MasukHe deliberately accentuated the word ‘waste of a man’ deeply, with a hint of provocation. The man approached her intentionally, the piercingly cold aura of him got even thicker and stronger.
Ellena moved uncomfortably, and after a moment of disbelief, she believed his words. After all, Edward’s villa was not accessible to people outside his family or special guests like her.
“He is your cousin. Please don’t talk about him like this.”
Presumably, Edward had also had difficulties in his family. Ellena felt sympathy. Even if the Arnoults were top-tier socially, she sympathized with Edward’s situation. He must have had hard times in recent years.
Edward’s brown eyes quickly flashed in surprise. He didn’t expect this ugly woman to say such words.
He couldn’t help looking at her again. The messy hair, the black-framed glasses, soiled, long cotton clothes, and the bangs on her forehead almost think enough to cover her eyes. There were even a few small spots on her haggard face. It was disgusting to even look at.
He had heard how his fiancée would be as beautiful as a blooming rose. There was no way that this ugly woman was his rumored fiancée.
But the Arnoults did not care whether the woman who married him was ugly or beautiful. As long as it was woman who could produce an heir. They would not care even if they had to select another one.
Besides, it wasn’t as if Edward had any plans of treating her as his wife. All he needed was a simple and quick transection.
A dark glint flashing in his eyes, Edward stretched out his hand and pushed Ellena on the bed. There was undisguised contempt and malice in his tone. “There is no one else. You don’t need to pretend. With your looks, you are probably still a virgin. I might treat you far better than that cripple!”
After he finished speaking, he reached for her directly. He was about to touch her waist. Almost.
Slap!
“Get off!” Ellena used all her strength to slap him on the face. “Don’t assume everyone is as dirty as you. You’re lucky that your cousin hasn’t arrived yet. Leave immediately, and I will pretend nothing happened here. Or would you prefer to be slapped again?”
Although she tried her best to stay calm, her trembling hands betrayed her. She clutched the sheets beneath her, and let out a ragged breath. What the hell did she just witness?
She had imagined how ugly Edward would be on the way over, how scarred and how disables he truly was. But she never expected to encounter such a thing as this.
Her jaw clenched, and she forced herself to look up at him. ‘You can do this, Ellena.’ She encouraged herself. ‘You got this.’
Edward had a sullen look and exuded a bitter chill. “No woman has ever dared to slap me.”
“Consider this your first.” Ellena shuttered.
Because of the struggle, her glasses had fallen off, revealing a pair of unexpectedly clear and precise eyes. Her trembling eyelashes showed their owner’s tension and fear. “D-don’t come any closer!”
Seeing that, suddenly Edward paused, and for a moment he began to feel a bit soft-hearted.
He straightened his shirt and glanced coldly at her. “You can continue to wait for that ‘waste of a man’ here.”
Bang!
It wasn’t until the door was closer that Ellena’s tense nerves relaxed slightly.
Outside the door.
When the bodyguard was about to reach the Master bedroom, he saw the red mark on Edward’s face. With his pale complexion, the mark was incredibly visible. Even a partially blind person would be able to spot it a mile away. He froze for a moment before saying, “Young Master… Your face…”
Edward touched his face and said bluntly, “Ran into the door.”
Doors had five fingerprints on them?
Even though his story seemed doubtful, the bodyguard did not dare to ask any further.
Instead, he respectfully handed a folder, “This is Young Madam’s personal information.”
Edward opened the folder and saw the name on it, Ellena Smith.
Interesting. That ugly woman was cold as hell, yet the meaning of her name was light. How ironic!
Her birth mother was even more interesting. Treating her stepson and stepdaughter like precious gems while being cruel to her biological daughter. Despicable.
Moving on the document, he frowned and asked the bodyguard, “Is she really this much of an idiot?”
The bodyguard nodded.
“Check again.”
When Ellena spoke, she was clear and organized. Besides, Edward had never seen an idiot who could rise up so fiercely and fight back against a man in that situation.
Thinking of this, he lost his countenance and thrust the file he was holding into the bodyguard’s hands. “If you can’t give me accurate information then don’t bother coming back to me!”
