Chapter 150

The crowd's hushed voices and judgmental glances didn't faze Eleanor. She remained completely unbothered.

She moved her eyes from face to face, hoping Nolan would appear.

He was nowhere to be found.

Perhaps Norwood had taken him away, maybe even locked him up somewhere.

Norwood always liked having the upper hand.

So what?

She refused to budge.

If Nolan couldn't break through for her, she would let him go.

She never wanted love to feel like a cage. Meanwhile, Lillian looked like she was about to explode. She was seconds away from starting a fight."Norwood's totally out of line! He..."

Before she could take a step, someone grabbed her arm.

Ryland appeared at her side, his expression more serious than usual. "Lillian, don't be reckless."

Even though the Stewart and the Brooks families were close, this mess still belonged to the Stewarts.It wasn't their place to get involved.

The tension in the room snapped when a loud crash echoed from the floor above.

Every head turned to see what happened.

The study door upstairs had been slammed open from inside.

At the threshold, Nolan lingered, his once crisp black suit now looking rumpled and worn.

There was a fierceness in his eyes that no one had seen before, and the air around him seemed to darken.

Without a word, he marched down the stairs. He made a beeline for Eleanor, wrapped his arms around her, and stood between her and everyone else.

Finally, he looked up, his eyes cold as he locked eyes with Norwood.

"I'm making this official as head of the Stewart family, the engagement with the Benton family is null and void. From now on, Eleanor is the only woman I'll call my wife."

After saying that, he paid no mind to anyone else. He reached for Eleanor's hand and walked out without another glance.

Everyone watched, stunned. No one had time to process what happened.

Norwood's anger boiled over. "Nolan! Come back here!"

He shook so hard that his cane wobbled as he pointed it at Nolan's back.

Nolan didn't slow down or look back.

The two of them disappeared in moments.

Suddenly, Norwood's rage caught up with him, and he collapsed to the floor.

"Mr.Stewart!"

"Somebody call for help!"

Chaos erupted throughout the room.

Jeff's face soured.

If Lainey hadn't been so determined to marry Nolan,he would never have put up with all the shame the Stewart family made him swallow.

If he didn't get a clear answer today, he was ready to end things for good.

Lainey read Jeff's mood and rushed to reassure him."Dad, please don't get upset. Nolan just learned the truth, so of course, he's going to push back. But the

engagement's already public, and there's no undoing it now. Just let him cool off. He'll comne to terms with it soon enough and let Eleanor go."

She was terrified that Jeff might break off the engagement in a fit of anger.

She couldn't allow that.

After everything she had done, she refused to give up now.

Nolan's anger meant nothing as long as Norwood stood by her.

She believed she would become Nolan's wife, no matter what.

Frustration burned inside Jeff. This was public humiliation for the Benton family.

But when he saw Lainey's cheer, he decided to hold his tongue.

No one noticed Hilda staring at the girl whose hand Nolan clutched so firmly. She didn't need proof anymore.

That was her daughter.

The photos hadn't prepared her for the sharp, gut-wrenching pain that hit now.

It was worse.

Her child had been humiliated today, and she hadn't been able to defend her.

Watching her husband fawn over the imposter made it even harder to breathe.

She couldn't waste any more time.

She needed to uncover the truth; she needed her daughter back.