Unmasking the Heiress (Evangeline and Walte)
Bitten Once Shy Forever 158

Chapter 158

Andrew was ghostly pale.

The room turned super awkward in an instant, but Evangeline seemed to be the only one keeping it together.

She knew all too well how much Julia meant to Walter, so she would not be shocked by anything he did for Julia. Even so, why did her heart still ache like this?

In front of Andrew and Lydia, she fought hard to keep her hands from clutching at

her chest.

How can you still not get it, Evangeline? Walter is all about Julia. You've got to let him go!' she chided herself.

Walter made it to the Foster Group building in under 10 minutes.

Stepping into the reception room, his towering figure instantly made it feel cramped.

Lydia latched onto Walter's arm like he was her lifeline. "Walter, that vixen Evangeline claimed Julia was with you! Is that for real?

"You've been guarding Julia like she's some state secret. Why didn't you clue me in sooner? We, the old folks, need a little peace of mind, you know!

"But you know, Julia's had it rough from the start with a dad who's as reliable as a leaf in the wind. But things are different now, Walter. You're Julia's rock. With you looking out for her, I can finally rest easy as her mom..."

Lydia's eyes brimmed with tears as she spoke, her gaze fixed on Walter, her hand dabbing at her eyes.

Evangeline watched from the sidelines, her knowing look saying it all.

She had always wondered if Julia's knack for drama came from some secret acting classes. Upon seeing Lydia in action, who needed classes? Clearly, the apple did not fall far from the tree, though it seemed Julia missed out on the master class! Walter, though, was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Evangeline had demanded Julia, and he had refused. Lydia was asking this time, and Evangeline was betting Walter would not dare say no.

Walter took a etep back from 1ydia His expusin tuming grave, and he said. "Julia's been under my wing but the's not in Avalor my anymore"

Lydia perked up immediately. "new it, I knew it You sant Julia overseas, didn't you? You're worried stenut Evangeline, that wild child, causing her grief. Ito get it, I do

Walter just cracked a cold umple, pulled out a thick envelope from his jacket, and

thrust it into Lydia's hande

Lydia you've got it all wrong

1

Julia had made her own bed, and now she had to lie in it. I've sent her off to

Northern Montavia. Here, take a look at these photos I brought for you, a little something to remember her by," he said, with a twisted sense of consideration for her maternal feelings. Lydia was in shock, her mind a total blank. She opened the envelope on autopilot

and pulled out the photos.

The first one showed Julia, her head being forced down onto a desk, with a guy behind her grinning like he had won the lottery.

Julia was a mess, her face swollen and bruised, lying on a cold concrete floor, barely

hanging on.

The third... Well, each picture was worse than the last, the kind of stuff one would tum away from.

Lydia's hands shook harder as she flipped through them, and she could not bring herself to look any further.

"Walter, you monster! How could you do this to Julia?!" she yelled, her voice filled with rage, clutching the damning photos.

Walter calmly shrugged off her anger like it was nothing.

*She made her own mess, and now she's got to deal with it. Not my problem," he said without a hint of sympathy.

Poor Lydia, she totally lost it.

"No!" she screamed, backing away. "You monsters! How could you send our sweet Julia to that hellhole in Northern Montavia? You're trafficking people, and