Chapter 5

Eliza explained, "It could be a stomach bug combined with a perfume allergy. The moment I smelled the perfume on you, I felt like throwing up. Harrison, did Melanie fall just now? Why do you smell so much like her?"

Thinking of the kiss in the garden, Harrison felt guilty and answered vaguely, "Melanie lost her balance, so I helped her. Since you don't like the smell, I'll go take a shower now."

He hurried into the bathroom.

Eliza watched him disappear, her expression cold.

A man couldn't really hide it when he was cheating. Every time he returned from one of his supposed "business trips", he actually carried Melanie's perfume on him.

It was just that she had trusted him too much in the past and had overlooked those details. Looking back now, for the last few years, she'd been sleeping with a man who had already been with someone else.

It was repulsive.

By the time Harrison came out of the bathroom, Eliza was already asleep.

…

The next morning, Fergus' secretary reminded Eliza to complete the paperwork for the temporary suspension of her duty at the company. She didn't argue and merely acknowledged it with a quiet hum.

She had just come downstairs for breakfast when Martha happened to walk over to the dining table with Jackson. In an imperious tone, she said, "Melanie has to go to the company and doesn't have time. Help her feed Jackie."

Eliza had intended to refuse and let the housekeeper take care of him.

But when she saw that Jackson was about to start screaming bloody murder at the slightest hint of refusal, she swallowed the words in her throat.

She obediently took the spoon. But the moment she fed Jackson his first bite, he knocked the bowl over.

Oatmeal scattered across Eliza's clothes, and Jackson immediately burst into tears. "I don't want this evil woman to feed me! She'll choke me to death!"

His shrill voice pierced Eliza's eardrums and drew Martha's attention. As his cries grew louder, Martha immediately started berating Eliza.

"You can't even feed a child properly! What can you do? Look what you've done to Jackie! You're completely useless!"

Eliza replied coolly, "Around 30 percent of Lange Corporation's revenue this year is the result of my efforts."

Martha was momentarily speechless, but she grew even more displeased and snorted. "You really think we can't manage without you? Fergus already said that Lange Corporation won't need you anymore.

"From today onward, stay home and behave yourself. You think you're so important when you're just a useless nobody from Havensea? Our Jackie is so smart and adorable. If anything happens to him, you'll see what I do to you!"

"A four-year-old still can't feed himself." Eliza raised an eyebrow coldly. "Mom, you treat him like he's your biggest treasure in life. Anyone who didn't know better would think he's Harrison's son."

Feeling a little caught, Martha took Jackson's hand and led him off to get him washed up. At the same time, she raised her voice and snapped, "Don't be ridiculous! Melanie is Harrison's adopted sister, and since he's Melanie's son, that makes him my grandson."

So the Langes still remembered that, huh?

They hadn't forgotten that Melanie and Harrison were adopted siblings, yet the pair had still disregarded everything, committed incest, had a child together, and dragged her into their sorry affair.

Eliza lowered her eyes, her expression becoming much calmer.

Just then, Harrison came downstairs from the study. Seeing the scene, he merely smiled and walked over to Eliza, coaxing her.

"Mom just dotes on the child. Don't misunderstand. Weren't you going to the company today? Ride with me."

Eliza was going to the office to complete the paperwork for her suspension of duty, and she nodded in agreement.

She walked toward the car. However, she'd only just opened the front passenger door when Melanie's voice rang out.

"Harry, I've been waiting for you for so long…"

The moment she finished speaking, Melanie finally noticed who was standing there. Panic flashed across her face before she hurriedly straightened her outfit.

"Morning, Eliza."

"Morning, Melanie." Eliza glanced at her and smiled meaningfully. "Although you and Harrison are siblings, behaving this flirtatiously is somewhat inappropriate. Someone who didn't know better might think you have feelings for your brother."

After her initial panic, Melanie flushed with embarrassment. She gritted her teeth and clarified, "That was never my intention, Eliza. I'm just so used to joking around with Harry like this…"

"Liz, Melanie probably didn't mean anything by it." Harrison couldn't help speaking up for her.

