"Splash!"
A glass of cold water was poured over her head, jolting Eleanor awake. The cold, icy voice that followed was both familiar and distant.
"Eleanor! You even used Cathy to leave me!"
Eleanor's head buzzed as she looked up at the man in front of her. Shock and disbelief gradually filled her eyes. "Charles? You came to find me? Is your leg okay?"
She clearly remembered—Charles had lost a leg in a car accident while saving her.
Since then, the once-proud heir of the Harrison family had vanished from the public eye. Yet here he was, standing before her, as cold and imposing as ever. Only the fury in his eyes betrayed his emotions.
Eleanor's mind reeled. Didn't she die? Poisoned by her half-sister, Emily?
Why was she seeing Charles again?
"Eleanor, don't play dumb with me!" His furious voice yanked her out of her thoughts.
Frantically, she grabbed her phone and checked the date—July 23, 2019.
Five years ago.
This was the day she had broken up with Charles after their daughter Catherine had gone missing.
Had she been reborn?
Charles's gaze was ice-cold as he continued, "Cathy is our daughter our own flesh and blood. Even if you hate me, you can't joke about her safety!"
Cathy—right, her daughter!
Eleanor's breath caught. She immediately reached for Charles's arm, her voice trembling. "Where is Cathy? Have you found her?"
In her past life, after Cathy had disappeared, Eleanor had searched for her desperately, only to be accused by the Harrison family of using her daughter's disappearance as an excuse to run away with Thomas. The next day, Emily had miraculously returned Cathy to the Harrisons, manipulating events to turn Charles against her.
Blinded by rage and heartbreak, Eleanor had demanded a divorce.
Looking back now, it was all part of Emily and Thomas's twisted plan.
Charles's anger seemed to subside slightly at her panicked expression. He exhaled sharply. "Cathy has been found. Grandfather sent someone to bring her back."
Her grandfather? In her past life, it was Emily who had brought Cathy back—so why was it different this time?
Before she could process it, everything spun, and in the blink of an eye, she found herself trapped between the bed and Charles.
Under the dim golden light, his gaze bore into her. His voice was laced with mockery. "Do you hate me that much? For forcing you to have a child with me? For keeping you by my side?"
His grip tightened around her delicate jaw, making her wince. Instinctively, she tried to push him away.
"It's not that, I—"
Before she could finish, he crashed his lips against hers, his forehead pressing against hers as he whispered coldly, "Don't test my patience again, Eleanor, or I promise you, you'll regret it even more."
Eleanor shook her head desperately.
No! This time, she wouldn't make the same mistakes!
But Charles took her silence as defiance, and under his intense gaze, her clothes slipped away one by one…
---
Eleanor woke up the next morning, sunlight filtering through the curtains. The room was quiet, warm even.
For a moment, she wondered if everything had just been a dream.
But then, the door creaked open, and Charles stepped in. His expression was unreadable, but his voice was unusually calm.
"Today is Grandfather's birthday. Cathy is waiting for you."
After speaking, he turned and shut the door with a loud bang.
Eleanor's chest tightened.
Grandfather's birthday banquet…
In her past life, she had ruined everything that day.
Blinded by Emily's lies, she had accused Charles of infidelity in front of everyone. Worse, her carefully prepared birthday gift for Mr. Carter had been swapped, causing him such distress that he had suffered a stroke. After that, she lost all support from the Carter family.
That was the moment everything had begun to spiral.
This time, she wouldn't let that happen.
Taking a deep breath, she reached into a drawer, finding exactly what she was looking for.
A cold smile curled on her lips.
The show was just beginning.
---
Later, when she said goodbye to Charles before heading to the banquet, he was already seated in the back of his black Rolls-Royce. The navy-blue suit he wore made him look impossibly refined.
As the car door closed, Eleanor took a deep breath before hesitantly calling out, "Husband."
Charles turned to her slowly, his expression unreadable.
She forced herself to continue. "I was wrong before. I won't cause trouble again."
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying a new trick?"
It was no surprise that he didn't believe her—after all, she had caused him so much pain in the past.
Eleanor swallowed her frustration. She knew words alone wouldn't convince him.
So she fell silent, leaning back in her seat, focusing on her plan.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the Carter family mansion.
Inside the grand hall, all eyes were on Mr. Carter—her grandfather.
Eleanor struggled to hold back her tears. Quickly, she ran up to him, grabbing his arm. "Grandpa, I missed you so much!"
Mr. Carter chuckled warmly. "You silly child, you're all grown up now, yet you still act like a little girl."
Tears pricked her eyes. Her mother had died when she was young, her Grandfather had been the only one to truly love her.
"It's your birthday. Of course, I had to come!" She smiled, blinking away her emotions.
But before she could say more, a delicate voice interrupted.
"Sister, did your mother-in-law blame you for losing Cathy? Grandpa, please don't be too hard on her. She didn't mean to lose the child…"
Eleanor's expression stiffened.
Slowly, she lifted her gaze.
Standing beside Mr. Carter, dressed in an elegant gown, was Emily.
And just like that, the battle had begun.
Dressed in an elegant white veil dress, her delicate features exuding innocence, stood Olivia, while beside her, Emily wore a sophisticated black cheongsam.
They were able to attend Mr. Carter's birthday banquet because of Eleanor's blind trust in them over the years. She had spoken highly of them in front of her grandfather, never realizing their true intentions.
Of course, Mr. Carter had always indulged Eleanor as well.
Upon hearing Emily's words, he immediately interrupted her, his voice stern.
"Nonsense! Your sister couldn't have done it on purpose. Don't make baseless accusations!"
He shot Emily a sharp glare.