Evangeline had no time to react as Walter grabbed her arm, hoisted her, and tossed her onto the bed. The brief contact with Walter's body, cool through their thin clothes, was too much for her already frayed nerves.The relief she felt was like rain after a long drought, so soothing that she could not help but sigh.However, why should she give in to Walter, a man she despised?What she did not realize was that Walter was struggling too. He felt as if he were on fire, his thirst unquenchable.The very person who had ignited that flame was still in bed, whispering sweet nothings, her hands pushing against him relentlessly.He inhaled deeply, fighting the urge to give in to temptation. When he looked at Evangeline, his patience seemed to grow.His hand gently caressed her warm, blushing cheek. "Evangeline, tell me, who's with you in bed right now?"Evangeline, driven by instinct, moved closer to the composed presence before her, her mind too muddled to think clearly."... Walter.
"Let me show you what a true beast looks like!"Evangeline had drunkenly called out for Alex with such joy, a sound that still echoed in his ears.That was why he was determined to prove to her through his actions that it was always him by her side, the one who passionately claimed her, always him.Evangeline had woken up in a rage, and he realized she was filled with regret.Regret for surrendering to him the night before.He got out of bed and started putting on his clothes that were scattered around, doing so with a calm precision.Walter was undeniably good-looking. Even in crumpled clothes, his charm was untarnished."Evangeline, weren't we supposed to meet at the County Clerk's Office? Make sure you're not late."If Evangeline had never loved him, then he would grant her wish. He would agree to the divorce and let her chase after Alex.With a decisive slam of the door, Walter left without a backward glance.Just pulling up his pants and walking away, Walter was the epit
Evangeline's brow creased in frustration.How could she not be slow? Did Walter not have any idea why she was so?She was about to let out her pent-up anger when Walter cut her off. "Alright, alright, you're here now. Just speed it up, will you? I'm in a hurry."Indeed, Walter was rushing Evangeline.The reason for his rush became apparent soon enough. He was worried that if he waited any longer, and if he let himself think about Alex, the guy Evangeline could not stop thinking about, he would lose his cool. The divorce might fall through.He balled his hands into fists. They had made a deal, and he was determined not to back out.Evangeline had not expected Walter, who had last time fled like a frightened turtle, to be so quick to agree this time around.It worked out for her, less hassle.She walked into the County Clerk's Office before him.Filling out the forms and getting the certificate took 10 minutes.Walter walked away without a backward glance.Evangeline looked at
"I just came to get checked out, no need to make a big deal of it. Thanks for the offer, though." Evangeline's tone was not exactly warm, yet she was nothing if not courteous.Her issues with Walter were her own and would not spill over to anyone else—that was her line in the sand."The room's right next door."Caden tried to pull away."Really, it's not necessary, I'm all done here," Evangeline shook her head firmly. She held up the medicine box for him to see, the label clear as day.Levonorgestrel tablets. These were emergency contraceptives for use within 72 hours post-incident.Walter's expression went through a rapid transformation, turning stormy and dark.If Evangeline's earlier reaction outside the County Clerk's Office had left him with a glimmer of hope, maybe, just maybe, she had cared for him once. Now, however, he knew better. It took quite a bit of loathing to bolt to the hospital for birth control the second they split up, and Walter knew it.During Caden and Ev
Nonetheless, it was no surprise. Evangeline was never short on admirers.Caden's thoughts drifted to Walter's sour face, and he muttered to himself.Was there really no chance left for Evangeline and Walter?In the sleek Lamborghini, Wade glanced at Evangeline's pale face with a touch of concern and smoothly fired up the engine."Miss, your birthday's coming up in a few days, and with your identity all over the news, Grandpa wants to throw you a blockbuster birthday party. Got any thoughts on that?"He knew his young mistress had been tough as nails and would not have wanted anyone fussing over her. If he let on how worried he was, it might just have stung her pride. Thus, he kept it strictly business when he asked about the party plans. "So, who's gonna run the show?" She was not surprised that Cole had wanted to go all out for her birthday. His health had been on the rocks, which just made him all the more determined to shower her with every good thing under the sun, including
A text had come in. Tapping the screen, she was greeted by a photo of Julia, grinning wickedly as she dropped a pill into a blue cocktail. It all clicked for Evangeline. The one who had sneakily sabotaged her at the Whiskey Barrel Pub was none other than Julia! It made sense.Evangeline was always kind, never the type to stir up trouble. If anyone had a grudge, it had to be Julia and her family.Evangeline's fingers tensed, and a fierce glint sparked in her eyes. She swiped to reply and typed with purpose, [Snatch her up, take her to our spot.] Hitting send, she felt a wave of relief wash over her.'Julia, you like playing dirty? Two can play at that game.' She would be waiting to watch her fall.To Evangeline's dismay, it was not long before she got another message, one that turned the tables. [Julia's gone.] Just two words, yet they carried a weight of meaning.Julia, a nobody starlet, missing? How could she pull a vanishing act without a trace?She had managed to sneak away ri
