Unmasking the Heiress

Walter had heard every harsh word Julia's family had thrown. There was no way he could ignore it.

All that, and he stood by her side, shielding her from more harm. The unspoken truth of his loyalty did not need to be spelled out.

Evangeline's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and as she looked at Walter, a wave of emotion washed over her, burying both her tears and the last bits of her daydreams about him.

She wanted to confront him, to ask, "Walter, does Julia mean that much to you? And what about me? Am I just someone you spent one night with?"

The words would not come, however.

Her pride, the pride of the Foster family's darling daughter, had been crushed once when she pressured Walter into marriage. She could not let it happen again.

Evangeline inhaled sharply, her face a mask of frost, her eyes glinting like ice. "Give me Julia, and I'll disappear."

Julia's actions were beyond forgiveness.

Evangeline might not have cared what Walter thought. However, she wanted Julia to pay with her life. "Impossible." Walter checked the time, his voice devoid of emotion.

Had Evangeline asked half an hour earlier, there might have been a chance. Julia, however, was already on a plane to Northern Montavia, out of reach.

Besides, Walter had no intention of handing Julia over to Evangeline.

He would not touch Julia with a 10-foot pole, so why would he let Evangeline sully her hands? Letting Julia go off to Northern Montavia to deal with her own mess was the best outcome he could imagine. "Why can't it be possible?"This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

Evangeline, clueless about the real story, demanded with fierce clarity, "Is it because she's your darling. so you're scared she won't end well if she ends up with me? What about me?"

She pointed to her chest, "Do you have any idea that your precious lady drugged me at the Whiskey Barrel Pub, a place crawling with all sorts of shady characters? Her motives for doing that don't need explaining, right?

"If it hadn't been for you that night, who knows which lowlife would have taken advantage of me! Is it wrong for me to confront Julia for some justice?

"Why is it that she can do all sorts of wrong and walk away without a scratch, while I, who did absolutely nothing, who just wanted to enjoy a drink and dance at the club, have to suffer in silence? Is it all because Julia has you as her guardian angel?" The more Evangeline spoke, the angrier she got, her stunning face turning a fiery red. Overcome with emotion, she lost control and slapped Walter hard across the face when he least expected it.

She despised Walter. She wished that he and his sweetheart would just drop dead.

Near the stairs, the sharp sound of the slap echoed through the living room. A vivid red handprint stood out on Walter's face.

Rage ignited within him, and he grabbed Evangeline's hand-the one that had just struck him-and hoisted her up effortlessly. The door slammed shut with a thud.

Evangeline was tossed onto the bed with a heavy thump.

In the spacious room, Evangeline, nursing her bruised arm, looked defiantly into Walter's furious, red eyes and mocked him without a care.

"What's the matter? Your little fling didn't do the trick, so you're sneaking around with me for some excitement?" Evangeline's words dripped with intentional innuendo, though the tension between them was more like a standoff in a cowboy duel- no room for anything steamy. She was baiting him, aiming to make him squirm.