Eloise took a few steps, then stopped, her anger building the more she thought about it.
Though, to some extent, being brought here had been her choice, it didn't mean she was happy about being trapped. Especially after she realized that if Isidore truly wanted to leave, he could. Yet, for the sake of his "grand plan," he had chosen to stay still.
From the very beginning, the one thing she disliked the most was the scheming, calculating side of him. Why did everything have to be so filled with deep schemes and intricate plots? Wouldn't it be better to keep things simple?
Last night, Isidore had compromised with Milo for her sake and taken the poison on her behalf. She truly felt a sense of gratitude—though now, that feeling was teetering on the edge of collapse, hanging by a thread.
It wasn't that she couldn't stay calm, but because of Isidore's secretive actions in the dead of night. Though she chose to remain silent at the time, she couldn't help but feel a heavy, oppressive emotion from him. It was the kind of frustration that couldn't be voiced in the daylight.
Since he, too, felt uncomfortable with the current situation, why pretend to be so calm and composed? Why not think of a way to quickly escape? If not, wasn't he just a masochist? She hated playing these melodramatic roles!
This was different from the time when she was forced to stay at Isidore's villa for over a month. Her mindset had changed.
Having witnessed that psychopath, the mere thought that this was his house made her feel uncomfortable all over. Along with Isidore's occasional strange physical behavior, it all made her uneasy. She didn't know how much longer she could endure.
Eloise gave a self-deprecating smile. Refusing Isidore's proposal was the right choice. She would never be a good wife for a underworld boss. She turned and went back. Isidore was standing at the sink, gargling and spitting out some clear water.
"When is your great plan going to come to fruition?" she asked, referring to the matter of "killing Milo."
Isidore straightened up and looked at her, his gaze gradually softening. He spoke in a deep voice: "The forces behind Milo are complex, and if I remove the proxy status of the Ravenscroft family, the forces I can mobilize will be quite limited. It may seem like he is using me, but in reality, I am using him too. To remove Milo while maintaining a balance of power, the best method is to trigger his impulsiveness and make him self-destruct. This requires patience..."
Eloise knew that Isidore was trying to explain to her with the intention of comforting her, which, in the past, would have been a huge improvement. She rolled her eyes dramatically and walked away without hearing the rest. She didn't understand and didn't want to hear anything about balancing powers.
By evening, it would be a lie to say she wasn't scared, but she insisted on going to sleep in the next room alone. It wasn't about avoiding the truth, but rather being around him made her uneasy.
He had his own strategies, but she also had her own emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—she couldn't always be led by his leash. Every night, she kept the lights on, thinking deeply, and eventually, she would slowly fall asleep.
Milo had the ambition to build rockets, but only the ability to screw in bolts. Most things relied on Isidore, yet he loved to sit back, feet up, and talk tough. "Isidore, without me, you're nothing." Isidore was always speechless, too lazy to deal with Milo. Eloise thought he was quite patient, but the more often Milo came around, the more disgusted she became with the man.
After just ten days of this, her face had already broken out with several pimples from the stress. To detox and cool her body, she grabbed a fruit knife and began peeling a pear by the coffee table, planning to boil it for tea later.
Milo was discussing something with Isidore on the sofa when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen, frowned, and scanned the faces of those around him before tossing the phone to Eloise. "Answer it for me, say I'm not here and hang up."
"Milo," Isidore gave him a warning glance. Milo sneered. "Look at you, protecting her like that. It's just a trivial phone call, what's the harm in letting her help?"
Eloise answered the call from the unregistered number, and a woman's hysterical voice came through: "Milo, where are you? Why can't I find you anywhere? When will you come to see me?"
The voice was so shrill that it made Eloise's heart skip a beat. The lie, "He's not here," stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken. "Y-You... you need to calm down."
Hearing the unfamiliar girl's voice, the woman paused for a moment before shouting sharply: "Who are you? Where is Milo? Let him speak to me!" "I..." Eloise looked at Milo, trying to figure out what to say.
Milo lost his temper. "Didn't I tell you to say I'm not here?" The woman on the other end of the line heard his voice and completely broke down. "Milo! Are you even human? You forcefully took me, then abandoned me! You beast! Do you treat me like a pet or a toy? Why don't you just go die!"
Milo snatched the phone back and ended the call, then yelled at Eloise, "What's wrong with you?" Isidore sharply warned, "Milo, try taking your anger out on her again!"
Milo knew that Eloise was the real leverage to control Isidore. Usually, he tried to keep a distance, but now, with his face twisted in anger, he forced a smile, which only made Eloise feel more disgusted.
The fire suppressed here was released elsewhere. He turned to one of his subordinates and said, "That woman is too troublesome, go deal with her." Eloise was stunned, about to say something, when she saw Isidore's face change. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the side.
She rushed over and shook him. "Are you okay?"
Milo found her urgency amusing. Eloise looked at him in disbelief. "What good would it do you if he died?" "No benefit at all," Milo said nonchalantly, "so he won't die. It's just the side effects of the drug." Milo laughed nonchalantly, as if it had nothing to do with him. "And by the way, he's the one who asked me to inject it."
