I Am The Queen

He requested to searched Evangeline"s real whereabouts using her pictures. Though it took some time to complete, they found a match in the country of Everland. She must have made an unregistered, and if he might add, illegal flight to Everland to masked her trail.

Little girl . . . you still have much to learn.

He smirked and was about to call his brothers when his phone rang. Glancing at his phone, he saw that the number was unfamiliar. Nevertheless, he picked it and answered in a casual voice.

"h.e.l.lo?"

". . ."

The other side didn"t reply until some seconds pa.s.sed.

"Is this Alvaro Cole?"

"Yes. May I know who the gentleman is?"

Alvaro heard a sharp intake of air followed by an onslaught of words.

"This is Daniel Richardson calling from Everland. I want to let you know that Evangeline Heart is here staying at Royal Condominium and she"s a little . . . depress. She"s planning to climb Evermountain tomorrow in the freakin" month of winter. Kindly retrieve her before I use force to deport her out from here. And . . . bring Eric Phelps with you. I think he"s the only person she would listen to."

Alvaro"s droopy smile grew more prominent, and before he could answer the bombardment of information, he heard the familiar, Tut . . . Tut . . . signaling the call had ended.

He typed something on his laptop, and minutes later, he was connected to Eric"s telephone line.

"Hi, I"m not home at the moment, please leave a message after the beep."

Alvaro didn"t mind it was the answering machine and said, "Hi, Eric. This is Alvaro, by the way. I want to inform you that Evangeline is in danger, and if you don"t go to her, you might not see her anymore." He swiveled his chair while his voice didn"t sound panic whatsoever, it even sounded playful and teasing as he added, "She"s in the country were the land meets the sky."

Alvaro hanged up, laughter threatening to escape from his mouth. I found her first. As if I"ll let you all steal my thunder.

He dialed another number before clearing his throat. He opened his mouth and the smooth voice he always had croaked in panic and urgency. "Alexis, come to my study, quick!"

Alvaro then hung up and waited. He arranged his expression to one of concern and agitation in time the door of his study opened and came in Alexis with his long untidy red hair.

"Bro, what"s up? What"s the panic? Where"s the fire?" Alexis said the moment he opened the door.

He was busy helping Asher in looking for Evangeline on the other side of the room. His search was almost completed and only minutes away, his computer would have found Evangeline"s whereabouts. But his older brother had to call at the right moment.

"I found Evangeline. My sources told me she is planning to climb Taiga Monastery in southern Lapilli, wanting to enter the life of solitude," Alvaro seriously said without moments paused.

"What?!" Alexis screamed in panic, shouting, "W-Why? Evangeline wanted to be a nun? A monk? Is it even possible?! What happened?! Why?!" He was drowning in anxiety and worry for his darling cousin. The image of her with a shining bald head and in monk"s clothing flooded his mind. His face contorted in desperation as he pulled his hair.

"Bro! We have to stop her!"

Alvaro leaned, propping his chin against his crossing fingers, elbow resting on the table, a pained look took over his handsome face. "I can"t go. If we both disappeared, grandfather might suspect something, and it will spell trouble for both of us since we concealed Evangeline"s disappearance. That"s why, this time . . . I can only rely on you to bring Evangeline back safely to us."

Alvaro stared at Alexis, voice full of hope and worry. "I believe in you, little brother. Bring back Evangeline, and don"t let her enter the monastery."

Alexis felt something like pride rose in his heart amidst the panic and worry. It was rare for his older brother to rely on him. His face turned serious, and his voice sounded deeper, more mature. "Don"t worry. I"ll bring Evangeline back without fail!"

Alexis then hurriedly left, shouting in the corridor, "Sebastian! Ready my jet! Quick! We"ll be flying to Lapilli right now!"

Sebastian, who was minding his own business as a butler, shift his head left and right. "Eh? Lapilli? Why?"

. . .

. . .

Alvaro"s serious face didn"t diminish while his lips that were concealed beneath his crossing hands didn"t stop grinning from ear to ear.

Ahh . . . My naïve little brother is . . . still the same.

Chuckling, he straightened his back against his chair, swiveling it leisurely, waiting for something and that something finally appeared.

Asher barged inside the room. "Hoi, have you seen that d.a.m.nable squirt?" he barked, not even a greeting.

That d.a.m.n brat, Alexis. He just went for a leak, and when he returned, he found the squirt gone. The mountains of high-tech computers in the room displayed a 100% completed loading sign on the screen. Since he wasn"t into computers, he was afraid with one wrong click, he might delete all his and Alexis"s hard work. Now that finding Evangeline was within one click away, that d.a.m.nable brat disappeared.

