Unmasking the Heiress

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Walter stood by the bed. His lips were pressed into a thin line as he yanked at his tie in frustration, then glanced at his watch.

"You think you don't need me? Don't even care about your grandfather?"

"What are you getting at?" Evangeline snapped back, still seething.

"Your grandfather is sick, in Avalon City. He's called me several times today. I told him we'd be there by eight tomorrow morning," said Walter, his presence aloof and intimidating.

"I don't need your help! I'll see my grandpa on my own!" With those words, she pushed through the pain, got up, and left the bed behind.

That bedroom, her gilded prison, was nothing but a badge of disgrace.

How utterly ridiculous. Walter had never once visited that place during their three-year marriage. Then, as divorce loomed, he was desperate to hold onto her.

She, on the other hand, could not bear another minute there. The thought of him rescuing the Garside family for Julia's sake had killed her love for him stone dead. He had a knack for cutting her to the core. When he sided with the Garsides, he became her enemy.

Maybe it was time to tell her grandfather the whole truth.

"We're still married, Evangeline. I'll keep up appearances, whether you like it or not," Walter declared, standing tall, his eyes dark and inscrutable.

Evangeline turned her back to him and headed for the door. "Do what you want," she said dismissively.

She was tired of the lonely marriage bed.

Three years in, and all of a sudden, he cared about appearances? She could not stand sharing a room with him a moment longer.

She flung the door open, limped out, and slammed it shut without a backward glance or a second thought.

She left the villa.

The wind scattered the overpowering presence he always seemed to carry.

Alone in the dark room, Walter was brooding. After a while, he let out a mocking laugh and made a call.

"Come get me. I'm heading to the Garsides'."

"Yes, Sir!"

Cole had worn himself out in his younger days, and his health was failing, with severe heart and brain issues landing him in intensive care.

The following day, Evangeline, fighting off her discomfort, went to visit him in the hospital. To her dismay, Walter had the nerve to show up as well.

Cole and Walter were meeting officially for the first time, and Walter did not come empty-handed-he brought along a stash of pricey multivitamins as a gift.

Cole was a shadow of his former self, lying in bed, his once sturdy frame then frail and shrunken.

Despite the years taking their toll, his scholarly looks and air of distinction still shone through, leaving Walter taken aback. It was clear that Evangeline's grandfather was no ordinary country farmer as some had whispered. "What's with the mask, Evie?" Cole inquired, eyeing the concealed Evangeline.

"She's got a bit of a cold and didn't want to risk passing it on to you," Walter chimed in smoothly, covering for Evangeline.

Evangeline felt like she could not even stand sharing the air with him, her expression icy. (1

Nonetheless, for her grandfather's sake, she held back her true feelings and added, "Yeah, Grandpa, just a little cold. And come on, who could push around your granddaughter?" She gave her chest a confident pat and chuckled. Cole shook his head, his words a mix of gentle scolding and affection, "You've always been the picture of health. How did you manage to catch a cold? You need to take better care of yourself."

"Sorry, Grandpa, it's on me for not looking after Evie well enough," said Walter, settling his tall, elegant frame onto the sofa by the panoramic window.

Evangeline rolled her eyes internally at Walter's convincing act, giving him a mental thumbs-up. It was no wonder she had been so thoroughly duped by him for years.

The old man coughed again, a stark reminder of his frailty. "I'm not what I used to be. You young ones will have to shoulder the family's future," he said, a note of resignation in his voice.