My CEO husband loved having his friends over for dinner. He always said it made us feel like a real family. Watching me serve a table full of dishes, one of his friends grinned. “You’re truly the perfect wife, Eleanor! So gracious, so regal!” My expression didn’t change. I playfully asked, “Oh? What, do you mean there’s a *different*, less generous ‘Mrs. Blackwood’ around?” His friends froze, a flicker of panic in their eyes. Julian just laughed, slinging an arm over my shoulder. “Don’t listen to their nonsense, darling. Besides you, who else in this world could ever be my wife?” Watching him act so nonchalant, I smiled. But as I turned to leave, I dialed a number. “Marcus, Julian Blackwood is cheating. Make sure he rots in jail.” My brother on the other end of the line was silent for three seconds. “Eleanor, are you sure? Julian Blackwood, he…” I pulled off the wedding ring from my ring finger. The diamond felt like a shard of ice against my palm. “For ten years, every single cufflink he owned was custom-made, imported from Milan.” “But today, he was wearing a cheap, gaudy plastic flower. Marcus, do you really think that’s a mistake?” “You know I won’t tolerate any injustice. Expose all the dirty deeds he’s done over the years. And by the way, get me the best lawyer. I’m filing for divorce.” My brother’s voice was filled with fury. “Alright.” Half an hour later, my phone received an encrypted file. I clicked open the first photo: a seemingly innocent girl in a white shirt, her arm linked through his, was beaming at him, her smile absolutely radiant. And on the wrist peeking out from her cuff, there was a wolf’s head tattoo – identical to Julian’s. I didn’t hesitate. I drove straight to his company. A few minutes later, a girl with long, straight black hair, dressed in a white skirt, hurried out. I glanced at her employee ID: Chloe Miller. The moment she saw me, her face went instantly white. She instinctively tried to hide her hand behind her back. But I still saw it: a custom-made Swiss watch. Last year, for my birthday, I received a Swiss purchase record. A three-million-dollar watch, a fifty-thousand-dollar necklace. The necklace was carefully tucked away at home. The watch was on her wrist. I scoffed, stating directly, “Ms. Miller’s husband seems to have similar taste to mine. Even the custom-made watch designs are identical.” Chloe trembled at my words, her red lips parted and closed several times before she finally stammered out a response. “Oh… oh, really… Maybe all men just have similar taste.” Her knuckles were white where she clutched the hem of her dress. “Alright, stop pretending.” “You’re the ‘other Mrs. Blackwood,’ aren’t you?” Seeing me lay it all out, Chloe trembled even more, looking utterly panicked. “Please don’t misunderstand, it was just that Mr. Blackwood fainted again from low blood sugar, and I simply helped him. Mr. Blackwood’s friends thought I was very attentive and were just joking.” “I’m truly sorry if I caused any misunderstanding.” With that, she even exaggeratedly bowed ninety degrees to me. She put on a pitiful, fragile act, the classic ‘damsel in distress’ routine. If I hadn’t seen her manipulative tactics with Julian before, I might have actually fallen for it. Half a month ago, she posted a video on social media. A man was swiping his card at a luxury car dealership, next to a Porsche. Her caption read: “A man’s money shows where his heart truly lies.” At that time, I was home with a fever, burning to the point of unconsciousness. I called Julian, asking him to take me to the hospital. He sounded flustered for a moment, but then his voice turned hoarse, as if suppressing something. “Darling, I’ll have the housekeeper take you. I’m tied up with something urgent right now.” An hour later, I was in the hospital, fighting pneumonia. But she posted a photo lying in a car, a man’s abs clearly defined, adorned with suggestive red marks. The caption: “Both my new car and you will forever bear my mark.” Julian rushed in, his shirt still half-unbuttoned. He collapsed by my bedside, his eyes red-rimmed. Back then, I naively thought he was worried about me. But now, I knew it was just the guilt of a cheating man. A sudden wave of disgust washed over me. This cheap, manipulative woman wasn’t even worth Julian betraying me for. Too tired to watch her pitiful expressions, I turned and left. But just as I got into my car, Julian called. The moment I answered, his tone was frantic. “Why did you suddenly decide to come to the company?”
