Isidore watched her fleeing figure, his eyes bloodshot, unwilling to let her escape from his world no matter what. Just as he was about to catch up, someone stepped in front of her—Lucienne.
"Mr. Kingswell," she said with a forced smile, "If Elly has offended you in any way, I'll apologize on her behalf." Isidore stared intently at Eloise, who was huddled behind her, and said, "Move aside." He advanced step by step, and Lucienne raised her voice, "Isidore, is this how you're going to force her? What you're doing now is no different from the bully who hurt your sister all those years ago!"
Isidore froze for a moment, looking at her in disbelief, his eyes darkening to an unfathomable depth. After a long pause, he spoke, his words like a voice from hell, "Lucienne, you really know how to speak." Her words completely tore away the thin layer of courtesy he usually showed her. Though Lucienne was frightened, she stood firm, positioning herself protectively in front of Eloise.
"Didn't you see? Elly doesn't want this!" Her voice trembled. Seeing that Isidore made no further move, she grabbed Eloise's hand and hurried into the apartment building. Eloise couldn't help but glance back. He stood there like a solitary statue, his features blurred by the cold wind.
Once inside, Lucienne let out a sigh of relief and slid down to the floor. Eloise looked at her with a complicated gaze. "How did you end up here, and why did you suddenly run out to help me?" Lucienne smiled at her. "I heard from a colleague that Isidore has been pursuing you relentlessly. But from what I see, you don't seem very willing, so I got a little worried."
Eloise bit her lip, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn't quite place. Isidore had good conditions and a lot of power. Most people would envy anyone he took an interest in. Her parents, if they knew, would probably be eager to pack her up and send her to him. Even if they saw her reluctance, they likely wouldn't dare openly oppose Isidore.
In such a situation, the female lead actually dared to stand up alone to help her, to defend her will against Isidore's terrifying presence. But no, in reality, Lucienne wasn't quite that brave.
After clashing with Isidore, Lucienne was still trembling slightly. She must have many imaginings about the consequences of offending Isidore, especially given that she relied on him as a business partner.
Eloise took a blanket from the sofa and draped it over her. Lucienne whispered, "Thank you." Eloise asked, "What did you mean when you said 'the bully who hurt his sister'? Why did his face change?"
Lucienne seemed hesitant, as if unsure whether she should tell her, then sighed deeply. "His sister was a classmate of mine in middle school. One day, on the way to school... she was bullied by a bad person and, unfortunately, fell ill. Later... she passed away." There was a hint of sadness in her expression as she spoke.
Eloise widened her eyes in surprise, falling silent for a moment before asking hoarsely, "So that's the reason. But after saying such harsh words, aren't you afraid he'll take revenge on you?" Lucienne, however, tried to appear optimistic to comfort her. "He probably won't. He's been dealing with so much lately, he probably doesn't have the time to spare."
Eloise asked what that meant, and Lucienne briefly explained, "Actually, the board has been discussing whether to change the partner for the shipping project. Mr. Ravenscroft has a biological son named Milo. Recently, he approached us and offered more favorable terms and full compensation, on the condition that we cancel the agreement with Isidore and collaborate with him instead."
Eloise was taken aback. No wonder he had seemed so idle recently, even talking about being unemployed. It turned out he was going through the loss of power. She quickly asked, "What does the board of directors think?" Lucienne replied, "Some of the board members are inclined to accept Milo's proposal, after all, he is Mr. Ravenscroft's biological son, while Isidore is just an adopted one."
"And what about you?" Eloise asked again. Lucienne pursed her lips, "In the previous meeting, I voted against it. Because I believe business isn't just about profit, it's also about integrity. Isidore chose Ashdown Company back then, and we can't just betray him so easily. Also, that Milo gives me a very bad vibe. But after today's events, I might have to reconsider."
"How could you vote against it? Are you crazy?" Eloise grew anxious, which startled Lucienne .
