Background Check on Evangeline

The steady hum of the luxury sedan’s engine vibrated through the leather seats. Dominic gazed down at the pale, sweating girl resting against his chest. Evangeline’s eyes were squeezed shut, soft groans escaping her lips as her fingers gripped his ruined shirt. He did not know she had orchestrated the pitiful display the moment she heard heavy footsteps echoing outside the warehouse, deliberately provoking Tessa to maximize the fallout.

She let out a sharp hiss, shifting her bruised cheek away from the fabric.

Dominic shifted his hold, adjusting her weight in his arms. "Do you… need to go straight to the hospital?" His usual commanding edge softened into a rare, fragile whisper.

"There's no need for that," Evangeline breathed out, her voice raspy and weak. She played the exhausted victim flawlessly.

A troubled frown marked Dominic’s features. He raised his gaze to the rearview mirror, meeting the driver's eyes, and gave a curt nod. The car sped toward the iron gates of Vane Manor.

The heavy oak door of her bedroom clicked shut, leaving Evangeline alone in the quiet sanctuary. The moment the latch engaged, the frail act dropped. She straightened her posture, reaching beneath her layered clothes to retrieve a hidden burner phone. The screen lit up with a massive flurry of frantic texts from her subordinate, Jace.

*Are you okay, Boss? Have you been rescued?*

Evangeline typed with quick, precise movements. *Safe. Rescued. Paid a small price for it though.*

Jace immediately fired back a crying emoji. *That's awful! Tell me who, and I'll handle them.*

*I'll handle it myself. Stand down,* she texted back, rejecting his offer of violent retaliation.

Tossing that thread aside, she navigated to her contacts and dialed an exclusive, unlisted number. The call connected on the first ring.

The sophisticated woman on the line sounded furious. "Tessa Vance, was it? I'll personally take care of it right away, Eva." The woman's promise carried lethal certainty.

"Thanks a lot, then!" Evangeline replied. Her voice turned sweet, devoid of the raspy weakness she used in the car.

"I'll be visiting an old friend in Veridale quite soon," the woman added. "I expect to see you."

"Of course. I'll clear my schedule and show you around myself."

A sharp knock at the door interrupted the plotting. Evangeline shoved the burner phone under her pillow and shuffled to the door, pasting a tired look back onto her face. She pulled it open to find an icy, composed Dominic standing beside the esteemed family doctor.

"Take a look at her," Dominic ordered, stepping aside.

"Miss Ashford, right? May I come in?" the doctor asked, adjusting his grip on his medical bags.

Evangeline nodded, letting them inside. The doctor conducted a thorough examination of her bruises and cuts. He efficiently cleaned the superficial injuries, applied ointment, and set a bottle of strong pain medicine on the nightstand.

"It's nothing serious for now," the doctor said. "Take these for the swelling. We can do a full check-up if something else comes up."

"Thank you for the trouble. Bye!" Evangeline said, eager to see him out.

The doctor packed his equipment and left the room. A heavy, awkward silence settled between the two young adults. Dominic did not move toward the door. His sharp eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her every micro-expression.

"Were you on the phone with someone earlier?" he asked abruptly.

Evangeline blinked, feigning wide-eyed cluelessness. "Oh, that? It was just an annoying automated spam call."

Dominic held her gaze. He knew he would not pry the truth out of her stubborn mouth tonight. He pulled out his sleek smartphone and extended it toward her. "Give me your private number, then. We need to ensure efficiency and safety if something happens again."

Eager to get his towering presence out of her personal space, Evangeline took the device. Her slender fingers flew across the screen, tapping in her digits. She shoved the phone back against his chest, flashing an exaggerated grin. "Good night, Dominic."

He took the phone, his expression cold. "Remember to diligently take your medicine," he said, turning his broad back to her and striding down the hall.

Dominic retreated to the quiet solitude of his dark, imposing study. He had barely seated himself behind the mahogany desk when his private line rang. It was an encrypted call from his top executive assistant.

"President Vane, we have a situation," the assistant reported, deep confusion lacing his voice. "No one is home at the Vances'. The entire family vanished from their high-security residence within the last hour. Could they have fled ahead of time?"

Dominic sat in silence. The leather chair creaked as he leaned back, pondering the timeline. Erasing a wealthy family in mere minutes required terrifying resources. Who could have possibly gotten the news of the kidnapping and struck so quickly?

He recalled Evangeline's cheerful, secretive phone call behind her closed bedroom door. The spam call excuse was a blatant lie. Something about the supposed country bumpkin was undeniably fishy.

"Should we continue looking into where the Vances went?" the assistant asked through the encrypted line.

Dominic slowly lowered his eyes. A calculating glint appeared in the darkness of the study. "Don't bother looking into the Vances for now." He tapped his fingers rhythmically against the desk, shifting his focus to the enigma living under his roof. "I want you to run a full, deep-dive background check on Evangeline Ashford instead."