Jennifer was, after all, the department manager the enly one in the office with enough clout to stand up to Hannah With her stepping now, Eliana a wave of relief, but also found it a little odd.
After all, Jennifer had never exactly liked her.
Noticing Eliana’s gaze, Jennifer muttered under her breath, “Don’t look at me like that, I’m not helping you. I just dislike your dislike you.
ur sister even more than i
“So, as long as it pisses Hannah off, Jennifer’s willing to back me up in front of everyone, huh? Then I can use Jennifer’s support to keep those defiant troublemakers in the department in line, Eliana thought
Then she said, “Wright, forget Ms. Hannals Burke for now. Let’s focus on the meeting”
A crowd quickly followed Eliana, while the rest exchanged uneasy glances,
“What do we do now? if we start right now, can we still complete the design in time?” one of them asked.
“Don’t worry, M. Hannah Burke’s got our backs,” another chimed in.
“Oh yeah? Then why are you shaking? She took the day off out of nowhere–who knows if she’s even reliable?” someone else said.
Elana didn’t have time to care what they were thinking. After a heated discussion in the conference room, they finally settled on three drafts, and only then did she announce the meeting was over.
After this, people started to see her in a new light.
Before, they’d just thought of her as Hannah’s little sister a gofer no one paid much attention to. But today, the way she took charge left quite an impression
So after the meeting, a few people approached her with flattering smiles. “Since you’re the one in charge of this project, should we stop calling you by your first name and be more respectful?”
Elana gave a small smile. “No need for anything new. Just call me the same as before.”
Someone else chimed in, “Then, Eliana, let’s have lunch together.”
“Sure,” Eliana agreed cheerfully.
Soon enough, it was lunchtime. Eliana had lunch in the cafeteria with her coworkers as planned. Just as she was about to head back, she unexpectedly
ran into Nolan.
That was unusual–he always had lunch privately with Hannah and never showed up in the cafeteria.
With everyone watching curiously, Nolan said, “Eliana, would you mind taking a walk with me?”
Noticing that he looked a bit down, Eliana nodded, “Suro.”
As the two of them walked away, the rest of the people gossiped, stunned,
“Is Mr. Hall using Ms. Hannah Burke’s day off to sneak around with Eliana?”
“Come on how is that sneaking around if we all know he’s doing a
“Besides, I was watching Eliana just now. She looked totally calm when she saw Mr. Hall. Doesn’t seem like she’s into him at all.”
1/3
Chapter 67
“Maybe all those rumors really were just nonsense
Meanwhile, Eliana was walking along the riverside path with t
Nolan, Seeing he seemed a bit out of it, she gently called, “Mr. Hall”
Nolan snapped back to reality “What? Oh, I just came to check on you. Everything alright yesterday!
Elians smiled. “Yeals. Mr. Anthony Russell and the police showed up just in time. I know you asked them to help me. Thanks for that.”
Nolan nodded. “Glad to hear it.”
For a moment, it felt like the tension between them was finally easing
“Oh, right—Mr. Hall, do you know why Hannah took the day off today?” Eliana asked, thinking, “It’s pretty funny–thave to ask my future brother–in–law about my own sister.”
Nolan looked surprised. “You’re worried about her?”
Eliana looked away. “I’m just curious.
“She said she had a stomachache, so I told her to stay home and rest, and no need to rush back to work.”
“Is it serious?”
“That’s something only she would know
He sounded so nonchalant, which was really strange for him. Back then, even if Hannah got bitten by a bug, he would fuss over her like crazy, let alone if she had a stomachache.
Just then, Nolan glanced at Eliana, looking genuinely intrigued. “By the way, that was the first time I’d ever seen a girl go up against a bunch of guys with a shovel. Weren’t you scared?”
Eliana was blunt. “I was. But some things need to be done–even if you’re scared. What about you, Mr. Hall? Weren’t you worried about getting caught up in gossip with me? So why’d you come looking for me?”
Nolan let out a helpless laugh. Then he looked at her seriously. “I said before that if I misunderstood you, I’d apologize. Would you be willing to accept
Eliana paused, surprised, and thought, “Has he finally seen through something?”
Nolan gave a bitter smile. “I’ve always known Hannah was complicated, but I was confident that I could handle her. This time, though, I have to admit that I’m a bit confused by her.”
He thought, “Hannah’s ambition and scheming are charming in the workplace–but she has gone too far by scheming against her own sister
And if I really went through with removing Eliana from her role as project lead, I’d end up offending both Theodore and Anthony in one move. Is this what the woman love wants to put me in such a tough spot?‘
Eliana couldn’t help but give him another look, thinking, “Nolan must be hurting inside, but at least he’s starting to see things clearly. It’s better than ending up like Luke–losing everything and still not grasping the reality”
Not far behind them, Jennifer discreetly raised her phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to Hannah.
At Burke Manor, Hannah shrieked as she stared her phone.
Belinda rushed over at the sound and asked anxiously, “Hannah, what happened?”
2/3
13:33 Thu, 12 Jun
Chapter 67
Hannah held up her phone and replied in a trembling voice, “Mom, lookt Nolan and File are together.”
Belinda leaned in for a look. The photo showed a man and a woman standing by the river, the wind toursing their hair. Ellana’s face was half turned, her eyes full of worry as she looked at Nolan
“Could…could this be some kind of misunderstanding?” Belinda was surprised, but she didn’t think her dull, boring younger daughter had that kind of
charm.
Tears welled up in Hannah’s eyes, threatening to fall “Ellie must be mad that I took her 500 thousand dollars, so she’s trying to steal Nolan from me Mom, can you please return the money to her? And ask her to stay away from Nolan.”
Belinda’s heart ached. “Don’t cry, sweetie. If she did try to seduce Nolan, I swear I won’t let her get away with e
Hannah shook her head and sobbed, “Mom, I know it wasn’t fair to marry Ellie off to that blind guy from the Russell family. Her life must be miserable, s now she’s seeking comfort from other men. Nolan is so perfect. I I’m really scared…
Belinda’s anger flared, as if she’d seen Eliana seducing Nolan with her own eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this. I’ll make sure she learns her place.”
After work, Eliana remembered Clinton’s warning from the day before–that everyone at the Therapy Center had to be out by today. She had a gut feeling he’d show up to cause trouble again, so she hopped on her scooter and headed straight there.
Sure enough, when she got there, she saw Clinton scooping up a little boy–maybe four or five years old–grinning like he was about to eat the kid alive.
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