Isidore helped her clean up, pulling the sheets to a clean spot on the bed. After he finished washing up and came out, he found that Eloise had truly fallen asleep. He climbed into bed, holding her close, and gradually drifted into a deep sleep, the best rest he'd had in days.
The next morning, he felt an unusual weariness in his body. For the first time, the sound of Eloise getting up didn't wake him.
Around noon, Eloise rushed in, shaking Isidore frantically. "There are so many people outside, and that madman is in there too!" He struggled to open his eyelids, yawning as he said, "Don't worry, they're here to ask me to do something."
The group that arrived was dressed in black, their presence imposing. They waited for a long time before Isidore finally strolled out, leisurely and with an air of arrogance. Milo's expression was clearly one of impatience as he scoffed, "Sleeping until now, a person with nothing to do is called leisurely." Isidore curled the corner of his mouth. "Thanks to you."
Seeing that he hadn't been provoked, Milo's cheek twitched. "No need to thank me," he said with a malicious smile, deliberately feigning a sense of schadenfreude. "It's probably due to the side effects of the medication. You should take good care of your health." Eloise's heart skipped a beat, but Isidore appeared unconcerned. "With so many people here, what do they want me to do?"
A man in a suit with glasses placed a stack of documents on the table. "These channels need Mr. Kingswell's help to clear up." Isidore glanced over the documents. They were all related to dangerous forces involved in underground businesses—forces he had only recently managed to part ways with peacefully after years of careful negotiation.
He hadn't expected Milo to take charge and immediately dive back into the seedy underworld. Though it was typical of his style, this madness was a bit too much, even for him.
Isidore kindly reminded, "This isn't some pirate video game you're playing." Milo arrogantly raised his chin. "I don't need you to teach me how to do things." Isidore shrugged. "Okay, you're the boss." Under Milo's watch, Isidore made several calls and got in touch with a few of his subordinates stationed abroad. His reputation held weight. Soon, the leader of one of the organizations called him via video.
Upon seeing Isidore's face, the other person was very surprised and expressed that they would support any actions he took. Isidore spoke in a foreign language, and the conversation went smoothly and cheerfully. Milo, unable to interject, turned pale with anger. Eloise watched from the side, with a vague sense that Isidore wasn't afraid of Milo. Instead, it seemed like he was toying with a fool.
She planned to confirm her feelings with Isidore once Milo left. But right now, she was hungry. Perhaps to prevent them from contacting the outside world, or maybe because Milo, that madman, wasn't attentive enough, the villa had no staff. Everything had to be done on her own.
Fortunately, there were plenty of ingredients in the storage room, allowing her to make a variety of dishes. Eloise spent a long time pondering and decided to do a simple dish, but she ended up burning the pan. Feeling guilty, she walked out, just as Milo and his group were leaving. Isidore was sitting on the sofa, pressing his brow with a displeased expression.
"Are you hungry?" she asked the only person left in the villa besides herself. Isidore raised his head when he heard her question. "Can you cook something?" Just moments ago, Mr. Kingswell, who had been strategizing, now had no choice but to roll up his sleeves in order to feed two mouths.
Luckily, his cooking skills were great. Watching Eloise eating the two or three dishes in front of her, Isidore spoke, "Last night..." Eloise choked, turning red in the face, and patted her chest. "I was asleep last night, I didn't know anything."
After speaking, she lowered her head and ate in silence. Noticing that Isidore hadn't started eating for a long while, she lifted her eyelids and heard the sound of the chair sliding. Isidore rushed to the bathroom and vomited.
What was going on? Eloise stared in horror at her food, wondering if there was poison in the ingredients. But she had eaten it and felt fine... After a moment of thought, she poured a glass of water and went to hand it to him.
Feeling her approach, Isidore spoke, "I just asked Milo. He built this house for fun, but hasn't had the chance to live in it. You don't need to worry about dirt, you can sleep in any room."
Eloise pressed her lips together, extending her arm straight with the glass of water. Isidore turned his head, his gaze unfocused for a moment, as if unable to see the direction of the water clearly. Eloise had no choice but to pull his hand over, placing the glass in it. "What's wrong with you?" He shook his head. "It's nothing. I felt a little nauseous after seeing Milo."
"Is it... because of the drug he injected into you?"
Isidore wiped his mouth and slowly said, "It's possible."
Eloise became very concerned upon hearing this, as the medication was originally meant for her, and Isidore had taken the brunt of it to protect her. "Then... we should find a way to get the antidote, or maybe threaten that madman?"
"No need. After we get out, we can have a blood test, and the antidote is easy to prepare."
"Get out?" Hearing him say it so casually, Eloise's mind raced. She quickly asked, "You know how to get out?" As she recalled Isidore's attitude towards Milo, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed true. "You actually know how to get rid of that madman, right? He can't really threaten you! So why are you staying here?"
After all, Milo's background was clear—he was Mr. Ravenscroft's biological son. Even though he had been dismissed, he was still a person of considerable influence with many connections. Isidore couldn't boast that Milo couldn't threaten him, the only thing he dared to guarantee was, "You won't be harmed."
Eloise, however, had already made up her mind. She was certain that Isidore had the ability to restrain Milo, but for some reason, he was unwilling to use it.
Her mind raced. Though the plot had completely deviated—there was no imprisonment or medication in the original story—Isidore had been toying with Milo for a long time, all for the industries under Milo's control!
Unable to hold back, Eloise raised her voice, "Is this filthy power and money really that important? Is it some kind of honor to be entangled with these dangerous criminals instead of cutting the mess off swiftly?"
Isidore's lips twitched. "You've forgotten, I'm one of them too." Eloise choked, paused, and then said what had been weighing on her heart: "I know… Sometimes people are forced to do things they don't want to, for certain reasons. That helplessness and discomfort, I understand it very well."
She had once played the role of villainess. Even though she had her own moral compass, she had done many things that others saw as malicious. Having spent so much time with Isidore, she knew he wasn't a bloodthirsty, violent person. So, when Lysander tried to stir trouble by suggesting that Isidore had traded his own father for wealth and power, she had never believed it.
There's a word called misunderstanding, and another word called hardship.
She would always look at people with her own eyes. What really angered her was that he didn't dare explain, not even show his face. When he did show up, it was with a huge sum of money to propose, which no normal person could accept. Yet, for her, he had compromised with the despised Milo, and even injected the unknown drug for her...
Sighing, Eloise was really about to be driven crazy by this man who loved to play the mysterious, closed-off act. "You... you could choose a new life!"
Isidore stared at her for a good ten seconds, his gaze shifting into a deep, still pool. He pressed his lips together before turning his gaze away. "Anyway, you can rest easy here. I won't let you come to harm."
Eloise didn't understand. He clearly had some kind of leverage, yet he willingly allowed himself to be imprisoned by Milo. What was he really after?
Isidore said, "I want him dead." Eloise was shocked. In the original story, Milo had also committed extreme acts like kidnapping and torturing the female protagonist. In the end, Isidore spared his life out of respect for Mr. Ravenscroft, despite everything. Why was his intent to kill so strong here?
His eyes gave her the answer: Because this time, he had dragged her into it.
Eloise bit her lip, shaking her head as she walked out of the bathroom. Damn it, that arrogant fool! Starting tonight, she was going to sleep alone!
