"Jonathan, are you awake? Breakfast's ready. Everyone's waiting for you."

Standing by the door, Lynne Fletcher—Shawn's mother and Jonathan's stepmother—kept her voice low as she spoke.

Eleanor's eyes widened in shock. There was no way she could allow Lynne to see something so absurd.

With all the strength she had, Eleanor pushed Jonathan away and scrambled to find a place to hide. However, the second her feet touched the floor, her legs gave out, and she dropped hard, dragging the bedside lamp down with her.

The lamp hit the floor with a sharp crash and broke into pieces.

"Jonathan? What was that noise? Did something break? Are you okay?"

Concern filled Lynne's voice as her knocking turned faster and more insistent, as though she was ready to force the door open.

Even so, Eleanor understood that Lynne wouldn't step inside. Jonathan had always disliked this stepmother, who rose from being a mistress.

Still, Eleanor didn't expect Jonathan to rise from the bed and head straight for the door.

What was he thinking?

Reacting quickly, Eleanor caught hold of his wrist.

Looking up at him, she pleaded in silence, hoping he wouldn't open it.

Jonathan glanced down at her, and a flicker of cold detachment passed through his eyes. Then he pulled his arm free and kept walking toward the door.

All Eleanor could do was watch as his hand reached for the handle.

The door swung open.

"Jonathan, are you alright? What just happened?"

As soon as the door parted, Lynne spoke again in a worried tone, her expression carefully shaped with concern.

In his mind, Jonathan sneered at her performance. She played the part perfectly.

From the moment he came back, Lynne had been monitoring him like this, and it was impossible to tell if she ever grew tired of pretending.

Leaning against the doorframe, he stood there with an unreadable, distant gaze.

"I accidentally knocked the lamp over. It shattered."

At his words, Lynne leaned slightly to look inside and caught sight of broken glass scattered across the floor through the opening.

Relief crossed her face, and she smiled. "You're still so careless. You're already an adult, yet you don't even know how to look after yourself. If you were injured, your father would be devastated."

A quiet, mocking laugh escaped Jonathan. "He wouldn't care. If anything, he'd prefer I were gone."

That remark nearly broke Lynne's composure, and her smile stiffened for a second. After regaining herself, she continued, "Don't talk like that. There's glass everywhere in there, so let me call someone to clean it."

"That's unnecessary."

Right after replying, he pushed the door shut.

The door nearly smacked Lynne in the face.

For a brief moment, Lynne remained where she was, her smile fixed in place, before she quickly adjusted it back into a gentle expression. "Jonathan, come down to eat when you're done. You shouldn't skip meals. You left the party early last night, so you probably didn't eat enough."

Silence answered her from inside. Only then did Lynne drop the act and make her way downstairs.

Jonathan's biological mother, Vivian Greene, had passed away years ago. Soon after that, Robert brought Lynne and their two children, born outside the marriage, into the Fletcher family.

From that moment forward, Jonathan stopped coming home. He only returned three months ago, and this time, he came back as a shareholder of Fletcher Group. With the shares Vivian left behind, even Robert couldn't interfere with him within the company.

Lynne had no choice but to suppress her frustration and continue pretending.

Now that her own son was disabled, even with Robert favoring him, they still couldn't push Jonathan out.

Everything would only change if Shawn regained his sight and could stand again.

By the time Lynne stepped into the dining room, her soft, pleasant smile had already returned.

"Jonathan just got up. He'll be coming down shortly."

With that, she entered calmly and took her seat.

Seated at the head of the table, Robert scoffed, "He has no sense of respect. He's making me wait for him at the breakfast table."

Lynne simply smiled faintly and stayed quiet.

Nearby, Jenna Fletcher, Lynne's daughter, curled her lips in disdain. "He's never considered us family. He won't even sit down to eat with us."

"Jenna," Lynne said with a warning look.

Only then did Jenna stop talking.

Rising from her seat, Lynne went to the kitchen, prepared a serving of hot breakfast, and passed them to Jenna. "Bring this over to Shawn."

At once, Jenna's face darkened.

"This late already, and Eleanor still hasn't shown up to get his breakfast? Now I'm the one who has to deliver it? She's completely useless as a caregiver."

Ever since Shawn lost his mobility, he had been staying in a smaller house behind the main villa. Eleanor arranged advanced medical equipment there so his condition could be monitored at all times.

