Chapter 5
Adrian stood there for a moment, completely stunned, unable to
react.
Meanwhile, I’d already cleared the way for the reporters, who were eagerly snapping photos in front of the big screen.
Everyone had at least one or two pictures in their hands.
As the tide turned, the focus shifted, and the interviewees became
Adrian and Sienna.
I flashed a smile, weaving through the crowd with a confident stride.
Behind me, I could hear Adrian’s voice, sharp and raw with anger, cutting through the air.
“Eleanor! Come back here!
“Who gave you the right to do this to my child? Who gave you permission?!
“Eleanor!”
I ignored him.
I’d barely stepped out of the venue when I saw Adrian’s parents rushing toward me.
Chapter 5
His mother, her face flushed with fury, pointed a trembling finger at me. “Eleanor! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!”
I shrugged and smiled wide, unbothered.
“This is my little gift for your son, the divorce present he so deserves.”
2/5
Her hand flew to her chest, gasping, while her husband tried to steady her.
They both looked like they wanted to tear me apart with their
eyes.
I couldn’t care less and didn’t even spare them a second glance before turning and walking away.
The news about the press conference spread like wildfire online, and soon enough, the Blake Group’s stock took a nosedive.
The Sterling family, too, felt the ripple effect, especially after all the money they had sunk into developing new products.
My dad called me non–stop.
“You’ve really done it now, haven’t you? How could you do this to the child?!
“Do you know how much the company’s lost? You better get in line with the Blake Group’s PR team and fix this!”
A
Chapter 5
I tuned him out.
3/5
I’d given up so much for our family over the years, sacrificed opportunities, dreams, and even my own happiness.
My dad might have once loved me, but that was a long time ago. Now, all he cared about was his bottom line.
My visa had already been approved, and in ten days, I was leaving the country for good.
The crisis was huge, and the rival companies had wasted no time in attacking the Blake Group.
I wasn’t exactly celebrating, but I did feel a bit of relief.
But of course, just when I thought I was rid of all the drama, Adrian showed up.
I was coming down the stairs when I saw him waiting downstairs, looking even worse than I’d imagined.
He was thinner, more haggard, his face covered in a day’s worth of unshaved stubble.
I noticed he was wearing a bracelet, one I’d made for him with my own hands.
The pendant was something I’d painstakingly carved, taking me almost two months to finish.
Chapter
I had hoped that such a personal gift would mean something to him.
But when he glanced at it, he barely seemed to register it before tossing it into the bottom of his jewelry box.
I wanted him to wear it. But instead, he looked at my hands, rough and calloused from hard work, and sneered, “You really want me to wear this? Did you make this yourself? Eleanor, are you really that cheap?”
The words hit me like a slap in the face. I quickly hid my hands behind my back. “No.”
But then, he casually pulled out a cheap watch that Sienna had bought for him, saying she knew how to save money.
As I stared at his wrist, he rolled up his sleeve, deliberately exposing a pendant engraved with his name.
“Eleanor, does this look good on me?”
I didn’t even try to hide the disdain in my voice. “You actually wear something like this?”
Without waiting for a response, I turned to walk away, heading toward the hotel.
He was right on my heels, his voice hoarse with emotion. “Eleanor, you just had an abortion. How could you stay in a place like this? Come home with me.”
4/5
Chapter 5
I raised an eyebrow, my expression cold. “You’ve really forgotten,
haven’t you? Don’t forget, I’m the one who ended your child, ruined your family and Sienna.”
His eyes started to well up, his voice cracking.
“I get it now, Eleanor. It’s my fault, not yours.
“If you just come back with me and apologize to my parents, everything can go back to normal. We can fix this.”
I was stunned by how shameless he was.
After everything that had happened, he still thought I would forgive him.
“You’ve got it all wrong. I don’t need you anymore. You’re like a rotten cucumber. Why would I waste a second on you?”
