Eleanor Hollis was at a loss for words, as Hugo Quinn’s tone suggested he thought she had said something excessive to Meredith Sterling.
She suddenly fell silent, then quietly glanced at Meredith, unsure if the latter had done it on purpose. If this person was deliberately opposing her, then her tactics were worlds apart from those of the woman who made a spectacle of falling. Meredith was a high-level manipulator.
She pursed her lips, stopped speaking, and nestled into Hugo’s arms.
"I’m not uncomfortable, honey. Whatever you say is fine."
As she spoke, she observed Meredith’s expression and indeed noticed that her face turned cold instantly, confirming she still harbored feelings for Hugo.
Inside, Eleanor scoffed. A man being too exceptional attracts flies like Meredith Sterling, who’s more cunning than any woman she’s dealt with before. She could not let her guard down. Fresh chapters posted on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
Meredith and Hugo had a past, and Hugo felt a sense of guilt toward her.
Meredith was emotionally unstable, and the doctor said if she continued , she might develop mental issues, hoping her relatives could be around more to support her.
But Meredith didn’t have any relatives; all she had was a mom who was perpetually in the hospital.
Hugo had someone investigate and found out everything Meredith said was true. She had been forced to go abroad by the Quinton patriarch and even coerced into marriage.
"You said you got married?"
Eleanor’s eyes were filled with astonishment. Meredith had a husband? Then why hadn’t he appeared?
Meredith looked at her lightly and nodded.
"Weren’t you once married too? I heard you even lost a child. Although I have a husband, I was forced into marrying by the patriarch, and in the year of marriage, nothing ever happened between us. I still have my first kiss. At the time, the patriarch threatened my father, who was already suffering from depression. If he hadn’t pressed us so hard, our family wouldn’t have ended up ."
Meredith spoke slowly, and Hugo and Eleanor listened quietly, only then understanding the magnitude of the patriarch’s wrongdoing.
But hearing her mention nothing happened with her husband, Eleanor’s heart tightened, as this woman was implicitly insulting her for having had relations with her ex-husband and the child that remained a thorn in her heart.
Meredith smiled smugly and glanced lightly at Eleanor.
She was different from this woman; though married, she kept all her firsts just to meet Hugo again.
She had finally awaited this day.
"Honey, it’s not convenient to have her stay at the house. It’ll be hard to explain when Marcus comes back. Let Lan Yancy find her a place outside to stay."
Eleanor had seen through Meredith’s intentions. She couldn’t let this woman stay here; she was the lady of the villa now and wouldn’t compromise.
Hugo agreed and immediately had someone arrange it.
Hearing their conversation, Meredith’s complexion turned dark, but fearing Hugo would notice her anomaly, she quickly composed herself.
"Don’t let the patriarch know I’ve met with you, or he won’t let me off the hook."
She said with a slight bow, as though enduring a great grievance.
Lan Yancy swiftly found a hotel for her to stay in and instructed the doctor to regularly check her health.
Eleanor initially thought that once Meredith recovered, she’d leave, but she underestimated Meredith’s prowess.
Lan Yancy had just returned not long before the doctor hurriedly called, saying a burly man had taken Meredith away, looking fierce, and seemingly had an unusual relationship with Meredith.
Lan Yancy and Hugo immediately went out searching, and Eleanor couldn’t sit still, promptly following them.
"Ah!! Let go! You’re hurting me! Let go!"
As they approached the slightly ajar door, a shriek from Meredith echoed within.
Hugo and Lan Yancy exchanged a glance and quickly opened the door.
Meredith’s hair was being pulled by a man, her face streaked with tears, and upon seeing them, the man angrily grabbed a nearby vase to throw at them.
"Please, let me go, let me go..."
Meredith cried miserably, her hair disheveled, appearing wretched with red palm marks on her cheeks, indicating the man did not hold back.
"Lan Yancy, arrest him."
Seeing Meredith in such a state, Hugo frowned but didn’t go over to support her, helping only out of past considerations.
"What are you doing?! On what grounds are you stopping me?! I’ll tell you, this is my wife, and I can do whatever I want, you’ve got no control!"
Turns out this abusive man was Meredith’s husband.
Eleanor’s heart grew heavier as all the signs pointed to Meredith being a pitiable woman. All this misery caused by the Quinton Family’s wrongdoings led her to become this way.
Eleanor’s hand gradually clenched, knowing Hugo would undoubtedly compensate the other party as much as he could.
But she knew Meredith didn’t want monetary compensation; she was leveraging Hugo’s guilt and could achieve much more.
The man was still violently abusing Meredith verbally, seemingly thinking Hugo had an unusual relationship with Meredith, spewing nasty words non-stop.
Meredith continued crying, curling into a ball, her shoulders trembling slightly.
The man was quickly subdued by Lan Yancy, but continued his tirade.
"I know you, Hugo Quinn, don’t I? Haha, finally, I see you. I’ve married this woman for a year, yet she constantly hopes you’ll rescue her. Doesn’t she realize it’s all because of your family she’s so miserable? Her father’s dead, her mother’s got stomach cancer, yet she’s still thinking of you. It makes me furious, and I want to kill her every time I see her!!"
The man’s eyes were filled with resentment, that kind of resentment momentarily halted when he saw Eleanor, then burst into manic laughter.
"Meredith, did you see? The person you long for already has someone else. You’re such a fool, waiting for someone to rescue you, so foolish! Of all the people you could fall for, you choose such a cold-hearted man."
With just a few simple sentences, Hugo was turned into a treacherous person.
He wanted to say something but found his throat seemed blocked.
What could he say? He hadn’t expected Meredith to hold him in such high regard, even after marrying, she hadn’t forgotten him.