novelxo Chapter 104
Chapter 104
Althea’s face instantly turned pale , and her body began to tremble uncontrollably .
She never would have imagined that the earlier conversation would be broadcast to the public .
It meant that her actions and words had been exposed to the world , and her carefully cultivated reputation , status , and image would be utterly destroyed .
Since marrying into the Drayton family , this was the first time Althea had felt such despair .
She couldn’t believe she had acted without fully understanding the situation and made a rookie mistake .
Althea never realized that her twenty years of luxurious and worry – free living had turned her into such a foolish and clueless person .
Even faced with this disaster , her instinct was to look to Rupert for help , hoping for some kind of support from him .
However , the man who had once pledged his love and made countless promises to her simply stood there quietly .
Realizing the gravity of the situation , Althea had no choice but to give in .
“ I’m sorry , Rupert … It was my fault .
I lost my head and didn’t think clearly .
I was wrong .
Torin .
Fenwick , 1 shouldn’t have said those things earlier .
After apologizing , Althea clung to Rupert’s arm again and explained herself with a sobbing tone , “ I was only thinking of helping our son get more opportunities .
A mother’s love can make her tough , and I didn’t think about how my words might hurt Torin and Fenwick .
You understand me .
don’t you , Rupert ! “,
n what she said .
Besides , she
Rupert’s tightly furrowed brow eased slightly , and just then , Caellan spoke up .
“ Dad , don’t be angry .
Mom didn’t mean only lost her temper because she was worried about the Drayton Group .
She acted in haste , Don’t be mad at her .
”
The viewers immediately reacted in uproar .
.
[ Don’t fall for it , Rupert ! Stay strong ! ]
[ I can’t handle this fake act anymore .
Save me ! She’s such a manipulative drama queen .
I guess anyone would fall for her teary – eyed performance ] ]
A mother’s love makes her tought Is this how that phrase works ! It’s s supposed to mean thata mother becomes strong to face challenges , not that she steals from others for her children .
What nonsense ! ]
[ Caellan’s defense only makes sense because he benefits from it too .
He claims he doesn’t want the inheritance , but who knows what’s really going on in his mind ? Just like his mom – uterly fake .
)
Rupert lowered his gaze .
On one hand , memories of his relationship with Valerie flooded his mind .
On the other hand , Althea Drayton had spent twenty years with him .
There was no doubt Althea had spent more time by his side , but Valerie was his high school sweetheart , the woman who had supported him through college and helped him build his success step by step .
His first love .
The more Rupert thought about it , the more his head ached .
Finally , unable to bear it , he pushed Althea’s hand away and shouted irritably , “ Enough , enough ! I don’t want to dwell on this anymore .
Just go back ! I’ll handle things here .
And one more thing .
Keep your son in check !
“ It’s only Tuesday , and he’s a senior in school ! Why isn’t he focusing on his studies instead of causing trouble here ? Look at his face .
He must have gotten into a fight .
If he can’t even get into college , don’t even think about inheritance .
I won’t leave him a single cent ! ”
When Althea heard that , she was so enraged that she nearly ground her back teeth into dist .
Internally , she cursed , Useless brai
But no matter how angry she was , Caellan was still her own son .
She defended him and said , “ He was just worried about Elysia , that’s all .
As for the injury , maybe … maybe he fell ! I’ll go pick him up right now and make sure to teach him a good lesson .
”
Torin remained silent , his cold gaze fixed on the scene before him .
Since Althea uttered those damning words earlier , she had ceased to be anything more than his father’s second wife to him ,
Fenwick , on the other hand , looked visibly conflicted
He had a good relationship with Caellan and had always been the most accepting of their stepmother .
Now hearing all that , his expression grew complicated , showing the inner turmoil he felt .
3:39 AM
Chapter 105
Chapter 105
in peace .
After this unexpected interlude , everyone was finally able to watch the live stream in
However , for some reason , the content of the live stream became duller than before , almost as if waiting for this drama to conclude .
