"Alright, alright! She knows she's wrong," said Marsha Devereux, who had been standing in the corner. Seeing her husband's cursing getting worse, she quickly stepped out, pushing her daughter, whose eyes were filled with tears, toward the room on the second floor. "Elly, go back to your room and rest."
Eloise had been holding it in, but once someone showed her care, she couldn't control herself anymore. She lifted her hand to wipe away her tears, her sobs mixed with all the accumulated grievances she had been holding inside. Marsha patted her back in a comforting manner.
Halfway through his tirade, the target ran off, and Edward fumed in anger behind her, "If you keep pampering her, this is how she'll turn out, unruly and disrespectful!" Marsha turned back and gave him a "calm down" look.
After sending their daughter to her room, Marsha found her sulking husband in the study and pushed him in frustration, "You can't force children to learn, especially not today's youth. The more you push her, the more she'll rebel."
"Then what do you suggest? She does nothing all day, refuses to marry, and is neither here nor there. She just keeps hanging around in front of me, and it's so annoying! You just tell me—she likes that Quintus, right? His fiancée may not come from as good a background, but she's better than her in every other way..."
Edward rattled off his grievances about his daughter, as if he himself were some flawless, upright figure beyond reproach.
Marsha wasn't pleased to hear her daughter being demeaned like that, and she pouted, "Don't boost someone else's morale by diminishing your own! Our little Elly just doesn't want to settle. If she did..."
Edward interrupted her, his tone sharp, "Then why don't you let her find someone!"
"Why the hurry!" Marsha gave him a displeased glance and started to tell her plan, "Do you remember that Mrs. Brown I met before? She even took us out for a couple of meals afterward?"
Edward thought for a moment and dismissed it, "That matchmaker?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Marsha smacked him, "She's a rich lady, bored and doing marriage introductions as charity! I heard she's now specifically matching up second-generation kids and has countless resources. If we let her help Elly, what's the worry about finding a suitable husband?"
Edward looked doubtful, "Is that reliable?"
"How unreliable? Ask around, Mrs. Brown has helped countless lovesick men and women find their soulmates!"
"I'm talking about your daughter! Is she reliable?" Edward rolled his eyes, "Would she even agree?"
"Of course, she wouldn't agree if we asked outright, but we can slowly persuade her!" Marsha smiled and spoke with ease. "Mrs. Brown is in the South. I'll send Elly there under the pretense of relaxing, let her play for a month. Once she's happy and let's her guard down, Mrs. Brown can slowly introduce her to people. If she can't find anyone suitable, she won't be allowed to come back!"
Edward sneered, "Do you really think she'll listen obediently?"
Marsha's gaze sharpened. "While she's enjoying herself, we'll subtly cut off her money. If she tries to contact us later, we won't answer her calls! Let her be alone in the South, with no one to rely on. When the time comes, won't she have to follow Mrs. Brown's arrangements?"
She paused, then curled her lips. "Mrs. Brown isn't soft-hearted like us. She's got sharp methods!" Edward listened and a decisive, fierce expression appeared on his chubby face. "Alright, let's do it this way! Hah, that girl just needs some proper guidance, we've been too soft on her!"
As they left the study, Marsha quietly peered through the door crack, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on in her daughter's room.
Eloise was still caught in the midst of her breakdown, kneeling on the bed with a cute little bear stuffed animal clutched in her arms. However, the bear's head had a flattened spot, as though it had taken a blow from someone. Marsha deeply suspected that it was her daughter's doing.
As expected, Eloise cried for a while before suddenly pressing the bear onto the bed. She climbed on top of it, raining down little punches, her fists falling like a shower of raindrops, all the while muttering angrily: "It's all your fault! It's all your fault! You dead thing, big bad guy!"
Then she kicked the teddy bear off the bed. After a few seconds, she crawled down to hug it again, stroking its head and crying in apology. "Wooo, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have vented my anger on you…"
Marsha watched her daughter having a breakdown, her lips twitching uncontrollably. She cleared her throat and opened the door, "Elly, are you okay?"
Eloise called out "Mom," awkwardly hiding the teddy bear bag that Isidore had given her at the hot spring resort—later turned into her stress-relieving punching bag—behind her.
Marsha approached, gently wiping the tears from her daughter's face, "Don't be mad at your father, he didn't mean to say those things." The more she wiped, the more tears came pouring out.
Eloise grunted and pouted, remaining silent. Marsha softly coaxed, "Mom will buy you a new bag. How about the latest one?"
Eloise still didn't respond, but Marsha offered a few pricey compensations and cracked a few jokes, eventually making her laugh through her tears.
Marsha sighed in relief and pulled her daughter into an embrace, patting her back, "I don't want anything else, just that you can be happy."
Eloise inhaled the gentle fragrance from the bear in her arms, feeling a genuine warmth—a warmth that surprisingly came from a background character barely mentioned in the original story.
After calming down a little, she felt embarrassed by her outburst, "Actually, it's not all about Dad, I just..." The events of the past short while had been too chaotic, and the pressure was overwhelming. She didn't know how to express it.
"I know," Marsha gently tucked the damp strands of her daughter's hair behind her ear, her gaze soft. "Your Quintus's fiancée recently signed a contract with Mr. Kingswell, making a big splash. It's only natural that you'd feel uncomfortable." She wore a face of understanding.
Eloise sighed inwardly, not rebutting her words.
Marsha quietly watched her for a while, then squeezed her hand. "If you're unhappy staying here, would you like to get away for a bit? I have a good friend in the South. I've heard the seafood there is great lately. You can sunbathe on the beach, shop around. Don't worry about anything, I'll ask my friend to take care of you."
Eloise's eyes brightened, a flicker of hope in her heart. She felt as if she had ruined everything and didn't know how to face it. If only there were a place where she could escape for a while—how wonderful that would be! She didn't think for too long and nodded.
Marsha's arrangements were exceptionally efficient. Two days later, Eloise appeared at the airport, dragging a suitcase full of tropical chiffon. When she heard the boarding announcement, she hung up on the countless missed calls from Isidore.
Since she was leaving here anyway, she really wanted to be like the female lead in a movie and throw her phone away with style—but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She just boldly and recklessly added Isidore to the blacklist.
As for the crumbling plot, and the other troublesome matters, she would deal with them when she came back!
