Page 10 of Angel

Catering crews rolled metal carts across the manicured lawns, hoisting a massive five-tier cake into the luxury pavilion.

Evangeline had spent months customizing the tent, selecting the crystal chandeliers, the imported French linens, and the rows of gold-rimmed chairs that sat empty under the striped awning.

All for naught.

Chapter 4

ANGEL

Asudden, loud knock at the door cut through my frenzied thoughts.

‘It’s Reese,’ a deep, authoritative voice rang out.

I glanced up, and my gaze clashed with Jude’s questioning one.

He arched a brow.

I huffed and nodded, for I had no choice in the matter.

Reese Béliveau Rosedale Snr was an unstoppable force.

Jude stepped to the threshold and unlocked the door.

Swinging it open, he jerked his chin in respect as a stately man walked into the room, bringing the heft of his classic Southern heritage with him.

‘Angel.’

His deep, rolling cadence reverberated in the room, a melodic drawl laced with authority.

I turned my head with agonizing slowness, a vicious migraine hammering my temples as I raked my eyes over Evangeline’s father.

His thin hands gripped his marble alpenstock cane capped with a solid-gold stallion’s head.

His grey three-piece suit was immaculate despite the humidity.

Of mid-stature, he appeared almost ascetic, with a narrow, hawkish nose and papery skin stretched tight over high, aristocratic cheekbones.

His slicked-back silver hair coated his ridged skull, and his pale blue eyes held no warmth.

Reese was an ambitious man whose cunning over the years helped him advance his power and status.

Well-versed in manipulation, he had a gift for maneuvering people to get what he wanted.

Behind Reese followed Elsa Rosedale, Evangeline’s mother, fashion-thin in a peach Chanel ensemble.

She hid her face with oversized dark sunglasses, her manicured red-tipped fingers clutching a diamond-encrusted clutch.

Her blonde hair sat in a severe bun that accentuated her pointed nose and taut, porcelain skin.

Three of Reese’s lackeys tracked in her wake, one of them a bulky security guard.

‘The hell?’ I muttered, annoyed at the invasion of my privacy.

Reese jabbed a ringed finger at me, then at the strange female beside him in a bespoke suit.

‘Di, my PR exec, just alerted me to the fact that Evangeline left the venue a few hours ago. Is this true, son?’

I jolted at his imperious demand, which only deepened my distaste for this man and his pushiness.