Chapter 1
A diratening clap of thunder split the sky, and in the blink of an eye, a torrential downpour followed. The heavy rain pounded down like a waterfall. In this miserable weather, the heavy gates of the prison in the southern district of Avaris creaked open
“Make sure you turn a new leaf and live a better life after this. Don’t ever do anything against the law,” said the prison guard, his expression stern as he handed Eleanor Reed an umbrella.
He looked her up and down, his eyes flickering with both pity and disgust, though it vanished in an instant.
“Thanks,” Eleanor replied calmly and accepted the umbrella. She stepped through the prison gates, unfazed by the storm outside, and her heart swelled with a quiet joy.
She had spent three long years in this dark and suffocating place, where freedom had been nothing more had gone from the beloved, glamorous Ms. Eleanor Reed to the notorious, despised criminal
than
an a distant memory. From 18 to 21, she
She had fallen from grace like a fallen angel, and there was no coming back. Her life, once so bright, was now irreparably ruined by her time behind bars,
Outside the prison, a black car waited and a middle–aged man stepped out and walked towards Eleanor with a black umbrella as she came out. His face was unreadable as he said, “Ms. Reed, Mr. Vanderbilt sent me to pick you up and take you home”
Eleanor blinked in surprise and then broke into a sharp smile. She had a gorgeous face, yet her eyes simmered immense She scoffed. “Home? I can still go back?”
gloominess and disdain.
you, and once you apologize to Ms. Foster, everything
“Mr. Vanderbilt said you were born and raised there. Three years is enough of a lesson for y will be forgiven.”
“Apologize?” Eleanor’s tone was oddly calm. “Fine, I apologize.
Her compliance caught the man off guard. Everyone knew that Eleanor, with Dominick’s adoration, had previously been too proud to apologize to anyone. For someone like her to apologize to others was like a miracle.
But now, the arrogant woman seemed to have turned humble. The man couldn’t help but soften his gaze as he wondered. It seems like the prison life has taught her enough lessons, or she wouldn’t have been so meek.
Eleanor didn’t care about the man’s attitude. She got into the car and stared out the window at the passing scenery with a blank expression.
Her reflection flickered in the glass. As she thought about the apology the man mentioned, her beautiful eyes glimmered with a bitter, mocking light.
She couldn’t help but think to herself, Apologize to that woman? No way. She’s the one who owes me an apology!
Her mind drifted to Alexis, and her light brown eyes darkened with intense hatred. Never had she imagined that her life would be destroyed by an insignificant woman. Even the man who had once adored her turned his back on her overnight and sent her straight to the prison.
Eleanor had sworn in the prison that if she ever made it out alive, she would tear Alexis’s fake skin off with her bare hands. All the humiliation and the suffering she had endured would all be paid back tenfold.
“Ms. Reed, when we get home, you’ll apologize to Ms. Foster in front of everyone, the man said flatly, his tone cold, “Ms. Foster is a kind–hearted girl. Mr. Vanderball just hopes you’ve truly turned over a new leaf
The car then took a winding path through the meticulously trimmed trees and finally pulled up to Reed Villa.
By now, the downpour had turned into a drizzle. Eleanor stepped out of the car, her gaze flat as she looked at the house where she had lived for 18 years. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides with veins standing out on her skin.
“Mi Reed, everyone’s waiting for you inside,” said Eric, the butler who had worked for the Reed family for over a decade. His wrinkled and sour face showed no hint of the flattering and doting attitude he used to have toward Eleanor.
Eleanor thot Erica cold glance. She was fully aware of his nature–a double–faced man. Now that she was no longer the adored young lady, Eric had no reason to kiss up to her.
In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if he used her fall from grace to please his new bosses, even if it meant hurting Eleanor’s feelings
Thinking back on everything that had happened with the Reed family, Eleanor couldn’t help but feel like a fool.
She scoffed in her mind. How could I have ever thought those devils were family! If it weren’t for these so–called family members, how could Alexis have in cauly framed me and left me unalde to explain?
Dreame–Read Romance Stories
Installed
Chapter 1
The living room was crowded with people. It was clear that the storm outside wasn’t enough to dampen their curiosity.
Word had spread that Eleanor would be released from prison today, and nearly everyone with any connection to the Reed family came to see the show. The living room was nearly packed.
As soon as Eleanor walked in, dozens of eyes fixed on her–some curious, some disdainful, and others gleeful at her downfall. But one pair of eyes stood apart.
Sitting on the sofa in the middle, with the head of the Reed family forced to sit beside him, was a man with an aggressively commanding presence.
His short, brown hair framed a pair of deep, hunter–green eyes that seemed to gleam with a predatory light–like a beast in the night, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.
Dressed in a custom black shirt and matching pants, he let his chiseled collarbone visible and exuded an air of lazy danger. He looked like a king on a throne, who made people feel small and should bow their heads in front of him.
This was Dominick Vanderbilt, the kingpin in the business world, the head of the Vanderbilt family, and Avaris’s devil
Eleanor’s gaze lingered on him, her eyes welling with unshed tears, betraying the turmoil beneath her calm facade.
“Eleanor. I’m so glad you’re back. The voice broke the tense silence. Alexis, siting in a wheelchair, was pushed by a servant to Dominick’s side. She flashed a mild smile and added, “I wanted to ask Dad to throw you a welcome–home party, but Dominick insisted that you apologize to me.”
Alexis’s voice was as sweet as ever. She wore a faint, almost pitying smile. “We grew up together, Eleanor. Whether or not you apologize, I’ll forgive you. Honestly, Dominick’s overreacting, so don’t hold it against him”
“No, sweetie,” Gregory Reed, the head of the Reed family, snapped from his seat with disgust clear in his voice as he glared at Eleanor. “You ungrateful brat, get over here and apologize to Alexis. You’ve embarrassed the Reed family enough.”
Eleanor’s gaze flickered over to her father–the man who had once spoiled her so much. Now, after taking everything she owned, he couldn’t even pretend to care about her.
Eleanor took a deep breath, looked away from Dominick, and walked toward Alexis
But just as everyone expected her to apologize, Eleanor moved with blinding speed. In one swift motion, her hand slapped across Alexis’s face, the sharp sound echoing through the room.
She stood tall and looked down at Alexis with a cold, mocking smile. “Apologize? You think I owe you one? In your next lifet
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