Listening to Ben's words, with every moment that passed, Evie became more and more outraged.

"Nobody thought to tell me that my dad is still a criminal?!" She asked.

Ben sighed. "He's not a criminal, Evie. He's just not the most honest guy. We didn't want to hurt you but we didn't think you'd take it this far."

"You guys let me go down a rabbit hole of deception? If it's even true that's he's not who I thought, he's still my dad. Would he really hurt me?" Evie retorted.

Mal sighed and rested her hand under her chin. "Family may be family. However, sometimes it's better to let things be. Despite your blood relation, that ultimately doesn't mean a thing. Yes, he's your dad, but what good is going to do for you?"

"Evie. Maybe you should calm down and see us through," Carlos said. "Call Doug and see what he thinks."

Evie groaned and felt her heart beating rapidly. Maybe this is a sign I don't need anything to do with the Isles, she thought just as a buzzing noise in her ear caught her attention. "Hey, do you guys hear anything weird?"

She clasped her hand over her ear and winced.

"No. Nothing" They replied.

"You think there's a bug in your ear? Like a tech one?" Carlos asked, his voice more concerned than before as he grabbed his laptop and flipped it open.

"Has Mirage or Hans done anything weird lately? Especially Mirage?" Carlos asked.

"I don't think so. I signed a few security papers at the airport to meet with Hans. His daughter shooed me out of their house and Mirage recorded me in the painting. But that's all I know"

Mal and Ben looked at each other. "Perhaps Doug knows. Was there any embrace between you and your dad or Mirage?" Ben inquired as he took out his phone to text his friend. Though he planned to ask his best friend later about his findings, the Southern Isles situation had already escalated.

"Yeah. I hugged my dad before I came up here. Why?" She asked, a lightbulb lighting up in her mind. "You think he—"

"It's only a possibility," Carlos said typing into his laptop. "I went into the database of suspicious activity and it looks as if Mirage had been participating in illegal schemes. Embezzling, wiretapping, the works"

Ben frowned on the screen. "Carlos, how'd you get into the database?" He asked confused.

"That's kinda not important right now, don't you think?" The salt-and-pepper haired boy answered, looking back at his computer.

Ben shrugged. "I guess not, but the security code is really that easy to hack?"

"Yeah. The password to everything was the same, super long word" Carlos chuckled, crossing his arms against his chest, leaning back in his chair.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," Jay laughed. He looked to the screen and Carlos turned beet red. "Oh." The others turned back to their screens toward Evie who clearly wasn't happy.

"You guys think my dad slipped a device in my purse?" Evie asked, her voice breaking. She tried her very best to hide the hurt in her voice, but it was as evident as the tears forming in her eyes.

As she still felt the buzzing in her ear, she got off her bed and went to her purse. The bag was open just as she had left it and she dumped out the contents. Finding a tiny black device with a green light blinking, she threw it on the hardwood floor. Her friends called her name as she took her wedged heels and smashed the piece into bits. With a crackle, the green light was gone and the device sizzled.

"Doug was right, huh?" Evie said her voice shaking with a bit of reluctant laughter. She appeared on the screen again and smiled at her friends. Her smile, as sad as her eyes glinting with tears.

"I guess so," Jay said with a sigh. "I can't believe your dad did this to you. Such a rotten guy"

"Tell me about it. I'm a little worried to find out how else he was planning to use me. And for what?" She said placing her hands on her cheeks to hide the faint tears. Her friends nodded, not sure how else to help her. She was hurt and vulnerable, but what could they do except encourage her through their devices?

As the other VKs and Ben attempted to change the subject, just then, Evie's phone vibrated. A message dropped down at the top of the screen. It was from a sender she hadn't heard from since the morning. The message, obviously sent to her by accident, read details of what Hans and Mirage were really up to.

Mirage, we lost the device's signal.

Should I get her to come down so I can plant a new one?

You know, this feels kind of weird, don't you think?

I guess the throne will be ours soon.

Evie read the message over and over, staring at screen. Her friends called her name, noticing that her image had been paused.

She returned to the chat, completely out of it.

