Unmasking the Heiress by Sisi Yea

Walter did not allow Evangeline to fight back, not sparing her another glance. With a face of stone and a fury that could shake the earth, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. The sound was like thunder, and the chill wind that followed seemed to freeze the room, the dark night and churning sea outside consuming Evangeline's heart.

However, she did not rage. She laughed, a laugh that kept the tears at bay, and hurled her cup against the wall. "Walter, you bastard!"

Her inner rebel, long caged, shattered the facade she had maintained for three years. He had flaunted Julia in her face, a clear message to get out of the Gordon family. However, when she was ready to do just that, he balked?

She was not fooled. Walter was not the type to have second thoughts. He was always the one in charge, the mastermind. He would be damned if he was not the one calling the shots in their marriage, too.

He could walk away from her, leaving her to wear the label of a divorcee, but she was not allowed to challenge him.

He could suggest divorce, but she was supposed to stay silent.

Why was it that he could lavish all his love on the woman she despised most on New Year's Eve, and she was expected to step aside, clearing the way for them?

She was determined to end that marriage. She was set on claiming half of the alimony, too. She would not let Julia get off with a windfall.

After one too many drinks, her head spinning slightly, she splashed water on her face in the bathroom.

When she stepped out of the lounge, the party on the yacht had wound down. Even Julia had vanished.

With an arch of her brow, she strutted off the yacht in her stilettos.

The night stretched out, vast and chilly, the wind biting.

Evangeline stood solitary by the shore, on that New Year's Eve of farewells and new beginnings, gazing at the distant twinkling lights of countless homes.

She mustered her courage and dialed her uncle, James Foster.

30 minutes later, James' sleek black Porsche, the epitome of understated luxury, screeched to a halt before her.

up at James tearfully. "Uncle James... What took you so long?" James Foster, the top lawyer at Halcyonia with a shroud of mystery around him, had risen to prominence in recent years. Ruthless in the courtroom

fixed on his niece, he chided her with a mix of frustration and affection, "So you finally thought to call

gazed at her, his expression turning grave. "What's going on? It's the holidays, for crying

and she nuzzled against James' shoulder. "Uncle James, can

and watch his niece endure such mistreatment. "I should've known you wouldn't come to me unless it's serious. What were you thinking, falling for a loser

heartache and anger surged through James. He flicked

your other uncles get wind of this,

for me. I'm scared it might break Grandpa's heart... You've always been the best to me, please." She could not bear the thought of

His biggest dream is to hold a great-grandson, and he's been holding out for some good

weight of her Cole's hopes made Evangeline's

the Foster family, once a powerhouse in the South, took a devastating hit, her grandpa fell ill. Her uncles, besieged by betrayal, struggled to keep the family afloat. To save the Fosters from ruin, she stepped up to marry Walter. With all her uncles still single, she became the beacon of hope for the

one to carry on the Foster family legacy. He wanted her to

plans, and things became a

to have a baby was not just about keeping Walter close, it was about giving Cole peace of

she left the Rearden family for Cole's country home. Little did they know about Cole's real identity: Cole Foster,

under wraps for now. Once I'm pregnant, then we'll break the news

you saying?" James

legs. "Don't worry, Uncle. Give me two months, and I'll be carrying the Foster family's next golden boy." James could

in Evangeline's future, but they were not about to let her rush into

the divorce, Uncle.

think she could not make it

was about to show them all. She was determined to prove to Walter that she did not need him to have a life, to have a family with

to move on. She would find someone

Walter could stay tied to Julia all he

to start a family. Must be under thirty, standing at about 1.9 meters, drop-dead gorgeous with a genius-level IQ, and let's just say... Well-endowed, skilled in bed. Ivy