Chapter 5 5

The sidewalk seemed to pitch and roll like the deck of a ship. Evangeline stumbled as her heel caught the edge of the curb. Her vision tunneled, the streetlights stretching into long, blurry ribbons of light.

She reached out blindly for the stone pillar of the club's entrance, but her hand grasped only air.

"Whoa, easy there."

Before her knees could hit the concrete, strong arms caught her. The impact she expected never came. Instead, she was pulled against a firm chest that smelled of expensive tobacco and rain-distinctly different from Cedric's sandalwood.

Evangeline blinked, trying to clear the black spots dancing in her vision. She looked up.

A pair of piercing blue eyes looked down at her. The face was handsome, sharp-angled, with a jawline that looked like it could cut glass.

"I'm fine," she muttered, trying to push herself upright. Her legs refused to cooperate, buckling again.

"You don't look fine," the stranger said. His voice was deep, soothing. He didn't let go. He shifted his grip to support her weight more securely, signaling with a nod to a black SUV idling nearby.

Behind her, the club doors burst open.

Cedric stormed out, his face a mask of thunder. He had pushed Chloie aside mid-complaint, driven by an instinct he couldn't name-a sudden, irrational terror that Evangeline was walking away for good.

He scanned the street.

He saw the red dress. And then he saw the man holding her.

Cedric stopped dead. He recognized the man instantly. Cliffton King. The media darling, the elusive heir of the King Dynasty, and a ruthless competitor in the tech sector.

Jealousy, hot and acidic, surged through Cedric's veins. It was irrational-he had just signed the divorce papers-but seeing another man's hands on Evangeline's waist made him see red.

"Unhand her, King," Cedric barked, storming down the steps.

Cliffton looked up. He didn't flinch. He didn't release Evangeline. He just looked at Cedric with a cool, detached amusement.

"She looked like she needed help, Malone," Cliffton said. "Something you seem remarkably bad at providing."

"She is my wife," Cedric snarled, stepping into Cliffton's personal space.

"Ex-wife," Evangeline corrected. She had regained enough clarity to stand on her own, though she kept one hand on Cliffton's arm for balance. She looked at Cedric, her eyes cold. "We are divorced. Who I am with is none of your business."

Cedric flinched as if she had slapped him. "Evangeline, get in the car. We are going home."

"I have no home with you."

The club doors opened again. Chloie hobbled out, one hand clutching her stained dress, the other holding her phone. She took in the scene-the two powerful men facing off, Evangeline in the middle-and her face twisted with malice.

"Already found a sugar daddy?" Chloie sneered, limping down the stairs. "That was fast, even for a gold digger. Did you plan this? Is that why you staged that scene inside?"

Cliffton turned his head slowly to look at Chloie. The air around him seemed to drop ten degrees. He didn't say a word, but his glare was so intense, so filled with a predatory danger, that Chloie's mouth snapped shut. She took a step back, instinctively seeking Cedric's protection.

Cedric turned his anger back to Evangeline. "If you slander Chloie to the press, Evangeline, I will bury you in legal fees. I will enforce every clause of that NDA until you can't afford a cup of coffee."

He used his wealth like a cudgel. It was the only way he knew how to interact.

Evangeline laughed. It was a weak sound, but defiant. "Protect your murderer all you want, Cedric. The truth has a way of coming out. It doesn't care about your money."

She turned to Cliffton. "Thank you for the help. I can manage from here."

"Are you sure?" Cliffton asked, ignoring Cedric completely.

"Yes."

Evangeline walked to her beat-up Honda. She moved slowly, with dignity, despite the dizziness that still threatened to pull her under. She got in, started the engine, and pulled away.

Cliffton watched the car go. He pulled out his phone and typed the license plate number into a secure app.

Cedric stood fuming on the sidewalk. He was torn. Part of him wanted to get in his car and chase Evangeline, to demand answers, to drag her back. But Chloie was wailing behind him, clutching his sleeve.

"Cedric, my dress! I'm freezing! And that man... did you see how he looked at me?"

Cedric looked at the disappearing taillights of the Honda. He cursed under his breath, a vile word that tasted like ash.

He turned back to Chloie. "Get in the car," he snapped.

As the Malone limousine pulled away, Cliffton King remained on the curb. He dialed a number.

"It's me," Cliffton said. "I need a full background check on Evangeline Watson. Start with the foster system records after the car crash twenty-three years ago. Her official files will be sealed or forged. Dig deep. Something isn't right."

"You think it's her?" the voice on the other end asked.

"She has Mother's eyes," Cliffton said softly. "And she hates the Serranos. That's enough for me to start digging."