Semua Bab Unmasking the Heiress: Bab 161 - Bab 170

Evangeline huffed in annoyance. "If they hadn't let their guard down, Andrew wouldn't have had his chance. Whatever, just remind your guy to be more careful next time."Dwelling on the bodyguards' slip-up was pointless. It was not something worth her precious time.Then Wade brought up something else. "Um... Mr. Walter Gordon's in surgery right now. The knife got him pretty deep, and he lost a lot of blood. You thinking about dropping by to check on him?"He glanced at Evangeline's face as he said it.The whole of Avalon City was buzzing with the news that Evangeline was planning to divorce Walter. Even Wade, her ever-present assistant, could not quite figure out how she felt about Walter."No, I need some quiet time," Evangeline replied, pressing a hand to her forehead.This day had been a whirlwind, with one revelation after another shaking her whole worldview of Walter. She had to get her thoughts straight before she could even think about how to deal with him.It was best to

"Now we've got you, Evie, and there's no way we're letting you go through that again, letting that loser push you around!"Aemon's fists were clenched tight, his face a mask of anger."Absolutely! Walter's not getting off easy!"Holden jumped in, his tone even more biting than Aemon's."We're going to make that awful couple pay! They'll apologize to Evie in front of everyone! Tomorrow! I want the whole world to know you don't mess with the Fosters. A tiger is still a tiger, even without its teeth. We might be running a clean business now, but we're still the Fosters, and nobody better forget it!"Evangeline watched Aemon and Holden speaking with such passion. She felt a mix of relief and concern stirring inside her.The Foster family had not always had it easy, but thanks to Cole's heroic smarts, her uncles enjoyed a life of peace and stability. Evangeline knew their happiness was hard-won, and she could not bear the thought of her uncles facing turmoil again just for her sake.

The thought that Walter was hurt because of her sent a pang through her heart that she just could not shake off.Walter's eyes fluttered open on the hospital bed, and he spotted Aria keeping vigil by his side. He parted his lips to speak but then thought better of it, his hand shaking as he reached for the water glass on the nightstand.Was he parched?Evangeline caught on and, tossing aside any concern for her own belated entrance, burst through the door and hurried to Walter's side.Just as her fingers grazed the glass, Aria, who had only been dozing, snapped awake.Spotting Evangeline behind her and seeing Walter's hand hanging in the air, Aria instantly grasped the situation. She snatched the glass before Evangeline could and placed it firmly in Walter's grasp."You finally show up, huh? Some savior you are," said Aria, her voice dripping with scorn.Her son had been coddled from birth, yet here he was, hurt because of Evangeline. She had not even had the decency to check on

Pulling her thin jacket tighter around her, Evangeline shivered and made her way step by step into the hospital. She convinced herself she was not there out of worry for Walter. She was just repaying a debt of gratitude, and that was that.The hospital's night ward was silent. Evangeline tiptoed, but still managed to wake David, the ever-vigilant night watch. She put a finger to her lips, and he nodded, slipping quietly out of the room."Madam, why haven't you gone home?" he asked, but then he noticed the redness in her eyes and fell silent."How's Walter? Is it bad?" she could not help but ask the question that had been burning inside her. She had seen Walter up and about, but without the doctor's word, she could not shake her worry."The doctor says it's just a superficial cut, nothing serious. He'll be out of here by tomorrow.""Oh, that's a relief," Evangeline sighed, feeling the weight lift off her chest. "I'm going to see him."Her voice was unwavering, brooking no argument

Walter froze.He had not really looked at Evangeline's eyes since she walked in. At this moment, however, he saw the redness, the signs she had been crying a lot.Was she this upset, crying over him... because she cared?While Walter was still in shock, Evangeline snatched his hand away. There, on the small patch of gauze over his belly, a dark stain was spreading.The wound had started to bleed again. Walter had only himself to blame for his carelessness.Evangeline shot him a withering look before turning on her heel to fetch a doctor.In the treatment room, Walter, ever the rebel, was pinned down by the medical team for a stitch redo.Evangeline watched in silence, her beautiful face an icy mask. To the uninformed, she might have seemed like someone enjoying her nemesis's downfall.She was, in fact, seething.Walter, the cause of all this, winced and grinned through the doctor's prodding, looking infuriatingly smug.When a noise, akin to a pig's squeal, escaped Walter, Eva