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I stood there with a cold expression as the butler stepped forward anxiously. “Miss Eleanor, all three of them have left. Then… who will you choose for tonight’s engagement banquet?”
The murmuring crowd couldn’t help whispering among themselves.“If this engagement falls through, won’t the Windsors lose face?”
I turned and changed into a new gown before stepping onto the stage.
Pointing at the photo on the big screen, I addressed the audience.”Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my birthday and engagement banquet. The man in the photo is the fiancé I’ve chosen.”
Gasps erupted from the crowd.“Isn’t that… Leonard Lancaster?!”
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My father happened to enter just in time and chimed in,Yes. My daughter deserves only the best.”
“I once considered helping the York, Howard, and Lee families during their business transitions through marriage alliances. But now that our contracts with them have been voided, those arrangements are no longer relevant.”
The crowd was stunned into a temporary silence, then erupted into buzzing speculation. Clearly, many didn’t buy my father’s explanation.
Some of his old friends couldn’t hold back.“Leonard may be excellent in every way,
but… those eyes of his…”
“You really have the heart to watch your daughter marry a blind man? Who’s going to manage the empire you’ve built with your own hands?”
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“When we’re all gone, how will Ellie manage on her own?”
Though Leonard was a legitimate son of the Lancaster family, his visual impairment had long disqualified him from being heir. At best, he’d live a life of luxury, without ever stepping into power.
But his lack of ambition was exactly what made him the perfect support for me.
Liam’s words had opened my eyes. In this world full of deceit and betrayal, nothing was safer than keeping my family fortune in my own hands.
And with Leonard out of the competition, I could take charge without interference or doubt.
Meanwhile, Liam was gently consoling a panicked Jessica. Seeing a new message pop up, he scoffed and switched off his
phone
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“The Windsors have picked someone else for Eleanor. If you don’t come back now, it’ll be too late!”
Zachary and Ryan also turned off their phones indifferently. Just another one of Eleanor’s stunts–nothing worth their attention.
Still, Liam couldn’t help feeling unsettled. Did Eleanor really have someone else in mind?
Or had she actually chosen Zachary or Ryan?
He glanced at them silently, then opened the message and replied:
“Who did Eleanor choose?”
A photo was sent back almost instantly. One look–and Liam froze.
Next to him, Zachary and Ryan both let out loud, stunned exclamations.“Are you kidding
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и
Mic
དཔuu, 9སIIIu འuiསI—IVIT9, I yཔu u¤སTig me? Eleanor actually chose that blind guy Leonard Lancaster?““You’ve gotta be joking!”
Jessica, clinging to Liam, couldn’t help but curl her lips into a small smile before putting on a pitiful look.“She must be doing this to get back at you. Please, go to her. Otherwise, she’ll get even angrier.”
“Go on, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine on my own.”
Jessica’s performance of brave vulnerability made the three men instinctively soften.
Zachary sneered, “Eleanor’s done countless vile things over the years. If she ends up marrying a blind man, it’s exactly what she deserves. Let’s see if she comes crawling back to us, begging to be taken in.”
Liam was almost convinced and secretly let out a breath of relief.
After all these years of Eleanor shamelessly
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clinging to him–he couldn’t believe she’d actually turn around and marry a blind man just because they walked out.
Jessica didn’t miss the subtle shift in Liam’s expression. A glint of jealousy flickered in Oher eyes.
She blinked, tears spilling dramatically.“It’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have upset her. Even though she… had someone hurt me, I shouldn’t have shown up and ruined her birthday.”
“What if she complains to Mr. Windsor and it affects your families‘ business ties? I’d never want to be a burden on you…”
A shadow of unease crossed their faces. None of them liked the idea of being held hostage by someone else’s influence.
Zachary scoffed, “The Howard family is still one of the top players in the industry. We don’t need the Windsors. There are plenty of
other no
”
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Liam gently wiped away Jessica’s tears.“Don’t worry. Our families have worked together for years. Our interests are too intertwined to just walk away. Besides,
we were handpicked by Mr. Windsor as Eleanor’s fiancé. She’ll come to her senses soon enough.”
“And honestly, Eleanor brought this upon herself. None of this is your fault.”
They had no idea just how much they’d wronged me.
Still feeling vaguely uneasy, Liam pulled out his phone and sent me a message:
“There’s no need to gamble with your happiness out of spite. If you apologize to Jessica, I’ll still marry you.”
He imagined how overjoyed I’d be when I saw it. But the only thing that came back… was a red exclamation mark.
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He stared at it, confused–until a wave of panic hit him.
Because I had blocked him. Completely. Every way he could contact me–gone.
