Chapter 221 Eleanor’s Gambit

Chapter 221: Chapter 221 Eleanor’s Gambit

?The house was terribly quiet, wrapped in an unbroken hush.

?Eleanor sat by the large glass window, staring out at the empty yard. The thick curtains were pulled shut, blocking out most of the outside day, and the indoor lights were kept low and dim. A white porcelain cup of tea sat resting on the small table right beside her chair. It had been sitting there for so long that the liquid had gone completely cold hours ago.

?She had been staying in this house for a full week now. It was her parents’ home, the very place where she had grown up as a child. It was also the exact place she had once sworn to herself she would never return to.

?Yet, here she was again because she had no other choice left in the world.

?The entire Thorne family had completely turned their backs on her. The Old Madam refused to answer her calls or speak to her name. Beatrice Hawthorne looked right through her in the halls as if she were completely invisible. Even her father-in-law Harold Thorne had not bothered to call her even once.

?And then there was Phillip, her own husband. He had packed his bags for a routine business trip and simply never came back home.

?She was entirely alone.

?Suddenly, the soft chiming sound of the front doorbell rang through the quiet rooms.

?She did not bother to move an inch from her chair. The household maid would answer the door.

?A few quiet moments later, the maid appeared quietly in the open doorway of the sitting room.

?"Ma’am, I am sorry to bother you, but there is a visitor here to see you," the maid announced politely.

?Eleanor did not even lift her head to look up. "Who is it?"

?"He says his name is Tobias Reed, ma’am. He told me he is from the Zed family."

?At those words, Eleanor froze completely, her breath catching in her throat.

?The Zed family. They were one of the three great noble families in the city, holding massive power across commerce, politics, and military circles. They were completely untouchable.

?She turned her head slowly, her eyes narrowing with sharp suspicion.

?"Show him in right now."

?The man who walked into the room was tall, lean, and dressed impeccably in a sharp suit. His hair was slicked back away from his forehead, and his eyes were sharp and calculating.

?He offered her a small, polite bow of his head. "Mrs. Thorne. Thank you very much for taking the time to see me today."

?Eleanor did not stand up to greet him, nor did she gesture for him to take a seat.

?"Cut the pleasantries," she said coldly. "What do you want from me?"

?Tobias smiled slightly. It was a thin, emotionless smile that looked polite on the surface but felt entirely cold underneath.

?"Straight to the point. I truly appreciate that kind of efficiency."

?He walked slowly across the rug toward her and stopped a few feet away.

?"I am here today to offer you a very lucrative alliance."

?Eleanor’s eyebrows arched up in genuine surprise.

?"An alliance?"

?"Yes, exactly that."

?"With someone from the Zed family?"

?"Yes."

?She let out a short, bitter sound that resembled a laugh.

?"Why on earth would the great Zed family want to form an alliance with someone like me? I am just a disgraced wife. I am a woman who was locked away in a cold meditation room, treated like a pariah by everyone."

?Tobias tilted his head to the side, his expression unchanging.

?"Because you currently possess something that our family wants very badly."

?"And what could that possibly be?"

?"Information."

?Eleanor studied his face carefully, trying to read his true intentions.

?"What kind of information are you talking about?"

?"We need insider details about the Thorne family," Tobias answered smoothly. "We want to know everything about Dorian Thorne, and we especially want to know about his wife."

?Eleanor’s jaw tightened instantly.

?"Veyra."

?"Yes, her."

?"What do you want to know about her?"

?"We want to know all of it. Her background, her hidden connections, and her personal weaknesses," he paused, his eyes gleaming. "We want to help you destroy her."

?Eleanor remained completely silent for a long moment, letting his proposal echo in the quiet room.

?Then, a slow smile spread across her face.

?It was not a warm or pleasant smile by any stretch of the imagination.

?"Why do you people want to destroy her so badly?" she asked.

?Tobias gave a light shrug of his shoulders. "That is really not any of your concern."

?"It certainly is my concern if you expect me to help you out."

?He studied her face back, considering her words, before giving a slow nod.

?"Fine. She is closely connected to a particular person we have been trying to eliminate for a long time. Someone who has been a major thorn in our side for years."

?"Who is that?"

?He shook his head firmly. "That is all you need to know for now."

?Eleanor leaned back slowly against the cushions of her chair.

?"And what exactly do I get out of this deal in return?"

?"Full protection, financial resources, and whatever else you might need to completely crush her."

?She raised one eyebrow skeptically. "Anything at all?"

?"Within reason, of course."

?She stayed quiet once more, turning the offer over in her mind.

?She thought back to Veyra, the woman who had publicly humiliated her at every turn, the woman who had successfully turned the entire family against her, and the woman who now possessed everything Eleanor had lost.

?She remembered her time spent in the dark meditation room, the freezing cold, the total silence, and the bitter loneliness.

?She thought about pure revenge.

?"Fine," she said firmly.

?Tobias smiled broadly. "Then we have a deal."

?He reached out his hand toward her, offering a handshake to seal the agreement.

?Eleanor looked down at his outstretched hand.

?She thought about the Thorne family and the cruel way they had tossed her aside like trash the moment she became inconvenient. She thought about how easily they had chosen Veyra over her own decades of service to the household.

?She thought about Dorian and the way he had looked at her with cold fury and absolute contempt in his eyes.

?She thought about every single thing she had lost in her life.

?Finally, she raised her hand and placed it firmly into his palm.

?"We have a deal."