Eloise never imagined the side effects of the drug could be so severe. Over the past few days, she had visibly watched Isidore's health deteriorate.
She closed her eyes, lowering her tone. "Then, could you help him neutralize the poison?" "Sure," Milo nodded generously, but in the next moment, he extinguished her joy. "We agreed on once every half month. There are still a few days left."
Eloise was so enraged that her nerves snapped. She lunged at him, ready to fight.
Several people restrained her, and Milo, who loved watching people frustrated and helpless, reached out to touch her chin, deliberately teasing her: "You're quite fiery. Why not follow me instead of him?" Eloise's eyes flashed, and instead of anger, she smiled coldly: "Alright then."
Her beauty was already striking, and in that moment, her emotions only added a bold, radiant allure. Milo's thoughts shifted, and he licked his lips, staring at her as he ordered his subordinates, "Let's go!"
After he left, Eloise kneeled expressionlessly beside Isidore. A light, flirtatious voice then came from nearby, "Although it won't kill him, it's not good to leave him like this either."
It was the woman she had seen in Mr. Ravenscroft's hospital room that day, and then a couple more times after. Her name seemed to be Sylvana. She had once been with Mr. Ravenscroft but later betrayed him and joined Milo. Eloise didn't have a good impression of her, sensing that she was someone who would change her allegiance depending on the situation.
Sylvana brought along two people who looked like doctors. They entered the room and began examining the unconscious Isidore.
Eloise didn't understand why Sylvana, who seemed to be working with Milo, was acting in ways that contradicted his interests. She couldn't make sense of these complex relationships and felt a headache coming on.
Sylvana comforted her. "The drug's side effects aren't as harmful to his body. It's just that the mental strain he's been under has made the effects worse."
Eloise sighed in frustration. Sylvana laughed lightly. "No wonder, dealing with someone like Milo is enough to annoy anyone." She spoke in a gossiping tone, leaning toward Eloise. "Do you know who the woman who called him today was?"
"Not interested." Eloise said coldly, and that was the truth. Sylvana chuckled. "It's Cyrus's mother."
"Cyrus isn't Mr. Ravenscroft's…" Eloise's eyes widened in shock. Sylvana's lips curled slightly. "Exactly. Mr. Ravenscroft just passed away, and Milo immediately took his father's woman as his mistress. After playing with her for a couple of days, he tossed her aside. Isn't that the behavior of an animal?"
Eloise recalled the woman's desperate cries on the other end of the phone. A chill ran down her spine, accompanied by a surge of anger.
"There's something even worse," Sylvana continued, her voice chilling. "Milo once pursued a girl who rejected him. Not only did he kill her, but in a fit of rage, he also killed seven children. He then framed it as if it was all his fault." She motioned toward Isidore inside the room.
"After going through something like that, he can still face Milo calmly. Men, sometimes they're really tangled up in their own mess," she smirked, her smile carrying an implied meaning as she glanced at Eloise.
Eloise met her gaze calmly, her resolve finally solidifying the decision she had been waffling on for so long.
But she didn't expect the opportunity to carry it out would come so soon.
That evening, for the first time ever, Milo arrived at the villa alone, even going so far as to ring the doorbell in a showy manner. Eloise welcomed him into the living room. It seemed like he had made an effort to dress up, looking around and asking her, "Has Isidore woken up?" Eloise replied, "He woke up, but he's not feeling well, so he went back to sleep."
This was exactly what Milo had expected. He rambled on about various unrelated things before finally getting to the point: "This afternoon, you said you wanted to follow me. What does that mean?" Eloise smiled in a way that wasn't quite a smile. "What do you think it means?" Milo grinned excitedly, his expression lewd. He loved playing these kinds of thrilling games.
He leaned closer to Eloise's ear and asked, "Which room is next to Isidore's where he sleeps?" Eloise gave a knowing gesture and led the way, walking toward the room.
Milo followed her. Eloise was taking off her clothes, leaving only a small camisole on. She turned back to Milo and said: "Turn around!" Since it was something new, Milo was still able to show some patience.
He turned around, hearing the girl behind him say, "It's ready." When he turned back, his expression changed to one of disbelief— a sharp fruit knife had been driven straight into his heart, the red blood spreading out.
In the face of sudden change, most people rarely react immediately. Eloise took advantage of this momentary gap, pressing a thick pillow over his face. Then, she straddled his fallen body, pulling out the knife and stabbing him several more times.
From start to finish, Milo didn't make a sound.
After he was reduced to a sieve, Eloise's face was covered in splattered blood, her heart pounding wildly. She dropped the knife and stood up, kicking Milo's head with her foot to confirm he was completely dead. Then, she let out a deep breath, utterly exhausted.
Thanks to her experience from being kidnapped last time, where she learned a lot from the two thugs, she wouldn't have had the courage to kill tonight without it.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door, startling her. It was Isidore outside the door, his voice weak but anxious. "Eloise, what the hell are you doing in there?"
Eloise opened the door, her round cheeks puffing out as she said, "Didn't you want him dead? I helped you."