The call connected, yet Walter did not jump to speak. What could he possibly say to Evangeline, who was practically his ex at this point?Unable to hold back her fury any longer, Evangeline on the other end confronted him. "Out with it, Walter. Is Julia there with you?"Her voice was full of righteous indignation, demanding.A heaviness settled in Walter's chest. His gaze lingered on a black metal door before he turned to look outside. With a scoff, he replied to the fiery spirit on the other end of the line."Ms. Rearden, unless I'm mistaken, isn't Ms. Julia your half-sister? It seems a bit off for you to grill me like this, doesn't it?"Evangeline was not in the mood for Walter's evasive games. "You know perfectly well what my relationship with Julia is like. Let me be clear, my people have been searching high and low for her, and she's nowhere to be found in Avalon City! Everyone knows the Gordons rule the South and the Fosters dominate the North. Apart from my own family, who
"This is a kidnapping! It's against the law! Do you even know who I am? I've got the Gordon family of Avalon City backing me up, Mr. Walter Gordon himself! Let me go now, and I'll talk to Walt! Maybe he'll go easy on you, give you a break!"Julia was bound hand and foot on a stark black iron bed, immobilized.Amid this grim scene, she was not the least bit scared. Instead, she threw Walter's name around like a shield, her voice full of false bravado.Interesting…A smirk played at the edges of Walter's mouth, his face a mask of amusement that did not quite reach his eyes. Those eyes were like bottomless pits, hiding any trace of his true emotions, leaving everyone guessing.He was not one to waste words. No matter how much Julia ranted, he would not give her the satisfaction of a response.Standing by the window, Walter casually lit up a cigarette, blowing smoke rings while Julia watched, her eyes wide with disbelief."Walt?" Her voice was laced with utter shock, her heart in he
Evangeline stiffened, wiping away the tears in her eyes and pushing away Roslyn's embrace."Gordon Group is under Alex's control. Why should I be worried about Walter?"Although Roslyn knew Evangeline was just being stubborn, she did not want to argue with her."Okay, okay, you're not worried about him. But what about Trey? He's in the hospital now, and we don't even know his condition. Why not visit him?"Evangeline's gaze froze.Ever since Trey fell seriously ill, she had only seen him once and had not visited since. The old man was getting on in years; every visit might be one less time she could see him. She might have severed ties with Walter, but Trey was like her own grandfather. How could she bear not to check on him since he was in such a state?Even so…"What if I run into…"Trey was Walter's grandfather. What if she showed up and found Walter there, caring for him? Would that not be awkward?Roslyn patted the back of her hand, urging her to relax. "If I hadn't see
When Walter left the company, David resigned as well. With Walter back, the likelihood of David returning was high. At that time, where would Emma's position be?Walter immediately noticed Emma's worry. "Of course Mr. Zimmer will come back, but he is seriously injured right now and can't return for the time being. Once he recovers, he'll have his place. Just focus on your work."Emma nodded, understanding his words. "So what should we do next? The press conference by The Bennex Corporation is about to start."She glanced at the time; there was still an hour before the conference began."Should we just wait for them to make their move and not respond at all?"The issue The Bennex Corporation exposed at the press conference was a devastating blow to Gordon Group.Although the Gordon Group had a solution, the public did not know that, and it still impacted their reputation. A slight mistake could lead to irreversible damage!Walter stroked his chin. "No need for a response, but whe
"I will handle both matters properly and provide a clear explanation to all shareholders within a week."Walter's working style had always been swift and decisive. With just a few words, he managed to soothe the shareholders' concerns.As soon as he finished, the room erupted in thunderous applause. Praise followed closely behind, ringing out alongside the clapping.This was exactly the effect Walter had intended. With Alex gone and Walter regaining control of the company's management, the shareholders were fully convinced and showed no dissatisfaction.The meeting concluded.Walter was the first to return to his office.Unexpectedly, Emma followed him in without waiting for instructions.After entering the office, she stood across from his desk with her head lowered, looking hesitant as though struggling to find the words to speak.The sight annoyed Walter, and he decided to break the silence. "Ms. Carter, is there something you want to say?"Ever since discovering that Emma
