The weight on her body suddenly lightened, and Eloise heard a faint question from a distant place: "What... did you call me?" Before she could answer, a wave of deep sleepiness washed over her, pulling her into a blissful slumber.
When that distant voice sounded again, it was filled with gritted teeth: "Eloise, you're something else."
In the early morning, Eloise was awakened by the sound of birds chirping. The mountain air was fresh, and she felt invigorated. The misty morning light filtered through the glass above her, forming a patch of light that rested on her waist.
She rarely woke up this early and felt quite pleased with herself. In a good mood, she looked to the side, only to find the other half of the bed empty. She sat up, stared blankly for a moment, and looked around. There was only her in the room.
She slipped out of bed barefoot, her feet touching the cold wooden floor. First, she glanced at the backyard, then without a word, opened the bathroom door—no one was inside.
Where had Isel gone? The question popped into her mind, then she hesitated: that was the name, right?... She had drunk heavily last night and her memory of what happened afterward was fuzzy. It seemed like Isel had pinned her to the bed—did they do or did they not?
There was a faint, unusual sensation between her legs. She lifted her bathrobe and saw that it was dry. Lacking experience, Eloise couldn't draw any conclusions and felt too embarrassed to investigate further. Whether they did or didn't matter little. What mattered most was finding him.
She threw on a coat and went outside, glancing around. Spotting a familiar-looking staff member along the way, she grabbed him and asked without any preamble: "Where's the man who came with me yesterday?" The staff member, holding a stack of towels, looked bewildered. "I... I don't know."
Eloise let her go, returned to the house, and searched every surface of the coffee table and nightstand, but she couldn't find a single note or message. That Isel, and all the madness of yesterday, seemed like nothing but a dream.
She sat on the carpet, giving a silly laugh. The only thought in her head was: So, they must have done it, right? Otherwise, why did he leave right after?
Thirty minutes later, a white luxury car drove out of the hot spring resort's parking lot. Eloise, wearing sunglasses in the driver's seat, was on her way back to the usual life of a villainess. Beneath the sunglasses, her sharp gaze revealed determination and coldness.
At this moment, she had rekindled a strong drive to destroy the relationship between Lucienne and Quintus—What love? What affection! It was all a facade, rumors, and deceit! Damn it, her mission was to sever love and emotion once and for all!
Her foot almost crushed the accelerator pedal, and the luxury car sped away like a blur of wind. The leaves along the mountain path fell in a flurry.
A week later, Ashdown Company held a grand banquet at their headquarters. Isidore would personally announce the completion of their cooperation at the event. At that time, 10% of the shipping capacity on the channel would be used to transport Ashdown Company's cargo ships.
In the business circles, this was a major event. They had watched the drama unfold with much amusement earlier, but once things truly came to fruition, many of them, envious, were secretly gnashing their teeth in frustration. Lucienne couldn't believe things were going so smoothly. On the night of the party, she wore a face full of joy and walked with a spring in her step.
As Lucienne passed by, Eloise sneered and rolled her eyes. "What's there to be proud of? The cooperation hasn't even started, and you're acting like it's already done." Lucienne stopped and turned around. Upon seeing her, she was quite pleased. "Elly, long time no see!"
Eloise lazily lifted her eyelid. "Manager Beaumont, you are too busy fawning over Mr. Kingswell to bother with us little minions." "Where are you going?" Lucienne chuckled. "Aren't you going inside the main hall?"
"Not interested." Eloise said coldly, and that was the truth. She had never been interested in chatting with a crowd of strangers amidst the so-called fragrance of fine clothes and elegant figures, nor had she ever truly participated in a banquet. Her sole purpose for coming was to fulfill her role in the plot—she had come to mess things up!
Lucienne knew she wasn't keen on speaking with her, so she smiled understandingly and was about to step inside. Unexpectedly, Eloise called out to her. A strange expression appeared on her delicate face, one that made Lucienne feel unfamiliar.
"By the way... you've been around Mr. Kingswell for a few days, do you know anyone by the name of 'Isel', or someone whose nickname was 'Isel'?" Lucienne was puzzled as to why she was asking that, but after a moment's thought, she answered, "No."
She couldn't help but add, "Elly, are you looking for someone? Should I help you ask Mr. Kingswell?" "No need!" Eloise quickly refused, returning to her unfriendly demeanor. "Mind your own business!" She shot her a glare before turning and walking away.
Lucienne noticed that there was more than one odd thing happening. After announcing the details of the collaboration, Mr. Kingswell sat alone in a corner at the front of the stage, not engaging in any socializing. He held a glass of wine, his gaze occasionally drifting through the crowd, before silently lowering his eyes.
She approached him, raised a toast, and expressed her thanks. He replied indifferently with a few words, politely drank the wine, but seemed distracted.
As she put down her wine glass and was about to leave, she couldn't help but be intrigued by the fleeting, unfamiliar expression on Eloise's face. Lucienne, taking matters into her own hands, decided to ask: "Mr. Kingswell, I hope I'm not being too forward, but... is there someone by the name of 'Isel' around you?"
Unexpectedly, Isidore's eyes suddenly became sharp, and he asked, "Who told you to ask that?"
