Finn''s smile was as gentle as ever, his light-colored eyes calm behind the clear lenses of his sses.


    Evangeline felt that his words were genuine; he truly did seem to be in a better mood than yesterday. Her eyes flickered as she tried to figure out how to phrase her question.


    "Evangeline, I''m your boyfriend. If you have something to ask, you can just ask it," Finn said softly, as if reading her mind before she could even formte the words. "You don''t have to guess what I''m thinking. After all, just seeing you is enough to make my day."


    He watched her with a knowing smile. He had noticed her distraction the moment she got in the car. Herpliments and attempts to please him were transparent. He wasn''t an idiot; he knew she wanted something from him. And he had a pretty good idea of what it was.


    Evangeline bit her lip. Deciding to be direct, she finally asked the question that had been on her mind all day. "Have you heard from Glenn in the past couple of days?"


    *So that''s it.*


    A faint smile yed on Finn''s lips. He wasn''t sure if he should be pleased by her and Glenn''s silent understanding or jealous. He knew that if she weren''t so anxious about Glenn''s situation, she probably wouldn''t have contacted him today.


    Seeing his silence, Evangeline thought she might have miscalcted. Glenn was always thorough. If he knew he wouldn''t be returning to Serenity City for a while, he would have made arrangements. He might not have told her to avoid causing her to panic, and Theo wasn''t involved enough to be a go-between. Her bodyguards were helpful, but their capabilities were limited. That left Finn as the most logical choice. Glenn knew about their rtionship, and it was likely he would have contacted Finn upon sensing danger. After all, Finn was not only her nominal boyfriend but also a UME investor-the perfect ally in both a personal and professional capacity.


    But Finn''s silence made her second-guess herself. Worried she might have upset him—it wasn''t exactly appropriate to ask your boyfriend about another man-she forced a smile and tried to backtrack. "It''s okay, I was just asking casually..." "He''s safe."


    Finn cut her off, his voice calm. "He''s trying to stall Victor. He ns to use this month to gauge the extent of Victor''s hostility toward you."


    Evangeline''s heart skipped a beat. She had been right.


    "Don''t worry, he''ll be fine. As for you..." Finn sighed, cing a hand on top of her head. His tone wasced with a weary fondness. "It''s amazing you have the energy to worry about anyone else right now."


    Evangeline managed a small smile. "Well, this whole thing started because of me."


    Finn shook his head. "Don''t take all the me on yourself. This isn''t your fault. Ultimately..."


    Before he


    could finish, her phone


    rang. It was


    Fawa message from I


    inform Mrs.


    Fawkes''s caregiver, i


    that the old woman had just w?ken


    up.


    A wave of relief washed over Evangeline. It felt as if one of the heavy weights on her mind had finally been lifted.


    Finn saw the change in her expression and let his unfinished sentence hang in the


    air.


    "Let''s go back," Evangeline said.


    Finn nodded without another word and started the car.


    Half an hourter, the car stopped,


    Evangeline realized they weren''t back at


    ét


    or vi but in front of a hospital-the very same one where Mrs. Fawkes was staying.


    ***