“Why?” I started the car, asking coolly, “Just happened to have a contract to discuss. Is there something you’re afraid of me finding out?” Julian seemed unprepared for my question. His breathing hitched for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, his voice softened, adopting his usual cajoling tone. “Darling, what are you talking about?” “I have nothing to hide from you. My office is just a mess, so I’d have someone clean it up before you came. Besides, why would I ever betray you? Feel free to check anything you want.” Hearing that, I was somewhat surprised. Chloe hadn’t told him that I’d confronted her. I scrolled through the evidence while listening to his excuses. Three gigabytes of files, every single day connected to Julian. Last Valentine’s Day, he claimed to be on a business trip abroad and couldn’t call, but he was actually watching the Northern Lights with Chloe in the Arctic. When my father was gravely ill, I called him over thirty times, but he didn’t answer a single one. At that very moment, he was celebrating Chloe’s birthday. “I believe you, but what about that watch?” Seeing me bring it up, Julian seemed to relax a little. He lowered his voice, the affection clearly forced. “That watch was because I suddenly fainted at work. Chloe happened to be passing by and helped me to the hospital.” He paused, then added, “She stayed by my side all night. I just gave her the watch as a thank-you gift. I forgot to mention it to you at the time.” Forgot? He must have a very selective memory. He didn’t just forget to tell me that. He also forgot they spent three days and three nights in the hotel’s penthouse suite that very same night. A cold sneer formed in my heart. “She’s certainly attentive. The black shirt you wore when you fainted? She even washed and ironed it perfectly before returning it the next day.” Julian on the other end clearly stiffened, his breathing hitched, then he chuckled, trying to play it off. “Isn’t she? The girl is incredibly meticulous.” “See, you’re always so suspicious. My heart belongs only to you, darling.” He lowered his voice, the affection clearly forced. “Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll take you on that make-up vacation to the Maldives, alright? Just the two of us.” His gentle tone, which once melted my heart, now filled me with utter revulsion. “Sounds great,” I said, looking out at the neon lights flashing past my car, my voice as calm as if discussing the weather. “But you take care of your business first. Don’t let me distract you.” “Nothing is more important than being with you, darling.” Julian’s voice was filled with eager flattery, but my heart grew colder. Not just because Julian had cheated, but because I couldn’t believe they had put on such a long act right under my nose. My grip on the steering wheel tightened. I suppressed the urge to confront Julian then and there. I wanted him to admit his relationship with Chloe himself. Then, I would ruin that wretched pair, utterly and completely. I mumbled a few dismissive words and hung up. Just then, Chloe’s social media updated again. The screen showed her wearing an elaborately designed, diamond-encrusted wedding dress, her face beaming with joy. “Another mistress tried to cause trouble today, trying to take my place. Mr. Blackwood is making it up to me; he’s finally going to marry me!” “I only mentioned wanting a castle wedding, and he bought me an entire castle!” She curved her lips, and the camera casually panned over a property deed. “And these vineyards! He wants me to manage them! I’m such a silly girl, how could I? Thankfully, Mr. Blackwood promised to come with me to establish my authority, so those people don’t try to take advantage of me for being young!” Looking at the property deed in the video, emblazoned with my French name, pure rage surged through me. Those vineyards were my coming-of-age gift from my brother. Julian actually used them to woo his mistress! Fine, so they want to establish their authority? We’ll see how they do it in front of the *real* owner of these vineyards!
