Chapter 94
Chapter 94
F 73%
+15
Serena was taken away by the police, and Eleanor couldn’t hide her delight. “Let’s see how many days she’ll be locked up this
time.”
“Eleanor,” Chris said, struggling to keep his anger in check, “did you do this on purpose?”
Eleanor didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I did it on purpose. If she’s bold enough to pull something like that, she’d better be ready to face the consequences.”
“I’m not just talking about this,” Chris pressed. “What happened to Vera–was that really your doing? Or were you and Vera working together just to get back at Serena?”
Eleanor’s eyes narrowed, and suddenly she slammed her hand on the table. “Chris, what’s that supposed to mean?
“I get that you care about your wife, but that doesn’t give you the right to throw wild accusations at me. You know Logan, don’t you? Why don’t you go ask him what really happened?”
“Logan?” Chris said slowly. “He once fought me because of you. Who knows what you two might be plotting together?”
“Oh, really?” Eleanor sneered. “You and Serena already got your stories straight, huh? The way Serena texted Vera–it’s word- for–word what you’re saying now. Want me to show you?” She pulled out her phone and handed it to Chris.
[Yeah, I was the one who called the reporters. But it really wasn’t my idea–Eleanor forced me to do it.]
[You think Eleanor’s your friend, but does she really see you that way? Bet you didn’t know she lost her virginity to a stranger and hasn’t been the same since.
[Logan likes her. Don’t you wonder if she and Logan are teaming up against you? And when people used to make fun of Logan’s personality, only Eleanor ever stood up for him.]
[If you’re willing to sue Eleanor, I can testify for you. I can’t stand her. Even as the Donovan family’s adopted daughter, I’ll never measure up to her.]
Chris was stunned. He just couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that Serena had written those words. Thinking back to the messages she’d sent to Lila’s superfan, he realized she’d been manipulating things all along. This wasn’t the Serena he knew at all.
“Anyone pushed that hard is going to push back,” Chris blurted out. “She wouldn’t send that stuff for no reason–she must be trying to protect herself.”
Suddenly, Chris’s phone rang. It was a friend calling. “Hey Chris, did you hear? Logan’s getting engaged–to Vera, the heiress of the Monroe Group.
“Is there something going on between you two? We were going to throw a party to celebrate, but he said not to invite you.” Chris’s eyes went wide in shock. He barely registered anything else the caller said; all he could think about was that Logan was getting engaged, and his fiancée was Vera.
Chris tried calling Logan, wanting to get to the bottom of it, only to realize he’d been blocked.
Thinking about the first person who ever blocked him, Chris stared at Eleanor. “Logan and Vera are about to get engaged. If they slept together… that was their choice, wasn’t it?”
Eleanor was a little surprised too–she hadn’t expected Vera to get engaged so quickly. Still, it made sense; Logan showed up and made a formal proposal–of course the Monroe family would say yes.
“Well, they’ve both been to the hospital for a checkup, and the tableware has been sealed and sent for testing. The police will decide what really happened,” Eleanor replied coldly. “And by the way, why don’t you just ask your friend what’s going on?”
1/3
16:36 Wed, 21 May MDU
Chapter 94
73%
Chris didn’t want to admit he’d been blocked. “I trust Serena. If I trust others but not her, that’s not fair to her. Isn’t it the same with Tyler? He never believes what outsiders say–he only trusts you.”
Eleanor turned her head away, thinking. ‘Is that even a fair comparison?‘
1
“Serena is nothing like Eleanor.” Tyler’s stern voice rang out. “Eleanor is pure and kind, as noble as a rose. She’s not some wild weed you can compare her to. Haven’t you heard of fence–sitters–people who play both sides?”
15
Eleanor pressed her lips together, barely holding back a laugh. Tyler was clearly standing up for her, getting a bit of payback on Eleanor’s behalf.
Chris had always said Serena was pure and kind, like wild grass growing on the edge of a cliff–tough and resilient. He even called roses vulgar and said he couldn’t stand them.
Noticing Chris staring at her, Eleanor teased, “Chris, why are you looking at me like that? Can’t Tyler say something nice about me for once?”
“So you told Tyler all that stuff,” Chris shot back. “No matter what Serena did, you two grew up together, lived under the same roof for years. Just because I praised her a little, you had to run and tell on me.”
Eleanor let out a cold laugh. “Chris, you really think too highly of yourself. I never tattled on you before, and I’m not about to start now.”
Chris didn’t buy it for a second. He thought, ‘If she didn’t tell Tyler, how would he know about the rose and wild grass? That was exactly what I said before.‘
“Chris, why are you always acting like some rebellious teenager? Funny how you forget your own words.” Tyler’s voice was cold. “Mom, do you remember last year on your birthday, when Eleanor gave you that rose embroidery handbag?”
Martha smiled. “Of course I remember. It was from my favorite artist, Ms. Petrova.”
“That day,” Tyler continued, “I happened to overhear Chris scolding Eleanor.
“He said roses were vulgar, that he didn’t like them, and asked why she didn’t check with him before picking a gift. He even said roses weren’t as good as the wild grass by the road.”
“Is that true?” Martha’s face darkened. “Chris, did you really say that?”
Chris lowered his eyes. After a long pause, he finally muttered, “Yeah.”
“You brat, if I had known you’d said something that awful back then, I would’ve been furious on the spot,” Martha snapped. “Arthur, you better step in and deal with this.”
“All right, have some water. Don’t get too upset,” Arthur said, handing her a glass. At home, Arthur never got involved in family matters; Martha always had the final say.
“Chris, even though it’s all in the past, you still owe Eleanor an apology,” Arthur said.
“Dad, it’s been ages–do we really have to go over this again?” Kara nudged Caden, feeling like she was the only one who ever spoke up in this family. With a useless husband and a disappointing son, she was about to lose her mind.
Caden, clearly irritated, said, “Chris, just say you’re sorry. You brought this on yourself.”
Chris’d insisted on marrying Serena, and now Tyler ended up with the leftovers. Still, Tyler had nerves of steel–marrying someone who was supposed to be his future niece–in–law, and he wasn’t even the slightest bit ashamed.
“No need for an apology,” Eleanor said with a smile. “Looks like Chris doesn’t know the story behind the rose and just thinks it’s tacky. Wendy, go grab some paper and a brush from the study.”
16:36 Wed, 21 May 3 00
Chapter 94
“Alright.” Eleanor stepped outside and saw only Tyler. “Where is he?”
A few minutes later, Eleanor took the supplies from Wendy and smiled. “Chris, looks like you could use a little art lesson.
“Every kind of flower has its charm, but that attitude of yours–that’s the real problem. So go on now, draw me a hundred
roses
Chris shot Eleanor a glare, the smile on her face was seriously annoying. “I just don’t like it, okay?”
Tm not trying to change your taste, Eleanor replied with a gentle smile. “I just want you to have a better eye. If you’re going to be rich, you better not slack on your aesthetics. In that case-
“He’ll do it,” Kara cut her off Eleanor’s got a point. Chris, just agree already.”
Chris looked completely unwilling, “Eleanor, I’ll do what you ask. But you have to let Serena go.”