"What happened, E?" Mal asked as Evie simply let the tears flow from her eyes.

"I'll—I'll send you guys—I'll send the screenshot. But I need to call Doug," she said through her tears that gradually turned to sobs. Within a moment, the others barely getting to say goodbye, she hung up.

"He knew it," Evie whispered to herself as she wiped her tears with the backs of her hands. "He knew it."

Dialing her boyfriend's number, she waited as it rang and rang and rang. You should have known, she thought to herself.

At the last ring, she got an answer. With a simple hello, he answered. To hear his voice again, reminded Evie of the mistake she had made to let him go away.

"Evie?" He asked, hearing nothing but sobs. "Evie! Are you okay?"

"No. You were right. It was all a lie. Mirage, Hans and Hana" she said, her voice barely audible. She sniffled, trying to control her flowing tears but it was no use. "Doug, please help me. I'm so sorry."

The line was flat as all she heard was the shuffling of papers. "I know. I'm sorry too. But what's more important is that you're okay."

"What should I do? I ruined the device and now I want to go home. I'm humiliated and just confused."

"I knew everything had been too good to be true. The device? He wiretapped you?"

"Yeah. He and Mirage did. He did all this so I would leave the Isles and wouldn't take the throne. They sabotaged my visit. I can't believe I was letting my sudden feelings guide me. Got a plan?" Evie said, her tears starting to let up. She sniffled and got up to grab a tissue for her nose.

The line was silent as she assumed he had been thinking.

"I guess we'll just have to be a step ahead, then," Doug suggested.

"How?"

"They want you out, so we'll give them what they want. But not before destroying the nation first."

Evie frowned and raised a brow, though Doug couldn't see her through the audio call. "Huh?"

"We have the leverage here," he said his voice sounding that he was seemingly bemused. "We'll give them what they want, while you still hold them accountable for their actions. Clear out your hotel room before they try anything else. Meet up with Elsa and explain everything. Then I'll conference call you both. Okay?"

Evie's heart skipped a beat thinking of his immediate construction of a plan. With a smile through her tears, she agreed.

"Okay. Can you stay on the line a little longer?" Evie asked. She was met with a chuckle.

"Of course."

Finding a calm level of breathing, she wiped her face with a few tissues and got out of bed. Still hearing his voice and his breathing, Evie was glad he hadn't written her off. But then again, why would he?

After changing into more suitable outside wear, she packed up her suitcase and turned out the lights. Remarkably, she left her hotel room in a mere fifteen minutes. Dumping the remnants of the device into the garbage, she took her tote and wheeled the luggage outside the room.

Still on the phone, she locked the door and went toward the elevator. "I'm about to get on the elevator. Thank you for sticking with me on the phone," she said softly. "Are you sure you're not still upset with me. I know I was in the wrong and I'm truly sorry. I should've listened to you. This whole trip has been a disaster—"

Interrupting, Doug softly shushed her. "It's okay. I understand why you said and did what you did. Things spiral out of control when you're in the heat of the moment. I should have been a little more sympathetic as you wanted to know your dad. Either way, we can't redo the past."

Smiling as she waited for the elevator, when it opened, Alfred was waiting inside. "Ms. Westergaard," he said as Evie stepped inside.

She nodded her head in acknowledgment to him, before she returned to her conversation.

"Okay. I—love you," she whispered hoping Alfred wouldn't hear but that was unlikely in the small space. Red rose to the surface of her cheeks. Alfred looked away, letting her have some privacy, though he did glance over one or twice.

Doug replied with the same words and she hung up. Evie turned off her cell phone and slipped it into her tote.

"Going home?" He asked as she nodded.

"Soon. I found out that my father isn't who I thought," Evie sighed. Alfred smiled kindly and nodded his head.

"That must be a bummer," he said with his usual sing-songy tone. "The boyfriend?"

Evie looked up and blushed once again. "Yeah, we kind of made up."

"Good. Well, I wish you the best, Ms. Westergaard. Nice to be of your acquaintance" he said as the door opened. She pulled her things along and gave him a wave, but stopped in her tracks. Turning back, she smiled.

