Chapter 99: Picking up Eleanor Rhodes
Vivian Lowell offered a few words of comfort to Eleanor Rhodes.
Spicy hot pot and seafood were definitely out of the question. After racking her brain, Vivian could only suggest taking Eleanor out for Cantonese food tonight.
"Cantonese food is pretty good, isn’t it? Didn’t you really like the white cut chicken last time? There’s also roast goose, roasted squab, and slow-cooked soup. What do you think?"
"Sigh~"
Eleanor replied with a sighing emoji.
Even through the screen, Vivian could tell that Eleanor must be a little disappointed.
Eleanor loved spicy food, so naturally, she wasn’t as fond of the milder flavors of Cantonese cuisine. But she was still sick, and Cantonese food was the best option for her at the moment.
"Fine! I want to drink three bowls of that amazing slow-cooked soup!"
After replying, Eleanor started rushing Vivian.
A movie she liked had recently come out. It would be perfect to catch a showing around three, then go for dinner before heading home.
Vivian went to wake Julian Faulkner up.
Julian was fast asleep in her lounge chair. With his eyes closed, he looked so peaceful, completely different from his usual powerful presence.
Vivian really wanted to touch Julian’s eyebrows.
He had great eyebrows.
They were straight and very thick, unlike her own. If she didn’t draw them in, she would practically be a "no-eyebrows-person."
Vivian scooted her stool closer to Julian, then slowly moved the pad of her finger toward his eyebrow.
The texture was soft, slightly coarser than his hair but a little softer than his stubble. It was a strange feeling.
As Vivian touched it a few more times, she could feel the warmth of the skin beneath his eyebrow.
Ahem.
’This actually feels pretty nice.’ As Vivian looked at Julian’s eyebrows and eyelashes, her gaze would involuntarily drift to his cheeks.
She had long known he had a cool, fair complexion.
What she didn’t know was that his skin was actually quite fine. While not as smooth as hers, it was definitely top-tier among men.
’I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do any skincare!’
’Do men really just have a natural advantage when it comes to skin?’
Vivian was truly envious.
Looking at Julian’s face, she wanted to beat her chest and stomp her feet in frustration.
And then, Julian woke up.
Julian probably never expected to open his eyes and see Vivian so close to him. His heart skipped a beat.
?
!!
Vivian’s heart also sped up. She gave an awkward laugh and said, "Um... well, I thought I saw a mosquito! I came over to take a look, but it’s gone!"
"Did... did I wake you?"
Julian nodded slightly.
Seeing Julian’s deadpan expression, Vivian felt a little awkward and could only say, "Uh... I was about to wake you anyway. Tanya sent me a message, saying we can go pick her up now."
"Julian, are you rested? If you’re tired, I can go by myself. It’s no problem."
Before Julian could answer, while Vivian was still waiting for his reply, he had already stood up.
As if to prove he was "fine," Julian put on his suit jacket and said, "Not tired. Let’s go. We’ll leave right now."
"Okay."
Vivian followed behind Julian, as well-behaved as a kindergartener on a field trip with their teacher.
By the time they reached Concordia, it was almost three o’clock.
Vivian had been here a few times and knew her way around. Figuring that Caleb Quinn was handling Eleanor Rhodes’s discharge papers while Eleanor herself was probably still in her room playing on her phone, she and Julian went straight to the hospital room.
DING-DONG—
After the elevator doors opened, Vivian headed straight for the room.
But who would have thought.
Before she even reached the room’s entrance, Vivian heard the sound of an argument coming from inside.
"What are you doing here? I don’t want to see you."
Eleanor’s tone was sharp.
After she spoke, the other person said, "I heard you were being discharged, so I came especially to see you. Sigh. Did you know that while you’ve been in the hospital these past few days, Henry has come to visit several times?"
"Unfortunately, your little junior blocked him every time."
"Eleanor Rhodes, what are you playing at? If you don’t want to pursue Henry anymore, you should just tell him clearly. What’s the point of stringing him along?"
"I never realized you were such a capable person."
Hearing that voice, Vivian froze for a second, then immediately recognized it.
It was Wendy Wynn.
’What is she doing here?’
Vivian had absolutely no good impression of Wendy Wynn. To think that just as Eleanor was getting better, Wendy had somehow found out that she was being discharged today.
’Did she come here just to say these things and make people sick?’
Vivian was getting angry and started to walk toward the room.
But someone pulled her back.
Vivian turned and gave Julian, who had stopped her, a bewildered look. She managed to stop herself from blowing up and just asked, "What are you doing?"
Julian’s expression was calm as he took out his phone and opened the voice recorder.
??
Vivian was confused for a moment, but she quickly understood what Julian meant.
That woman, Wendy Wynn, was the type who loved to act one way to your face and another behind your back.
Henry Sterling was very likely being deceived by her too!
Now that Wendy was here causing trouble for Eleanor, she must think it was just the two of them in the room. Of course, she wouldn’t be so careful with her words.
’Could it be that Julian’s recording would allow Vivian to expose Wendy’s true colors?’
Vivian suddenly felt a bit excited. She clenched her fists and waited at the door.
Inside, with Eleanor.
She was thoroughly fed up with Wendy. Now that Wendy was spouting this nonsense to get a reaction, Eleanor retorted, "Are you insane? When did Henry Sterling ever come looking for me?"
"I haven’t seen him at all!"
"Also, may I ask what your relationship is right now? Ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend? Miss Wynn, I wonder if you’ve ever heard this saying."
"A good ex is one who acts like they’re dead. Do you think Henry is happy with you pestering him like this?"
"Besides, I have nothing to do with him now! What’s the use of coming to me with all this?"
"Oh, I get it. Don’t tell me you wanted to get back together with Henry Sterling after returning to the country, but he wasn’t interested, right?"
"So you decided I was your imaginary rival and came running to me?"
When it came to matters of the heart, Eleanor Rhodes had always been a bit oblivious.
Now, as she said all this, she felt it made perfect sense. It was as if being sick had somehow made her smarter and able to see things more clearly.
Just as expected.
Wendy Wynn flew into a rage out of humiliation from Eleanor’s words.
"Eleanor Rhodes. When Henry Sterling and I were together, he didn’t even know you existed. He thought about me for three years, and you chased him for three years. Did you think that would be enough to win him over?"
"The only one in his heart is me. As for you? You couldn’t even make it as a substitute. How pathetic."
"I think the one who should be pitied is you, don’t you?"
Eleanor didn’t answer.
She bit her lip, looking at Wendy, a chill spreading through her heart.
Wendy wasn’t wrong about any of it.
She had liked Henry Sterling for so many years. While Wendy was away, she had tried to find a way into his heart, but she had never succeeded.
At the very least, Wendy had actually been with Henry Sterling.
Compared to Wendy, she had lost completely.
"That’s enough. I’m not interested in what’s between you two. You can go. Don’t come and bother me, and I won’t go looking for Henry Sterling either."
Eleanor sounded listless.
Wendy smiled triumphantly.
Outside the hospital room.
Listening to all this, Vivian felt a bad taste in her mouth.
Wendy was too cruel and too manipulative.
’How on earth did Henry Sterling fall for such a vile person?’
As Vivian wondered this, she heard the room fall silent and signaled for Julian to put his phone away.
The recording could expose a part of Wendy’s ugly side, but that was about all it captured.
"Let’s go in now."
Just as Vivian said this to Julian and they were about to enter, the sound of another argument came from the other end of the hallway.
"You again? Professor Sterling. Didn’t I tell you? Tanya doesn’t want to see you, so don’t come back. She won’t accept anything you bring, either!"