Eleanor Spencer blushed with embarrassment, playfully chiding, "Mom, it's embarrassing when you say things like that."
The bones in her back still ached, but Eleanor maintained a gentle and graceful smile. She could feel envious glances cast her way from all around, and she relished in their admiration.
Her gaze shifted, catching sight of Aurelia Shaw approaching.
A flash of coldness flickered in her eyes as she stepped forward two paces, her cheeks slightly reddened, gazing affectionately at Mason Nightshade. From Aurelia's angle, it looked as if she had given Mason a peck on the cheek.
Mason frowned slightly and took a step back.
Eleanor smiled, "Night, actually… Mom wasn't entirely wrong. You're usually so busy. If you have time, you should come and visit my house. That night…"
"Thank you for taking care of my mom that night," Mason interrupted Eleanor coldly, a glint of frost passing through his hawk-like eyes.
Eleanor shivered suddenly, prompting Cymbeline Jennings to notice the odd tension and ask, "What happened that night?"
Before either could answer, Cymbeline continued, "Mason, our Isabel refused to work in our family business after graduation and insisted on signing with your company as an artist. You must support her a lot in her career. Look, this child has lost weight again. I don't know if she's not eating properly. We asked her to come home and stay, but she wouldn't." Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⁂𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⁂𝓷𝓮𝓽
Eleanor's expression shifted again as she recalled last night's incident. Mason hadn't glanced at her, leaving her behind in the cold, utterly indifferent to whether she was taken advantage of by someone else.
If it hadn't been for Nancy Carter's injury, and the CEO of the Prosperous Group losing interest, who knows what might have happened…
"What's the matter? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Cymbeline asked, her voice laced with concern.
Eleanor rubbed her eyes and stuck out her tongue playfully, "I just took on a new role and was up all night reading the script, hardly slept."
This mischievously cute moment was covertly captured by a guest and posted online.
"Mason!" Cymbeline scolded, feeling pity for her daughter, "I let Isabel join your company. Your mother guaranteed me that she'd take care of her. Don't let her suffer so much. It's not like she has to personally take on every role."
Aware of prying eyes and ears, Cymbeline lowered her voice for only the two of them to hear the rest of her words.
With a clear and pleasant voice, Aurelia joined the trio, affectionately wrapping her hand around Mason's arm, lifting her eyes and pouting. "Why did it take you so long to settle the bill?"
Mason was momentarily stunned. His gaze dropped, meeting her sparkling peach blossom eyes, and suddenly understood, offering a warm smile, "I ran into Auntie Spencer and chatted for a bit. Say hello to them."
Cymbeline looked Aurelia up and down with disdain in her eyes, "So ill-mannered. I heard from Isabel that she ran into Mason in the corridor earlier. Were you clinging to him, stopping her from meeting me? How did the Shaw Family educate their daughter to be this unruly! It seems I really need to have a good chat with Sophie so she can teach this daughter-in-law some manners!"
Picking a fight on purpose?
Ha! Aurelia's lips curled up, "It seems Auntie Spencer really is out of touch. Everyone in the circle knows I, Aurelia, don't have any manners. If I don't like someone, I just punch them. If I hear anyone talking bad, I'll rip their mouth off!"
"You!" Cymbeline's face turned livid with rage, raising her hand to slap Aurelia, only for her hand to be caught mid-air. Mason's face was dark, and he applied just a bit more pressure, causing Cymbeline's expression to change slightly with pain.