Chapter 24 A Shameful Affair
As soon as Eleanor stepped into the hotel, she spotted her parents dressed to the nines–her mother in a bright magenta gown and her father in a tailored black suit, From the way they were beaming beside Serena, it was clear they’d already accepted her as their real daughter and had come to show their support.
Even though Eleanor had already come to terms with the situation, a pang of bitterness still hit her chest. Whatever. Out of sight, out of mind. I’m married now, She thought to herself. ‘I don’t have to live under the same roof with them anymore. I can even pretend they don’t exist.‘
But even if Eleanor had no intention of talking to them, her parents clearly had other
ideas.
As soon as Linda spotted her, she frowned and dragged her father along. She wasted no time scolding her. “Where on earth have you been these past few days? No one could reach you! And now you’re telling people you got married? Eleanor, don’t behave like some careless man running wild out there, understand?”
Eleanor rolled her eyes. “I did get married. I’ve been living with my husband.”
“You-!” Linda’s face flushed with rage, and she raised a hand to slap her, but Richard quickly held her back.
“Not today,” he muttered. “This isn’t the time. We’ll only embarrass ourselves if anyone
sees.”
“It’s already embarrassing!” Linda snapped. “Eleanor, if you had a shred of ambition, you’d have managed to win over Chris.”
“Oh, so that’s what this is about?” Eleanor let out a dry laugh. “Still hoping to latch onto the Langfords? Worried your precious foster daughter isn’t as obedient as you thought? Don’t worry–I’ll do my best to marry Tyler instead and make your little dream
come true.”
“Eleanor!” her mother exploded. “Do you hear yourself? What nonsense are you spouting? If you ruin things with Tyler over this, we won’t acknowledge you as our daughter anymore!”
“Mom, are you afraid Serena won’t stay loyal because you’ve also started noticing something strange? Like how Dad treats her a little too nicely?” Eleanor gave a sweet, dangerous smile. “You know what they say–proximity breeds affection.”
That was the last straw. Richard’s face twisted with fury. “Such an ungrateful brat- what kind of garbage are your saying?”
He stood up to slap Eleanor, but just as his hand was about to come down on her, a strong arm shot out and stopped him.
“Who the hell-” Richard started, but stopped cold when he saw who it was.
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“Mr. Langford,” he stammered, clearly didn’t expect Tyler would involve.
Tyler’s expression was calm, but his voice was sharp. “Mr. Donovan, what do you think. you’re doing? Striking your own daughter at her foster sister’s wedding? That’s hardly appropriate, is it?”
“Oh, I–I just lost my temper,” Richard said with an awkward smile. “She’s always been a handful.”
snapped out of it, her Linda was still reeling from Eleanor’s earlier words, but when she gaze locked on her daughter. “I know you don’t like Serena, but don’t go spreading lies. That kind of rumor can’t be taken back.”
“I didn’t lie,” Eleanor said coolly. “While sorting through Mr. Farrell’s belongings, I found a photo of Dad with a woman who looked a lot like Serena. Turns out, she was Serena‘
s mother.”
“That’s ridiculous! Of course mother and daughter look alike,” Linda snapped. “Don’t go. making baseless accusations.”
Eleanor smiled again. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe Dad cared so much for Serena because he once loved her mother too? I wasn’t going to bring this up, but since she’s marrying into the Langfords, I figured I should say something. It’d be terrible if Dad’s feelings slipped and caused a scandal.” She then turned to Tyler on purpose and spoke up. “Mr. Langford, I’m telling you this in confidence. Please keep it to yourself.”
Tyler said nothing, but his gaze settled on Richard–deep, unreadable, and full of weight. Richard held his breath, visibly shaken.
He may be older, but Tyler controlled the economic lifeline of Harborview. Richard knew that crossing him was a death sentence.
“If you want proof, here it is,” Eleanor pulled out a folder and handed it to Tyler. “I saw them out shopping together, arm in arm–no sense of boundaries. I got suspicious, hired a Pl, even set up cameras at home, What I found shocked me. And I also know it was Dad who told Serena I was getting engaged to Chris. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come back.”
Tyler flipped through the contents, his brow furrowing with every page. His expression. darkened.
Linda leaned in to see and her face paled the more she read.
Richard’s heart skipped a beat. He had once been just an average office worker. It was marrying into the Donovan family that gave him everything he had. If Linda left him now, he’d lose it all.
“Honey, don’t listen to her,” he said quickly. “She’s just stirring up trouble on a day like
this.”
Tyler finally spoke. “If we’d learned about this before the wedding, we would’ve had to
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Chapter 24 A Shameful Alfab
reevaluate things. But now? What’s done is done. If there’s any scandal now, ther
Langford family will be the laughingstock of the city. I’ll investigate it myself. For now, let’s all pretend none of this happened.”
Linda clenched her fists. He was right. Eleanor’s broken engagement had already made her a joke. If Serena’s wedding blew up too, it would be the end of her social standing.
“It’s fi
fine, Mom,” Eleanor added lightly. “Serena and Chris are already legally married. I wouldn’t have said anything otherwise. I just didn’t want Chris to get hurt. And I believe Dad will do better. But marriage should be based on transparency. Maybe you can take a peek at where Dad’s been spending his money lately.”
“Is something wrong?” Just then, a soft voice cut through the tension. Serena approached slowly, her face anxious. “Is this because of me? Eleanor, I’m sorry. If I hadn’t come back, this wedding would’ve been yours. And Mrs. Donovan, please don’t be mad at me.”
Linda’s irritation only deepened. Even if she wasn’t fully convinced, Eleanor’s words had planted a seed of doubt–and now, seeing Serena’s pitiful expression only made her more uncomfortable. The idea of her husband and foster daughter…
Tyler’s voice broke the silence. “Mrs. Donovan, do you remember when I asked you to think back–when things started going wrong between you and Eleanor? Have you remembered anything yet?”
Serena froze. Something was definitely off. Linda had been cheerful that morning, even excited. But now her face was stone–cold, and her eyes toward Serena were…
wary.
Serena’s stomach twisted. Eleanor must’ve said something. Whatever it was, she couldn’t let her ruin the wedding.
“Serena… since you’ve been back, we haven’t had time to catch up,” Just then, Linda suddenly spoke up. “Tell me–how exactly have you been living these past few years?”
Chapter 25 Meeting Madam Langford
Chapter 25 Meeting Madam Langford
A flicker of panic crossed Serena’s eyes. She stole a gl
