Chapter 6

Melanie's face was swollen from the slap, and because Eliza had hit the nail on the head, she couldn't help feeling a little furtive.

All she could do was force a smile onto her swollen face. "Eliza, you misunderstood. I only fell by accident…"

"I probably was." Eliza chuckled indifferently. "After all, the Langes raised you, Melanie. There's no way you'd do something this shameless, right? If you seduced your adoptive brother despite knowing that he was married, that's not only a moral issue but incest as well."

She deliberately emphasized the word "incest".

For a moment, Harrison got the feeling that Eliza knew something. But when he looked up, she was stroking his face.

"Harrison, at the end of the day, this is on me. I heard from my colleagues that the enigmatic Mrs. Lange had come to the company, so I thought you were keeping another woman on the side. You're not going to blame me, are you?"

She deliberately brushed her fingers over the swollen area of his face, and he clenched his teeth against the pain.

But when his gaze fell on the dejected look in Eliza's eyes, he thought of how Melanie would soon replace her as his wife, and the anger in his heart completely dissipated, turning entirely into guilt.

"I won't." Harrison thought for a moment, then his heart stirred. He called his secretary in. "Issue a notice stating that Melanie is only working at Lange Corporation temporarily. No one is allowed to spread rumors or cause trouble, lest my wife misunderstand."

If Eliza misunderstood their relationship and Reginald ended up hearing about it, it would probably cause even more trouble.

In any case, Eliza would only continue to be his wife for another month. He figured this was part of his way of making it up to her.

Clutching her swollen cheek, Melanie watched the scene, feeling so furious she nearly had an aneurysm.

What did he mean by "working temporarily" and "lest my wife misunderstand"?

If Eliza hadn't interfered, she could have slowly laid the groundwork for the rumors within the company. Within a month, everyone would have naturally accepted that she was indeed Harrison's wife.

Eliza glanced at Melanie's expression in amusement, unable to stop herself from sneering inwardly.

Melanie wanted to move into Lange Manor and replace Eliza, didn't she? Well, Eliza was determined to ensure she continued to live like a mistress.

"Harrison, you're so good to me."

Eliza's words sounded sweet, but she couldn't even be bothered to remind the secretary to get some ointment for Harrison's cheek. Instead, she simply handed over the suspension of duty application. "This is my suspension application. From now on, the company will be under your and Melanie's charge."

Harrison ignored Melanie's discontentment. When he saw the suspension application, he looked deeply at Eliza, and the guilt in his heart grew even stronger.

He knew Eliza had traveled back and forth between the two cities for the recent investments and had put in a great deal of effort. But when it came to the upcoming investment conference and liaising with the Albright and Swanson families, there wasn't much she could do to help.

Besides, Melanie was the real Mrs. Lange.

It was true that Eliza had worked herself to the bone for Lange Corporation all these years. Once they came clean, he would keep her on the side as his mistress and make sure she had enough to live comfortably.

After all, being in charge of the investments was a position of power, and it had to go to someone within the family.

Harrison flipped to the last page of the document and signed it before gazing gently at Eliza. "Melanie is still young. There are many things she'll need to ask you about."

Seeing the situation, Melanie, no matter how aggrieved she felt, could only force a smile. "Yes, Eliza. I'll be counting on your guidance from here on out."

Eliza merely smiled faintly, then let her gaze fall onto the suspension application. When she saw Harrison's signature on the last page of the document, the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

Guidance? Guidance for what? Was she supposed to mentor the bunch of selfish pigs that made up the Lange family?

They were happy to be all nice and friendly when they needed her, but once they didn't, they cast her aside without a care in the world.

Well, too bad she would never again be the Lange family's dog. They could no longer summon her and dismiss her as they pleased.

Since she'd gotten what she wanted, she shot a final glance at the two people with matching swollen faces and suppressed a laugh.

"Right. I have other things to take care of, so I'll head off now."

After leaving the office, Eliza lowered her head and stared at the document in her hand. She tore off the cover page bearing the suspension application title, revealing the resignation acknowledgment form below.

She crumpled the suspension application cover into a ball and casually tossed it into the trash.

With the burden of Lange Corporation off her shoulders, Eliza felt considerably lighter.

