Chapter 222

Backstage at the Regal Hotel, Eleanor was putting the finishing touches on her look.

The makeup team had just packed up and left, leaving her alone in the airy, quiet room.

Right then, her phone buzzed with a call from Hilda.

Expecting a routine call, maybe some last-minute instructions, she answered with a polite smile.

"Hello?" she said, but no one answered.

There was silence, except for a faint, unsettling sizzling, like something was burning.

Eleanor's smile vanished, and an uneasy tension gripped her chest."Mrs. Benton? Are you okay?" she asked.

The sizzling didn't stop. If anything, it seemed to get louder.

Panic-stricken, she stood up and began pacing, trying to calm herself.

What was happening?

"Mrs. Benton! Can you hear me?" she shouted.

Wasting no time, she grabbed her phone, tugged at the hem of her gown, and rushed to the door.

As she swung it open, she bumped into a soft figure.

Lainey, dressed in a bubblegum-pink gown, stepped back a few paces, but her composure didn't waver.

She fixed her hair and planted herself squarely in Eleanor's path.

"Eleanor, where do you think you're going? The engagement party's about to starrt she'said.

Eleanor didn't have a second to waste on pleasantries. She tried to push past her, but Lainey didn't move.

Slowly,her voice softened, yet a sharp edge remained.

"Someone is truly pathetic. On what should be the happiest day of her lives, she ends up grieving. Don't you think that's sad,Eleanor?"

Eleanor froze for barely a heartbeat, then spun around, her eyes cold and furious.

She didn't say a word and slapped Lainey hard, knocking her to the floor as her cheek puffed up and reddened instantly.

Before Lainey could even think, Eleanor crouched beside her and gripped her neck tightly.

"What the hell have you done?" Eleanor growled through clenched teeth. "What did you mean by that?"

Lainey struggled for air, her face bright red, but her lips curled intoa cruel smile.

She thrived on pushing Eleanor's buttons.

"What do I mean?" she sneered. "Do you really not understand? I had someone swap our DNA samples, and Hilda, that careful old woman, and Jeff, that fool, actually believed it! They actually believed I was their real daughter! And now, all of this... it's their own doing. Their mistake. Their blind trust. And if you hurry over to their home now, you might just catch a final glimpse of them. Tick-tock, my dear."

Every word hit Eleanor like a punch to the chest.

Panic bubbled up as Hilda's kind, loving face flashed in her mind.

Could it really be true? Were the Bentons truly her real parents?

Her hands and feet went icy, and her eyes reddened without her realizing it.

Fixing Lainey with a sharp gaze, Eleanor hissed, "If anything happens to them, you'll regret it."

Then, without another word, she let go and bolted.

Lainey stayed sprawled on the floor, but that twisted smirk never left her face. Perfect timing. Eleanor was running straight into her trap.

She rubbed her sore neck and grinned wickedly.

Luckily, before Horace was dealt with, he had stationed some men in the countryside who would follow orders for money.

She hadn't even expected Nolan to be this relentless about marrying Eleanor, and she certainly didn't think Norwood would dare set Wray's appointment as general manager today. Yet the engagement was still going on as planned.

It was maddening and exhilarating.

Lainey's grin widened,

Nolan would be hers, and anyone in her way, Eleanor, the Bentons, well, they could all burn.