Chapter 1432

[ 670 words ]

Watching her walk away.

Martha retreated into the inner bedroom, only to realize that Eleanor, who had supposedly been asleep, was now wide awake.

“Eleanor-“

Martha rushed over, her tone thick with concern. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Eleanor waved her off, her complexion incredibly pale as she murmured, “That girl is hiding something.”

“She did seem quite off today,” Martha admitted, having noticed it too. She sighed. “Perhaps something is just weighing on her mind.”

“And what exactly do you think that something is?”

“I…”

Martha blinked guiltily, offering an awkward smile. “I’m not sure. I’m sure she’ll be perfectly fine in a few days.”

“Stop lying to me.”

Eleanor stared out the window, tears pooling in her aged eyes. “She’s definitely having trouble in her marriage. My grandson-in-law hasn’t come to visit me in a very long time.”

“Didn’t she marry the man of her dreams? Why does she look so miserable?”

Eleanor had no idea about the “hotel incident” that forced the Houston family into accepting the marriage.

Had she known, she never would have agreed to the union in the first place.

Back then, Lorelei had married into the Houston family amidst a storm of vicious rumors. Anyone with eyes could see it.

She was never going to have an easy life there.

And true to form.

Word on the street was that Harold hadn’t returned to Australis in ages.

“I need to find an opportunity to have a serious talk with Harold,” Eleanor huffed angrily. “If he dares to mistreat my precious girl, I won’t let him get away with it.”

The main hall.

When Lorelei arrived, Bertram Bellamy, Greta, their son Tanner, and their daughter Lexi were already mid-conversation.

“Tanner, have you been in touch with Harold recently?” Bertram asked coldly.

“He seems to be swamped with work. We haven’t really talked much,” Tanner replied, tugging at his tie, a deep exhaustion lingering in his eyes.

Tanner and Harold had been classmates in middle school and were actually quite close.

If it hadn’t been for the two of them hanging out so often, Lorelei never would have met Harold in the first place.

“Swamped with work?”

Lexi let out a cold, mocking laugh, speaking with deliberate nonchalance. “I heard Harold hasn’t been back to Australis in months. Who knows if he’s actually busy with work, or busy with something else.”

“Lexi.”

Tanner shot her a freezing glare, his brow furrowing as he delivered a stern warning. “I’ve told you before. Have some respect. He’s your sister’s husband. Stop talking about him like he’s your buddy.”

“Tanner…”

Being reprimanded so openly, Lexi pouted in deep displeasure. “Whose actual brother are you, anyway?”

Bertram had been quite the playboy in his early years, leaving a trail of romantic debts wherever he went.

Greta was one of his mistresses.

She got pregnant out of wedlock and gave birth to Tanner.

After his first wife passed away, Bertram immediately elevated Greta to legitimate status, turning his illegitimate son into the eldest heir of the Bellamy family.

Lorelei was perfectly willing to call him her older brother, purely because his moral compass wasn’t nearly as skewed as his mother’s.

“It doesn’t matter whose brother I am; you don’t get to act like a brat,” Tanner said sharply, standing tall in his perfectly tailored suit. In his twenties, he carried” Thimself with remarkably mature, steadfast presence.

Bertram was exceptionally satisfied with this son.

Startled by his raised voice, Lexi meekly shrank back into her seat.

Sulking.

“Lori, come sit.” Seeing her arrive, Tanner’s expression softened significantly as he waved her over.

“Okay.”

Lorelei walked forward and took the seat next to him. She looked up at the man seated at the head of the table, her expression blank. “Father.”

“So you still remember I’m your father!”

Bertram pulled a long face, his voice laced with intense displeasure. “Did you do something wrong and offend the Houstons Why did Faulkner suddenly sever several major business contracts with the Bellamy family?”

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“I have no idea.”

Lorelei lifted her flawless face, answering quietly. “Perhaps the Bellamy family’s performance simply isn’t up to par and is dragging down the Houston Group’s annual

targets. It’s perfectly normal for them to cut dead weight.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

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