Unmasking the Heiress

Walter needed to see how Trey was doing. His grandfather had lost his appetite since Evangeline's departure, and Walter was worried about his health.

Upon entering, he found Trey engrossed in the latest news about Evangeline, his eyes gleaming with admiration.

Walter caught the look on his grandfather's face, which held no trace of shock at the revelation that Evangeline was a queen of the racetrack.

"Grandpa, you knew about this all along, didn't you?" Walter probed.

Without even bothering to glance back, Trey responded, "You've been Evie's husband for how long and are still clueless? What could I possibly know that you don't?"

The old man's tone was laced with irritation. "Evie's a rose that's been planted in a pile of manure!" He shook his head in dismay. "How on earth did the Gordons end up with a dud like you?" "Grandpa, I admit I messed up before, but is there anything else you know about Evangeline?" pressed Walter, desperate to uncover all he could about her.

"I've said it before, I don't know a thing. If you really care, go dig up the truth yourself!

The mere thought made Trey see red.

His once-favored granddaughter-in-law, her potential squandered by that good-for- nothing.

"Remember, there's a board meeting for the company tomorrow. You're expected to be there, and so is Evie," Trey mentioned.

Walter was baffled. "Why would Evangeline need to attend the Gordon Group's board meeting?"

"I'm planning to give Evie a slice of the Gordon Group's shares for you to oversee. Walter's face turned stormy.

Sure, Trey was fond of Evangeline, but with their marriage on the rocks and a divorce looming, was giving her the shares not the same as throwing them away? However, he knew better than to challenge his grandfather's will, so he stormed off, fuming.

Back at the company, Waller summoned Oscar to his office. "Any leads on Evangeline lately?" he inquired, his voice tinged with expectation.

Oscar felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple. How could he confess that he

had hit a dead end?

Normally, he would have a person's entire lineage mapped out in no time, but Evangeline was an enigma. Even probing into her father's history got him nowhere.

All trails led to her sixth birthday, and then nothing She had been whisked away to the countryside to live with her grandfather, and when Oscar followed up, he found the village deserted with nothing left but crumbling walls.

It was a ghost town. He could not even rustle up a stray dog for questioning.

"Well, I did discover that Mrs. Walter Gordon is a top-notch race car driver. The' Racing Queen' that's been all over the news? That's her," Oscar replied, resorting to stating the obvious.

"Dig deeper!" snapped Walter, his impatience evident as he juggled other, more pressing concerns and barely registered Oscar's report.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

"Right away," said Oscar, nodding vigorously as he made a swift exit to resume his

search.

Walter had that gut feeling that Evangeline was actually part of the Foster family, and not just because she was connected to James. In the capital, only the Fosters had the clout to make someone vanish without a trace, leaving the Gordons clueless for years.

Maybe she was the enigmatic Foster heiress, and the woman he had seen was just a

smokescreen.

That was the only explanation that fit.

Oscar was on his way out when Walter's voice stopped him in his tracks. He was terrified that Walter had dredged up the pointless report he had babbled earlier.

"Find me a picture of Cole, the gambling legend who took Ashiana by storm," ordered Walter.

'Great, another headache,' Oscar thought, mopping his brow. Why did every assignment have to be so tough?

"I've tried to dig up Cole's picture before, out of curiosity. There were some in the old

newspapers, but they were too fuzzy to make out. Rumor has it he was quite the looker in his youth, charmed his way into the local mob, and married the boss's daughter. Supposedly, that was how he made his name."