Evangeline hung up the phone, feeling like she was still caught in a dream.Had she just agreed to dinner with Alex that easily? She had promised to meet him at the cafe afterward, too?Then it hit her—why stress? It was just Alex waiting at the cafe, after all.The only bummer was that she would have to bail on Roslyn's drinking marathon soon.She pocketed her phone and strolled over to where Hank and the rest were hanging out."Look who's here, our very own big-shot CEO. What's the special occasion?" Evangeline quipped, trying to keep it light.Roslyn, slightly sheepish, quickly nudged Hank closer to Evangeline. "Whatever the reason, Mr. Tarp, we're super honored you could make it to our little shindig. You're making our modest place sparkle!"Celina gave a wry smile, loaded with hidden meaning, leaving it to Evangeline to decode.However, thanks to years of silent understanding between them, Evangeline caught on in an instant to the silent drama unfolding.Roslyn was not on
Why keep the matchmaking fun to herself?While the others were busy sipping their drinks, Evangeline gave Celina a playful nudge and leaned in for a secret chat. "Come on, out with it. You're in the loop, aren't you?"Celina finished off her beer with a gulp and blinked like she had no clue. "What's up? I've just been here enjoying my drink. I don't know anything!"Yeah, right. She was feigning ignorance.Evangeline's lips turned down in a mock pout. "Don't make me mad, spill the beans!"She put on her best serious face, trying to look huffy.Celina was not buying the act. She knew Evangeline was the steady type, and this was just her way of nudging the truth out about Hank's visit.However, with Hank's gaze locked on Evangeline, his eyes said it all. What was left to tell?Celina wrapped an arm around Evangeline's neck and whispered, "You've pretty much pieced it together, haven't you? What's there to confess?"Ms. Shaw's just trying to cheer you up. Don't overthink it, just
However, since it was early spring, the garden was low on blooms. Only a few buds were there, promising flowers to come.Evangeline led Hank up to the garden's high point, a spot where she could take in the entire garden and even see the outdoor table where they had all been drinking earlier.Standing side by side, they faced the night breeze in silence.The quiet was so thick that one could almost touch it, until Hank let out a wistful sigh, breaking the stillness. "The Foster family's garden is something else, isn't it? Mr. Foster designed this, right?"Hank and Cole had not crossed paths much, and Hank was just trying to drum up some small talk with Evangeline to break the ice."Yeah."Evangeline narrowed her eyes and inhaled deeply."This garden, every little detail, is just how Grandpa loved it. Nothing's changed."She had made sure of that.After all, it was only by being surrounded by those familiar sights every day, seeing the garden that Cole had poured his heart into
"Yeah, we're the best of friends, aren't we?"Hank's voice got lost in the breeze.However, from the way they stood, they looked closer than ever.Up in the villa's second-story window, Roslyn was practically jumping for joy, bragging to Celina, "Look, look, I knew they were meant to be! We step out for a second, and they're already on the brink of something great!"The moment she said it, Celina's curiosity was like a wildfire, impossible to contain. She scrambled out of bed and dashed to the window, only to spot Evangeline and Hank, keeping a careful distance from each other."I'm not buying it," declared Celina without a second thought.She had witnessed the whole saga of Evangeline's crush on Walter, and she knew that even if their romance was doomed, Evangeline would not just forget him overnight and leap into someone else's arms."How can you say that? They're practically hugging right now, isn't that proof enough?" challenged Roslyn, her voice tinged with disbelief. Celin
"Yeah, you got it right. Me and Evie? We've always been just friends..."His voice trailed off, leaving a sense of melancholy hanging in the air. Regret piled up, weighing heavily on Hank's chest.He and Evie were destined to stay nothing more than friends.The garage door was flung open, and a sleek black car zoomed out into the night.The chilly breeze slipped through the open window, tangling Evangeline's hair and stirring up a storm in her heart.This dinner was not like the others.Alex had burned bridges with everyone. Where did that leave her? Could she genuinely trust what little conscience Alex had left?Alex was a mystery, his thoughts a labyrinth. Would a flicker of affection for her stop him from plotting against her?Evangeline mulled it over and her gut told her no. She could not shake the feeling of unease.In a sudden move, she slammed her foot down, and the car jerked to a stop on the road. She whipped out her phone and fired off a quick text.The fancy, reno
Evangeline could never have guessed that Alex, the guy who was always so understanding and kind, could have such a dark side.To get his hands on the Gordon family's company, he would stoop to anything, even betrayal!"Alright, I won't hold back with you."Evangeline kept her voice steady and ordered their meal in no time.Alex mentioned that after that meetup, he would head back to Southern Crownlands. That meant they probably would not see each other again.Evangeline could not help but voice the question nagging at her."Weren't you just crowned Gordon Group's president? Why bail on it now?"She played with the sweet soup in her bowl, the rich scent calming her nerves."Because I've done what I set out to do."Alex's gaze was distant, lost in his own thoughts, but his lips curled into a contented smile."Your goal? I thought it was all about snagging Gordon Group?" Evangeline pressed, puzzled.Was it all just to let go after winning? What about all the effort Alex poured
"Thanks, Alex," Evangeline murmured, her eyes downcast as she fought back the tears."So, what's next for you? Heading back to Southern Crownlands?"Southern Crownlands meant the Bennison family, and deep down, she did not want Alex anywhere near that shadowy organization. Could he not live a quiet life, out in the open, basking in the sunlight?"Yeah, where else would I go?" replied Alex, his voice tinged with a sense of loss. Abruptly, he wiped away a tear, then forced a smile. "Don't worry about me. I've got places to be."He reached for the bottle of red wine that had sat between them, untouched—a silent testament to their complicated bond."Evie, here's to smooth sailing ahead."His eyes were as dark as Walter's, deep pools with a glimmer of hope as they rested on Evangeline. She got the message loud and clear—Alex was ready to wrap up the evening.Without hesitation, Evangeline, always quick on the uptake, lifted her wine glass in a toast."Well then, here's to smooth s
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
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