Chapter 104
“Glenn Carlisle?”
The name rang a faint bell for Soren.
Gregory offered a reminder, “He’s the CEO of UME–the one you wanted to partner with.”
Soren frowned. “Could it just be someone with the same name?”
Gregory shook his head, though Soren couldn’t see it. “No, sir. It’s Mr. Carlisle himself.”
Soren’s fingers curled loosely into a fist, pressing thoughtfully to his chin as his eyes narrowed.
The real Glenn? Even Flora can’t get a meeting with him.
How on earth did Evangeline end up with someone like that?
Sensing his confusion, Gregory added from the other end of the line, “I also found out that Glenn has a younger sister, Theresa. She used to be Miss Whitmore’s best friend. Back then, Miss Whitmore was quite close with the Carlisles.”
He hesitated, then continued, “But five years ago, Victor Lockridge–the Lockridges‘ heir–arranged to be engaged to Theresa. She refused, ran away, and left Silverpine. No one’s heard from her since. After that, Miss Whitmore lost touch with the Carlisles as well.”
Gregory’s words slowly unraveled the knot in Soren’s mind.
He’d heard Evangeline once had a very close friend, but he’d never known her name. Gregory went on, “Mr. Fawkes, do you think Miss Whitmore found out about your plans to work with UME, and that’s why she approached Glenn? Maybe she’s trying to help you negotiate a deal?”
It wouldn’t be the first time.
In the past, Evangeline had tried to please Soren by quietly prying into whatever obstacles he faced at Fawkes Enterprises, then doing whatever she could to help behind the scenes.
Unfortunately, Soren hated when people meddled in his affairs–especially behind his back.
Chapter 104
Sure enough, as soon as Gregory finished, Soren’s brows knit tighter. He gave a cold little laugh. “Busybody.”
When had he ever needed a woman to fight his battles for him?
Gregory lowered his voice in gentle protest. “Mr. Fawkes, whatever her methods, Miss Whitmore means well. Please don’t be upset. Still, she’s been spending a lot of time with Glenn lately. Maybe it’s worth paying attention to-”
“No need.” Soren cut him off, having guessed where Gregory was headed.
A man like Glenn would never have a shortage of women vying for his attention. Why would he notice Evangeline?
Besides, all of this had happened days ago. Soren had no interest in digging up the past.
He let the matter drop. “What about the name Alison? Anything new?”
This, apparently, baffled Gregory even more.
“Mr. Fawkes, I’ve looked into Miss Whitmore’s entire network. I’ve checked everyone in the Whitmore family. There’s no one by that name–no aliases, no nicknames, nothing. Not in her circle.”
He paused, then added, “And honestly, it doesn’t sound like a man’s name.”
“Are you sure you heard right, Mr. Fawkes?” Gregory asked.
Soren’s voice was flat. “I heard right.“,
He remembered that day perfectly. Evangeline had said the name more than once. Even if he’d misheard it once, he couldn’t have misheard it every single time.
“Keep digging,” Soren instructed.
The name made him uneasy. His instincts had always been sharp, and he trusted them now.
Gregory hesitated.
He’d already uncovered everything he could about Evangeline–everything except the information tied to her as Mrs. Fawkes, which was out of his reach.
He didn’t know her well, but he knew enough. In all these years, aside from Glenn, he’d never seen another man around Evangeline.
So who could this Alison be?
Chapter 104
A wild thought suddenly flashed in Gregory’s mind.
He started to speak, then checked himself. Instead, he said tactfully, “Mr. Fawkes, it
sounds like a child’s name. Could it be that…”
Evangeline secretly had his child?
For a split second, Soren was stunned.
So that’s why she was so desperate to move out of the house–and why she refused to come back.
