deep set and piercing. The sleek coat he wore accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs. Even standing there in silence, he radiated an effortless aristocracy.

However, she knew all too well that beneath that flawless facade was a heart distant and unfeeling.

Evangeline watched him with a detached air. "Walter, care to clarify? You're the one who's been cozying up with other women. All those times you've shamed me... Wasn't it all to push me to divorce you? Now that I'm ready to give you what you want, I'm the one to blame?

"What's your endgame? You don't want kids. Should I keep playing the part of the cultured Mrs. Walter Gordon, left alone to wither while you parade around with your mistress, Julia? Flaunting your affair, making me look like a fool? Walter, since when is it okay to treat someone like this?"

Walter's frown deepened as he yanked Evangeline toward him, his grip on her chin firm and unforgiving. "You've got quite the knack for turning things around on me!"

Evangeline stood her ground, though his grip was so tight that she thought her bones might snap.

She looked up at him, her heartbreak threatening to swallow her whole. She realized that even though she had resolved to stop loving him, the sadness and heartache remained.

The scars on her heart would never fade. Each time they were reopened, the pain was suffocating.

He was the epitome of a lowlife.

"Am I the one twisting things? Who didn't come home on New Year's Eve, setting off fireworks for another woman, throwing her a welcome party, and teaching her to play ball? Wasn't it you? Three years ago, weren't you the one by her side? Weren't you the one who nearly called off our engagement for her, almost causing a rift with Mr. Gordon? And when she and I fell into the water, wasn't it you who saved her and left me to drown?"

Julia was the one he cherished, no matter the timeline. Evangeline was done wanting a man like that.

Silence enveloped the room.

Walter's expression turned stormy. With a bitter laugh, the intensity in his eyes whipped like a tempest. "I never thought being Mrs. Walter Gordon would make you so bitter. You were the one who insisted on marrying me. Isn't this the bed you made for yourself?"

Evangeline fought the sting in her heart and held back her tears.

How could she have been so blind to love that man for all those years?

Yes, she had pressured him into marriage.

There was the crisis her grandfather's family faced, a crisis that, without the Gordons, she could not bear to think of the consequences.

Without the Gordons, her grandfather and uncles might have all been in trouble. She owed their family gratitude.

Was Walter's distant indifference, his refusal to let her go, his way of getting back at her? She had fought for the title of Mrs. Walter Gordon, and he seemed determined to keep her trapped in that role.

Evangeline wrenched her arm from Walter's grasp with a dismissive chuckle. "I brought this on myself, but I've had enough."

The hotel manager, standing off to the side, looked like he wished the floor would swallow him whole. Why was he involved in such an explosive drama from the big boss and his lady?

Walter's grim expression said it all; the manager was sure he would be silenced for overhearing that.

Evangeline stepped back. "Look, Mr. Walter Gordon, if you're not scared of a messy court battle, let's wrap up this divorce and go our separate ways."

Walter stood tall, an air of control about him. "I told you, unless you walk away with nothing, I'm not signing any divorce papers. As long as my signature is missing, you're still Mrs. Walter Gordon. Isn't that what you wanted? Well, enjoy it."

"No point in talking then. I'll see you in court!"

"Think you can afford a lawyer, or even get out of this hotel without money?"

"Who says I'm broke?"

Evangeline's lips formed a tight line as she answered a call. "Where are you? I've been waiting forever!"

"I'm here now."