Chapter 2

“Madam, won’t you go to today’s party? It’s an honourable day for the Anderson family.”

The girl with slightly reddish-brown hair, fair complexion and a slender figure, who was writing something on the paper in front of her, looked at her maid. She was standing before her holding the tea tray. The girl slightly smiled at her and then again concentrated on what she was doing, “ You remember grandma’s words right, Nina?”

“Which one? She gives you a lot of hearing. Which one are you talking about?”

“NINA!!!!!” The girl glared at her maid seeing her sarcastic behaviour.

The glare had a perfect effect on her since Nina remembered the answer to what she was asked, “……….You…you mean the last one?!”

“….Yeah. The last one. I can’t show my face to her until I get married to a man within three months.”

“But madam Eleanor, where are you going to get a man to get married? Not to mention who would also be a gentleman!” Nina sulked while scratching the tea tray and diverting her gaze away from Eleanor’s.

Eleanor peeked at Nina’s sulking face and sighed deeply, “I am trying, Nina! I sent marriage proposals to every man in my reach!”

“But they all rejected you, no?”

“………You know what? Today you are rubbing salt on my wounds more often!! Is that intentional?”

“NO! NO, NO, NO!! Madam Eleanor, I don’t dare to do so!!”

Eleanor dropped the pen on the table and laid back on the soft chair. With pitiful eyes, Nina looked at her mistress.

“AHHHHHH!!!! Please don’t tell me I’m the first woman on earth who sent marriage proposals to men!!” Eleanor suddenly hit the table hard. “UGHH…I want to die!”

Nina was surprised to see Eleanor worrying about that rather than thinking of a way how to get married within the given time by her grandmother.

Eleanor’s grandmother’s name was Miranda Anderson, the chairperson of Aloha Enterprise. It was the most famous multinational company that hailed from Roveign city. About 60 years ago Allec Anderson started a small company and it soon expanded into a consortium by his wife, Miranda Anderson’s hard work and full dedication towards her husband and the company. Miranda was famous for her beauty, skills and also faithfulness towards Aloha. Through her super methods of grabbing the attention of rich investors, she spanned  Aloha Enterprise globally even after her husband’s premature death.

Besides taking care of her business and all, she raised four of her children, who had eight children in total. Altogether, the Anderson family built an empire in Roveign city. They were nothing but other people's eyesores as they envied their growth and success. So people always looked for a loophole in their family, a chance to disgrace them! However, the strength between the family members didn’t let them fall apart.

The Anderson family used to walk with pride until one day the youngest and most cherished child of Miranda Anderson, whose name was Aiden Anderson had an affair with a woman with no background. The media engulfed the story and made it the juiciest and most entertaining one for broadcasting. They had become the hot topic of Roveign city. But Miranda was a witted woman. Using her wit and power, she shut the mouth of the media as she made her son Aiden marry the woman who caused the uproar. Her name was Emilia Lane.

Emilia was a rising singer of that time who had immense beauty. But she was circulated by many rumours that caused her to lure the youngest child of Miranda Anderson. She was sly as a fox! She knew how to put an end to the rumours around her and she completed her mission since the rumours gradually died after she got married to Aiden. Besides the rumours, money was also a factor for such a middle-class woman like Emilia. Other than that, she never held any love for Aiden. It was always a one-sided love.

 Aiden’s foolish behaviour resulted in getting Miranda’s hatred. Not only was he disgusted by her, but also by his siblings and other relatives who started disregarding his presence in the house. Aiden was there, but also he wasn’t. The mistake he had made by getting engaged with Emilia was eating him by time. But it never affected Emilia who was forcing Aiden to have a child with him to ensure the throne of the Anderson family. But her dream also got shattered as soon they had a baby girl rather than a boy. 

Aiden named her Eleanor. She was as pretty as her mother but also had eyes like her grandmother Miranda. Although Eleanor was the first child of Aiden, her grandmother didn’t go to see her. Thus Eleanor’s grandmother’s hatred cost her torment and disgraces in her family. She was like a disgusted animal that was silently living in a corner of the house. She was misbehaved and verbally abused by her uncles, aunts and her cousins as if whatever she did was always wrong. Aiden didn’t have any power to help Eleanor, so she endured all their torments.

However, Eleanor kept working hard! She tried her best in proving herself to her grandmother Miranda. Although she got tormented a lot by her relatives and faced many difficulties, she never lost hope. Her hard work paid off one day as she was appointed as the chairman of one of the branches of Aloha Enterprise by Miranda.

Since it wasn’t the main branch, Eleanor left Roveign city and it was quite far too. So she was away from her daily abuses for a while. But it hadn’t been two years before she got appointed in the main branch under the supervision of Laura, her aunt. Laura wasn’t that strict on her, but she didn’t even let her loose either! She made Eleanor work as hard as possible. But adamant Eleanor took an oath of ensuring her position in the Anderson family and to Miranda. And that's why she never gave up. She kept working harder than before. As a result, she was recognised by Laura in no time.

Everything was going as usual for Eleanor until she turned twenty. She was like a ripened fruit in front of the Anderson family. There was also another young girl named Lucy, Eleanor’s cousin and the youngest grandchild of Miranda who was about to reach the marriageable age soon after Eleanor. So Eleanor was being pushed by her relatives to get a man in her life so that they could think of Lucy’s marriage since it was a tradition of the house that the elder ones get married before the younger ones. 

But everyone in the society knew Eleanor’s position in the Anderson family. So not a single eligible bachelor in their connection approached her. Those who came to ask her hand were some rich old men or men who had many wives!! Accepting their proposal wasn’t possible for Eleanor, nor could she tolerate the misbehaviour of her family members anymore. Even Eleanor’s mother Emilia tried to introduce her to some men since she was getting an ear from the Andersons. But they were on the same level as Emilia. Nothing more, nothing less.

Soon enough, Lucy started nagging about Eleanor to her grandmother. Miranda was getting ashamed of Eleanor because she was turning into the main topic of the Anderson family and she had to hear only about her wherever she went. It was becoming a pain for not only Eleanor but for Miranda also. So she ordered her to get married within three months before her next birthday banquet! The rest was the story…. 

Eleanor kept sighing while resting her head on the table, “ I hate my life…”

“Madam, please don’t sigh that much. You will die soon. You are cutting your age, madam!”

“Yeah right. If I don’t have a normal death, the murderer would be my grandmother!! You should be an astrologer, Nina.”

“I wished to be one though!”

“……..You are hopeless!!”