Chapter 214
Elana gazed at him thoughtfully. “Are we friends?”
Anthony nodded. “I hope so.”
Eliana suddenly asked, “First, answer me this at Mr. Turner’s birthday party, was it you who sent Alice to seduce theoret
Under Anthony’s momentarily stiffened expression, Eliana turned his words back on him. “You said you wanted to be friends with me that’s silty fre asking. But of course, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
But if that was the case, she couldn’t really consider him a friend.
Anthony gazed at her for a long moment. Then his smile faded, and he spoke seriously, “What do you think, Eliana? Even though I’m the secrid sent of the Russell family, because of my birth mother, I’ve never truly been accepted as a legitimate member of the family.
“Since we were kids, people said us three kids only entered the Russell family to fight Theodore for the inheritance. Later, when I temporarily took over Russell Group from him, it put me under the harsh spotlight of public opinion.
“Theodore and I have always been rivals. If I didn’t have some means of my own, I could never hold my head high in business circles”
His response was like admission, and Eliana’s expression turned cold. “Even if we’re competing, shouldn’t you do it fair and square?”
Anthony sighed. “Back then, Theodore wouldn’t even allow my mother and us three to dine at the same table. And now he’s constantly suppressing me at the company–is that what you call fair?”
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Eliana paused briefly and then said, “So Alice was just a pawn in your game? You never really loved her–you just enjoyed the thrill of taking away the woman Theodore loved, didn’t you?”
Anthony, well–versed in the art of conversation, countered, “Have you ever considered whether Alice truly loved me? If she wasn’t willing, how could I possibly force her to enter Theodore’s room? It’s not like I could make her do something against her will.”
Eliana pressed her lips together. “Then how can I be sure you’re not treating me as another Alice?”
“Time will tell,” Anthony replied earnestly. “No matter how intense the rivalry between Theodore and me gets, I’ve never had any intention of hurting you.”
Eliana shook her head. “But if Alice had succeeded that day, my marriage to Theodore would have been destroyed. You really mean ‘never wanting to
hurt me‘?”
Anthony put on a sly smile and said, “If Alice had actually succeeded, wouldn’t that just prove Theodore isn’t someone you can really count on? Honestly, you should be thanking me for putting his true character to the test for you.”
Eliana let out a bitter laugh, thinking, ‘Anyway, he always manages to make it like he’s in the right.‘
In the blink of an eye, Anthony reverted to his harmless/self. “Come on, Eliana, don’t be mad at me. If you don’t eat now, the food will get cold.”
Meanwhile, at the Therapy Center, when a luxury car abruptly stopped at the entrance, a demolition worker rushed out and warned, “Sir, this area’s dangerous. You really shouldn’t park here.”
But Theodore stood frozen, staring blankly at the charred ruins before him, too stunned to respond.
Seeing his reaction, the worker couldn’t help asking, “Sir, are you looking for someone?”
Frustrated by the sluggish investigation, Theodore drove over personally–only to be confronted with a scene of utter devastation he ne ected.
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Theodore finally snapped out of his daze and asked, “What happened here?”
The worker said, “A massive fire broke out here a few nights ago. The teachers and kids inside were nearly trapped. According to neatly rece the firefighters and medical teams couldn’t handle the situation.”
Theodore asked urgently, his voice tense, “Was this in the news?”
The worker paused, then said, “No… Not that I’ve seen. They probably didn’t want it reported–had publicity and all.”
Theodore was confused.
The worker explained, “If someone had died in that fire, this place would be considered haunted. No parent will send their kids here after that.
The worker’s every word carried an undercurrent of danger, making Theodore feel as though he were right there in the midst of it all, despite not having witnessed the scene himself.
‘I can’t help but wonder what state of mind my wife was in when she called me that night. And yet, from the very beginning, I missed it all, thought Theodore.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Isaac tugged at Eliana’s hand, looked up at her, and pleaded, “Ellie, when will Theodore come to visit me?”
This was already the umpteenth time Isaac had asked this question.
Before, Eliana could put him off by saying Theodore was away on business. But now that he was back, her heart ached at the thought of lying to Isaac.
Anthony chimed in, “What would you like to do? I can keep you company. Don’t you like me?”
After all, Anthony gave Isaac so many gifts. So he said, “I do like you, but no matter how nice you are, you’re not Ellie’s husband.”
“Isaac.” Eliana asked in frustration, “Why do you have to see him?”
Without even thinking, Isaac blurted out, “Because Theodore treats me so well.”
Isaac thought, ‘When Mom scolded me so harshly, it was Theodore who took my phone and told her I wasn’t an embarrassment at all.
‘He even invited me to stay over at his house and arranged for a private car to take me home the next day. Most importantly–unlike everyone else who
treats me like an idiot–he actually respects me.‘
Anthony’s smile stiffened a bit. He asked, “Haven’t we been good to you?”
“We?” Isaac thought, a bit confused.
Isaac froze for a moment, then it finally dawned on him–they’d been standing together ever since they walked in.
Isaac thought, ‘But wait, shouldn’t the spot next to Ellie be reserved for Theodore?‘
After a brief thought, Isaac suddenly pulled Eliana to the opposite side of his bed, effectively placing the bed between her and Anthony.
Seeing this, Anthony narrowed his eyes slightly as he wondered, ‘Is Isaac really mentally changed, or is he just pretending?‘
Isaac suddenly realized something and asked, “Ellie, didn’t you go home to shower? Why are you still wearing the same clothes?”
“Uh… I suddenly don’t feel like showering anymore,” Eliana said awkwardly.
Isaac said with concern, “But if you don’t shower, you’ll feel really uncomfortable and get all itchy.”
Now that Isaac mentioned it, Eliana wasn’t sure if it was just in her head, but she really did start to feel a little itchy.
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“Here’s what we’ll do,” Isaac said with earnest generosity, “You can wear my clothes. I just bought these new boxer shorts super comfy. And they’re really breezy in the middle part.”
“Isaac, stop being silly,” Eliana said helplessly. “I’ll go borrow some clothes from the teacher next door. Just stay here and be good, alright?
“Okay.” Isaac nodded obediently.
Still uneasy, Eliana turned to Anthony and said, “Could you please keep an eye on him for a while?”
Anthony nodded. “Sure thing.”
Once they were alone in the room, Isaac suddenly blurted out, “You like my sister, don’t you?”
Anthony’s expression tensed up. “What did you just say?”
Isaac scratched his head. “You keep staring at her back–just because I’m simple doesn’t mean you can be so blatant about it, right?”
Anthony had indeed miscalculated this time.
But he quickly countered with a teasing smile, “Well, if I keep staring at you now, does that mean I like you too?”
