Chapter 95

Eleanor had been tidying up inside Hope House when Nolan showed up.

He,however,chose to wait outside rather than go in.

His attention soon shifted to Erick, eyes sharp and unreadable. "If the media storm about Eleanor's taxes can't be stopped, then make sure you handle whatever rumors are circling Hope House."

Nolan understood just how much Myah meant to Eleanor, and he figured Eleanor must be on edge by now.

But Erick, nearly bouncing with enthusiasm,gave his report. "There's no need for that, Mr. Stewart."

He passed over the tablet, barely containing his excitement. "Everything's been flipped on its head!"

At that, Nolan, looking puzzled, took the tablet from him,his brow furrowed in curiosity.

What he saw next surprised him: right at the top of the trending list, the official Twitter account of the Elepdon Museum caught his eye. The museum's recent post, tagging Eleanor,announced, "Miss Eleanor Warren, we appreciate your commitment to preserving national treasures. During the auction, you generously gifted the Queen's diamond tiara to our museum. This artifact carries tremendous historical value and significance. Our museum will be hosting a special exhibition in two weeks, and we are inviting everyone to join us."

Nolan couldn't believe it. She really gave away the tiara?

He remembered how happy she had been that day,never once imagining she had bought it just to give it away.

What was she really hiding? His curiosity only grew.

As Nolan kept scrolling, the replies caught his attention even more.

A highlighted, pinned reply from the Elepdon Museum stood out at the very top of the comment section."Miss Warren has been supporting the preservation of artifacts for years, so her tax status has been clear for a long time."

One reply stood out. "Wait, are you saying she's actually been donating for years?"

Another chimed in, "Did things just do a complete turnaround?"

Someone else explained, "The important thing is,she donated the piece the very same day she bought it.That means she always intended it for the museum.Why is anyone blaming her?"

"I honestly had no idea. I take back what I said.My apologies," another commenter admitted.

Yet another added, "If her goal was always to donate it, why should she owe any taxes in the first place?"

A different user chimed in, "I work with Photoshop,and let me tell you those bank statement screenshots people were sharing were definitely edited."

"Enigma, we're sorry. We really messed up." Another remorseful comment read.

The majority of the responses were supportive, but tucked away among them was one vague reply."Doesn't this strategy look familiar? If I'm not mistaken, the last person to pull something like this was Butterfly!"

In the world of collectors, Butterfly was practically legendary, famous for her commitment to safeguarding the nation's treasures.

Anyone with insider knowledge would have pieced together Eleanor's true identity after seeing this. The majority of online commenters, though, weren't experts. They were just regular people, blissfully unaware.

But Nolan picked up on it immediately.

Could it be? Was Eleanor actually Butterfly all along?

That possibility left him feeling undeserving of her.

Eleanor always seemed gentle and sweet to him, and she had never stopped to surprise him.

Meanwhile, he was simply another rich guy, nothing truly remarkable in comparison.

That thought pushed Nolan into action.

He knew he needed to make his move before anyone else uncovered the truth and tried to win her over.

That realization sent him rushing out of the car and straight into Hope House.

The instant he found Eleanor, Nolan pulled her aside to a corner, wrapping her in his embrace.

His breath brushed against her cheek as he spoke softly. "You accepted my ring that day, remember? So,what do you say? Will you marry me?"

Eleanor hadn't been expecting a proposal, so his question left her speechless.

Nolan's tone shifted, sounding almost wounded as he admitted, "Even just being you, you've already got a crowd of admirers. If everyone knew about your another identity, how am I supposed to compete?"

Was he really just trying to stake his claim before anyone else could?

That realization made Eleanor chuckle. "Why would you even think that?"

Leaning in, Nolan rested his chin on her shoulder, his voice tinged with annoyance. "I saw what people were saying online. They're already guessing you're Butterfly."

So,her secret was starting to unravel after all?

That thought wiped the playful spark from Eleanor's eyes.

She eased out of his arms and pulled out her phone.

Her fingers moved quickly as she scrolled through the hot topics and comment threads, a quiet sigh of relief escaping her lips.

Thank goodness, only a handful of people seemed to have caught on to the truth so far.