Eloise's urgency stemmed from her memory of the original storyline. In the original book, there was indeed a plot where Mr. Ravenscroft's biological son returned and competed for power with Isidore. And in that version, after Lucienne and Quintus had a falling out, her relationship with Isidore had already developed quite well, so naturally, she could never have voted to betray him.
But she hadn't expected Milo to be so petty and vindictive. He actually went so far as to capture Lucienne, torment her, and stage her disappearance. This was what led to the chaotic events in the original book—Eloise marrying Quintus amidst the confusion, Lucienne rushing to stop the wedding, and all the subsequent drama.
Eloise recalled the scenes in the book where Lucienne was tortured, and looking at the vibrant, lively beauty in front of her, she couldn't help but shudder. Grabbing her shoulders, she shook her roughly. "How could you vote against it! You should have voted in favor! Are you too good of a person?"
Lucienne was shaken so much that she felt like vomiting. "Elly, what's wrong?" "You voted against it, then what happened? How did Milo look when that happened?" Eloise asked urgently. Lucienne thought back, "His expression... well, naturally it wasn't very pleasant."
Eloise took two steps back and closed her eyes. It was too late—apparently, Milo had already set his sights on Lucienne. Her mind raced through the upcoming events, desperately trying to figure out a way to prevent Lucienne from experiencing such a painful fate. Then, to her relief, she realized that she herself was still a key figure in all of this.
In the original story, Milo, in order to avoid responsibility, exploited Eloise's jealousy towards Lucienne and conspired with her to lure Lucienne out, only to make her disappear without her realizing. In other words, if Milo came to her with such a scheme, all she had to do was refuse, and it would never happen.
Just as she began to feel relieved, another thought struck her. The damned plot didn't care about anyone's intentions—it always silently moved toward the original storyline, often in a way that seemed like fate itself. In the original book, Eloise had tricked Lucienne into her own home, where the assassin hidden in the bedroom took her away. And now, wasn't Lucienne right here, in her house...?
Eloise felt a chill run through her, goosebumps covering her skin. Her neck stiffened as she turned towards the bedroom. The door creaked open just then, and a terrifying-looking man stepped out, grinning cruelly as he said: "Are you done talking? Can I take you both now?"
The assassin looked at the pale faces of the two girls, feeling quite pleased. His employer had given him two targets: one named Eloise, the other Lucienne. He had come today to find Eloise, waited for hours, but she never returned. To his surprise, in the end, the two of them had walked straight into his trap. What else could it be but luck?
Eloise stared at the assassin's face, a certain determination settling in her wide eyes. In a barely audible voice, Eloise said to Lucienne, "I'll count to three. When I do, you run to the wall and activate the alarm." "What? What are you going to do?" Lucienne didn't have time to stop her before Eloise rushed forward, leaping up to jab at the assassin's eyes. "One, two, three—go, hurry!"
Lucienne had no choice but to open the door behind her and rush out. Eloise grabbed and bit, moving as nimbly as a monkey, buying just enough time until Lucienne's figure disappeared from sight. Suddenly, she remembered she hadn't had the chance to tell Lucienne: "You're such a good young lady—don't waste your time on Quintus, that indecisive mama's boy. He's not worthy of you!"
Forget it, she'll tell her next time if there's a chance. Eloise felt a sense of tragic heroism—she decided to completely end this doomed storyline, making it so broken that it could never be fixed again!
So, she had to let Lucienne go, ensuring that the ensuing plot could no longer unfold!
In the hallway, the alarm blared and red lights flashed simultaneously. Eloise's arms had lost all strength by then, and she was yanked off and thrown to the ground by the assassin. She cowardly curled up, hugging her head. "I was wrong, please don't hit me! If you do, I'll have Isidore come and beat you up!" The assassin gritted his teeth, watching the elevator panel numbers rise rapidly, but he had no time to teach this girl a lesson.
He hoisted Eloise over his shoulder, covered her mouth, and quickly ran down the escape passage.
