Eleanor received a call from Eugene, saying he had good news for her. Unwilling to return to the Winslow Family villa, Eleanor agreed to meet him at a café. Google seaʀᴄh 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
Eleanor had something to ask him, so she agreed to meet at a café.
"Never seen a father and daughter meet in a café!" Eugene grumbled discontentedly, handing Eleanor a crimson invitation card, "This is Mia and the Hawthorne Family’s second son’s engagement invitation. The event is at the end of the month."
"Dad, considering our relationship, do you think I would go?" Eleanor didn’t conceal the sarcasm in her eyes.
"Still angry at your sister? It was just a moment of impulse for her. I’ve already criticized her. We’re family, after all, right?"
Mia tried to destroy her, yet it was dismissively termed a fleeting impulse. How ridiculous!
Eugene ignored Eleanor’s attitude and commanded, "Prepare a gift and don’t disgrace the family. It’s been hard for me to raise you to this point."
"Dad, I met a Chinese expatriate abroad a few days ago," Eleanor abruptly changed the subject, observing Eugene’s expression as she spoke, "His name is... Daniel."
At the mention of this name, Eugene’s once calm demeanor turned cold and slightly sinister, his fingers tightening around the coffee cup.
Eleanor instinctively sat up straight, "Dad, do you know this person?"
Eugene stood up abruptly, face cold and overreacting, "Eleanor, bring a gift and Adrian to your sister’s engagement party at the end of the month! Don’t forget, after your mother passed, it was I who raised you! I’m your father, I gave you life and raised you, you have to listen to me!"
Having said that, he turned and stormed out in anger.
Eleanor sat there, watching through the floor-to-ceiling window as Eugene viciously kicked a trash can on the street below.
Sunlight streamed through the window, enveloping her, yet Eleanor felt as though she had fallen into an ice cellar, her whole body chilled.
Eugene’s reaction was clearly the outburst of someone who had been painfully hit in a sore spot, an impotent fury.
It seems, her mother indeed had an unusual relationship with Daniel!
Adrian returned home from the office to find the place empty and immediately called Eleanor.
"I’m at the hospital with Blake."
After Eleanor said this, Blake, lying in the hospital bed, glanced at her.
"How long do you plan to stay?" Adrian looked around the empty house.
"Eleanor, are you planning to hide from me ?" Adrian suppressed his emotions.
Eleanor was silent for two seconds before countering, "If I say yes, are you going to threaten me in some way?"
Adrian’s breath caught.
He had once threatened her with the opportunity to save Jude’s life.
Had also threatened her with the life-saving debt she owed him.
Now, he could still threaten her with the bodyguards protecting Blake outside.
But Adrian had a premonition that if he really used the bodyguards to threaten her to come home, to be with him, it might truly be the end for them.
The man hung up the phone in silence.
"Eleanor?" Blake saw Eleanor holding the phone, dazed, and spoke with concern.
"I’m fine." Eleanor smiled, "You’re pregnant now, don’t worry over nothing."
Blake looked outside the hospital room and said, "Since we’re getting divorced, have Adrian take his people back. We don’t owe him anything."
"This doesn’t matter much." Eleanor walked over, gently placing a hand on Blake’s abdomen. "We can’t let messy people and things interfere with our little one’s growth, right?"
What Adrian said made sense. The bodyguards she had hired could probably only fight with the Hawthorne family’s bodyguards at the hospital.
She could suffer grievances herself, but Blake could not, especially since Blake was pregnant now.
Blake holding Eleanor’s hand felt intensely apologetic towards Eleanor at that moment.
In fact, the best plan was for her to go abroad, to a place where Trevor couldn’t find her to nurture her pregnancy and life. However, her parents’ legacy, the Lockwood family, was still in Aethelgard. If she left, it might be devoured by those relatives, leaving nothing but desolation.
The finals of the International University Students Debate Competition arrived on schedule.
People came and went on campus, bustling with excitement. Members of the student council managed order outside the competition venue, checking tickets one by one.
Blake, coincidentally discharged that day, went to Aethelgard University with Jeanette to watch the match live.
"Your brother didn’t come?" Blake glanced around and, not seeing Adrian, asked Jeanette directly.
One moment, Jeanette was shaking her head and drinking milk tea, the next she was staring at Blake in shock, "How did you know my brother was coming?"
"Mating-season peacocks don’t easily miss the chance to display their tails."
How can she describe her third brother like that?
Blake asked, "Where is he?"
Jeanette said, "Third Brother added a last-minute sponsorship, became a special guest, not with us."
"..." Blake gave a thumbs-up, "Can’t underestimate someone throwing money around!"
Eleanor sat quietly in the corner, looking through the materials she had organized, yet was obviously distracted.
Julian handed her a cup of warm water and asked, "Not in a good mood?"
Eleanor hadn’t expected Julian’s eyes to be so sharp, seeing through her like that.
Just then, a commotion arose:
"The European Team’s here!"
"Is that very pretty girl the famous what’s-her-name?"
As the voices trailed off, the sound of high heels grew louder.
The girl with long, flowing curls and sharp, bright features entered, admired like a star, she walked in confidently, unruffled by the foreign territory.
She glanced around, spotted Eleanor immediately, and lightly trotted over in her high heels.
Happily, she exclaimed, "Miss Winslow, we meet again!"
"Miss Nash." Eleanor responded much more coolly, pausing, "Is your family here with you?"
"Of course! Whenever I compete, Mommy always comes with me!" Zoe replied, then added slightly troubled, "Though she seems to dislike Aethelgard, saying it holds bad memories for her."
Eleanor’s expression instantly changed.
Referring to what...or whom?
"Eleanor." Julian’s hand gently tapped Eleanor’s shoulder.
The warmth of his hand grounded Eleanor, and she turned to find Julian’s steady, gentle gaze as if he could absorb all her negative feelings.
Julian reminded her, "We’re about to go on stage soon."
Eleanor nodded, turned away from Zoe, and moved to make her final discussions with her team.
Once Eleanor left, Zoe looked at Julian with curiosity, her eyes bright and candid.
Julian met her gaze calmly, his seemingly gentle eyes betraying no emotion.
"Do you like Eleanor?" Zoe asked straightforwardly, her eyes filled with a teasing curiosity.
Julian, rather than showing any emotional shift, shot back, "Do you dislike Eleanor?"