Chapter 281
Chapter 281
While Theodore was still talking, Eliana glanced down at her phone to check the time and said softly, “Mr. Russell, I should get back to work!
He immediately said, “I’ll give you a ride.”
“That’s not necessary,” Eliana replied, reaching for the gift bag in his hand. But he seized the chance to catch her wrist and pull her into his arms. “Don’t tell me you actually believed what Anthony said–that you think I’m worried about Alice?”
Eliana turned her gaze away, a slight frown appearing on her face.
Theodore’s voice tightened. “Look at me, Mrs. Russell.”
Eliana glanced at him but kept quiet, not wanting her words to come out sharp or bitter.
Theodore had just reminded Anthony twice about Alice’s pregnancy. He was never one to meddle in other people’s business–especially not for someone like Alice, after all the trouble she’d’caused. But still, what he had said seemed to prove that he still cared.
Noticing the chill in her eyes, Theodore suddenly felt a wave of disappointment. “I kicked her out of the house for you. How can you not trust
me?”
But Eliana abruptly asked, “And what else? She’s still Anthony’s fiancée, soon to be a part of our family, isn’t she?”
Alice was the reason that she still had to rely on Samuel’s healthy meals just to get by, yet Theodore had quietly swept the whole thing under
the rug. If she hadn’t dug up the truth herself, how long would he have kept her in the dark?
The bitterness in her words shocked Theodore. “She’s pregnant.”
Besides, for someone as materialistic as Alice, being kicked out of the Russell family would hurt more than any other punishment.
“She’s pregnant? And what about me?
“She tampered with my food, that’s why I had stomach pains, why both the head chef and Mindy ‘resigned‘ at the same time, and why Dr. Wilson had to stay around to nurse me back to health. Did you really think I didn’t know any of this?”
Eliana grew more and more agitated. She’d originally planned to just play dumb and go along with them, but he really shouldn’t have kept bringing up how important Alice was in front of Anthony.
“I’ve said it before. Compared to how ruthless you were to my ex and my family, the way you treat her is just unbelievably kind.”
For a moment, the faces of Luke, Hudson, and even Hannah flashed before her eyes one after another, and her rage flared up for no reason.
Why was it that everyone she cared about either got forced out of Covenhill or ended up suffering, while Alice, no matter what she did, always seemed to get off easy?
Theodore stared at her furious face, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. “You used to be terrified of how ruthless I was, but now that I’m holding back, you’re still not satisfied. Why don’t you just tell me what I’m supposed to do?”
Even though she knew he was twisting things around, Eliana still felt heartbroken. She pulled his hand away and said, “I should go.”
“Since you don’t want my company, I’ll let someone else take you back,” Theodore said.
He called over the sales manager and instructed him to take Eliana to Starlight Media.
As Eliana’s figure slowly disappeared into the elevator, Theodore slammed his fist hard against the wall. ‘Damn it, Anthony! That guy never
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Chapter 281
brings anything but trouble every time he shows up?
On the way, the sales manager asked Eliana, who was sitting in the passenger experience today?”
eaf, “Mrs. Russell, were you satisfied with your shopping
Eliana glanced down at the gift bag in her hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, “… suppose so.”
“I’ve been working for Russell Group for years, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen Mr. Russell go shopping with someone. He must love
you dearly,” the sales manager said, half sincerely and half trying to flatter Eliana,
But to his surprise, Eliana turned toward him. “And what about Alice? Did he never do that for her?”
At the mention of Alice, the sales manager nearly swerved off the road. “Uh, I remember Ms. Powell usually came to the mall by herself, Mr.
Russell used to be a total workaholic.”
Seeing him flustered, Eliana decided not to push him any further.
But the sales manager kept talking. “Of course, Mr. Russell is still a workaholic, but he’s gotten a lot more emotional, I remember last Valentine’s Day. He had called everyone in for a meeting that night.
“But halfway through, he suddenly realized it was Valentine’s Day, so he decided to postpone the rest of the meeting until the next day Everyone was so relieved.”
Eliana was stunned. No wonder he was so angry that day. He had canceled the meeting on the spot, only to run into her and Luke coming out of the KTV together. Anyone would have been furious in his place.
Back at Starlight Media, a colleague reminded her, “Ellie, weren’t you going to share the deal you landed today with everyone?”
Eliana snapped out of her thoughts, opened her notebook, and said, “Right, Ms. Jenson is planning a charity auction for two weeks later. Here are her specific requirements…”
That evening, Eliana returned to Russell Manor. When she made her way up to the second floor, she spotted Samuel in the small kitchen, messing around with some food.
She greeted him and was just about to step inside when he turned around and said, “Mrs. Russell, you’re just in time. Can you give this a try?”
As Eliana walked over, she asked, “Trying out something new?”
Samuel stepped aside, revealing a pudding behind him. “Mr. Russell said you’ve been eating nothing but healthy meals lately, so he asked me to make you something sweet. I’ve been practicing for days just to get this right.”
Eliana was a little surprised when she heard it was Theodore’s idea. She glanced at the tiny pudding, topped with bits of dried fruit and chocolate, and asked, “Did you really make this? It looks just as pretty as the ones you get from a bakery.”
Samuel nodded. “Thanks for the compliment. Go ahead, give it a try.”
Eliana picked up the little silver spoon next to the pudding and was just about to take a bite when a few strands of hair slipped down her shoulder. Samuel couldn’t help himself and reached out to tuck them behind her ear.
When Eliana looked at him, he gave her a look of mock disgust and said, “If your hair gets on the pudding, just think how many germs you’d
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Chapter 281
end up eating.”
“Thanks,” Eliana said, turning back to the pudding. After taking a bite, her mood, which had been so heavy, finally became a little sweeter
“It’s delicious.”
Samuel let out a sigh of relief. “Awesome. Now I can finally report back to Mr. Russell.”
“Yeah,” Eliana said flatly.
After putting down the spoon, she was about to head back to her room when Samuel stepped in front of her and said, “Wait.”
Eliana looked up at him. “What is it, Dr. Wilson?”
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prettier. You really shouldn’t be looking this rough.”
Samuel looked at her carefully. “Why do you look so out of it today? My
meals are
‘Rough?‘ Eliana instinctively touched her face.
supposed to help your health and even make you look
The next second, Samuel demanded, “Give me your hand. Let me check your pulse.”
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