Just as Althea walked off – screen , the footage immediately changed .
What no one could have anticipated , though , was that instead of the imagined scene , a close – up of a face appeared on screen-
other than Stelian .
I
the face of none
But what caught everyone’s attention more was his action .
He was blocking Elysia against the door with one hand .
A faintly mocking smile played on his lips as he asked , “ Why aren’t you avoiding me this time ! Hmin ? ”
Elysia turned her head , her gaze landing on her small room of less than 100 square feet .
She wanted to hide , but there was simply no place to go !
This scene , however , triggered something in Stellan .
Memories he thought long forgotten suddenly resurfaced , and he instinctively raised his hand to cover his face , unable to bear the awkwardness of it all .
Meanwhile , viewers in the live stream were mercilessly mocking him .
Stellan , do you think you’re some domineering protagonist in romance novels , huh ? That pose , that tone – LOL ! Come on , Stellan , say something .
Go on ! Hmm ? ]
[ Dude , you’ve barged into her room ! Where else can she hide ? ]
[ What’s wrong with you , Stellan ! Stop pestering Elysul What are you trying to do ! Did you bully her ! Hit her ? Insulted her ? Or slandered her like that bitchy Rowena ! ]
Stellan thought , “ Well , no , I didn’t do any of that , Do I look like one of those brainless fools from the Drayton family ? ”
Stellan’s lips twitched as he mustered the courage to look back at the screen .
Anyway , the viewers would soon know what he was going to do .
But suddenly .
Elysia said , “ I don’t know you .
Her voice was barely audible and her words muffled and hesitant .
She hadn’t expected the young man to barge into her room when she opened the door , leading to their current situation .
Stellan was momentarily at a loss for words .
After all , he was the one who caused her to be surrounded and photographed last time , and in the end , even scared her away .
Therefore , he figured it would be better to offer her an explanation to avoid making it harder to approach her in the future .
“ Your dad asked me to pick her daughter up from the school back then , so I assumed it was you .
It wasn’t until later that I found out it was Rowena , clarified Stellan .
Right then , the otherwise silent room was suddenly interrupted by a beeping sound .
Stellan looked down and noticed two drops of blood on the light – colored marble floor .
Blood had come from Elysia’s fingertip , where she had pressed so hard it broke the skin .
Elysia looked embarrassed as if someone had discovered her secret .
Sise quickly hid her hand behind her back and feigned calmness as she asked , “ So , do you have anything else to say ? Please say it quickly and then leave my room .
”
Stellan’s gaze flickered away as if he hadn’t noticed anything .
He said teasingly , “ I heard you didn’t get the fist – track admission spot? ”
Elysia’s heart jolted .
She thought , Is he here to mock me ? Or did he receive Rowenn’s orders to humiliate me again and again ! ‘
Either way , Stellan’s presence made her feel strange and uncomfortable .
Even diugh she knew he wasn’t that man , he still gave her a sense of fear .
Elysia kept her lips pressed tightly together , tacitly acknowledging his words .
Stellan smiled confidently .
Under the confused gager of the audience , he said , “ I have a way to get you into high school .
”
moment .
She stopped pinching her fingers behind her back as she looked up blankly at the tall man before her .
Elysia Image for a moment .
However , it only lasted for three seconds .
After those three seconds , she lowered her head like a deflated balloon and said , “ No , thank you ”
Her response carried a hint of resignation and self – mockery .
Because deep down , Elysia knew she had nothing of value to exchange with the young
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Chapter 105
Stellan , however , couldn’t understand .
Based on what he had heard from Rowena and what he had seen himself , Elysia should have been desperate to leave her family .
Stellan couldn’t help but wonder , ‘ Could it be that she doesn’t care about the humiliation her family inflicted on her ? No , she’s only sixteen .
How could she possibly endure all this ?”
for good .
