Chapter 60

The scene downstairs was in complete disarray, but Ryland, relaxing upstairs, barely spared it a thought.

His only sister had always been his weakness, and he would let her get away with just about anything since they were kids. Unless Lillian managed to drag the Brooks family through the mud or get someone seriously hurt,he considered everything else fair game.

He let out a warm, helpless chuckle before heading back to the private room.

A massive floor-to-ceiling window offered a front-row view of the chaos below.

Nolan lounged quietly on the sofa, taking in the chaos without a word.

Ryland dropped into the seat next to him, downed a generous gulp of wine, and asked casually,'Nolan,what brings you here tonight?"

Nolan's unexpected arrival usually meant something big was brewing.

Ryland couldn't tell if it would spell trouble or opportunity.

Then Nolan's next sentence nearly made Ryland choke on his drink. "I've heard rumors that your sister might be Enigma."

"No way!" Ryland replied, sounding completely sure of himself.

Ryland couldn't imagine Lillian pulling off something like that.

Her reputation for being hopelessly unskilled preceded her. There was no way she could actually be Enigma.

If Lillian wasn't behind the mysterious identity, then Eleanor had to be. It was the only explanation for how both of them seemed to have inside knowledge of the Enigma Group and even quietly conducted business with them.

Even though they kept things under wraps, Nolan's sources had managed to dig up a few clues. Nolan didn't see any point in dancing around the issue with Ryland, so he spelled out his suspicions right away.

Ryland's eyes went wide, shock flickering in his gaze.

He instinctively leaned in, eyeing Nolan up and down, as if checking to see if his friend had lost his mind,before letting his guard down a bit.

"You can't be serious, Nolan," Ryland blurted out. "You're telling me Eleanor is Enigma? That's absurd! She double-majored in clinical finance, not fashion. What would she know about haute couture? Plus, isn't Enigma rumored to be some foreign guy?"

By the end, Ryland concluded, "Nolan, you've let your feelings cloudyour judgment."

Nolan narrowed his eyes, keeping his thoughts to himself.

With everything he had uncovered, even if Eleanor wasn't Enigma, she definitely had close ties to them.

Well...

This woman was turning out to be more complicated than he had imagined.

Completely unaware of Nolan's suspicions, Eleanor focused intently on creating the perfect dress for Lainey,just as she had been commissioned.

Her sense of professionalism wouldn't allow her to slack off; She believed that once she accepted payment,she owed her client her very best work.

Eleanor had no doubt the gown would be stunning, but whether Lainey could actually pull it off-that wasn't her problem.

While she mused over the details, her phone buzzed with an anonymous message.

She opened it to find an invitation to Lainey and Jonny's wedding.

Really?

Those two had the nerve to invite her? Did they not worry she might stir up some drama?

Eleanor couldn't resist snapping a screenshot and sending it to Lillian just for fuun.

To her surprise, Lillian bombarded her with excited texts insisting she make an appearance.

"You have to go!"

"Don't let Jonny think he's won. Show up and steal the spotlight!"

"Promise me you'll show up looking absolutely gorgeous and make them regret it!"

Eleanor, on the other hand, had zero interest in attending.

If she had a choice, she would much rather spend the day with the kids at Hope House.

She was about to politely decline when another message from Lillian popped up. "If you're not going, then I'm not going either! And if I miss it, my parents will accuse me of being antisocial. Help me out, please!"

What choice did Eleanor have?

With a helpless sigh, she deleted her previous refusal and simply replied, "Fine, I'll go."