"What did you say?"


    "Are you sure you heard them correctly? The person they''re investigating is me?"


    Poppy stood in her room, phone pressed tightly to her ear, her voice sharp.


    "Yes, Miss Yates," the voice on the other end confirmed. "They''ve been looking into your activities abroad, as well as your whereabouts over thest five years. They even visited the neighborhood where you were staying."


    Poppy''s expression darkened. "Who sent them?"


    "I''m not sure. I didn''t recognize any of them. They were new faces."


    A knot of dread formed in Poppy''s stomach. *Is Soren investigating me?*


    The thought was dismissed as quickly as it appeared. With the engagement so close, Soren waspletely consumed with preparations. He wouldn''t have the time or the inclination to investigate her now. She knew him; he trusted her. He wouldn''t go behind her back.


    "I did overhear them talking," the voice added. "It sounded like they were hired by a woman."


    Poppy''s eyes narrowed. *A woman.*


    She had only recently returned to the country, but she knew plenty of women. However, thanks to her rtionship with Soren, she was on good terms with most of the city''s socialites. They had no reason to investigate her.


    What about the Fawkes family?


    Flora was too naive and adored her. Helena might have the motive, but she would have done her digging long ago, not now when the engagement was all but a done deal.


    If it wasn''t them...


    An image began to form in her mind, graduallying into focus. With dawning certainty, she knew who it was.


    *Evangeline.*


    It had to be her. She was the only one with the motive and the means. So, Evangeline was still not giving up. She was nning to crash the engagement party.


    Poppy''s heart pounded in her chest, but she forced her voice to remain steady. "What did they find?"


    "I don''t know. They were too cautious. I was nearly caught just trying to follow them.


    I didn''t dare get too close."


    "But they''ll find it. If they dig deep enough, they''ll definitely find it. I suggest you make a n, and soon."


    The line went dead.


    Poppy''s breath hitched. She


    steadied herself against the sofa and sat down, her mind racing. After a moment, a cold, calcting look entered her eyes a flicker of darkness passing through them.


    At the factory, Evangeline finished supervising the day''s work and drove back to


    Serenity City with Finn.


    He pulled up in front of her


    apartment building. Before getting out, she turned to him, a mysterious smile ying on her lips ve booked a restaurant for tomorrow night. Dinner, just the two of us."


    She seemed rxed and happy.


    Finn raised an eyebrow. "Good news?"


    Her smile widened. "Mmm-hmm."


    "What kind of good news?" Finn asked, though he already knew.


    The evidence against Poppy-proof


    that she had orchestrated the plot that led to the death of her


    to the


    child was nowplete. The. police had officially opened a case In three days, at Soren and Poppy''s engagement party, the truth would finallye out. She would get


    justice for her baby.


    And, tomorrow was also the one-month anniversary of their rtionship. A double


    celebration was certainly in order.


    Evangeline met his all-knowing gaze.


    "I got in touch with Glenn today," she said. "He''s safe."


    Finn almostughed out loud. "...So you''re this happy because you heard from Glenn?"


    Evangeline nodded. "What else would it be?"


    Finn was speechless. To be fair, she had been quiet and withdrawn for weeks, clearly worried about Glenn. From that perspective, it was indeed good news.


    He swallowed the word "anniversary" and forced a smile. "That''s definitely worth celebrating."


    "We can call it a final hurrah before Victor gets back," he added yfully. "Who knows what will happen then."