Winston shook his head. “He’s not answering his phone, and he hasn’t replied to my texts either.” 

Giselle’s disappointment was plain on her face. 

Hazel chimed in from the side, “Maybe he’s just busy with something, doesn’t have time to pick up. Honestly, I thought Glenn was pretty taken with you last night.” 

Hazel’s words soothed Giselle a little. 

She thought so too. Glenn had spoken to her gently all evening, always patient and attentive. People said he usually had quite a temper, so if he wasn’t interested in her, why would he behave that way? 

Remembering the way Glenn looked at her, Giselle felt a wave of sweetness well up 

inside. 

But almost immediately, her eyes clouded with regret. 

If only Evangeline hadn’t shown up at the party last night. Glenn had been distracted by her, even getting angry at Giselle when Evangeline disappeared. 

The thought made Giselle bristle with resentment. 

“It’s all Evangeline’s fault,” she snapped. “If she hadn’t barged in, I could’ve spent more time with Glenn and shown him my best side.” 

“She must have clung to Glenn on purpose at the party. She’s already married to Soren, but she just can’t keep her hands off Glenn. Talk about greedy.” 

“Someone like her deserves exactly what Mr. Wellington-” 

Before Giselle could finish, Hazel quickly covered her daughter’s mouth, shooting her a sharp look. 

Winston didn’t know that they had recommended Evangeline to Mr. Wellington. And while he might not be fond of Evangeline as a daughter, she was still his flesh and blood. It was one thing for Evangeline to play hostess and curry favor, but if he ever found out they’d secretly sent her to Mr. Wellington’s bed, there would be hell 

to pay. 

Hazel had moved fast enough to stop Giselle from blurting out the whole truth, but Winston still caught the mention of Mr. Wellington and looked puzzled. “What about Mr. Wellington? What’s he got to do with Evangeline now?” 

12:09 

Chapter TUD 

“It’s nothing,” Hazel said quickly, forcing a laugh. “Giselle’s just upset and talking nonsense. She always says mean things when she’s angry.” 

She turned to Giselle, pretending to scold, “Don’t forget, Evangeline’s still your sister. You shouldn’t say things like that about your own family. Got it?” 

Giselle pouted and mumbled, “Fine, I know.” 

And just like that, the subject was dropped. 

Winston didn’t push further. Satisfied there was nothing amiss, he headed upstairs. 

Now only Giselle and Hazel were left in the living room. 

Hazel finally let out the breath she’d been holding, and tapped Giselle lightly on the nose. “You little troublemaker, you almost got us into real trouble just now.” 

Giselle stuck out her tongue in mock apology. 

“Oh, Mom,” she said, suddenly eager, “do you think Mr. Wellington’s gotten what he wanted by now?” 

She didn’t wait for Hazel’s answer–she’d already decided it must be true. 

Hazel had even gone so far as to buy sleeping pills to make sure things went smoothly. The way Mr. Wellington looked at Evangeline, it was obvious what he intended. 

Giselle gave a self–satisfied little snort. “Next time I see Glenn, I’ll make sure he knows all about this. Men care about these things–if he finds out Evangeline’s been with a man like Mr. Wellington, he’ll never look at her the same way again.” 

“That’ll put an end to any ideas she has of chasing after him.” 

Hazel only made a distracted sound in response, not entirely convinced herself. 

12/2