Unmasking the Heiress

Evangeline wanted nothing to do with Walter.

She was even somewhat scared of getting too close. She feared that if Walter was too tender with her, she might forget the pain that had once been forced upon her and fall back into a hopeless crush on him.

The car roared to life, and the two in the back sat worlds apart, one to the left and the other to the righ

The driver, focused on his job, was so spooked by the tension behind him that he barely dared to take a deep breath.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

Evangeline was never one to stand an awkward silence. Though she wanted to keep her distance from Walter, her ingrained politeness would not allow the silence to linger.

The words of her bodyguard echoed in her mind, and Evangeline's eyebrow raised as she eyed the man before her. "Walter, I've heard... you're on the hunt for Minnie?"

Walter's face lost color for a moment, but he quickly masked his shock with a neutral expression.

It was no shocker to Evangeline that he was searching for Minnie. After all, the Fosters and the Gordons were titans clashing in equal might.

"Got any clues about her whereabouts?"

He had been harboring suspicions that Evangeline's car crash had something to do with Minnie's vanishing act on the cruise. He could not afford to take it lightly. Besides stationing a squad of top-notch bodyguards to watch over Evangeline in secret, the Gordons had sent out all hands on deck to find Minnie.

What Walter did not realize was that his urgency was like a needle to Evangeline's heart, jolting her to a harsh reality.

The gentle night they had shared on the cruise was nothing more than a stolen moment from Minnie. In Walter's world, Minnie was the star, and Evangeline was just a shadow.

In that case, why bother pining over him?

"Sure, I know where she is." blurted Evangeline, her voice steady. "It's no big deal, really. I just wanted to let you know that Minnie is with the Fosters. We've got her back, so you can relax." However, deep down, Evangeline was certain Walter would read between the lines and fret over his precious Minnie.

"Evangeline, would you let me take Minnie off your hands?"

Walter took a moment to gather his thoughts before he finally broke the silence.

Minnie was a puzzle with pieces missing. It was not just the dark secret of her harming Evangeline that húng over her head, but also the enigmatic Bennison family lurking in the shadows. Minnie was the only link Walter had to that elusive clan at the moment. The thought that the Bennisons might be plotting against both their families made Walter restless.

However, what he saw as his duty came across wrong to Evangeline, who thought of Julia.

She had despised Julia with a passion and hunted her down relentlessly. It was Walter who had whisked Julia away, hiding her so well she vanished from the world.

Then, with Julia transformed into Minnie, Walter was her shield once again.

"Walter, what's so special about Julia?" Evangeline could not help but wonder.

What made Walter, who always seemed so untouchable, so ready to bend over backward for her? To protect her without a second thought, no matter the cost? However, Evangeline bit back the rest of her words. Admitting how much Walter cared for another woman felt like a slap in the face, especially after she had nearly lost her life trying to save him.

In a twist of fate, they both narrowly escaped death in a daring rescue, but neither came out unscathed.

Walter's heartache and tender memories were wiped clean, while Evangeline's heart was lost forever.