Well, he was the one asking for a favor, was he not? He would just have to suck it up.With a grimace, Walter steeled himself and said, "Look, your plan's a bust. We need a new game plan, and fast!"Walter had hit a wall. After giving it his all, he realized that if he kept trying to win Evangeline over by himself, he might be waiting until the end of time.Getting help seemed like the smarter move."I have to get the lowdown on what's going on with you two, or I'm just shooting the breeze," said David.Once he was informed about the recent events, he took a moment and then delivered his verdict. "Mr. Walter Gordon, the problem is you didn't prepare enough. Ms. Evangeline can't buy into your feelings because she doesn't think you're for real."Walter eyed him doubtfully, so David went on, "You made your move and told Ms. Evangeline how you feel, but did you really think it through? How much effort did you put in? Did you bring flowers, a ring, or some kind of present? Every girl
If Celina got sick, they would be in a real bind. Taking care of David themselves would be tough, and trusting a caregiver felt risky. Talk about a tough spot."Don't worry, I'm all good."Celina snuggled into a pillow and gave herself a once-over. Feeling fine, she raised an eyebrow in question."Where's Ms. Evangeline? Didn't she return with you?"Since Evangeline had penned the theme song Roslyn wanted, she had been living a carefree life. She had tagged along with Roslyn, who was on vacation, eating, drinking, and having a blast. They were thick as thieves, like sisters, but then, Celina only found Roslyn by herself in the living room."She... oh..."Roslyn was about to confess when she spotted a familiar figure at the staircase's turn and clammed up.Celina, all ears and halfway to getting her curiosity satisfied, was about to press on when Evangeline's voice floated in, "What's the scoop? Mind if I join the gossip session?"Evangeline had just stepped out of the bathroom
Celina did not hesitate to draw her conclusions.The three girls were lost in thought until Roslyn's face suddenly brightened."Evie, I think I've figured out Walter's game."With Evangeline looking on, doubtful, Roslyn explained, "Do you remember what Walter told you back in the hospital room?"I know it's wrong to listen in on your conversation, but I was so worried about you that I didn't wander off too far after I left the room."Roslyn, just outside the door, had heard every word of their conversation crystal clear.Evangeline's mind was a total blank, and she had no clue how to respond. However, Roslyn did not even give her a second to gather her thoughts."Evie, I need to know right now: what are your real feelings about Walter? And what about the things he's said to you? How do you take that?"Evangeline fell silent.Just hearing 'Walter' felt like poking an old wound on her heart, one that had barely healed. The slightest touch brought a pain so intense it took her br
"I get it, you don't want to hear this, Evie, but running away isn't a forever kind of plan. I'm just trying to save you from future regrets.""What else am I supposed to do?"Lifting her gaze once more, Evangeline's eyes were swimming in tears, her cheeks flushed with the effort of holding them back.Evangeline, the cherished darling of the Foster family, had never felt so exposed, so raw.She could not figure out why she was so shaken. Roslyn was only stating the obvious, yet Evangeline felt like her whole world was on the verge of shattering.She was not deaf to Walter's thoughts; she was just too scared to even consider them.If, when the truth came out, she realized she had gotten it all wrong about Walter again, that she had been reading too much into things, she would be devastated."Roslyn, can we not do this right now, please?"Her voice was a whisper of a plea, and it cut through Roslyn, who could not bear to say another word.Celina stepped in swiftly, easing the tw
It had been ages since Evangeline had even sniffed at a bottle of alcohol, and the idea of letting loose and getting totally plastered was tempting.However, if Yale walked in and found Roslyn sloshed, would he be angry?Then there was Celina, whose boyfriend David was still in the hospital…Roslyn brushed off the worry with a wave of her hand. "What's the big deal? Who says we need guys to enjoy some barbeque and brews?"Sure, wine was classy, but beer was where the party was at.With that thought, Roslyn snapped her fingers and had the servants haul out every last can of beer from the fridge, ready to go all night. She gave Celina a playful shoulder bump."How about it? You in? Your guy's tied up in the hospital, but no pressure if you're not feeling it."Celina looped an arm around Roslyn's waist, grinning. "Who cares about him right now? He's got people for that. Why stress? Let's live it up while we can. Plus, I can't let you two have all the fun without me."Just like tha
"Evie is a whole gem, and Walter doesn't know what he's got. So what if he's having second thoughts now? As if Evie can't find someone way better after ditching him."Roslyn kept up her chatter, and Celina was taken aback. "Wait, weren't you rooting for Ms. Evangeline to stick with Walter?"She had pegged Roslyn as the type to sting Evangeline's pride just to convince her of Walter's true feelings, firmly in Walter's camp.Why was Roslyn singing a different tune all of a sudden?Roslyn gave an eye roll that spoke volumes, and said with a hint of disdain, "What are you on about? Walter is a total loser. Why would I ever root for them as a couple? I only said all that stuff before because I didn't want Evie to get stuck in her past sorrows and have regrets."Helping her to step out of her bubble and face the real world doesn't mean I'm okay with her getting tangled up with a loser again!"It sort of made sense.Celina felt there was something a little twisted about Roslyn's logic,
What good had Evangeline's soft rejection done? Alex's every move and word dripped with hints of romance as if he was already her boyfriend-in-waiting.No more; she was going to shut him down for good. No mixed messages, no false hopes.Alex's voice came through the phone, tinged with a mix of confusion and hurt. "What do you mean? Evie, didn't you say you'd think about it? That meant you were giving me a chance, right? If you won't go out to dinner with me, how can I even try to win you over?"His voice shook, sounding more like he accused Evangeline of toying with his heart than confessing his love.She was clear and final as she stated, "I've thought it over, Alex. We're just not right for each other."Evangeline was done with pointless debates. No amount of talking would be better than just laying it out for Alex, making him face the hard truth."You haven't even tried, haven't felt my love for you. How can you just rush to say we're not right for each other? Evie, I get that
On the other end of the line, Alex sounded utterly hopeless.However, that was the part Evangeline could not wrap her head around."Why does it have to be the last meal? We can't be lovers, sure, but we can still be friends, can't we?"She could not fathom that Alex would throw away years of friendship so easily. Even if they could not be friends... it did not mean they had to cut each other off completely, never to meet again, did it?All Evangeline heard then was a deep, heavy sigh."Okay, I'll be honest with you: I'm out of here, heading to someplace way out of reach. Today's my last day in Avalon City, and I'm not planning on a return trip, ever."I had hoped you'd come with me, but since you turned me down, I've got no reason to drag you away. I just wanted one last chance to see you, so please, just come out."Someplace way out of reach…Evangeline's thoughts flashed back to the stunt Alex pulled on Walter.If she was not wrong, he was talking about Southern Crownlands,
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