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♦♦♦♦Two days later, Vanessa was discharged from the hospital and returned to the mansion.The atmosphere in the house had not improved....if anything, it had grown heavier.Things were still awkward between Lewis and Eleanor. He continued to show her subtle advances, lingering touches, prolonged gazes, and unnecessary concern, but Eleanor rejected him each time with calm restraint. Each rejection chipped away at Lewis’s confidence, making him feel inferior to his brother in ways he had never allowed himself to feel before.Yet Eleanor knew her restraint was thinning.The moment she saw Lucas step back into the house, she knew everything would slowly return to its rightful path.The pieces were falling into place.“Eleanor!” Vanessa called out brightly, her voice filled with exaggerated excitement as she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her.Eleanor did not move.She didn’t return the hug. She didn’t smile. She didn’t even blink.She simply stared at Vanessa like she was obs
♦♦♦♦“Why can’t we just talk here?” Lewis asked, slowing his steps as he gestured toward a wooden bench beneath the dim garden lights. His tone was calm, but his eyes searched her face relentlessly. “Or are you trying to run away from me?”“Of course not,” Eleanor shook her head immediately and followed him, sitting quietly beside him. The cool surface of the bench seeped through her thin dress. “Why should I?”Lewis exhaled, leaning back slightly, his elbows resting on the bench as he stared ahead. “You’re getting married to my brother soon,” he said suddenly. “Are you happy?”The question struck her harder than she expected.For a brief moment, Eleanor stayed silent. The night air seemed to thicken between them. Then she nodded slowly.“He’s been good to me,” she replied softly. “I’m sure we’ll be fine after this misunderstanding.”Lewis turned to her at once. “How?” he asked carefully. “You like him? Since when?”That was it.Eleanor saw straight through him....and she decided to p
♦♦♦♦The air between them grew heavy, thick with words left unsaid. Lewis stood still, his face unreadable, refusing to reply even though everyone in the room seemed to expect something from him. The truth was simple....he had no intention of joining the company, not now, not ever. Whatever they wanted from him, he had already decided long ago.“Apologize to Eleanor when you get discharged,” Lewis finally said, his voice calm but edged with authority.Vanessa stiffened, then nodded hurriedly, fear flickering across her face. She lowered her gaze, swallowing hard, as though afraid he might change his mind if she hesitated for even a second.Lewis cast Lucas one last look....cold, sharp, unreadable....before turning to leave. But just as his hand brushed the door, he halted.Two familiar figures were approaching down the corridor.Their footsteps were measured, their expressions unpleasant and stern, as though the hospital air itself offended them.“Dad. Mom.” Lucas walked past Lewis wi
♦♦♦♦The knock echoed softly against the wooden door.Once.Twice.Eleanor waited.Nothing.The silence pressed against her ears, thick and deliberate, as though the house itself was holding its breath. Slowly, her fingers tightened around the shirt in her hand...the fabric wrinkling, twisting under her grip.“He left again?” she muttered, the words laced with restrained irritation.Her jaw clenched.Without waiting any longer, she turned and walked down the hallway, her steps echoing faintly against the polished floor. The living room greeted her with emptiness...no guards standing at attention, no murmured conversations, no trace of Lewis’s presence.Sunlight streamed lazily through the tall windows, dust motes floating in the air, undisturbed. Everything looked calm. Too calm.“Where’s Lewis?”She stopped a maid passing by, her voice sharp enough to cut through the quiet.The maid slowed only briefly, casting Eleanor a dismissive glance before walking past her as if she hadn’t spok
♦♦♦♦Inside Eleanor’s room, everything was quiet again.She carefully placed her necklace back where it belonged, hiding it with deliberate precision, as if sealing away both grief and leverage. Then she turned toward the mirror and changed into a deep red nightdress....thin straps, fabric clinging just enough to hint at temptation without giving everything away.She kept her makeup nude and minimal. Plain. Soft. Beautiful.Lewis would notice.She moved toward the bed, intending to sit, but a thick, familiar voice stopped her.“Can I come in?”The question felt almost absurd....the door was still hanging crooked on its hinges, broken from Lucas’s earlier kick. Yet Lewis stood there anyway, waiting.“Lewis,” she nodded, offering a gentle smile that looked harmless on the surface.He stepped inside slowly.His eyes lingered.Not rushed. Not shy.Like a man savoring dessert he had missed for far too long.The red gown barely covered her thighs, and the upper fabric was sheer enough that
♦♦♦♦Lewis’s gaze lingered on Eleanor, filled with curiosity and a growing impatience. He could sense she was holding something back, and the silence between them felt heavy, almost suffocating.“Come on, Eleanor,” he urged softly, his brows drawing together. “Tell me.”She swallowed, her fingers tightening around the bedsheet as if anchoring herself.“It… it contains my grandfather’s hair and ashes,” she finally declared, her voice cracking as tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over.Lewis froze.“What?” His eyes widened in shock. “Ashes....your…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.He dragged a hand down his face, exhaling sharply as guilt crashed over him like a wave.“When did this happen?” he asked quietly, his tone suddenly careful.“The first day of the year,” Eleanor replied, her lips trembling. “At midnight.”Lewis felt something twist painfully in his chest. “Why didn’t you tell us?” He paused, then asked more slowly, “Is Lucas aware of this?”“No,” she shook her head fain







