The night Julian Reed and I got engaged, his eyes were captivated by a stunning, seductive model. Every move she made was pure allure, and she apparently had a keen talent for investment and business. Men always seem to fall for women who are graceful and charming in public, yet also down-to-earth and supportive. But Julian just scoffed, dismissing her with disdain: “Tch. A woman like her is absolutely not wife material. She’s a magnet for male attention, always attracting drama. Good for a fling, maybe, a casual hookup. But I have standards, I wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole.” His words were dismissive, but his eyes were incredibly honest, glued to the model’s alluring figure. Three days later, the whispers quickly escalated into a full-blown scandal: the scion of a powerful family, Julian Reed, checked into a hotel with a supermodel. The news was everywhere. Finally, he couldn’t hold back. He came to me and said: “Eleanor, I’m sorry, but I’ve decided to formalize things with Chloe. She’ll be my mistress, of course, and you’ll remain my fiancée. How about you both… attend to my needs?” Standing outside the door, watching them entangled in bed, I finally turned away, utterly disillusioned. I would marry Julian Reed’s uncle instead.
“Miss Eleanor, don’t look!” Mrs. Jenkins, our housekeeper, was watching the news. Hearing my heels clicking down the stairs, her face flushed with anger as she fumbled for the remote, trying to switch off the TV. But it was too late. The paparazzi had captured Julian Reed and the famous model, Chloe, walking hand-in-hand into a hotel. “It seems our famously abstinent scion couldn’t resist the captivating Chloe after all. He’s finally landed the CEO known for spoiling his girlfriends…” The commentator’s voice droned on, but in that moment, my ears felt like someone had detonated a bomb inside them. A deafening blast, then a sharp, piercing pain. “Mrs. Jenkins, move.” I pushed past her, my hand reaching out to her blocking body, forcing myself to witness the sight: my fiancé, kissing a supermodel, walking into a hotel. Mrs. Jenkins began to open her mouth, perhaps to offer comfort, but I had already turned and left the living room. I started my Maserati, speeding towards the Reed family estate like a furious leopard. Julian had given me the sports car on my birthday. He’d said, “My Eleanor is so wonderful; she deserves everything I can give.” As I arrived at the Reed estate, all the staff immediately tensed. They tried to block me, their eyes darting with a mix of pity and mocking curiosity, trying to prevent me from going upstairs. Their attempts to stop me only confirmed something was wrong. I swept them with a gaze as cold as ice, completely freezing them in place, none daring to move. Reaching Julian’s room, I heard sounds through the door that made my face burn. I clenched my fists tightly, but ultimately, I pushed the door open. In that moment, my heart plummeted into an icy abyss, tearing me apart with excruciating pain. When I first saw the news, I’d made excuses for him, thinking it was just a mischievous rumor. But now? Julian had brought her right back to his own home. He was acting as if I didn’t exist, grinding my dignity into the dirt. “Julian Reed!” Julian flinched when he heard the desolate sound of my voice, his kiss with Chloe faltering. But he couldn’t bring himself to let go. He kissed her for another three minutes before finally turning his head to look at me. “Well, since you’ve seen everything, it’s probably for the best. I’ll just tell you directly.” “I’ve decided to formalize things with Chloe. She’s still… an innocent, and I can’t let her be wronged. But I can’t lose you either, so listen! You’ll be my primary partner, and she’ll be the woman behind me. You both can attend to my needs, how does that sound?” My heart felt as if it had been stabbed with a knife, but I couldn’t let Chloe see my distress. “You’re actually making such a shameless demand?” Julian’s face instantly darkened at the word “shameless.” “What do you mean, ‘shameless’? You and I are only engaged. I have every right to decide how to manage you both. Which man in our circles doesn’t have mistresses or affairs? Your father was no different.”
He had no idea how deeply his words cut me. I hated that my father had abandoned my mother for his mistress. Julian knew this; he had even sworn an oath to me once: “I, Julian Reed, will never cheat or take mistresses. I will love and cherish my wife, Eleanor Vance, for life.” The oath still echoed in my ears, yet the man who swore it had changed beyond recognition. “Alright, you’ve always been gentle, understanding, and considerate of me. I know this situation is unfair to you, but I’ll make it up to you later.” “Here’s a card with three million dollars. Go use it.” He tried to appease me, as if I were a beggar. I didn’t say a word. Instead, a sudden clarity washed over me, showing me exactly what I needed to do. Seeing me walk out in silence, Julian assumed I had agreed to his outrageous request. He pulled a smug Chloe closer, resuming their passionate entanglement. I found Mrs. Reed, who was deep in meditation. I waited. After two agonizing hours, I took out the heirloom diamond pendant she had given me and handed it back to her. “Mrs. Reed, I’m afraid I’m not worthy of this pendant. Please take it back.” Mrs. Reed’s gentle face froze in surprise. She looked at me, bewildered, “Eleanor, my dear, what’s wrong?” I answered truthfully: “Julian already has another woman beside him, planning to replace me. He wants to marry her, and she’s in his room right now. So, I hope you’ll give this pendant to her, Mrs. Reed.” “My mother always told me: if your fiancé ever cheats or messes around with other women, you are absolutely not to marry him. I won’t betray her memory, and I certainly won’t betray myself.” Mrs. Reed’s face immediately fell. She slapped the table and stood up. “That scoundrel! How dare he bring some cheap woman from outside back here!” “The alliance between the Vance and Reed families was set when your grandfathers were alive. Our late patriarch insisted that the matriarch of the Reed family must be you. He was a man of great foresight and impeccable judgment, so my daughter-in-law can only be one person, and that is you. He is not to bring a second wife into this house and break our family’s rules.” I looked up at the peach blossoms outside the window, blooming profusely in the spring air. “Mrs. Reed, if we cannot go against Grandfather’s dying wish, then I shall marry someone else. I want to marry Sebastian Reed.” My words stunned Mrs. Reed. She stared at me, unable to compose herself for a long time. She had been observing her spiritual practices for years, and from the first to the fifteenth of each month, she would not leave her meditation room, strictly adhering to her traditions. Otherwise, she would have stormed out to confront Julian. Mrs. Reed twirled her prayer beads, “Eleanor, are you truly determined to marry his uncle? You must think this through. Sebastian is involved in both legitimate and illicit dealings, known for his ruthless and brutal methods. He’s not a tender man.” “Mrs. Reed, we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Some people hide their dirty deeds behind a facade of virtue and kindness. Others may appear ruthless and cold, yet they are capable of surprising acts of goodness.” At that moment, the peach blossoms were scattered by the spring breeze, and I seemed to see that cold man patiently comforting children at an orphanage. Just then, Julian violently pushed open the door and stormed in. He grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly.