I bought a plane ticket that very night and flew to France. At the vineyard, the old butler’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw me. “Miss Eleanor, what brings you here? Didn’t you say you were lending the estate to Mr. Blackwood for a banquet today? And that all the family members were to be cleared out?” Hearing that, pure rage surged through me. Just as I was about to answer, Julian’s call came through. “Darling, I’m in a cross-country meeting. I’ll fly back to you as soon as I’m done.” Before I could reply, I faintly heard a sickly sweet female voice from the other end. “Julian, do I look good in this?” The next second, Julian muffled the phone and walked away. “Gotta go, the meeting’s starting.” Almost simultaneously, the grand, ornate gates of the vineyard swung open, and over a dozen luxury cars pulled up, parking one after another in the fountain square. Countless unfamiliar faces were being seated. I found a secluded spot and sat down. Once everything was set, Chloe, wearing a fiery red haute couture gown, made her grand entrance, radiating the triumphant arrogance of someone who’d gotten everything she ever wanted. “Let me introduce myself. I am Chloe Miller, the new owner of this vineyard.” “Mr. Blackwood said that from now on, the wine, the castle, even every grape in the vineyard, are all under my command!” “To celebrate, all the wines are seventy percent off! Consider it my welcome gift to you all!” Seventy percent off? She’s certainly generous. The cheapest bottle here costs at least a million dollars. Some are even collector’s items; even the British Royal Family would have to think twice before getting a discount like that! Mr. Davies, who had watched me grow up, was seething with anger. “Since when did this vineyard belong to her?!” “And Julian Blackwood! How dare he keep a mistress behind Miss Eleanor’s back! Is he out of his mind?!” Seeing the butler about to storm out, I quickly shook my head. This wasn’t the time to expose her. I wanted to wait for Julian to personally admit his relationship with Chloe, then I would utterly ruin that wretched pair. Just then, the ornate gates opened again, and Julian walked in, dressed in a custom-tailored suit. Seeing him, Chloe immediately ran into his arms, giggling as she shook his arm. “Julian, I told you this brand of suit fits you best.” Julian’s eyes visibly stiffened, but he managed to maintain a poker face and nodded. And the anger in my heart almost burst into flames. The founder of that brand is a sworn enemy of my family. My father, he was literally schemed against by them – it broke his heart and his health. Julian knew all about this, yet now, he was publicly slapping me in the face. Just as I could no longer hold back and was about to storm out, Julian’s friends surrounded him. “Julian, look at Chloe! She’s so vibrant, so captivating!” “Chloe, our Julian here just hands over a multi-million-dollar estate like it’s nothing! Where else would you find a man like that!” Amidst their laughter, Chloe lowered her head, blushing. Just then, Mr. Jenkins, the wine estate manager, who was delivering wine, spoke up, confused. “What do you mean ‘now belongs to a Miller’? Didn’t you just borrow this from our young lady, Miss Vance?” At his words, the guests exchanged bewildered glances, whispering amongst themselves. “What’s going on?” “I only ever heard this vineyard belonged to Mrs. Blackwood. But Mrs. Blackwood’s surname is Vance, isn’t it?” “Huh? Then if her name is Miller, isn’t she a fake?!” Mr. Jenkins’s face was already burning with anger. “Mr. Blackwood, how could you do such a thing behind Miss Eleanor’s back?!” Saying this, he reached for his phone to call me. The next second, Julian’s bodyguards swarmed forward, roughly forcing the manager to his knees. Julian’s gaze swept coldly over the crowd. “Silence him. Make him understand the price of loose talk.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried the ruthlessness of someone long accustomed to power. The banquet hall fell into immediate silence. Julian didn’t even lift an eyelid, his fingers idly caressing Chloe’s face. “Chloe is the *real* Mrs. Blackwood! Eleanor Vance is nothing but a servant I hired for my household!” A servant? I almost laughed out loud from sheer indignation. It seemed Julian had truly forgotten who had helped him climb to his current position of power. If it weren’t for me, he’d still be begging on the streets, getting kicked around by strangers! I stood by him for ten years, fighting tooth and nail, even taking two knives to the chest for him, while my brother helped us behind the scenes. Even when I was hovering between life and death, all I could think about was how to pave the way for his success. And now, in his mouth, I was just a “servant.” No one dared to challenge Julian, and they all quickly chimed in. “Oh, is that how it is! Mrs. Blackwood is far too generous, letting a maid use the Blackwood name to scam people!” Some even advised Chloe. “Mrs. Blackwood, a maid like that might try to seduce Mr. Blackwood at any time.” “You need to be careful! I think you should fire her!” “With such malicious intent, she should be thrown into the sea to feed the fish!” The smugness on Chloe’s face was impossible to suppress. The manager’s face was ashen, and he struggled desperately before being dragged away. “I want to see Miss Eleanor Vance! She’s the real Mrs. Blackwood!” The guests wore expressions of disdain. “This maid is truly cunning! Even the vineyard manager has been fooled by her!” “Mr. Blackwood, you can’t keep a treacherous person like that around.” Julian’s cold gaze swept over everyone, and his thin lips parted. “I’ll say it one more time: I only have one wife, Chloe Miller. From now on, anyone who dares to disrespect her will face my wrath.” The hall was silent, save for my slow applause, which drew everyone’s attention. I took off my baseball cap, looking at them coldly. “Then tell me, if she’s Mrs. Blackwood, who am I?” Julian’s and Chloe’s smiles instantly froze. The air in the banquet hall seemed to instantly solidify. The guests’ eyes collectively snapped to me. From initial confusion, they gasped in shock as they recognized my face. Chloe’s triumphant smile instantly froze.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “298559”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply