Chapter 4

After getting her visa, Eleanor returned home. The moment she stepped through the door, she came face-to-face with her elegantly made-up stepmother, Patricia. Patricia immediately slipped into her usual lecturing tone. "So, Elean, you still know how to come home, huh? How many nights have you been out? You're a young lady. What kind of behavior is this?" Eleanor didn't even glance at her. She walked straight to the entryway and smashed a tall porcelain vase against the floor. The vase hit the floor with a sharp crash, sending fragments skittering across the marble. Patricia screamed and stumbled back in fright. Eleanor's face remained calm, though her bright features were etched with cold mockery. "Tell me, Patricia—what exactly makes you think you can play the one with morals here? You broke up someone else's marriage, and now you dare to lecture her daughter? "Keep this in mind, Patricia. As long as I live under this roof, you'll never have the right to hold your head high." Patricia's face turned pale, and her whole body trembled with anger. "Eleanor! What's wrong with you now?" Robert burst out of his study at the sound. He hurried to steady a trembling Patricia, then turned on Eleanor with fury. "Eleanor! What are you doing now? You've been home for barely a minute, and you're already causing chaos! Can't you behave for once?" As Eleanor watched Robert shield Patricia, her heart went cold. Bitterness was all she had left to feel. She let out a low, mirthless laugh. "I'm the one causing chaos? Fine. Give me my share of the inheritance now, and I'll leave the country. You'll never have to see me again." Robert froze, then forced a mask of fatherly concern. "What nonsense! Go abroad? You're a young woman—why would you do that? Stay here. This will always be your home. We're family." Eleanor let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Family? Don't fool yourself, Robert. You, Patricia, and Amelia are the real family. When my mother died, whatever family I had died with her." Eleanor added flatly, "Just name a price. I want what's rightfully mine." Robert's expression turned grim. After a long silence, he forced a measured tone and said, "I know you're holding a grudge against the family. How about this? I'll give you five million dollars. Go travel—take some time to cool off." Eleanor let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Five million dollars? Robert, everything you have today came from my mother's family—the Morgans. Her money built your empire, and her life was the price for yours. "Now, you're using her fortune to pamper your mistress and your illegitimate daughter, living in the house she bought. Do you really think five million is enough to buy off her own child?" She took a step forward and sharply asked, "Don't you feel any shame?" Robert's face flushed with anger and humiliation. "How much do you want, then? Spit it out!" Eleanor had come prepared. She pulled a document from her bag and calmly listed a string of figures and company shares. "You're insane!" Robert exploded. "That would gut half of Hayes Group!" Eleanor didn't flinch. She walked to the window, gazing down at the garden below. She adopted a sweet tone, though what followed was chilling. "You don't agree? Fine. I planted explosives outside the villa. Either you give me what I asked for and sign this agreement, or we die here together today. It's your choice." Robert's eyes widened in horror. He pointed a shaking finger at her. "You're a lunatic!" "Yes," Eleanor said evenly. "I'm a lunatic, driven to this point by every one of you." Robert's face turned ashen. His breath quickened as he stared at her, trying to tell whether she meant it. In the end, fear of death outweighed everything else. He collapsed onto the couch, drenched in cold sweat. His trembling hand scrawled his signature across Eleanor's property division agreement. "Get rid of the bomb now!" he said, his voice trembling uncontrollably. Eleanor picked up the document and checked the signature with care. A cold, mocking smile curved her lips. "Relax. There's no bomb. You're easy to fool. After all, that's exactly how you tricked my mother into marrying you, isn't it? Like father, like daughter." It took Robert a moment to realize he'd been played. His face turned ashen again, this time with fury, and he could barely breathe. He pointed at her, stammering, "You…" but couldn't get a single word out. Eleanor couldn't be bothered to look at him again. She turned toward the stairs. "Stop right there!" Robert's voice came out hoarse as he tried to steady his rage. "Your sister's bringing her boyfriend home for dinner tonight. I don't care what kind of nonsense you've pulled before, but this time, you'll sit through that meal and behave yourself!" His tone hardened, laced with warning. "Her boyfriend is Alexander Grant! You know exactly what the Grants mean in Citadel. We can't afford to offend them. So, drop the attitude, and don't cause trouble for me." Eleanor froze mid-step, her entire body stiffening. Alexander was coming here as Amelia's boyfriend today. At that moment, the front door opened, and Amelia entered with Alexander by her side, linking arms with a radiant smile.