"Queen not Westergaard, please," She said. He gave her a wink.

"Good choice."

The elevator door closed. Turning to the rest of the lobby, Evie had to chuckle. Alfred had been quite the doorman.

Giving the receptionist her key card to check out, she awaited the diplomatic car that was sent by her a few minutes ago.

The receptionist happily helped her and gave her a complimentary free stay at the hotel. Thanking the woman, she knew she'd have to give it away. She wasn't planning on coming back to the Southern Isles.

Ever.

Once the car showed up in the front entrance, Evie directed the driver to the Southern Isles Estate where she had met with Elsa once before. She called the woman who to her surprise was more than willing to allow Evie to stay for the evening.

When she arrived, the same ensemble was performed as Evie followed Elsa and her guards into the large building. Going into the private room, Evie took a seat across from Elsa and explained everything, from her dinner chat with her dad to the destroying of the wired bug.

"I'm sorry," the Queen of Arendelle said, taking a quick sip of her tea. "I'm very sorry, Evie. I'm afraid I do not have many options for you. I can file a crime report of Hans if you still have the evidence. And for you, I could get a private jet to fly you home." She suggested.

Evie shook her head. "I threw out the device, but I still have the text message and my boyfriend actually formulated a plan"

"Oh, really? So now the boyfriend is back in the picture?" Elsa asked with a slight smirk, causing Evie to look down and shyly smile.

"Well, yes. He suggested that we conference call him," Evie said pulling out her phone. Elsa summoned a guard to plug Evie's phone into the television that was across the fireplace in the small room. They both turned to the left to view the screen.

Popping up on the screen, Evie waved to Doug. It had been too long since she'd seen him, she thought. It was then when she also vowed to never go the silent treatment route again.

"Madame Elsa, my pleasure to be in your presence," Doug said lowering his head. Elsa nodded and waved him off.

"It's fine. No need for the show," she laughed. "In this room, my guests and I are very chill. I am told you have a plan to help out your Evie?"

Doug nodded. "I do. It's fairly simple. If we can get Evie to be crowned today, which I researched is plenty legal in the Isles, she will be able to take the throne, implement the joining of Arendelle and the Isles, and lastly abdicate within 24 hours. With it being 5 in the evening, she'd abdicate at 5 tomorrow before the flight"

Elsa's eyes widened just as much as Evie's. The two women looked at each other before looking back to the screen.

"Well, looks like we have a genius before us," Elsa said. "I'll grab the papers then"

"Wait," Evie said, stopping Elsa from getting up. She looked to her boyfriend, her eyes concerned. "You're sure this will work?"

"Since it's a loophole, it may be a little iffy. But," he began. He found her eyes and stared sincerity straight into them. "I promise it will. I know it."

Elsa looked at the two and hid the smile she felt coming across her face. Breaking out of their stare, Evie returned to Elsa and Doug turned his attention back to the Queen, now embarrassed.

"Well then. If there are no longer any concerns, I will go find the paperwork. I'll be right back. Oh, and I'll send for my speech writer," she said as two guards followed her to the door and left with her.

"This is going to work just great, Evie. Do you want me to fly in?" He asked, tending to things on his desk, trying not to get lost in her eyes again.

"Um, you don't have to. I mean I wouldn't want you to miss out on work or have to waste money on a flight," Evie said even though she wanted him to fly in.

Doug nodded, making note to look for last minute flights anyway "I'll be here all night if you need anything."

"Alright," Evie said. She gave him a small wave and he smiled at her, hanging up the call.

Glad things were still turning around, Evie was positive she was never going to speak to her father again. Still in a little shock over the betrayal and dishonesty, Evie regretted putting her agenda to meet him and get a title over the things that mattered.

As she awaited Elsa and the speech writer, she sent the screenshot to her friends and wrote a message of the plan. Receiving responses almost in a split second, she felt the warmth from her conversation earlier with Doug return.

They truly cared about her. Mal, Carlos, Jay, Jane, Lonnie, Ben and Doug were her chosen family and she wouldn't have it any other way.