Over the past two years, Eleanor had looked after Shawn day in and day out. In Jenna's eyes, she was never a sister-in-law, only someone hired to care for him.

Robert and Lynne had grown accustomed to that attitude, and neither of them found anything inappropriate about Jenna's words.

After all, Eleanor had been the bride Robert had "bought" for Shawn.

"Enough of that. Just take the food over and stop complaining. Make sure he eats," Lynne said.

Jenna understood how much Shawn meant to her mother. Even though irritation lingered, she held her tongue, picked up the insulated container, and walked toward the back building.

As she walked away, she silently cursed Eleanor for neglecting her duties again.

Up on the second floor, after shutting the door, Jonathan turned back, only to realize the bedroom was already empty of Eleanor.

His attention shifted to the window left wide open, and his expression darkened.

She moved more quickly than he expected. Not even fear of falling seemed to stop her.

Dropping down from the second floor, Eleanor landed badly and twisted her ankle. The rose bushes below tore into her hand, and blood seeped out. Even so, she rushed toward the back building, determined not to be seen.

"Eleanor?"

The harder she tried to stay out of sight, the worse things became.

A sharp, taunting voice sounded behind her, and she recognized it instantly without turning.

Closing the distance in a few brisk steps, Jenna stopped right in front of Eleanor and looked her over from head to toe.

"What were you doing? You didn't even bring Shawn his breakfast this morning. Were you out messing around instead? He can't satisfy you, so you couldn't handle it anymore?"

Jenna never acknowledged Eleanor as family, and every word she spoke dripped with mockery and disdain.

Eleanor halted in place and raised her eyes to meet Jenna's.

Her attention landed on the container Jenna carried, and she reached out her hand. "Give it to me. I'll take it to him."

That submissive tone only made Jenna more arrogant.

"Nothing to say for yourself? In my opinion, Shawn should've thrown you out a long time ago," Jenna said with a sneer.

Moving closer, she studied Eleanor's slightly disheveled appearance and the bruises on her body, her eyes narrowing. "You really went off to see another man, didn't you? If you ever betray Shawn, you won't walk away from it."

Since Shawn became crippled, his personality had grown harsh and cruel. Even Jenna, his own sister, was sometimes rebuked, and Eleanor fared far worse.

"If you have time to gossip about me, you should worry about keeping your own affairs hidden before your fiancé from the Dixon family finds out."

Without paying Jenna attention, Eleanor took the container and started walking toward Shawn's room.

Anger flared instantly, and Jenna lunged forward to seize Eleanor's wrist.

"You shameless bitch, how dare you talk to me like that? The Dixon family doesn't matter to me. I have no intention of marrying into them!"

She lifted her hand and swung it toward Eleanor.

Before the strike could land, Eleanor seized her wrist firmly, locking it in place no matter how much Jenna tried to pull free.

"You..." Jenna shook with fury. "Eleanor, let go of me!"

Jonathan had already ruined Eleanor's mood earlier, and now Jenna's attitude only pushed her closer to her limit. Instead of releasing her, she tugged Jenna forward.

Lowering her voice, Eleanor spoke with a slow, husky edge that carried a clear warning. "Jenna, since I'm married into this family, let me remind you of something. Robert is planning to work with the Dixon family, so whether you accept it or not, you're going to marry into that household. Instead of letting your engagement fall apart because of your behavior, you should focus on keeping those men of yours hidden. Otherwise, once Robert loses his temper, you won't be able to handle the consequences."

After saying that, Eleanor shoved her away.

Caught off guard in her heels, Jenna staggered backward several steps before dropping onto a nearby garden bench.

Anger flared up inside her.

She lifted her head, ready to fire back, but the moment her eyes met Eleanor's cold stare, an unexplainable hesitation crept in.

Something about Eleanor felt different, and she couldn't ignore it.

Even so, her pride wouldn't allow her to back down.

Springing up from the bench, she fixed Eleanor with a harsh glare.

"Eleanor, who do you think you are? You're nothing but a purchased bride, someone from a bankrupt family, yet you talk to me like you have any standing here. Just because you married into the Fletcher family doesn't make you my sister-in-law. Stop fooling yourself."

"Whether you like it or not, I'm legally married to Shawn. You don't have to acknowledge me, but as long as there's no divorce, I am your sister-in-law."

