Chapter 18

Ryland leaned back with a teasing grin. "Aside from Miss Warren dazzling everyone today... Tell me,Nolan,are you actually interested in her?"

Nolan's eyes snapped to him, cold and cutting, a look sharp enough to silence the room.

The grin slid right off Ryland's face. He rubbed his nose awkwardly, realizing he had gone too far.

He hadn't asked out of malice.

Eleanor might be lovely, yes, but she was still a divorced woman. The Stewarts were a dynasty, and someone like her slipping into their world sounded impossible.

Nolan was his oldest friend, and he couldn't help but worry Nolan would get dragged into something messy. But under that piercing stare, his throat tightened,and his courage drained away. He raised both hands in surrender. "Alright, I'll shut up. Forget | said anything. I'll head out before you freeze me to death."

With that, he bolted for the door, retreating like a man who had just escaped an execution.

The room had barely settled into silence when the door opened again, and Erick Wright, Nolan's assistant, entered briskly. His face was grave, his tone clipped.

"Mr.Stewart, news just came from the hospital. Your sister's condition has deteriorated. None of the prescribed treatments are working anymore," Erick said.

Nolan's hand clenched around the coffee cup, the quiet crack of pressure filling the room. "I don't care what it costs-track down the Soul Surgeon and force an entry into the Underground Network."

He lowered the cup onto the table, lids closing for a fleeting moment. When his eyes opened again, they were cold steel. "And another thing-tell the hospital to pull every string, use the finest medication, the best equipment. Fannie must be watched every second. If they fail her...they might as well burn their doors shut."

The weight of his words made Erick's spine lock tight, a sheen of cold sweat breaking across his brow."Yes,Mr.Stewart. I'll see to it immediately."

At the Todd family's villa, Emma burst through the doors like a storm.

Her designer bag crashed onto the sofa, and she practically shook with rage.

That bitch Eleanor!

She had shamed her in public, cost her a fortune,and made her a laughingstock!

And worst of all, Jonny had defended that tramp! Did he actually fall for her? Impossible!

Emma's thoughts shifted furiously. Lainey. Yes, she needed Lainey.

Together, they could crush Eleanor before she wormed her way any further into their world. She couldn't-she wouldn't-let Eleanor win.

Just as Emma was about to storm upstairs, the front door opened and a familiar silhouette stepped inside.

"Lainey!" Emma rushed forward, her voice shrill with grievance."You won't believe what happened today.That wretched Eleanor-she humiliated me in front of everyone! And Jonny-he actually hit me because of her! He's never laid a hand on me before!"

At Emma's words, Lainey's eyes glimmered, though her hands tightened into fists behind her back where no one could see.

Of course, she knew about David's antique exhibition. It was the grand event of the season, the kind of gathering where connections were forged and reputations polished.

Naturally, she had thought Jonny would escort her- after all, she wNas supposed to be his girlfriend now.

But the phone never rang.

Instead, whispers drifted through the city, then a ruckus at the Todd family's villa drew her here.

And once again, the root of the chaos was Eleanor.

That bitch was like a ghost that refused to stay buried-an orphan from nowhere daring to stand tall in David's hall, even managing to shake both Jonny and Emma.

Beneath the surface, Lainey's resentment twisted sharper, but on her lips bloomed a gentle, practiced smile. "Emma, you've really been wronged tonight."

Lainey reached out, patting Emma's hand with practiced tenderness as she guided her back into the villa. "Jonny lived with Eleanor for three years, Emma.Old habits don't vanish overnight."

Emma's face twisted with frustration. "Lainey, you're too soft! What's so special about that cunt anyway?First she bewitched Grandma, and now even Jonny looks like he's under her spell!"

Her voice cracked with fury as she stamped her foot against the floor, the sound echoing through the hall.