Alvaro leaned forward, face grave as he said in urgency, "I found Evangeline."

Asher"s discontent and impatience evaporated when he heard his brother"s words. Slamming his palms against the table, he said, face full of worry, "What? Really? Quick! Tell me where Evangeline is!"

Alvaro took his time explaining. "Evangeline is in Nepal. My sources told me she"s likely depressed, wanting to climb Mt. Everest to go soul searching."

"What!"

Asher shriek, not minding his voice sounded not his. He didn"t press for more information and zoomed out from Alvaro"s study, shouting in the hallway.

"D! Get my jet ready! We"re going to Mt. Everest! NOW!"

D, who still hadn"t sleep a wink, shifted left and right. "Eh . . . Everest? Why?"

. . .

. . .

After a period of shouting, the mansion found its peace. Couldn"t contain himself, Alvaro"s shoulders trembled in a fit of laughter.

Ahahahaha!

My brothers! Ahh . . . Why are you so adorable?!

Alvaro laughed in a hysteric fit. One palm covered his face while his other hand pounded the table in a maniacal state.

Eventually, he stopped laughing, and like nothing happened, he brushed his fingers through his hair as he stood to his feet and arranged his lapel, sleek and suave.

Now . . . to rescue my darling, Evangeline.

Humming and whistling, he grabbed his coat and casually flung it over his shoulder. He opened the door and skidded to a stop. The surprised standing in front of him stole the air from his lungs. His eyes bulged so unnatural from his usual droopy one. That was how surprised he was –– in a horror way.

In front of him was his grandfather with his stern wrinkly face, and beside him was another regal old man with a carefree smile. While a pretty lady was looking at him, shy and infatuated, at the side. Her hands were rubbing together, a sense of bashfulness in her movements while a piece of concerning luggage was by her side.

It was only a fraction of second, though, and Alvaro reverted to his gentleman, kind façade as he gave out a greeting.

"Grandfather, Uncle . . . Maxine, what do I owe this visit?"

Marcos Cole didn"t beat around the bush and said, "Maxine wants to go to Frizkiel to attend the Rozienheim auction. And since you have nothing important at the moment, you can take a month off and accompany her for a vacation."

Though his grandfather appeared considerate, Alvaro knew it wasn"t a request but a command with no room for defiance.

Ah . . . Karma came too quick . . .

Alvaro lamented, yet his face stayed the same, pleasing as ever if not for the constant twitching of his eyelid and twisting of his lips.

"I"m sorry about that, Alvaro. My granddaughter here really wants to attend this auction, but we"re worried about her safety. If you"re by her side, this old man can have a peace of mind," Henry Celestine said, voice sounding helpless.

Henry Celestine, his grandfather"s best friend, flashed him a kind smile. And Alvaro knew beneath that smile concealed schemes and lies. Maxine has brothers, and the Celestine clan has gazillions of bodyguards. I don"t think my presence is required.

Of course, those words never left his mouth for his grandfather was eyeing him –– threateningly.

He could only answer, "Of course, it"s no problem. Let me go get my things, and we can leave right away."

Maxine"s red face brightened while the two older men nodded in satisfaction. Alvaro excused himself and went to his room to pack. His easy-going nature and gentle smile were still on his face until he closed the door of his room.

As soon as the door closed, ear-shattering sounds bounced in all parts of his room. The first thing he saw was now scattered on the floor in pieces with no chance of recovery. Not contented with the broken vase worth thousands of dollars, his hands grabbed everything he touched and threw it at the side to quenched his anger.

After so much of breaking this and that and the constant sounds of CRASH and BANG, Alvaro found himself sitting on his bed, leaning against his crossing fingers, in deep thought. His face was dark, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

Ah . . . this is annoying . . .

He didn"t like that his plans took a wrong turn. Despite his easy-going nature and the lazy portrayal of himself, he was quick tempted and impatient. And the one thing that always pushed his bottom line was when something happened which was out of his control. He needed control. Needed the feeling that everything was within his grasp. Everything was in his palms.

Clicking his tongue, he grabbed the telephone on his bedside table and dialed a number. After the familiar voice of the answering machine, Alvaro groaned the words.

"Eric, Evangeline is in Everland staying at Royal Condominium. If you don"t want anything to happen to her, be quick, and bring her back."