Chapter 5
Philip retorted, “You can’t put it that way, Elle. This is an accident, and none of us expected this to happen. In a way, we’re victims, too.”
Sheila added, “The guests already saw what happened, and everyone knows about this now. Besides, you two have also—ahem—done the deed. Both couples have already consummated the marriage, so there’s no way of switching the husbands back. We might as well minimize the issue. What else can we do?”
Eleanor looked unfazed. “How would I know whether this really is an accident? Even if it is, I don’t mind that Maurice has already slept with Brenda. My stance remains unchanged—this marriage is mine, and no one is taking it from me!”
Her attitude made it clear—she wasn’t backing down.
Everyone knew how arrogant she’d always been. Nothing could make her back down and suffer in silence, especially when she faced Brenda’s family, who’d always been her archenemies.
The atmosphere tensed. Sebastian, like everyone else, watched Eleanor. She stood there with her head held high and an arrogant look on her face. She was like a regal cat.
He could tell she was saying these things on purpose, of course. She wouldn’t agree to be his wife one moment and claim she wanted Maurice to be her husband the next. That would be reneging on their deal.
Still, he didn’t like hearing her say these things. There was also the fact that Eleanor and Maurice were childhood friends. He couldn’t be sure that she felt nothing for Maurice. Why else would she have agreed to marry him? Could there be some sincerity behind her words?
Eleanor was engrossed in her act, but a chill suddenly ran down her spine, pulling her back to reality. She turned around to glance at Sebastian. That was when she noticed him looking frosty.
It confused her. What was wrong with him? Could it be he was jealous after seeing his beloved Brenda getting cozy with Maurice?
What a joke. He had nice eyes; it was too bad he was blind.
Eleanor suddenly regretted agreeing to be his actual wife. She was worried she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from grabbing a pair of scissors if he were to think of Brenda each time they slept together.
The more she thought about that, the angrier she got. She glared daggers at him.
Brenda had been secretly observing Eleanor and Sebastian the whole time. The sight of Eleanor glaring at Sebastian made her relax.
She concluded that Eleanor hadn’t been reborn. The latter would never say anything about wanting to have Maurice as her husband if she had.
Eleanor had detested every fiber of Maurice’s being after discovering his affair with Brenda in her past life. She’d refused to touch Maurice with a ten-foot pole, regardless of his identity and status, let alone have him to herself.
That was what Eleanor had always been like. She acted arrogantly and made it seem like she was a princess just because she was the heiress of the Sandberg family. She would never allow anyone to disrespect her.
The only explanation for her behavior was that she hadn’t been reborn… or so Brenda thought.
Brenda couldn’t stop a small smile from playing on her lips at the thought of that. Even the gods had realized how unfairly they’d treated her in her past life—that was why they’d given her a second chance at life! In this lifetime, she would make everyone watch as she stomped all over Eleanor!
She would be Maurice’s proper wife!
Brenda suppressed her smile. The next second, tears flowed down her face. She said, “Eleanor is right. This marriage should be hers; I’m unworthy of this. I’ll beg those people who took photos to delete them, and we can act like none of this ever happened. Everything will go back to how it’s supposed to be.”
Her forbearance and compromise only made Eleanor seem more willful and stuck-up. How could Maurice bear to see the woman he’d been intimately intertwined with just half an hour ago suffer such a grievance?
He hurriedly stopped her from leaving. “I told you I’d take responsibility for you, Bren. You’re my wife!”
He turned to look Eleanor in the eye. “I won’t deny that we were engaged, but I’m going back on my word now. Spit out your conditions, then. If a house isn’t enough, what else will it take for you to go along with this act?”
That was exactly what Eleanor had been waiting for. She said, “I don’t doubt that you can pay the price I ask. What about my uncle, then?”
Maurice said, “There’s nothing that we won’t give. Spit it out! If your uncle can’t give you what you want, my family will! We won’t shortchange you!”
Philip agreed with that. Nothing was more worth it than being able to be allied with the Porter family through marriage. He would give Eleanor five houses if that was what she wanted.
With that thought in mind, he said, “Go on!”
Eleanor stated her condition. “I want to be Sandberg Group’s deputy CEO.”
Why would she be interested in a man whose dick was dirty from all the women he’d stuck it in? Power was what mattered most!
Maurice said without hesitation, “Deal! It’s yours!”
Philip snapped to his senses. “No way!”
He couldn’t allow Eleanor to become one of the company’s senior executives. He said, “Elle, becoming a company’s deputy CEO isn’t a game. You’re not capable of bearing that responsibility just yet. How about I give you two houses instead?
“One is close to the city center and is at least 5,000 square feet. I’ll throw in a car, too. That should be enough, right?”
Sheila’s heart ached at the thought of losing so much money. “That’s more than enough! Demanding more would only be an act of pure greed!”
Eleanor snorted. The houses and the car would at most be worth 100 million dollars, but Sandberg Group had a net worth of over 100 billion dollars. That didn’t even include the benefits it would gain after the marriage alliance with the Porter family.
Philip and Sheila were brushing her off like she were a beggar, yet they dared call her greedy.
She smiled and didn’t mince words. “Let’s call the cops to get to the bottom of this, then. How did the grooms end up in the wrong rooms? We can start with investigating the maids and attendants.”
Sheila screeched, “How can you call the cops? That’ll only make this blow up!”
“Uh-huh. What does that have to do with me, though?” Eleanor’s smile widened. “I’m upset because of the losses I’ve suffered. I need to vent my anger somehow, don’t I?
“If anyone asks me about this, I’ll be frank and tell them you guys plotted against me. I have nothing to lose, so I’m not afraid of the consequences. I don’t mind the whole world knowing about this. How about you?”
Sheila panicked. “How can you say we plotted against you? Do you have proof of that?”
“No, but that’s what I’m going to say. It’s obvious now that I’m the only one on the losing end. Why don’t you see whether the outside world believes me or you guys?” Eleanor asked.
She’d always been an expert at pressing people’s buttons. Yet the more arrogant she was, the more breathtaking she became. It only made her come alive and seem that much more captivating.
Brenda and her family had no doubt that Eleanor would do something that extreme. Brenda’s mind raced as she pondered the matter. It wouldn’t be good to let Eleanor climb the ladder, but the priority now was to solidify this marriage with the Porters. They could deal with everything else later.
She’d been reborn and had her memories to help her. She already knew what would happen in the future—it’d be easy enough for her to deal with Eleanor.
So, she stepped forward and said, “If you think being appointed as the company’s deputy CEO is enough to appease you, you can have it, Eleanor. We’re all family here—peace and harmony is what matters most.”
She sounded kind and generous. It undoubtedly improved Maurice’s parents’ impression of her. They’d earlier been hesitant about her but were now more than satisfied.
Eleanor had gotten what she wanted, so she didn’t care about Brenda’s act anymore. Besides, was the latter so sure that the Porter residence was a nice place to be at?
Eleanor narrowed her eyes as she recalled the things she’d gone through in her past life. “Alright, then. I’ll clear the air and announce to the world that Sebastian and I are a proper couple once I receive the appointment letter with the company’s official stamp on it. It’s getting late, so goodnight, everyone.”
With that, she turned and left. She didn’t forget to take Sebastian, who hadn’t said a word from beginning to end, with her.
Maurice looked at her sashaying hips as she strutted off. Suddenly, he felt rather upset. Still, he soon returned to his senses, and his expression turned disdainful. At the same time, he pulled Brenda closer to him. She was the type he liked—gentle, sweet, tender, and endearing.