“I knew you’d run to my mother to complain and tattle! Hmph, I truly misjudged you.” His fingers dug deep into my flesh, as if I were his mortal enemy. It took all my strength to wrench my hand free. The lingering scent of Chloe’s perfume on him filled me with disgust. “I didn’t come to complain, I came to—” “You think I believe you? I can tell by Mother’s sudden coldness towards me. You must have been gossiping and twisting things, that’s why she’s looking at me like this.” “I’m not saying I won’t marry you, so what’s the rush? Chloe has already agreed to be the woman behind me. See how generous she is? Not like you, so petty and small-minded, always consumed by jealousy. If you had Chloe’s business acumen, I might actually give you more than a passing glance, and we’d have more to talk about.” He meant I wasn’t as gentle and understanding as Chloe, nor as sharp and brilliant. But Julian, if you had only waited a little longer, you would have discovered my secret. Oddly, hearing his insults, my heart remained calm. Mrs. Reed, however, was furious. But before she could speak, Chloe also entered. Julian, fearing his mother would scold Chloe first, pulled her into his embrace, defensively shielding her. “Mom, I’ve fallen for this understanding woman. Can’t you let her be the woman behind me? She isn’t even trying to snatch Eleanor’s position as the primary partner; she’s being incredibly reasonable.” Hearing that, I actually laughed. The matriarch’s position in the Reed family was a highly coveted prize. Chloe wasn’t snatching it *yet* only because she couldn’t. Once her timing was right, she’d certainly go for it. “Didn’t you say you wanted grandchildren? Chloe and I have real chemistry, that spark a man should feel. With Eleanor, it’s like an old married couple already; there’s no longer that passion.” Chloe pressed herself tightly against Julian, her voice soft and fragile: “Mrs. Reed, I promise I’ll be obedient and won’t cause any trouble. I love Julian, not his money, so I don’t care about property or status. I only care about Julian’s happiness.” Mrs. Reed watched the two of them, so inseparable, she was nearly beside herself with fury. Because what Julian didn’t know was that I had just proposed to marry his younger uncle. Grandfather’s will stipulated that the Matriarch of the Reed family must be Eleanor. Whoever marries Eleanor inherits the entire family fortune. Otherwise, they’ll be stuck with a paltry million a month allowance. Julian had no idea, which was why Mrs. Reed was so anxious. But Julian’s attitude was so unyielding, and my determination to marry Sebastian was just as strong. Mrs. Reed could only sigh and close her eyes, allowing us to make our own decisions. She decided not to interfere, returning to her quiet meditation and prayers. As I walked out the door to get into my car, I was blocked by several bodyguards. “This is what you get for running to my mother to complain.” Julian appeared behind me, embracing Chloe, his eyes blazing with anger as he glared at me. “That car is a gift from me. You can’t take it.” “I just want you to remember: you need to learn to be agreeable and please me if you want to have a good life. Just like your Vance family.” “I allow you to have a good life, and you will. The same goes for the primary partner position, do you understand?” With that, he took Chloe’s hand and led her to the Maserati, opening the door for her to try out the sports car. “Do you like it? Anything you want, just say the word and it’s yours.” Chloe’s face lit up instantly, and she left a fragrant kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Julian.” The staff looked at me with sympathetic eyes. Julian’s actions were a blatant slap in my face. The fiancée, less valued than a mistress. He was also warning me not to be rebellious, or he would retaliate against my family. I had no choice but to walk away from the Reed estate in my heels. It was a long way from my house, and finding a taxi would be difficult. Watching my humiliated retreat, Chloe was practically ecstatic. She was using her ‘strategic retreat’ to slowly, steadily, take over Julian’s heart. Just as I was still reeling from the shock, a black Lamborghini pulled up in front of me. The door opened, and a deep, pleasant male voice spoke: “Get in.” I lowered my head, meeting his cold, handsome gaze, and slid into the car without hesitation. Neither of us spoke until we reached my house. Only then did Sebastian Reed break the silence.
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