The fact that Harrison and Melanie now had perfectly matching swollen faces quickly became the company's hottest gossip, but Eliza didn't have time to enjoy the fruits of her victory. The moment she left the company, she received a call from Martha.

Now that Melanie had returned, Martha was even more impatient with Eliza. "Have you forgotten about the ladies' luncheon? Melanie can handle things at the company. What are you still doing there instead of coming home?"

Martha went on and on over the phone. Eliza held the phone away from her ear and only gave a casual reply once the woman had finally quieted down.

"I'm heading back now."

Now that she had been suspended, the only value she had left to the Lange family was waiting on them. But if they wanted her to keep playing the role of their maid, they were going to be disappointed.

Sitting in a cafe, Eliza narrowed her eyes slightly. She finished the last of her coffee and got ready to pay before heading home.

Unexpectedly, a man in a suit beat her to the counter. "I'd like a latte, with extra milk and sugar."

Eliza wasn't in a hurry. As she queued behind him, she couldn't help glancing at him. It was rare to see a guy drinking such sweet coffee.

The man paid, took his coffee, and turned around. His eyes lit up when he saw Eliza. "Ms. Swanson?"

She gave him a discreet once-over before confirming he was indeed a complete stranger to her.

"You know who I am?" she asked.

The man respectfully handed her a business card.

"Nathan Cross?"

The name was unfamiliar, but his title caught Eliza by surprise. He was the executive assistant to the CEO of Albright Group.

So he was Julian's subordinate.

Nathan's coffee was ready, but instead of picking it up, he smiled at Eliza and handed her an elegant-looking box.

"What a coincidence, Ms. Swanson. Mr. Albright and I have been in Grayport on a business trip these past few days. He asked me to deliver this gift to you. I didn't expect to run into you here."

A gift from Julian?

Eliza took the box, only to find an adorably ugly Labubu doll inside. She couldn't help feeling a little surprised.

As it was, Elijah had filled her in on some of the rumors about Julian.

The heir apparent of the Albright family, he was a business prodigy who had spent years using his ruthless methods to intimidate all those who were greedily eyeing his position. He was decisive, ruthless, aloof, and unreadable.

Yet not only did he play video games, but he had actually sent someone to give her a Labubu doll?

Eliza couldn't help but chuckle. "Please thank Mr. Albright for me."

She didn't think much of it.

The two families were about to form a marriage alliance, and a man as intelligent and considerate as Julian was probably only giving a gift to his fiancee out of courtesy.

Besides, the only reason she had agreed to her family's marriage arrangement was that she had completely lost faith in marriage itself. If she was going to choose a man to spend the rest of her life with, she trusted Elijah and her family's judgment more.

Now that she thought about it, setting aside Julian's unusual taste and preferences, at least when it came to marriage, he seemed sincere.

That was enough for her.

"I'll pass your thanks along to Mr. Albright, Ms. Swanson," Nathan said.

After seeing Eliza accept the gift, he left with his coffee, and she went up to the counter to pay.

…

At the same time, a luxury car was parked outside the cafe. One of the windows was half-open, and the man sitting in the back seat had his eyes fixed on Eliza inside.

The man was impeccably dressed, his brows sharp as blades. His dark, deep-set eyes held an air of indifference, with only a hint of heat surfacing when he looked at her.

"I've given Ms. Swanson the gift, Mr. Albright, and she has accepted it," Nathan reported.

Julian hummed in acknowledgment, his eyes narrowing slightly. He looked down at the guide his friend, Liam Yarrow, had sent to him on how to woo a woman. There were 108 steps in total.

1. Play video games with her and cultivate shared interests.

2. Give her gifts—stuffed toys, flowers, jewelry, and so on.

3. Make a stunning entrance and appear by her side when she needs you.

On and on the list went, but Julian's dark eyes lingered thoughtfully on the third step.

Just then, Julian received a voice message from Liam. His smug voice rang out. "Hey, Jules. I heard you went to Grayport to pursue your future wife? How's it going? Is my guide working?"

These were his exclusive, foolproof steps to pursuing the ladies. He never would have shared them if not because Julian had specifically gone to Grayport just to win his future wife over.

Julian's expression was cold and indifferent, but he underlined a few words with a serious look and sent a photo of it back to Liam.

"What counts as a stunning entrance? And what do I do if she doesn't need me right now?"