Eleonora's boots sank into the thick Persian runner as she walked down the second-floor hallway, passing rows of heavy, gilded family portraits.
Alistair walked half a step behind her, his voice low as he quickly briefed her on the staff changes that had occurred during her hospitalization.
She stopped in front of a set of massive, carved double doors. It was the master bedroom-the largest room in the estate, boasting the best view of the grounds.
She wrapped her hand around the cold brass handle, pressed it down, and pushed the doors open.
The sight inside made her pupils contract sharply.
The elegant, minimalist decor she remembered had been completely eradicated. The walls were painted a nauseating shade of macaron pink.
Massive, heavily retouched photos of Addisyn wearing a ballet tutu and holding a violin covered the walls.
In the center of the room, sitting at a vanity table in front of a massive French bed, was Addisyn. Two makeup artists were hovering over her, touching up her lip gloss.
Sitting on the European-style velvet sofa across the room were two young men, both radiating wealth and privilege: Isaac Olson and Augustus Harrington.
At the sound of the heavy doors opening, all four heads turned toward the entrance.
Addisyn's eyes widened as she recognized Eleonora. The loose powder brush slipped from her fingers and hit the marble vanity with a sharp clack.
A flash of genuine panic crossed Addisyn's perfectly contoured face, but she instantly buried it beneath a mask of wide-eyed innocence. "Elly?" Augustus said, his brow furrowing as he noticed her trench coat. "What was all that noise downstairs? We heard shouting and a crash."
Eleonora stepped into the room, her face completely expressionless. Alistair stopped at the threshold, standing guard.
Eleonora's dark eyes swept over the ruined room, finally locking onto Addisyn's face.
"You have ten minutes," Eleonora said, her voice dropping the temperature in the room by ten degrees. "Get all of your trash out of my room."
Addisyn shot up from her vanity stool like a frightened deer. Her eyes instantly welled with tears, large drops pooling perfectly on her lower lashes.
She twisted the fabric of her pink dress in her hands. "I'm so sorry, sister," her voice trembled pitifully. "Dad said the lighting in here was better for my violin practice. He told me to move in..."
She emphasized the word "Dad," deliberately using Clyde's authority to press down on Eleonora. Eleonora watched the performance with cold detachment. The tears, the trembling voice... it was all exactly as her nightmare had shown, a perfectly executed script. And she knew exactly what digital tool, hidden away on Addisyn's phone, was helping her run these flawless, manipulative lines.
Isaac's eyes widened for a fraction of a second as he truly took in Eleonora's pale, thinned-out frame. A flicker of genuine shock crossed his face, a ghost of his past affection for his childhood fiancée, before it rapidly hardened into displeasure. Isaac immediately stood up from the sofa. His jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened with clear displeasure. He took three long strides and positioned himself directly in front of Addisyn, shielding her with his broad shoulders.
"Are you out of your mind?" Isaac demanded, his tone harsh and scolding. "You just got out of the hospital. Addi is exhausted from preparing for her party today."
Eleonora stared at the man who was supposed to be her childhood fiancé. Seeing him act like a guard dog for her replacement didn't break her heart; it only made her feel a deep, hollow sense of amusement.
"Who the hell are you," Eleonora shot back, her voice slicing through the air like a blade, "to lecture me inside my own house?"
Isaac choked on his next words. He stared at her in shock, unable to reconcile this freezing, ruthless woman with the quiet, compliant girl he used to know.
Augustus, who had been sitting on the sofa playing with a silver lighter, finally stood up.
He walked over on his long legs, stepping between Isaac and Eleonora, clearly intending to play the peacemaker.
He used his signature lazy, coaxing tone, the one he always used to defuse tension.
"Alright, Elly. Let's not make this ugly. We're all family. Addi didn't mean any harm."
Safely hidden behind two powerful men, Addisyn let out a soft, pathetic sob.
The fierce protection from two top-tier heirs fed Addisyn's vanity perfectly. A tiny, triumphant smirk twitched at the corner of her mouth.
Eleonora caught the micro-expression instantly. She let out a short, cold laugh and dropped her heavy canvas duffel bag. It hit the hardwood floor with a loud, final thud.
