At nine that night, not long after Eliana and Theodore had returned to their room from their evening walk, there was a sudden frock at the foot
Eliana opened it and found Anthony standing outside, holding an invitation. He then mouthed for her to come out.
She nodded and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.
Anthony handed her the invitation and said gently, “Eliana, I’m getting engaged to Alice in a couple of days. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to give this to my brother.”
Seeing how sincere he looked, Eliana couldn’t help but ask, “Why don’t you give it to him yourself?”
“Because if I do, he’ll throw it back in my face.” Anthony gave a wry smile and then looked at her seriously. “From what I’ve noticed lately, he treats you differently. You’re the only one who might be able to convince him.”
Eliana felt a little flattered, and before she knew it, she’d already taken the invitation from him.
She couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful–if this didn’t go well, she would be the one taking the blame. But then she remembered how much more easygoing Theodore had become lately, so she nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll give it a shot.”
Anthony watched her turn and go back inside, a smile tugging at his lips. The show was about to begin. He wondered what kind of choice his brother
would make.
Back in the room, after Theodore came out of the shower, Eliana steeled herself and said, “Theodore, Anthony stopped by earlier. He asked me to give you this invitation. It’s for his engagement party with Ms. Powell this Saturday. Do you… want to go?”
Theodore buttoned up his shirt and stood silent for a moment. Then, in a calm voice, he said, “I’ll go.”
His immediate response caught Eliana completely off guard. She couldn’t help but wonder if this could be the turning point where the two brothers finally made peace.
On Saturday, as part of the event staff, Eliana arrived early at the Grandview Hotel. After double–checking the venue and making sure everything was perfect, she finally let out a relieved smile.
Soon enough, all the movers and shakers of Covenhill strolled down the red carpet into the banquet hall, each presenting the Russell family with extravagant gifts.
Lainey stood at the entrance with her children, Jayden and Barbara, basking in the flood of congratulations and flattery. She was practically glowing with pride, soaking up every bit of the attention.
‘And this is just Anthony’s engagement party–people are already making such a big deal out of it. How over–the–top is his wedding going to be?‘ Eliana thought, marveling at the scene. Just then, she caught sight of Nolan and Hannah.
Nolan was the head of the company organizing the event, so naturally, he was invited. As for Hannah, she was probably just tagging along as his date.
Hannah was clearly out to impress tonight. She was all glammed up in a low–cut, backless dress, drawing plenty of lecherous stares from the men
around her.
But she didn’t seem to mind–in fact, she welcomed the attention, raising her glass and giving them flirtatious looks like Nolan wasn’t even standing next to her.
Eliana could more or less guess what she was up to. With so many wealthy and powerful men around, Hannah was obviously hoping to land someone better, which had always been her style. She probably also wanted to provoke Nolan, hoping he’d get jealous and value her more.
However, as soon as Nolan spotted Eliana, he walked straight over to her, leaving Hannah stunned and wide–eyed behind him.
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Chapter 78
Eliana greeted him calmly with a polite nod. “Mr. Hall.”
Nolan replied warmly, “Eliana, thank you for all your hard work lately.”
“Just doing my job. But Mr. Hall, do you think I could officially become full time after today?”
Nolan chuckled, not finding her request pushy in the slightest. “You never miss a chance to bring that up, do you?”
Eliana gave a smug grin. “Of course! If I keep wishing for something, it’s bound to happen,” With that, about time, she exchanged a look with the emcee on stage.
she glanced down at her phone. Seeing it was
The emcee had just wrapped up the warm–up. Catching her signal, he announced with gusto and annotinced, “Now, let’s give a big round of applause to welcome the couple.”
As applause filled the room, Alice appeared, arm in arm with Anthony, walking slowly down the long aisle decorated with lilies.
She wore a flowing pink dress, and with each step, her ankles peeked out from beneath the floor–length hem. Wisps of white smoke from the dry ice on either side of the aisle curled around her, giving her an ethereal glow like she’d stepped straight out of a fairytale
Anthony wore a sharp suit and a pair of gold–rimmed glasses, but somehow, he had that charmingly sly edge to him.
Eliana quickly shook her head, thinking, ‘No way. I must be imagining things. Anthony’s always so gentle and polished–how could someone like him possibly give off that kind of vibe?‘
“Right this way, please,” the emcee said, leading the couple onto the stage. Then, with a playful smile, he handed the mic to Anthony. “Mr. Russell, is there anything you’d like to say to Ms. Powell?”
Anthony just smiled and said, “Let’s wait a little longer.”
Confused, the emcee glanced down at his cue cards, saw that everything was on schedule, and couldn’t help but look over at Eliana.
But Eliana knew what Anthony was waiting for. She’d left Russell Manor early this morning and wasn’t sure if Theodore could make it here on his own.
Just then, a sudden bang echoed through the hall as the intricately carved doors swung open, booming like thunder through the crowd.
Eliana looked over and saw a line of bodyguards at the front, with an elderly man in the middle. He had silver hair and piercing, intelligent eyes, and was pushing a wheelchair.
In it sat a strikingly handsome man, his features so finely sculpted it was as if a divine hand had carved them. His hair was slicked back, giving him an air of quiet dominance, and his custom–made black suit heightened his mysterious vibe.
The whole place went silent for a few seconds before erupting into an even louder buzz of gossip.
“Oh my god, am I seeing things? Is that… is that Mr. Theodore Russell?”
“Didn’t they say he’d turned twisted, unhinged, and out of control over the past couple of years? Why does he still look as unfathomable as ever?”
“Yeah, and rumor has it that the Russell family has already given up on him, but look who’s pushing his wheelchair!”
Everyone couldn’t help but turn to look at the elderly man behind Theodore, their faces full of respect.
“I know who that is. He was Mr. Daniel Russell’s right–hand man back in the day, helping him build his empire!”
“Mr. Daniel Russell didn’t show up today because he didn’t want to show support for Mr. Anthony Russell, but he sent his own right–hand man to push Mr. Theodore Russell’s wheelchair. It’s obvious who he values more.”
As Theodore passed by, Eliana couldn’t help but press a hand to her pounding heart. She’d thought Anthony looked dashing today, but after seeing Theodore, she finally realized he was the most dazzling man in the room.
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