Finn gave a rxed smile. "Honestly, I thought you''d start with a little small talk— ease in with something basic before getting to the real questions."
He hadn''t expected her to cut straight to the heart of the matter with her very first
ask.
Evangeline replied, "With most people, I probably would."
Finn raised an eyebrow. "So why not with me?"
She smiled, her voice soft and warm. "Because you''re my boyfriend. I can''t treat you like everyone else, can I?"
Finn caught the yful glint in her eyes, the way they curved as she smiled, mischief flickering in those chestnut irises.
He let out a quiet, helplessugh.
He could see what she was doing-mirroring his own tactics.
Mix just enough truth in with the lies, and after a while, it''s impossible to tell one from the other.
Finn leaned back in his chair. "Victor''s my cousin. Honestly, if it weren''t for him, my sister and I probably wouldn''t be alive today. But the same goes for him— without us, he wouldn''t have made it this far either. When we were kids, it was... well, you could call it a sort of symbiosis. These days, though, it''s more of a partnership."
"A partnership in what?" Evangeline asked. "Controlling the Lockridge family-or is it something else?"
Finn didn''t answer right away. Instead, his tone shifted. "My turn."
Evangeline pressed her lips together and folded her arms, crossing them over her chest—a ssic posture of self-protection, whether she realized it or not.
Finn noticed but said nothing. "How are you feeling today?"
Evangeline blinked, caught off guard.
What kind of question was that?
She couldn''t help but point out, "I thought we agreed to take turns. If you waste yours on trivial questions, you''ll only end up giving me more information before you get what you really want."
Finn shrugged, unbothered. "I don''t think it''s trivial. I actually care."
Evangeline was silent.
"And besides," he added with a hint of a smile, "as you said, we''re a couple. I should treat my girlfriend differently. With others, I go straight for the jugr. With you, I want to help you let your guard down."
He repeated the question, more gently this time. "So-how are you feeling today?"
The question, simple as it was, settled between them. Evangeline felt her nerves ease as she tried to recall thest time she''d even considered her own feelings.
It should have been easy to answer, but the truth was, she realized, she couldn''t remember thest time she''d thought about it at all.
All those years—the Whitmores'' cold contempt, the Fawkes'' biting remarks, Soren''s growing hostility day after day, Macy''s constant orders, and the mocking nces from everyone else in Serenity Falls-she''d learned that paying attention to her emotions only ever brought her pain. No one cared how she felt. There was no one to ask, no one who would listen.
So eventually, she''d trained herself to ignore it all-shut down her senses, block out the hurt, just to survive another day.
Finn''s voice broke the silence. "Is it really that hard to answer?"
She managed a small smile. "I''m... happy. I''m happy there''s still someone in this world who''ll stand by me-without hesitation-when I need help. Whatever your reasons, I''m grateful for that."
Finn arched an eyebrow, a rare trace of sincerity in his voice. "The pleasure''s all mine."
Evangeline didn''t hesitate to press forward with her earlier line of questioning. "So, you and Victor are partners. Tell me if one day, while we''re still together, Victor asks you to get rid of me, what would you do? Would you keep working with him? Stand aside? Or... would you choose me?"
She didn''t flinch,ying her real question bare.
Finn didn''t look surprised. If anything, it seemed he''d been expecting it all along.
Evangeline watched him, reading the calm in his eyes and the measured set of his mouth.
Of course he knew about her history with Victor. He''d known for a long time.