Chapter 2

Just two weeks ago, during her business trip in Havensea, Eliza had unexpectedly found her biological family. After learning of her existence, the family had asked her to return to them.

However, wealthy families often had strict rules. Once she returned to the family, she would have to accept all of the family's arrangements, including settling down in Havensea and entering into an arranged marriage after her divorce.

Back then, for Harrison's sake, she had refused to shoulder the responsibilities that came with being the Swanson family's daughter and had practically given up everything that belonged to her.

But now…

Since Harrison had deceived her for five years, how could she possibly continue living by that foolish decision?

At the other end of the line, Elijah Swanson let out a sigh of relief. "It's good that you've come to your senses. As it happens, the man you were originally supposed to marry also has some connection to Grayport.

"If you have the time, you should get to know him better. He has a strange temper, but in terms of character, capabilities, and family background, he is impeccable."

After the call ended, Elijah sent Eliza the man's contact information.

His name was Julian Albright.

Eliza glanced at his name before adding his number and sending him a message.

"Hello, Mr. Albright. This is Eliza Swanson. I still have some matters to take care of in Grayport. Once everything here is settled, I'm willing to return to Havensea and marry you. However, over the next month, I hope you won't take any rumors coming out of Grayport too seriously."

Julian's reply came quickly. It was also pretty brief.

"Alright. If you need my help with anything, let me know."

Recalling Elijah's assessment of Julian, Eliza was surprised by how agreeable he was. But it was only a passing thought, and she didn't check the rest of her messages.

Over the past five years, she had given far too much to both the Langes and Lange Corporation.

Now that she knew she had been trapped in lies this whole time, she would never let them fool her any longer.

A fake marriage, huh?

She was keen to see how Harrison and Melanie were going to clean up this mess.

Just then, Harrison called. "Sweetheart, why didn't you say you'd already arrived in Grayport? Where are you now?"

His familiar voice was as deep and rich as ever. Thinking of how he had deceived her all these years, Eliza was immediately filled with bitter mockery. She was about to speak when a child's voice came through the phone.

"Daddy, ignore that evil woman! Come play with me."

The moment the little boy finished speaking, Melanie's reproachful voice quickly followed.

"Harrison, look at him. You visit Jackie every month, but he still gets this clingy the moment he sees you."

Jackie.

Pain stabbed through Eliza's heart.

She abruptly remembered that a few months ago, Harrison had asked his assistant to prepare a puzzle that said, "Happy fourth birthday, our beloved Jackie."

At the time, he had explained that it was a gift for a friend's child, but it turned out to be a gift for his and Melanie's child.

All those business trips he supposedly took every month had actually been trips to see Melanie and their son.

Pretending that she hadn't heard the conversation between Melanie and Harrison, Eliza asked nonchalantly, "Why do I hear a child's voice?"

Harrison seemed to stiffen for a moment. Then he moved the phone farther away and explained, "Melanie came back with her child. Mom's birthday is coming up, and she hasn't been back to Grayport for years now. She wanted to come back and see everyone."

Back then, Harrison's grandpa, Reginald Lange, was the one who decreed that Melanie wasn't allowed to return to Grayport.

But now, she had finally found an opportunity under the pretext of celebrating the birthday of Martha Dunn, Harrison's mother.

Eliza felt the bitter sting of ridicule, but she merely pretended to be surprised.

"When did Melanie get married? She even has a child already? She's only 23 years old, and from the sound of it, the child isn't even that young. Did the Weaver family fail to take good care of her and let some scumbag take advantage of her?"

"Melanie would never do such a th—" Harrison's instinctive reaction was to refute that, but he soon realized his tone was suspicious, so he softened his voice. "You'll find out more about the situation later on. You must be tired from your business trip. Shall I come pick you up?"

He was as considerate and attentive as ever. Yet thinking about everything he had done over the years, Eliza couldn't help feeling sick.

Melanie was only 23 years old this year, yet that child was already four years old.

In other words, less than a year after Melanie went back to the Weaver family, she had registered her marriage with Harrison and had a child with him.

And at the time, Harrison was supposedly married to Eliza!

Eliza suppressed her disgust and refused his offer. "No need. I'll just take a cab home myself."

After dropping the call, she took a cab back to Lange Manor. When she arrived, Melanie was there too.

Martha was delighted as she played with her grandson, Jackson Weaver. Then, with obvious satisfaction, she said to Harrison, "I told you back then not to let Eliza have a child. She's an orphan. There's no way her genes are worth passing down to a child of our family. Just look at how smart our Jackie is."

"Originally, my intention was just to help Liz secure a good future once Melanie came back." Harrison raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "But Liz has done so much for the family and me over the years. Melanie and I will see to it that she's well-rewarded for her efforts."

Harrison couldn't claim to be unmoved by everything Eliza had done over the last five years. Moreover, she was intelligent, beautiful, gentle, and obedient. It wasn't as though he had felt nothing for her.

Martha said irritably, "I don't care how you treat her. Just make sure you don't shortchange Jackie or Melanie!"

Eliza watched the scene, her heart turning ice-cold. So Martha knew about it as well, and that made sense. Under Grayport's marriage laws, anyone under 21 years old needed the consent of their parents or legal guardian to marry.

Martha must have been the one who had made their marriage possible back then. Yet she still allowed Eliza to personally handle everything, making her serve the Lange family like a housekeeper.

Back then, to cater to Martha's preferences, Eliza had learned flower arranging, perfume making, opera singing, and even the piano. But as it turned out, she hadn't been doing a bad job as a daughter-in-law. Martha had simply already chosen the daughter-in-law she wanted.

Meanwhile, throughout all these years, Eliza had been nothing more than a fool, deceived from beginning to end.

"Don't worry, Mom. Harry hasn't mistreated me." Melanie smiled. "My career has gone so smoothly all these years thanks to Harry. Ms. Swanson has taken care of you for so long. It's only right to reward her for that."

"How could she ever compare to you? You're the one who has contributed greatly to the family. You've given us such a smart grandson!" Martha declared.

Before she could say anything else, the housekeeper looked at Eliza in surprise. "Ms. Swanson! You're back."

Only then did Eliza slowly walk into the living room. The panic that flashed across Martha's face disappeared almost instantly. She quickly forced a smile. "Oh. You're back, Liz. Why didn't the staff tell me?"

"I just got back. Melanie's back, too, huh?"

Eliza's gaze swept over Melanie before she asked, seemingly casually, "What were you talking about just now, Mom?"

Melanie curved her lips and deliberately pulled Jackson closer. "Mom saw Jackson and started talking about how much she wants to have a grandchild. Speaking of which, Eliza, you and Harry have been married for so long. How come you still don't have a child?"

"That's right. I really can't compare to you, Melanie. Not only did you get married, you even have a child already." Eliza slipped her arm through Harrison's and smiled playfully. "Harrison, you're something else too. Melanie got married, and you didn't even tell me. As her brother and sister-in-law, we could have sent her a wedding gift."

Seeing her interact so intimately with Harrison, Jackson suddenly let out a cold snort before Melanie could say anything.

"Who wants a wedding gift from you, you evil woman?"