Chapter 4
Eliana explained, “I noticed our room doesn’t even have a single window. It’s stuffy, and there’s no sunlight. Ifit stays like this for too long r might get to you.”
The main reason, though, was that Eliana didn’t like being in a space like this. Adding a window for Theodore was just a side benefit. Aner all with t bad temper and sharp tongue, there wasn’t anything likable about him.
Of course, Theodore wasn’t stupid enough to believe she actually cared about him. “You’re just afraid I’ll suffocate in here and you won’t be able to explain it to my grandfather, right?”
“Sure, let’s say that.” Eliana didn’t argue. She just sighed and said, “The view outside is beautiful. It’s a shame you can’t see it.”
Agitated, Theodore immediately snapped, “You really want to talk about scenery with a blind man? Are you trying to mock me?”
Eliana quickly tried to comfort him, “You may not be able to see it, but you can still feel it.”
To her, spring meant fresh air and the scent of things blooming. In summer, the air felt soft with rain and the hum of life all around.
Fall brought crisp breezes and a quiet calm, while winter had snow and sunlight that made the cold feel bearable. None of it required sight. They just had to open a window to feel it.
Maybe Theodore thought it through somehow, because he turned around and looked straight at her with his blank eyes. “You want to replace the wall with a window? Fine.”
Eliana’s face lit up right away. “You’re okay with it?”
Hearing the excitement in her voice, Theodore thought, ‘Don’t get too happy just yet.‘ Then he said, “It’s not up to me. You’ll need that woman’s permission.”
“That woman? Who?” Eliana asked.
He said, “Lainey Russell.”
Eliana pondered, ‘My mother–in–law?‘
When Eliana went downstairs for breakfast, she kept glancing at Lainey, the middle–aged woman seated at the head of the table, elegant and poised as she ate. Little did Eliana know, Lainey had already noticed her staring.
“Ellie, what is it? Do you want to say something to me?” Lainey asked.
Eliana smiled, “Lainey, here’s the thing.” Since Lainey brought it up first, Eliana politely brought up the idea of installing a floor–to–ceiling window.
The smile on Lainey’s face seemed to fade a little when she heard that. “Ellie, this is something for the two of you to work out yourselves.”
Eliana froze for a moment and thought, ‘So she doesn’t want to get involved?‘
The next second, the little boy sitting next to Lainey, Jayden Russell, let out a burp, then put down his utensils and said, “Mommy, I’m f
Lainey immediately turned toward him, tidied up his school uniform, and reminded him to come home early after school.
For some reason, Eliana suddenly thought of Theodore, alone in that dark room, blind,
As Logan’s eldest son, Theodore didn’t seem to have Lainey’s affection.
It made Eliana think of some rumors she’d heard about the Russell family. People said Lainey wasn’t Theodore’s biological mother, but the woman
Chapter 4
Logan had married after his first wife had passed away.
Later, Lainey had given birth to two sons and a daughter for Logan, and he doted on her even more. He also seemed to love the your per con
his eldest.
Theodore had held a grudge because of it. After growing up, he’d reportedly framed Logan and sent him to prison, then broken Lainey’s Hard an and taken over Russell Group for several years—until he’d lost everything in that car accident two years ago.
Eliana had once been half–skeptical about those stories. But now, putting it all together, she realized they didn’t seem so far–fetched
She thought, ‘Fine. It’s payday anyway. If I have to handle it myself, then fine.‘
Eliana quickly came around. “Lainey, then I’ll go ahead and bring in the renovation team this Saturday, alright?”
Hearing that, Lainey looked over at Eliana and thought, ‘Is she really that stupid, or just playing dumb? If I ever wanted to give window, I’d have done it long ago. Does she really think it’s her place to bring it up?”
Theodore a floor to ceiling
AD
Comment