Walter understood—Alex was handing the company over to him.Perhaps Alex finally regretted his decision to ally with a traitorous group.Emma, who had witnessed the entire upheaval, was still in shock. She stood frozen, staring blankly at the people around her, unsure of what to do.Noticing her dazed state, Walter did not seem upset. Instead, he chuckled lightly and reminded her, "Ms. Carter? The unwelcome guest has left. Why don't you close the door now? Our meeting is about to officially begin.""Of course," replied Emma softly with a lowered head. Nonetheless, her actions were swift as she moved to shut the meeting room door.Still, every step she took was unusually heavy, filled with trepidation and caution.For the first time, Walter saw a sense of complete submission in Emma's demeanor. Even so, he did not care about any of that.If it were not for David's severe injuries preventing him from attending the meeting, none of this would have fallen onto Emma's shoulders in th
"Go ahead, play it! Don't just grab some random video online and bring it here to slander me. I won't acknowledge it!"Walter found this response amusing."My dear brother, how can you be so certain that the video I have is just something I found online?"Alex's lips curved into a smirk. "There are no cameras in the CEO's office. Even if I did do something, it wouldn't have been recorded. Really, Walter, waving that USB drive like that—who are you trying to scare?"'Was Alex determined to deny everything until the bitter end?' thought Walter.Before he could respond, Emma stepped forward. "Exactly! I can understand your desire to return to the company, but you can't tarnish our CEO's name for your own selfish motives. Don't you agree?"Walter did not respond immediately.His sharp, dark eyes swept over both Emma and Alex before he calmly inserted the USB drive into the laptop he had prepared in advance.The video quickly appeared on the screen, but instead of projecting it onto
"Impossible! How could Mr. Alex Gordon possibly do such a thing?""Exactly! They're all part of the Gordon family. If Gordon Group collapses, how would that benefit him?""Well, you never know. Don't you remember what happened back then? Mr. Alex Gordon didn't leave Gordon Group voluntarily—he was forced out by Mr. Trey Gordon and Mr. Walter Gordon!"Everything was going smoothly, and then he was suddenly kicked out. Who wouldn't hold a grudge over that?"The crowd buzzed with speculation, including Emma, who had always been loyal to Alex.She looked at Alex in disbelief. "Mr. Gordon, what he said… it's not true, is it?"Her expression was complicated, tinged with visible disappointment.The reason she had helped Alex with those things was because she cared for him. She believed that he had returned to Gordon Group to achieve something great and that Trey and Walter were just thieves who had stolen the fruits of his labor.Walter's revelations seemed to suggest that Alex had be
Alex took a deep breath, his face darkening as he demanded, "Walter, you've been removed from the company. Grandfather personally stripped you of your authority in front of all the shareholders."You have no decision-making power in any company affairs. So, please leave my meeting room immediately. Thank you!"Contrary to expectations, Walter, despite being blatantly dismissed, remained unfazed. He sat firmly in his chair, unmoved."Yes, you and Grandfather forced me out of Gordon Group. But so what? Under your leadership, in these so-called traitor's hands, Gordon Group is on the brink of collapse."As a member of the Gordon family, am I supposed to just stand by and watch you drag Gordon Group into the abyss?"He leaned back slightly, his voice calm but sharp as a blade. "Or should I let these shareholders watch you use their hard-earned money to fill a bottomless pit—one that leads straight to an unmarked grave?"Alex's face paled at the accusation, and his hand trembled as he
"What's the point of all this arguing? Can it bring back the money? In the end, only Mr. Gordon can resolve the issue!"The room fell into a stunned silence. Everyone exchanged uncertain glances before they all turned, almost instinctively, toward Walter.Walter remained calm, casually raising his wrist to check his watch. "There's still one hour before The Bennex Corporation's press conference. Feel free to continue arguing if you'd like."But if you do, I won't stay to keep you company."The shareholders' faces turned pale, and their aggression completely dissipated."No, no, we don't know anything about these matters. You're the expert, sir. Please, tell us what to do."'What's this? Begging someone to help after shoving them out the door? Truly shameless.'Walter chuckled lightly. "I've already been removed from the company. I don't deserve to be called your president. The only reason I'm here today is because Gordon Group represents my grandfather's life's work. Watching it
Emma came along reluctantly, but she had to follow Alex's orders.Even as she stood beside Walter, her loyalty never wavered—she was Alex's person. Every action, every word, was meant to assist Alex, not this usurper Walter!Walter glanced at the woman beside him, his feelings mixed.The fact that Alex sent his personal assistant to him probably meant that he was aware of David's situation—hospitalized and severely injured. If Walter wanted to win this battle in front of the shareholders, he would have to handle everything himself.For the Gordon family, that was far too humiliating.Alex could be frighteningly stubborn sometimes yet inexplicably considerate at others.However, Walter had no interest in what Emma was thinking at this moment because…"Ms. Carter, if you want to help Alex, you'd better listen to me during today's meeting," he advised her, though his tone carried a hint of warning."Why should I?" Emma immediately stiffened, glaring at him defiantly.Walter smile