Or do
Stellan continued , “ I can get you into high school , and you’ll only need to stay there for two years before you can leave this place for g you want to stay in this broken – down cage , letting Rowena steal what’s yours ? Right now , I’m the only one who can help you .
”
Stellan proposed another highly tempting offer .
If Elysia accepted it , she could escape this tormenting cage of a home much earlier than expected .
By all rights , she would be free in two years when she turned eighteen , but with the current situation , high school would last three years .
That meant she would have to endure three more years of living with them or maybe less
After all , Torin had mentioned that once she came of age , he would let her fend for herself .
The young man’s words drew her in like a magnet , igniting a strong desire in her heart .
Compared to Elysia’s current state , Torin was watching everything unfold from off – screen in anger .
Just moments ago , he had been wondering why there was a specialized class with a two – year program and he also hadn’t seen Elysia at all during the last year .
“ So it’s all your doing ! You’re stirring up trouble ! What good does it do for you to take Elysia away from our family ? Torin growled after figuring out everything .
Stellan merely rolled his eyes at him while netizens jumped to his defense .
Does your relationship even need string ? There’s no bond or care , just a pile of loose sand that scatters with the wind .
]
[ Oh , here we go again ! Torin being Torin , always blames everyone else : Dr.
Rookwood is saving Elysia ! Bow down and thank him already ! ]
“ What do you want ? ” Elysia’s voice cur through the silence , making her desperation clear .
She was so eager to leave that she did not even question the method or why the timeline was so shor
Torin felt a pang of shume .
The netizens ‘ comments and Elysia’s words siung like a slap across his face .
He thought .
But I also want to know why is Stellan helping her .
What is his motive ? Or … has he been manipulating her feelings from the start ? But back then , she was only in junior high ! This bastard ! ”
As Torin clenched his fists , ready to pin Stellan down and beat him , the latter calmly said , “ I don’t need anything .
I just want to help you .
His tone was unusually sincere .
Elysia was stunned , not because of how close his face was but because of the earnestness in his gaze .
Once she regained her composure , she couldn’t deny that she felt moved , but there was still a lot of doubt in her mind .
He was just a boy around her age , not a family member or someone she was particularly close to
Elysia recalled what Stellan Rookwood had told her as school before ,
“ I’m not pregnant , ” Elysia said in a muffled voice .
The sentence she had repeated countless times to her family surfaced again , carrying an indescribable weight .
Even she didn’t know why she blurted it out to someone who was practically a stranger .
Therefore , the moment the words left her mouth , she regretted them .
Frustrated , she snapped , “ Did Rowena send you ? What exactly does she
Stellan extended his slender fingers without warning , Before Elysia could react , he quickly brushed aside her thick bangs and pressed them to the top of her head .
Her beautiful eyes were fully exposed and reflected shock and disbelief .
In the face of her startled expression , Stellan said calmly , “ Of course , I know those rumors are false .
And your grades aren’t bad either , right ? ”
Hirvoice , like a gentle stream , soothed Elysia’s tightly wound nerves .
But before she could fully relax , Stellan continued , “ No one in your family believes you , and your teachers at school won’t step in .
What do you plan to do ! Rowena is afraid of you stealing her spotlight .
Even if you switch schools , she won’t stop smearing your reputation until … your father kicks you out ”
Elysia’s face turned pale , and her struggles grew more frantic .
Chapter 105
But Stellan wasn’t finished .
He leaned down to meet her gaze again and added , “ No , I stand corrected .
Someone who values his name like your father wouldn’t let you cause trouble and embarrass him .
That leaves only a special school … or juvenile detention ”
Each word felt like a heavy stone dropped onto Elysia’s heart , the weight building and she felt as if she would collapse at any moment .
She had thought that changing her environment might free her from this nightmare , but after hearing Stellan’s words , she couldn’t deny that Howena likely wanted to drive her out .
However , she refused to believe Rupert would send her to such a place .
Fear gripped Elysia at first , but it quickly turned into despair .
No matter the outcome , she felt crushed under the suffocating weight of it all .
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