So, the ever-so-serious Jack has a secret double life?She meant to poke fun at James to lighten the mood, but had she stumbled upon a bombshell?James was not done dropping bombshells, it seemed."Plus, the little girl next door is clueless about all this. Someone's playing the saint but is actually a wolf in sheep's clothing, pretending to be the big bad wolf in front of her! Tsk, tsk, tsk..."Jack, being the second oldest, had a few more years under his belt than James and was naturally much better at handling those jabs."James, you might want to save that 'wolf in sheep's clothing' line for yourself. Next to you, I'm practically a saint!"Just like that, they have gotten themselves a headline with just Evangeline's uncles sitting at the table.Evangeline sipped her juice and watched the drama unfold, thinking to herself, 'No hurry, no worries. Secrets would come out one by one!'Yale watched his two brothers squabble like they were in a cockfight and decided it was time to
Lost in thought, Evangeline's attention snapped to the roar of an engine outside the old mansion.The old butler, startled by the unexpected noise and half-expecting the troublemaker David, scurried off to check out the newcomer.From afar, Evangeline spotted a stunning woman with a striking figure stepping out of the car in a chic, understated outfit."Who is that..." she mused, narrowing her eyes as she scanned her memory for the face.Then it clicked for Roslyn. "Isn't that the actress who shot to fame recently? What's her name... Elliana, right?"That was the nudge Evangeline needed.Of course! She was the star Cole had adored, his first and last celebrity crush.It was just that in person, she did not quite match the poster image, and Evangeline had not recognized her at first glance.Thanks to Roslyn's hint, the Foster brothers all realized who the visitor was.Holden, always the most welcoming, was the first to dash out to greet the unexpected guest. "Hello, Ms. Snyder.
"Can I tell you about one of my uncles? What do you think?" asked Evangeline, looping her arm through Elliana's in a friendly gesture.She had an ulterior motive: she was hoping to play matchmaker for her uncle. However, she needed to give Elliana the lowdown on him. It was not like she was trying to sell her a used car or anything.Her uncle might be a chatterbox, but he had a kind of thoughtfulness not often found in most guys. Elliana, with her star on the rise, could use someone who would be there for her. They seemed like they would be a perfect match.Elliana's eyes flickered with surprise for a moment, but she just smiled and urged Evangeline to go on."My third uncle is the sweetest of all my uncles. He's always been there for me more than anyone else."As a kid, Holden's presence had filled a void in her life, giving her the love she had been missing. Sure, she might tease him for being a bit of a windbag, but her affection for him was as real as it could get."He sounds
"Uh... Did you hear that Mr. Walter Gordon has stepped down from Gordon Group?" asked David, his voice tense as he braced for her reaction."I know," Evangeline replied calmly, her heart feeling like it had been through a fire.She knew all right. She had even ended up climbing into his bed while he was drunk.The more she thought about it after returning to the Foster family, the more she felt like she had been played. Her resentment toward Walter only grew."Mr. Walter Gordon is... well, he's pretty shaken up right now," David added softly.Truth be told, David had no other reason for calling than to show Evangeline a side of Walter she had not seen—the side that was falling apart.Maybe, just maybe, if Evangeline felt a twinge of sympathy for Walter in his current state, it could be the start of a new chapter for both of them. David was hoping to play matchmaker, in his own way."His problems aren't my problems, are they?"Evangeline chuckled, but she was internally seething
"Shoot."David was all in. It was just one question, and he was not the type to sweat the small stuff."Why did they kick Walter out of Gordon Group?" Evangeline did not let David get a word in edgewise and pressed on, "Don't even try to say you don't know. You're Walter's right-hand man. No one else knows the whole story better than you do, except for him!"Evangeline's question came as a surprise to David.He was wrestling with whether to confess about the Gordon Group's drama. However, it hit him that he had already quit. He was not part of that world anymore, so the whole secrecy thing was a non-issue.After a ten-minute info dump, David was parched, but Evangeline was finally clued in. She got the lowdown on why Walter had to bail on the company and the high-stakes gig David had to take on, leaving Celina in the lurch.Evangeline felt for Walter, but she also pieced together why Alex had gone paparazzi on them, blasting those sweet-looking pictures for all to see. Walter was
In the sleek office of the Gordon Group's president.Alex was by the window in his wheelchair, gazing down at the bustling traffic below, the thrill inside him too intense for words.Emma, clutching a stack of papers, placed them on the desk with utmost care. "Welcome back, Mr. Alex Gordon."She was one of the seasoned professionals at Gordon Group, a die-hard fan of Alex.That was why when Alex reached out for help, she jumped at the chance to be there for him. Seeing the sparkle in Alex's eyes, Emma's joy for him was from the heart.However, mingled with the joy was a twinge of sadness. After all, Alex's legs had not healed."Thank you."Right then, nothing could top the warmth of that welcome.Alex turned from the window to face Emma, not bothering to move the wheelchair.With a burst of strength from his arms and legs, he rose to his feet as Emma watched on, astonished.Without leaning on the wheelchair, Alex stood tall and took slow steps forward. One step at a time, he
Emma's tension eased only after she caught the secretary's sly grin and heard her question."Out with it, what do you need?"The secretary snapped back to business, her face taking on a stern expression. "We've got a visitor at the reception desk asking to see Mr. Alex Gordon in the CEO's office."Emma raised an eyebrow. "Since when can people just demand to see Mr. Alex Gordon? And in the office, no less. Why can't they follow the usual procedures? What's the big deal?"Did they need to make a fuss over something so minor all the way up to the CEO's office?To Emma's surprise, the secretary's head shook like a bobblehead. "Emma, this is someone we can't afford to mess with. He's the former Mr. Walter Gordon, Alex's brother, Walter Gordon!"Walter had been the big shot at Gordon Group. Who could stand up to him?Even though he was no longer with the company, his legacy lingered. Who would have dared cross him?Emma grasped the gravity of the situation in an instant.If it was
Alex sounded nonchalant, but his mind was racing with contrary thoughts.Trey had laid down the law: once Walter was out of the picture, every issue Gordon Group faced—for better or worse—was his to deal with.On one hand, it was his chance to assert his dominance in the company and really plant his feet firmly on the ground. On the other, it was an opportunity to shake off the lingering trust in Walter.Ever since he took the reins, the thorn in his side had been the diamond debacle in Southern Crownlands.Back when he and Walter were partners, Alex was too busy pointing fingers at Walter's blunders to bother with the fine print of their contracts.At this point, he was calling the shots. If he had let the Southern Crownlands contract run its course as it was, he would have had Trey breathing down his neck before the shareholders even caught wind of any trouble.As for Southern Crownlands? They had snagged a sweet deal and were not about to let go without a fight. Despite all th
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