Chapter 1

The Lancaster Hotel.

Several members of the Whitfield family walked out, and Rupert ushered Edmund into the waiting car.

"Dad, you and Mum go first; we'll ride with our eldest sister," Rupert said, waving to Mr. and Mrs. Whitfield from outside the car with a harmless smile.

Edmund looked at the seemingly innocent Rupert and frowned slightly. "Rupert, don't always bully your younger sister."

"I know, I know, Dad. I'm not a kid, so you don't need to tell me over and over again. Didn't you want us to get in touch and communicate with each other? Now I'm creating opportunities to bond with my sister!"

Seeing the innocent expression on Rupert's face, Edmund nodded in satisfaction and told his driver to go.

In front of the hotel, four people remained.

"Brother-in-law, go and bring the car round; we'll wait for you here."

"Alright!"

The gentle young man responded, turning around and walking down the steps.

Eleanor watched his retreating back, a flash of pain crossing her eyes. But it was only a fleeting emotion, disappearing so quickly that it was impossible to grasp.

Seeing that there was no one else around, the smile Rupert had been maintaining vanished. He curled his lip and looked at her provocatively. "Hey, Eleanor, you know what to do later!"

Cassandra scolded, "Rupert, don't mess around!"

"Sister, don't stop me. Today I must make this bastard who doesn't know her origins recognize her place. Just because Dad supports her doesn't mean she can dare to do dirty things and try to hook up with my brother-in-law. Ugh, completely shameless!"

Brother-in-law...

Eleanor raised the corners of her lips, revealing a mocking smile.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes, smoothed her sleeves, and said slowly, "Eleanor, I don't care what sort of relationship you and James had before, but now he is my fiancé."

Although Cassandra's eyes were indifferent, they were incredibly oppressive, exuding confidence cultivated by a pampered life.

Eleanor felt a bitter awkwardness; because of this woman, that man had gone from being her boyfriend to her brother-in-law!

"I know. I've broken things off with him." She hid the bitterness in her eyes, lowering her gaze slightly as she spoke.

"That is for the best." Hearing her assurance, Cassandra's mind was slightly put at ease.

There was no overt threat, but such an indifferent attitude made Eleanor panic even more. It felt as though she wasn't even worth mentioning in front of Cassandra.

Biting her lip hard, she told herself inwardly not to bow her head. Not to bow her head. No one, and no amount of power, could make her break her pride!

Honk!

James sounded the horn and looked over through the lowered car window.

Cassandra and James looked at each other and smiled, sharing a clear understanding. Cassandra then turned to her proudly. "Let's go, we'll give you a lift back."

"No need, a friend is coming to pick me up. You go on ahead!" Eleanor subconsciously replied, desperate not to share a ride with her 'good' sister and brother-in-law.

"Very few taxis come up here. If you don't head down the hill with us, you'll have to walk for at least two hours. Eleanor, don't be childish; get in the car." Cassandra's tone was light and her eyes were calm, as if looking at an ignorant child.

Eleanor's heart burned with anger.

She hated Cassandra's condescending tone and benevolent gestures, which constantly reminded her of how James had abandoned her. She could give James love, but Cassandra could give him a future and wealth.

"It's really unnecessary. Look, my friend is here!"

As she spoke, she walked directly towards the black Bentley that had just pulled up.

Standing by the car door, she turned her head and waved to Cassandra, then opened the rear door and slid into the back seat. Her movements were so fluid and natural, it was as if they had been rehearsed beforehand.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes slightly, a cold light flashing in her gaze. She took the passenger seat and gestured for James to drive away.

She stared fiercely at the Bentley through the rearview mirror. She didn't look away for a long time, and even though James called her name a few times from beside her, she didn't respond.

....

Inside the Bentley, Eleanor's moist eyes met two pairs of black eyes that resembled midnight stars.

The two males, one large and one small, looked identically handsome with the exact same expressionless faces, staring at her quietly.

Eleanor grinned, offering an embarrassed smile.

"Well, sorry. I seem to have gotten into the wrong car."

"Okay," the large one and the small one responded in perfect unison.

"Right, I'll get out of the car now."

"Okay."

Still in perfect unison.

"Er..."

She swallowed hard in embarrassment and glanced forward. Seeing that James had already driven his car away, she felt a wave of relief. A faint, self-deprecating smile appeared on her face. She took a deep breath silently and looked back up at the handsome man.

"I'm sorry, sir, to take the liberty of getting into your car. I will get out now, thank you very much."

With that said, she bowed deeply to the man, opened the car door, and prepared to step out.

"Wait."

Sebastian spoke. His voice was low, clear, and incredibly pleasant.

He looked at her. When the girl had spoken her first sentence, she felt familiar to him. Even earlier, he had seen them at the entrance of the hotel. Her profile was clean and stubborn, but her gloomy expression brought back long-buried memories.

He had subconsciously asked Hayes to drive over, trying to confirm his feelings. Or perhaps, it was just for the moment she got into the car.

She turned to look at Sebastian suspiciously.

Theo also turned to look at him.

Sebastian, being stared at by his son's suspicious eyes, felt a tinge of guilt for no reason. However, he was the father and refused to be defeated by his son's stare.

Coughing lightly, Sebastian ignored Theo and focused on Eleanor.

"Are you waiting for a friend? If your friend has been held up, you can take my car down the hill."

She looked at Sebastian in surprise, feeling a little warmth bloom in her chest. On such a cold winter night, meeting such a kind-hearted man felt as if God was actually throwing her a bone.

At the very least, it gave her another option besides walking down the hill in the cold. More importantly, it had prevented those two from seeing her looking like a mess.

After thinking about it for three seconds, she simply agreed. "Then I will trouble you. Thank you very much."

Sebastian offered a faint, indifferent smile and, in a deep voice, told Hayes to drive.

Inside the car, silence returned.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Eleanor could only keep her eyes fixed on the car window, her fingers unconsciously playing with the strap of her bag.

"Hey, woman. You climbed into my dad's car. Are you trying to hit on my dad?"

The pleasant childish voice suddenly broke the silence. It was a lovely voice, but the content...

She looked away from the window and turned to Theo.

The child looked at her with dark eyes, sporting a serious but childish expression on his face, looking entirely innocent, as if he hadn't been the one to just say those words.

She held back the amusement in her heart and matched his serious expression.

"Don't worry, I won't hit on your father. I'm not interested in being someone's stepmother."

As soon as the words fell, she felt the air in the car grow a little stagnant.

She pretended to raise her head casually and met Sebastian's deep black eyes. He was staring at her so quietly.

Being stared at with such intensity, Eleanor felt a little guilty for absolutely no reason.

She coughed and began to unnecessarily over-explain.

"Being a stepmother is not a good job. If you do it well, everyone takes it for granted and thinks it's just what you're supposed to do. But if anything goes wrong, everyone criticizes you. I am really not interested in such a thankless task..."

Eleanor paused mid-sentence. She looked back and forth at the two pairs of black eyes that were still staring intently at her, and silently massaged her forehead.

At this point, Eleanor already regretted not getting out of the car when she had the chance. What on earth was she rambling about!

She really wasn't playing hard to get, and it certainly wasn't a case of protesting too much to hide a guilty conscience...