Chapter 49

Sebastian’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, but his tone remained indifferent. “What do you want?”

“My stroke was bad,” she said, “Can I yell at you, do a ba?” She hated it. “I’m on a business trip, and I ran into a man who sounds just like you but is incredibly annoying. I didn’t dare to curse him out, so I need you as a stand-in.”

He realized she was talking about him. He wore a black overcoat, one hand clutching his phone to his ear, and the other dangling by his side with a cigarette between his fingers. His long knuckles cast shifting shadows against the dim ember of the cigarette, flickering across his unreadable gaze.

“This would be the first time you’ve used me as a stand-in.”

(She was simply joking because she would never take her frustration out on him. But his words caught her off guard.)

“When did teve use you as a stand-in? A stand-in for who?”

Eleanor had lived two lifetimes and had never met a man more handsome than him. Sebastian wasn’t a habitual smoker. He had lit this cigarette merely to ease the heaviness that had been weighing on his chest for the last two days. After taking a drag, he let it burn out.

He ticked the ash away and asked, “Do you regret not marrying Maurice back then? If I gave you a chance to correct that mistake, would you take it?”

Eleanor was puzzled. She wondered if he was trying to push her toward Maurice. She immediately dropped her playful tone. “Sebastian, are you telling me to marry Maurice?”

There was a long silence on the other end of the call before Sebastian’s tone turned sharp: “You wouldn’t. You were the one who asked me to correct my mistake first!”

“Even so, you’re not allowed to agree.”

She gritted her teeth and lowered her voice. Eleanor was truly furious at how unreasonable he was. But she remembered that she was still in the restaurant and didn’t want to cause a scene. Hence, she restrained herself. “Who do you think you are to be so domineering? My husband,” he answered calmly.

She had never been one to swallow her anger or leave things unclear. If they were going to argue, then they might as well argue it out properly.

“Husband? Do you even treat me like a wife? What kind of husband doesn’t inform his wife when he goes on a work trip?”

“I was the one who contacted you to see how you were doing, and it has been two whole days, yet you have never responded! Now that I’ve finally called you, your first response is to ask me to marry Maurice. You insulted me…”

The longer she spoke, the angrier she became. “Screw it. I’m done wasting my words on you. Don’t bother coming back. We’re done!”

With that, she hung up instantly.

Suddenly, Eleanor thought of Eliza and realized it had been some time since she went to the restroom. She decided to head toward the restroom to check on her.

And that’s when she noticed Eliza in the corridor, eyes red-rimmed, looking completely wronged. Across from her was a woman. “Ms. Eleanor,” Eliza called.

Eleanor instantly understood that there had been some kind of conflict. Without hesitation, she walked over and pulled Eliza behind her, raising her eyes to meet the arrogant woman’s gaze.

Eliza bit her lips and answered nervously, “I was about to use the restroom when she ran into me. She accused me of not seeing where I was going and damaging her clothes. But I wasn’t the one who ran into her! She did it on purpose.”

Eleanor looked at the woman and asked, “Which part is true?”

Zelley was dressed in an elegant wed set and adorned in jewelry from head to toe. It was clear she was a heiress. When she saw Eleanor, her rage mounted. “Can’t you see she’s dirty everywhere and covered in grime? The moment she touched me, she turned me filthy!”

Eleanor had always been reasonable with reasonable people. But when faced with unreasonableness, she had no patience to be polite.

“Did you attend elementary school? Didn’t your teachers teach you that the air we breathe contains thousands, if not millions, of microorganisms? Your unwashed funds alone are one among millions, even billions, to hop in and enjoy.”

“If you want to be less, there’s only one place you can go, which is a high-temperature incinerator. Feel free…”