Evangeline groggily reached for her phone, squinting at the screen. It was already four in the morning.
Flora hardly ever called her at this hour.
Worried something might be wrong, Evangeline answered anyway.
As soon as the call connected, she heard Flora’s voice, weak and trembling with tears. “Evangeline, what do I do? I don’t know what to do…”
The distress in Flora’s tone jolted Evangeline wide awake. “What’s going on?” she asked, sitting up straighter in bed.
“I… I don’t know, I just feel so hot, so uncomfortable, and I just want to- Floral hesitated, biting her lip. Whatever shred of self–control and shame she still had. kept her from finishing the sentence.
At first, Evangeline was confused by Flora’s disjointed words.
But then she picked up on Flora’s ragged, desperate breathing–and it suddenly clicked. Not long ago, someone had spiked her own drink, and the symptoms had felt eerily similar.
Was Flora drugged?
The thought surfaced, but Evangeline immediately dismissed it.
No way.
Flora was the darling of the Fawkes family, always under Helena’s watchful eye. No one would be reckless enough to try something like that.
She didn’t know exactly what had happened, but it was clear this was an
emergency.
Evangeline was about to get up and go, then hesitated, her voice turning cool. “Don’t you hate me? Maybe you should call Poppy instead.”
Flora had pulled cruel pranks like this before–once, she’d faked an emergency, and when Evangeline came rushing over, Flora had mocked her obedience in front of her friends, laughing about how Evangeline always came running when called.
Now, Evangeline couldn’t help but suspect this was just another one of Flora’s
games.
But Flora just sobbed harder. Maybe she’d been crying for too long, because her voice came out hoarse. “I’ve tried calling Poppy over and over, but she won’t pick
Chapter 138
up.”
She’d thought about telling Helena or Clyde, too.
But this… this was something she couldn’t bring herself to admit to anyone else.
It had taken her ages to work up the courage to call Evangeline.
“Please, Evangeline, I’m begging you. Help me. I can’t stand this anymore.”
The usually imperious heiress was now curled up on her bed, twisting like a caterpillar in a cocoon. The feverish sensation was driving her to the brink of madness.
She didn’t know what else to do.
She didn’t even know why, of all people, she’d called Evangeline.
But somehow, deep down, she believed Evangeline would know how to handle it.
After all, whenever Flora had found herself in a bind, it was always Evangeline who quietly took care of things.
Hearing Flora’s desperate, tearful plea, Evangeline’s doubts faded. This didn’t feel
like an act.
Besides, Flora’s crying had banished any hope of sleep. With a resigned sigh, Evangeline decided she’d help her–just this once, she told herself.
After getting Flora’s address, she hurried over.
When they finally met, Evangeline saw Flora drenched with sweat, her skin flushed an alarming shade of red. She looked as if she’d just been hauled out of a boiling. pot–utterly miserable.
.
Evangeline wanted to take her straight to the hospital, but Flora fought her every step of the way, insisting she couldn’t let anyone see her like this
Left with no other option, Evangeline called Glenn.
She barely remembered how Glenn had fixed things last time, after she herself had blacked out from being drugged. But if anyone knew what to do, it was Glenn.
Glenn answered quickly. After Evangeline briefly explained–carefully leaving out Flora’s name–there was a pause on the other end.
“I have a friend who might have something to help,” Glenn finally said. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll bring it by.”
Relief washed over Evangeline. “Thank you.”
True to her word, Glenn arrived in under ten minutes.
Evangeline took the antidote from her, thanked her again, and hurried back to the
car.
Flora was in the back seat, her arms and legs covered in red scratch marks. Even the new leather upholstery was shredded from her frantic clawing.
Evangeline pressed her lips together, then pulled out the syringe Glenn had provided and carefully administered the medicine.
Within a few minutes, Flora finally began to calm down.
Evangeline gently wiped away the sweat from her brow and, making sure she was stable, drove her to the hospital.
Even though the symptoms had subsided, Flora had endured the ordeal for so long that Evangeline worried about possible side effects. Besides, with the scratches and bruises all over her, Flora would need proper care and bandaging.
Chapter 139
Chapter 139