Paulglanced at Ellenaand did not say anything else. He picked up the thick stack of documents from the desk, held them firmly in his arms, and turned around to leave. His footsteps were steady, and the door closed quietly behind him.The office returned to silence.Ellenasat alone in front of the desk. Her gaze lingered on the documents for a moment before she slowly reached out and took out Edward’s pen from the drawer. The pen rested in her palm, cool and familiar, as if it carried memories that refused to fade.She had received many pens like this when she was young. Back then, they were nothing more than ordinary writing tools, casually given and easily forgotten. She never imagined that one particular pen would quietly bind her fate to someone else. It became the beginning of everything, the invisible thread that tied her life to Edward’s.She lowered her eyes, staring at the pen, her fingers unconsciously tightening aro
Ellena closed the door softly behind her and returned to her room.The click of the latch echoed faintly in the quiet corridor, sounding much louder than it should have. She paused for a moment, standing still, as if listening for something like footsteps, a voice, or even her own heartbeat. Nothing followed. The villa was silent, calm to the point of oppression.As if remembering something all of a sudden, Ellena walked toward the window. She pushed the curtain aside and looked out.The floor she lived on was high, and night had already fallen. The lights of the city below were scattered like distant stars, blurred and indistinct. Cars moved silently far below, their headlights forming thin, flowing lines. No matter how hard she tried to focus, she could not see anything clearly, nor could she find what she was subconsciously looking for.After a while, Ellena closed the window and let the curtain fall back into place.She returned to her bed and lay down, staring at the ceiling. Sle
Ellena could feel the subtle changes in Edward’s body.The shift was slight, almost imperceptible, but because she was trapped so close to him, she noticed it instantly. The warmth surrounding her seemed to intensify, carrying a pressure that made her entire body tense unconsciously.A faint shiver ran down her spine. For a brief moment, she froze completely.Her breathing caught in her throat, and her fingers curled tightly against her palms.Edward lowered his head slightly, his breath brushing lightly against the side of her face. His voice came softly, low and restrained, but carrying an unsettling certainty that made her heartbeat grow chaotic.“If you don’t want to do it, don’t move.”The meaning behind his words made Ellena’s face burn instantly.Her eyes widened slightly before anger quickly replaced the brief moment of panic. She gritted her teeth hard.“Edward, don’t for
Ellena didn’t want to talk to Edward. She really didn’t know what to do with him anymore. Every time she thought she had finally understood him, he would do something that left her completely confused again. It was exhausting trying to guess what was in his mind.The truth was, she knew she wasn’t a match for him in terms of schemes. Edward was always calm, always composed, always three steps ahead of everyone else. He could hide his thoughts so deeply that no one could read him unless he wanted them to. Even after all the years they had spent together, Ellena still could not confidently say she truly understood him.She was not like him.Her emotions had always been easier to see. When she was angry, she became cold. When she was hurt, she became silent. She could never pretend as perfectly as Edward could.And right now, she was angry.Not just angry, but frustrated. Frustrated that he stood there acting so calm, as if nothing h
After Ellena said so much, Edward’s expression remained unreadable. His face was calm, almost detached, as if he were a passerby observing something distant and unrelated to him. There was no flicker of anger, no trace of guilt. That coldness, paradoxically, made Ellena’s anger ebb.Instead of losing her temper, she felt her breath steady. Her chest rose and fell calmly as she gathered her composure. A faint, almost mocking smile curled at her lips.“What a pity,” she said softly. “If you really died in that car accident, I could have taken your money to take care of other men. I could be with whoever I wanted.”For the first time that night, a crack appeared on Edward’s otherwise unshaken face. It was subtle, but enough for Ellena to notice. She leaned into her newfound calm, letting her smile deepen slightly.“You left the entire Arnoult Group to me. You must want me to live a happy life,” she
Ellena was still brooding over what Edward had done. Her mind churned with countless unspoken words, memories, and betrayals, and it made it impossible for her to speak to him calmly.She stared at him for a long moment, as though searching for answers in the depths of his expression. Then, without a word, she turned away and walked to the other side of the sofa. She sat down slowly, crossing her arms and legs with a deliberate air of self-restraint. Her gaze fixed on him, expressionless, almost unreadable.The bedroom was not small, but in that instant it felt crowded. The space between them seemed to shrink, charged with unspoken tension. They were not just in a room together, they were in a silence heavy with the weight of everything unsaid.For a long moment, neither spoke. They looked at each other, eyes locked in an unbroken exchange of thought, resentment, and something deeper. Ellena waited for him to speak, but Edward only stared back, serious and unbli
Edward narrowed his eyes and revealed a smile that was hard to understand. "Can't you understand the literal meaning?"Ellena was especially disgusted. Everything seemed to be under his control.She raised her chin slightly and the trace of submission in her tone had long disappeared.She looked at Edw
Ellena walked to the back of the sofa and kissed Elaine on the face. "Mommy." Elaine turned to look at her and called her perfunctorily. Elaine then turned to watch TV. Cartoons really had magic. Ellena walked to Elaine's side and sat down. She also watched along with her. She watched for a while an
The air had an oppressive silence.Ellena pinched her fingers and looked at Edward for a while, but she still lost under Edward's deep gaze.She was the first to turn her head away. She pursed her lips and said, "Whatever you say."Edward did not say anything else as the doctor had already come in.The
Only then did Edward pick Elaine up in his arms and hugged her in the same posture he used to hold Ellena.Elaine was small and tender. It was obvious that she was not comfortable being hugged like this. It was as if she was lying on the ground.She kicked her short legs and was about to get up when E







