Downstairs, Winston poured tea for Mr. Wellington with the utmost deference.


    Mr. Wellington shot him a sidelong nce, his lips twisting in a grin that never reached his eyes. "Mr. Whitmore, are you certain you know how to make Evangelinee with me willingly?"


    "Of course," Winston replied with a smile. "After all, I am her father. She has no choice but to listen to me—and even if she refuses, I have ways of making herply."


    Hearing Winston''s confidence, Mr. Wellington narrowed his eyes, feeling his mood lift.


    Last time, not only had he failed to get what he wanted from Evangeline, but Soren and his friends had beaten him up. The memory still made him uneasy, yet his mind remained haunted by thoughts of her: Evangeline''s smooth, delicate back; her graceful figure; that innocent yet seductive face. He''d been restless ever since.


    He''d almost resigned himself to losing her for good—until, just as he was ready to give up, word spread through their circle: Evangeline and Soren had divorced.


    Divorced. That meant, whatever he did now, Soren would no longer stand in his way.


    He could finally indulge himself...


    A wicked anticipation curled through him as he licked his lips.


    Just then, a knock sounded at the door.


    Evangeline stood outside, and beside her, Finn yed idly with her hand, clearly reluctant to let go.


    Victor had once imed that Evangeline had him utterly bewitched; Finn hadn''t believed it at the time, but now, he could understand. At the very least, he waspletely taken with her hands-clean, slender, so pale against his own. And on her finger, she wore the diamond ring he''d given her.


    Anyone who knew would say it was her mother''s keepsake.


    But for those who didn''t... it looked very much like they were engaged.


    Not that it was just others who sometimes got confused-even Finn himself, every now and then, felt a flicker of uncertainty. Evangeline trusted him, let him kiss her, epted his closeness, as if she truly belonged to him, loving him with all her heart.


    But whenever he looked into her eyes-really looked, deep into her gaze-he saw the truth. Evangeline, like him, didn''t believe in love.


    A shame, really.


    He''d promised Victor he''d get information about Theresa from Evangeline within a week.


    If Evangeline fully trusted him, this would be a trivial task. But if she didn''t, it could getplicated.


    Thinking this, Finn didn''t rush or push-he simply smiled.


    "What are you smiling at?" Evangeline asked.


    Finn didn''t answer her question. Instead, he said, "You''re just here to pick up a photo album from the Whitmore estate-it''s hardly a challenge. If you teamed up with me, the entire Whitmore family could disappear overnight. Why not do it?"


    After all, her beloved mother was gone. The Whitmore family served no real purpose in Serenity City anymore.


    Evangeline fell silent for a moment. "Winston is still my father."


    Finn raised his eyebrows.


    He half-expected her to start talking about loyalty or family duty, but instead, she continued, "I already attract plenty of attention in Serenity City. If word got out that I was an ungrateful daughter-ruining my own family and destroying my father-it would only stir up public outrage. That could stand in the way of my future."


    "If the Whitmore family must disappear, I''d be wise to keep my distance."


    The most skillful move, after all, was to make someone vanish without leaving a trace of violence.


    But she wasn''t capable of that-yet.


    Finn considered this, then nodded. "Fair point. Right now, you represent UME. If


    you got tangled up in scandal, things could get messy."


    As the two discussed their ns, the door swung open.