Chapter 79: A Woman with No Past
The moment Florence stepped into the restroom and saw five black-clad figures standing in a circle around a
fallen woman, her heart skipped a beat. Panic surged through her veins. But then, her eyes scanned the room
frantically... and there, standing a few feet away from the group with her arms crossed and an unfazed
expression, was Eleanor.
A loud, audible sigh of relief escaped Florence's lips. It was so tic that even normal humans could have
heard it echo across the marble walls.
Eleanor raised an eyebrow. Her lips twitched in amusement.
In that brief moment, she found herself genuinely liking the woman.
Before Eleanor could comment, Florence rushed toward her and spoke, her voice drenched in relief. "Thank God
you're alright! | heard glass shattering and thought... something bad had happened to you."
Eleanor gave her a cool, composed nod. "Florence, wait outside. This matter concerns them... it has nothing to
do with us."
Although Florence didn’t fully understand what was going on, she nodded obediently and exited the room
without protest.
Once the door clicked shut, Eleanor gave a brief series of instructions.
"Ophelia, handthe spare dress. Elias, lock the restroom door. The rest of you... check her body for any
tracking devices."
Isadora stepped forward and said, "Already checked. Aside from her mobile phone, there are no hidden devices
or transmitters."
Eleanor gave a small nod. "Sebastian, you know the drill. Remove the body from any public area. Then begin the
investigation. She may have had partners in the crowd. I'm going to change."
She accepted the dress from Ophelia and disappeared into the changing room.
Within minutes, she emerged wearing the new gown... sleek, form-fitting, and embroidered with fine gemstones.
The ruined one was neatly folded in her arms.
The restroom had already been cleared. Only Ophelia stood waiting.
Eleanor handed her the soiled gown. "Put this in the car. Track the assassin’s trail and identify her associates. Do
not kill anyone before extracting information. You'll be enough to accompanyhere. The rest of the team can
search for the rest of the assassin group. We can’t afford delay. If they sense something, they'll scatter."
She paused and added coolly, "Don’t worry. The banquet will end soon."
With that, she walked to the restroom door and pulled it open. Behind her, Ophelia melted silently into the
shadows like a ghost vanishing into the night.
As Eleanor stepped out, her gaze landed on James, who was leaning against the wall directly opposite the
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtrestroom door. His eyes met hers immediately.
For a fleeting moment, the air between them thickened. Tension lingered... but it broke the moment Eleanor
turned her head to the right, where Florence stood waiting.
"Let's go," Eleanor said, already walking toward the banquet hall.
Florence hurried after her, keeping pace.
James remained stunned. Her eyes... they were still so cold, so detached. The Eleanor he remembered had
always looked at him with affection, longing, admiration. This Eleanor didn’t even flinch. Not even a flicker of
recognition.
He rushed after her.
"Eleanor!" he called, his voice rising over the ambient music filtering from the banquet.
She stopped and turned with the sindifferent poise. "Yes?"
James stepped closer. "Don’t you remember me?"
Her face was unreadable.
"I'm James," he said hurriedly, voice softening. "James Clifford."
She didn’t blink. "Yes. We met earlier at the hall. Do you have anything else to say?"
James froze, shocked by her complete lack of emotion. "No... not just earlier tonight. We met before that. We...
we were lovers, for a long time. Don’t you remember anything at all?"
For the first time, her expression shifted. A radiant, almost mischievous smile lit up her face. It was dazzling...
the most radiant smile James had ever seen.
"That's a new one," she said with a light laugh. "I've heard all kinds of pickup lines, but this one’s quite creative.
Thank you, but... | don’t believe in reincarnation."
James stood motionless, mouth parted slightly in disbelief. He had so much to say, so many emotions flooding
his chest, but not a single word made it past his throat.
Eleanor chuckled lightly. "Alright then, Mr. Reincarnation. If you don’t have anything more to say, we'll take our
leave."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and strolled gracefully back to the banquet hall, Florence following
behind like a silent shadow.
Her plan had worked.
She had achieved precisely what she wanted: to disarm and confuse him. To create distance. She had noticed
James the moment she entered the banquet, lurking near the edge of the crowd like a predator watching its prey.
She knew the Whitmores only wanted her because of her mother’s company. James was impulsive and
predictable. All she had to do was wait.
By pretending not to recognize him, she had bought herself stime.
There would be a reckoning. But not now. There were more urgent matters to attend to.
Back in the hallway, James remained frozen for several minutes, unable to digest what had just happened. She
looked like Eleanor, sounded like Eleanor... but this woman was a stranger.
A woman with no past.
What had happened to her after she left the house? How had she changed so completely? How had she ended
up in the arms of Edward Miller, of all people?
A thousand questions swirled in his head... each one more maddening than the last.
But he had no answers. The only person who could possibly tell him anything... was Edward. And asking him
about his mistress was beyond awkward.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, pulling him out of his spiralling thoughts. It was one of his friends from inside
the banquet.
He answered the call.
"James, where the hell are you? What took you so long?" ca teasing voice.
James sighed. "Sorry. My stomach’s acting up. | was in the restroom. | think | need to see a doctor. I'll be leaving
now."
A pause, then a chuckle. "Really? Or did you find a chick and ditch us?"
"I wouldn't lie about this. I'm serious... | feel terrible."
"Alright, alright. Go rest. See you later," the friend said, ending the call.
James exited the venue quietly. He had cin Benjamin's car, so he called a taxi and headed home... his mind
still haunted by Eleanor’s smile and the hollowness in her eyes.
Inside the banquet hall, Eleanor and
Florence returned just in tfor the
keynote speeches by GM TCE m
aa few awbrts viers handed
obit byt e Chamber, followed by a
lavish banquet dinner accompanied
by a live opera performance. The
event ended without any further
interruptions. The content is on
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chapter there!
There was a networking and dessert session scheduled afterward, but neither Edward nor Eleanor was interested
in idle chatter.
As they stepped outside, Edward called his driver to bring the car to the entrance.
While they waited, Grayson finally mustered the courage to speak.
"Chairman Miller," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "I... | need shelp with my business."
Edward raised an eyebrow. "Help?"
"lI don’t mean money," Grayson clarified quickly. "Just... swork. Even if the profit is low, I..."
Eleanor cut him off. "What's the nof your company?"
The sudden question stunned him into silence.
Edward turned to him and asked again, "You heard her. What's your company’s name?"
Snapping out of his daze, Grayson blurted, "Failsworth Construction Materials Limited."
Eleanor pulled out her phone from her clutch and made a call.
"Jack, Failsworth Construction Materials Limited is now under my protection. Help them as soon as possible."
She hung up and turned to Grayson. "Keep your phone on. Someone will contact you shortly."
She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What's the boy’s name?"
Grayson blinked, confused. "Sorry, | don't..."
"The boy bothering your daughter," she clarified curtly.
This time, Florence stepped in. "Luke Baxter," she said quickly.
Without missing a beat, Eleanor
spoke to the air os legyeene 138!
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content is on novelenglish.net! Read
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At that exact moment, Edward's car arrived at the gate.
Eleanor walked to the car and slid inside, calm as ever. Edward followed close behind.
As the car sped away into the night,
the stunned husband and wife, m
CET rqoted-lothé dpot, staring
atti how-empty driveway in
disbelief. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!