Chapter 72
I was evening, and as Elana was about to step through the front door of Russell Manor, aloud, cocky nice called out from the side “Hey, idiot, come here for a sec
glanced over and thw Jayden standing by the artificial lake, glaring at her with his big eyes. The next second, she looked awity and ignored him
Jayden stomped his foot in frustration. “Hey! I told you to stop. Didn’t you hear me?”
Elana replied coolly, “I’m not talking to you until you learn some manners”.
was about to head inside, Jayden gritted his teeth and muttered begrudgingly, “I dropped my locket. Could you get it for me
Ekana turned to take a closer look and saw something shiny lying on the frogen surface of the artificial lake. She didn’t move right away. Instead, asked, “Don’t you have hands? Dr tools?”
Jayden puffed up angrily. “My arms aren’t long enough. Even with a fool, I still can’t reach it.”
Eliana pressed, “if it’s so important, how did it end up out there?”
Jayden’s eyes darted away. “None of your business?
Eliana frowned. “Why not ask someone else in the house to help you?”
“They’re all busy cleaning. Their hands are filthy–no way I’d let them touch my stuff,” replied Jayden
Even though he tried to sound polite, the arrogance in his voice still seeped through.“Tim giving you a chance to help me out here, so don’t push it. Just hurry up and help me already”
Eliana thought he was acting weird and decided to see what he was up to. She walked over, snapped off a dead branch from a nearby tree, and crouch down, reaching out to get his locket.
But just then, Jayden crept up behind her, planning to push her forward so she’d fall fist on her face. ‘Serves you right, you dumb woman. That’s what you get for messing with me, he thought
Even though Eliana had her back to him, she kept her ears pooled for any movement behind her. The moment she heard Jayden’s footsteps crunching closer in the snow, the dodged to the side without hesitation,
Jayden lunged, missed completely, and landed hard on the frozen lake. But that wasn’t the end of it. As he struggled to get up, two sharp cracks rang out. The ice broke, and he fell right into the freezing lake,
By the Lake, Eliana straightened up and watched him fail around in the water. She’d seen through his little scheme from the start–no one in their right mind would “accidentally drop a locket right in the center of a frozen lake.
He was just a spoiled brat–young, inexperienced, and sheltered from the real world. His little tricks were embarrassingly obvious.
The next second, Jayden’s splashing sent water onto Eliana’s shoes, and she instinctively stepped back. She hated this kind of bone–chilling cold–it always brought back painful memories from after she got lost as a kid.
After swallowing a few mouthfuls of icy water, Jayden panicked and shouted, “H–Help! I can’t swim?”
“Cut the act. I’m not falling for it again,” Eliana said flatly before turning to leave.
ewas!
She’d figured that with no one watching, Jayden would give up the act and climb out right away. But when she glanced back, he was still fail Lake–though the splashes were a lot weaker than before.
Her eyes narrowed. Without wasting another second, she bolted into the house and shouted to the staff still busy cleaning. “Someone help! Jayden fell into the lakel
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Chapter 72
The maids immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed after her to the edge of the artificial lake.
“Can any of you swim?” Eliana asked.
The maids shook their heads in a panic. “I can’t,” someone said.
“Me neither,” someone else replied.
Seeing Jayden about to go under, Eliana gritted her teeth, shrugged off her coat, and dove straight into the lake.
As annoying as that brat was, she couldn’t just stand by
nd by and watch a young life slip away like that.
“Mrs. Russelll” The maids gasped in horror as Eliana jumped in without hesitation.
Unbeknownst to them, Theodore happened to witness the entire scene from the second floor. His eyes widened, and his heart pounded. ‘Does she even know what she’s doing? he complained inwardly.
Meanwhile, Jayden was on the verge of blacking out. Just before his eyes closed, he caught a glimpse of a slim figure swimming toward him. She moved quickly, her long hair floating around her like seaweed.
Jayden couldn’t help but think, ‘She looks like a mermaid. No, not a mermaid. She is Medusa, with a gaze that could turn men to stone.
But right then, “Medusa” grabbed his wrist, slipped behind him, and pushed him up through the freezing water.
As soon as Eliana and Jayden surfaced, the maids nearly burst into tears of relief. “Thank goodness! Mrs. Russell got Mr. Jayden Russell out,” one of them exclaimed.
Suddenly, Cliana’s expression changed. She hadn’t warmed up before jumping in, and now her right leg was cramping.
To make matters worse, Jayden’s thick cotton jacket was soaked and heavy, and combined with his weight, Eliana felt like she could be pulled under at any moment.
Thankfully, t
the maids extended a long laundry pole. Eliana grabbed it and, with everyone’s combined effort, they pulled her to the edge.
She glanced down at the unconscious, ghostly pale Jayden and told the maids, “Get him up first!”
“Yes, ma’am!” In that moment, the maids truly admired Eliana and did whatever she said without hesitation
Once Jayden was pulled up, Eliana climbed out, her leg still cramping. But before she could even catch her breath, one of the maids said, “Mr. Jayden Russell has asthma, He hasn’t had an attack in years, but could this near–drowning trigger one?”
“If anything happens to him, we’re done for. Mrs. Lainey Russell will never let us off the hook,” another maid echoed
Eliana had no idea Jayden had asthma. She frowned and asked, “Does anyone here know how to perform mouth–to–mouth resuscitation!”
All the maids shook their heads. Even if some of them did, they wouldn’t dare step forward–if Jayden didn’t make it, they’d take all the blame. But if na one did anything, the responsibility would be shared, and the consequences lighter.
Eliana sighed. Without hesitation, she pinched Jayden’s nose shut, tilted his head back, and began administering mouth–to–mouth resuscitation.
As she worked, she kept telling herself “it doesn’t matter if he’s a fourteen–year–old boy or a twenty four–year–old man–if someone needs saving, I save
Eliana had no idea how much time had passed before Jayden suddenly turned his head and coughed up several mouthfuls of water. His soaker scrunched up in pain.
Noticing he was beginning to wake up, Eliana finally relaxed, deeply grateful that the kind–hearted Bernie had once taught her how to perform mouth to
mouth resuscitation
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Chapter 72
She wiped her lips with the back of her hand, staggered to her feet, and asked, “Where’s Mrs. Lainey Russell*
One of the maids quickly replied, “She went out to play cards. Mr. Lewis is with her?
“Make sure you call and let her knew about this. And from here on, Jayden’s your responsibility.” With that, Eliana brushed past them and started to w away. But her cramped right leg suddenly gave out, making her stumble.
The maids rushed to support her. “Mrs. Russell, are you all right?”
Just then, a low and slightly restrained voice came from behind them. “What’s going on here?”
Someone turned to see Theodore standing there. She stammered, “M. Mr. Russell, Mrs. Russell just Sim
Trying to downplay it, Eliana interrupted, “I’m fine. But Theodore, what are you doing out here?”
Theodore noticed how pale she looked, how badly she was shaking but she didn’t say a word about what had just happened. Frustrated, he clenched his jaw and said expressionlessly, “Just taking a walk.
E
