Chapter 82

Daniel’s face darkened, anger flickering in his eyes.
Eleanor let out a shaky breath, biting her lip as she murmured her gratitude. “Dan, thank you.”
Once again, he’d taken her side.
“Let’s head back to the office,” Daniel said coolly, already striding out of the
private room.
Eleanor trailed after him, her reply barely audible.
…
After Daniel finished his meeting at the office, Will had already returned.
Daniel snapped his file shut, irritation simmering beneath his calm exterior. “How is she?”
Will answered, “She cried the entire way back.”
She hadn’t made a sound, not a single sob-just silent tears streaming down her cheeks, one after another.
The sight of it was enough to make anyone’s heart ache.
“And the security footage?” Daniel pressed.
Will handed him a tablet. The screen showed the restored recording: Eleanor having lunch with the executive from the other company that day.
It was clear from the video that Eleanor looked exhausted, her spirits low. Their conversation was strictly about work benefits—nothing about the formula was ever discussed.
So, the formula leak had nothing to do with her.
His wife was being far too hard on her own sister.
“Did you find anything else?” Daniel asked.
Will replied, “Ms. Quinn and the executive only met that one time. There’s no evidence of further contact. And the formula they received-it was the last version your wife updated.”
In other words, the only person who could have leaked it was Aurora.
Eleanor listened to this in silence, pressing a hand to her chest as she exhaled in relief. “The truth speaks for itself.”
She turned to Will, her voice soft with entreaty. “Could you please make sure those recordings never get out?”
Will nodded.
“I’ll head back to the lab,” Eleanor said, making her way down the hall.
As she turned the corner, the fragile look on her face melted away, replaced by a spark of delight.
It was the triumphant smile of someone who’d just won.
That’s right—this had all been her doing. A flawless plan, executed step by step. Unless she confessed herself, there was no way Aurora would ever find any proof.
Even if the security footage was restored, she had nothing to fear; at that lunch, not a single word about the formula had been spoken.
And her little performance, the plea to keep the footage private, was just another move—meant to drive an even deeper wedge between Aurora and Daniel.
Aurora, her precious Aurora…
She’d given her sister everything-a life of wealth and privilege as Fiona. And yet Aurora never showed an ounce of gratitude. Instead, she humiliated Eleanor time and again, making everyone believe Eleanor’s skills as a perfumer were second- rate.
Never mind that Eleanor had trained under international masters, while Aurora was nothing but a self-taught upstart.
Why should Aurora be better than her?
There was only room for one prodigy in the family.
And Daniel…
If Aurora insisted on turning Daniel and her against each other over and over again, then maybe it was time to win Daniel back.
…
Aurora sat alone in the living room for a long time.
It was nearly ten when Daniel finally came home.
Her eyes were red and swollen as she stared up at him. “Daniel
“I had the footage restored. Everything you wanted to know is right here.” Daniel handed her the tablet.
Aurora snatched it and watched the footage from start to finish-three times. “No. No she whispered, stunned.
How could this be?
How could Eleanor not have mentioned the formula to that man? Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by
Daniel took the tablet from her trembling hands and pulled Aurora into his arms, his voice low. “Aurora, I know you grew up with your grandmother and never felt close to the Quinns. But Eleanor isn’t a bad person. She’s not capable of something like this.”
“You don’t have to like her, but you can’t just accuse her without cause.”
Aurora’s chest tightened painfully. “So you think it was me?”
Daniel was silent for a moment. “As things stand, yes. The formula that was leaked was the last version you updated.”
He didn’t want to believe his wife could do such a thing. But the facts were right there in front of them.
The evidence was clear-impossible to ignore.