Seeing how tense the atmosphere had become, Eliza suddenly burst out laughing. "Okay, okay. I was just joking. Why are you two taking it so seriously? We're family. There's no need to be so formal."

Seeing her expression return to normal, Harrison finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Afraid she might notice something was wrong, he said gently, "Melanie, sit in the back. The front passenger seat has always been reserved for Liz."

Melanie bit her lip and moved to the back seat.

Eliza gave Harrison a reproachful look. "You really are something. It's just a seat. Does it matter that much?"

"It does." Harrison opened the front passenger door for her. "Melanie is my sister. She can sit anywhere. You're Mrs. Lange."

Hearing Harrison's words, Melanie felt a pang of bitterness.

Fortunately, when she thought about how Eliza would soon be driven out of the company and would no longer be able to spend every day with Harrison, her mood improved considerably. It was only going to be another month, at most, before she could officially return to Harrison's side.

News of Eliza's suspension quickly spread throughout the company. When she returned, her colleagues who were close to her all complained on her behalf.

"The senior executives must be insane. You're the one who suggested venturing into the Havensea market and securing the investments there. But now, they're handing it over to someone else? What does an actress know about investments?"

While packing up the documents, Eliza smiled. "It's fine. It doesn't matter who's in charge."

What mattered was who could actually get the job done.

Soon, the Lange family would realize that without her involvement, Lange Corporation was nothing more than a sinking ship.

One of her colleagues tactfully reminded her, "That actress seems to have a very unusual relationship with Mr. Lange. Ever since she arrived, quite a few people have seen her being all over him. Some people even suspect she's the enigmatic Mrs. Lange.

"If they really let her take over the investment and business development work, I'm afraid…"

"Just do your jobs," Eliza said calmly. "We're employees. At worst, I'll take all of you with me to greener pastures."

Her words put her colleague somewhat at ease.

Eliza paid no mind to the company's buzzing gossip. She quickly finished organizing her departure documents and, following procedure, went to Harrison for his signature on the acknowledgment form.

However, when she arrived at the CEO's office, she found the door slightly ajar.

Through the crack, she saw Melanie sitting in Harrison's arms. She was biting her lip, her face flushed.

"Harrison, I didn't mean to do that this morning. I wanted to surprise you, but I didn't expect Eliza to be there, too. You aren't angry with me, are you?"

"What are you thinking?" Soft, scattered kisses landed along Melanie's neck. Harrison's hand rested on her waist, his eyes darkening. "I just don't want Liz to make a scene in front of Grandpa."

Melanie's heart relaxed. She blinked slyly. "Then I'm still the one you love most, right?"

The one he loved most?

For a moment, Eliza's bright, beautiful face flashed through Harrison's mind, distracting him. But he quickly came back to himself. "Of course. You're still the one I love most…"

Seeing this, Eliza felt a tsunami of emotions rising inside her. She couldn't help feeling sick to the stomach.

The man who had shared her bed just last night was now holding another woman in his arms and kissing her passionately—and this wasn't the first time.

Eliza tightened her grip on the resignation paperwork she'd prepared. She shoved the door open, strode forward, grabbed Melanie by the hair, and slapped her several times across the face.

"Who's the shameless homewrecker, huh? How dare you seduce my husband!"

Harrison stared in shock. He had just reached out to stop her when Eliza slapped him across the face as well.

She released Melanie and looked at Harrison, who was looking a little roughed up. Her eyes were red and filled with what looked like utter disappointment.

"How could you do this to me, Harrison? How could you run around with another woman behind my back?"

Those few slaps left Melanie and Harrison completely stunned. After a moment, Melanie, her hair disheveled, looked up tearfully.

"Eliza, it's me, Melanie. You misunderstood…"

"Melanie?"

A trace of coldness flashed through Eliza's eyes. As though she had finally come to her senses, she stared at Melanie in utter shock.

"Why were you sitting on Harrison's lap? I thought you were some shameless homewrecker seducing my husband."