Chapter 45

Two hours later, the meal was coming to an end in a private dining room at the Lumina Hotel.

Eleanor dabbed delicately at the corners of her mouth with a napkin, her eyes flicking over Nolan,who sat opposite her, calm and collected as always.

"Thank you for the meal, Mr. Stewart," she said lightly. "Now that we're done, I won't keep you any longer."

She picked up her bag and started to leave.

At that exact moment, Erick came in, and they almost bumped into each other.

He stumbled back, flustered. "Oh, sorry, Miss Warren."

Eleanor was just as surprised, but she composed herself and gave him a polite smile. "It's okay."

Before he could say anything else, she was already gone.

Erick was left standing there, scratching his head.

She was...something else.

No wonder she caught Nolan's eye.

Shaking off his distraction, he finally turned to Nolan."Sir, there's something you should know. This afternoon, a geological survey team went to Hope House. From what I found, it looks like the Gilbert family is behind it."

Whether the Todds had pushed them to act, though,still wasn't clear.

Nolan set his cup down slowly, eyes narrowing. He considered it for a moment before speaking. "Let it be for now."

He wanted Eleanor to feel indebted to him, to make sure next time she couldn't slip away like that. Meanwhile, Eleanor had just reached the hotel entrance when she ran straight into Emma.

Emma was surrounded by a rowdy group of friends,clearly tipsy and laughing too loud.

The moment she saw Eleanor, she planted herself in her way, a smirk playing on her lips. "Well, well, if it isn't my brother's little admirer. How can someone from an orphanage even afford a place like this?"

Then, as if struck by a brilliant idea, she clutched her hand to her mouth in exaggerated shock. "Wait,could it be... you're here with your sugar daddy?"

Then she gestured to a few of the men standing nearby. "Eleanor, these guys are all from wealthy families.Hanging out with them would be far better than waiting on those old men. Make them happy,and who knows? The tips might even top what your sugar daddy gives you!"

The memory of the exhibition had been gnawing at Emma,fueling her anger. She had been itching for a chance to lash out, and now Eleanor had just walked right into her trap.

Today,she was determined to make her pay.

The men Emma had brought along weren't exactly gentlemen.

Seeing Eleanor, attractive, poised, and seemingly alone, they immediately reached out.

Even if nothing more came of it, a few gropes would satisfy them.

However, before their hands could even touch her,Eleanor's swift kicks sent them flying.

Her face hardened as she tossed each man over her shoulder.

Within seconds, all of them were lying on the floor,groaning and cursing.

"Damn it, Emma! Why didn't you tell us this woman could fight?" one of them spat in disbelief.

Emma froze at the sight, shocked to see Eleanor in action.

For a moment, she couldn't process it.

But then the surge of anger returned-no way could she let this humiliation slide.

She had to make Eleanor pay.

Glancing at the hotel security, she barked, "Aren't you going to stop her? This woman just stole from me. If you don't, your manager will fire all of you!"

The guards hadn't seen Eleanor enter with Nolan.

Offending the Todd family wasn't an option.

Still, after a tense moment, they cautiously closed in on Eleanor, surrounding her.