"Once Shawn gets better, he'll throw you out sooner or later!"

"I wouldn't mind that at all."

With a brief sideways glance at Jenna, Eleanor turned and walked out of the garden.

After breaking away from Jenna, Eleanor turned the corner and ran straight into Jonathan, who had come downstairs in casual clothes.

She couldn't say a word.

Jonathan really wouldn't let her go. Even after she escaped from his room, he still caught up.

Her eyes swept the area. Luckily, the garden was empty, and Jenna hadn't come after her.

"Mr. Fletcher."

The words felt forced as Eleanor spoke.

Right after addressing him, she moved to walk past.

Yet as she stepped by, his hand shot out and caught her wrist.

"That's not what you called me last night in bed."

His voice sounded relaxed, almost careless, yet it sent her pulse racing uncontrollably.

Instinctively, she checked her surroundings again, only easing up once she was sure no one else was around.

Noticing her unease, Jonathan let out a mocking laugh. "You climbed into my bed, and now you're rushing off to take care of that useless man? You're really something."

"Enough!"

Hearing him humiliate her like that, Eleanor finally snapped.

She knew she had drunk too much last night, and she accepted that mistake.

However, Jonathan had been completely sober, and he could've turned her away.

Now he stood there acting like he had been forced into this, and it only made things worse.

"Jonathan, let's act like nothing happened last night. You wouldn't want trouble with the Fletcher family right after coming back, would you?"

Taking a steady breath, Eleanor tried to keep her voice calm and reason things out.

But the instant she finished speaking, Jonathan's face turned even colder.

His gaze locked onto her with a sharp intensity, and without warning, he bent down, slid an arm beneath her knees, and lifted her into his arms.

"Jonathan!" Eleanor's face went pale as she cried out in shock.

"Keep yelling like that, and everyone's going to come running," Jonathan said, his voice turning cold.

At once, Eleanor stopped.

Without another word, he carried her to the gazebo near Shawn's house and lowered her onto a bench.

Once she was seated, his hand moved to her ankle, and he pressed down with steady force.

"Ah!" Eleanor cried out.

The pain passed quickly. Her twisted ankle had been set back in place.

"Thank you..."

She couldn't pretend it meant nothing. He had carried her the whole way and even fixed her injury.

"Did it ever cross your mind that you could've died when you jumped?" After slipping her shoe back on, he lifted his gaze, and a faint smile touched his lips, though it carried no warmth.

"I..." Eleanor's voice wavered as she tried to continue.

Her hand tightened at her side, and her lashes lowered as she hid what she felt. "I didn't want to trouble you."

"So you thought about that. But when you walked into my room last night, you didn't think about causing trouble then?"

A short, mocking laugh left him as Jonathan dropped the antiseptic spray beside her.

"I was drunk," Eleanor said, frowning as she tried to explain.

"Drunk?" His eyes narrowed.

"What were you drinking for?" He leaned closer, his gaze steady, though something sharper hid beneath it.

Her heart sank.

She couldn't tell him the truth. She couldn't say she drank because of his engagement.

Whatever had happened between them could only stay in the past.

"Answer me."

When she stayed quiet, Jonathan's hand reached out and caught her chin, forcing her to look at him.

Keeping her lips pressed tight, Eleanor hesitated briefly before speaking in a low voice. "Shawn wasn't doing well last night. He lost his temper, and I wasn't feeling good either, so I ended up drinking too much."

The moment she finished, his grip on her chin grew stronger, and the pain made her frown.

A short, cold laugh left Jonathan as he let go and pulled his hand back.

"So that useless man can affect you this much. You really know how to surprise me, Eleanor."

He took out a silk handkerchief and wiped his hand, as though touching her had left something behind.

"If you're going to drink next time, stay where you are. I'm engaged. If you keep ending up in my bed like that, my fiancée won't take it well."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked off, his back stiff and distant.

As she watched him leave, it felt like something tightened around her chest, making it hard to breathe.

It took time before she steadied herself. When her eyes dropped to her ankle, now red, a faint, bitter smile formed on her lips.

She and Jonathan should've been strangers a long time ago.

Pushing through the lingering pain, Eleanor got to her feet and made her way back to Shawn's house.

The gate opened with a soft push, and she saw Shawn seated near the entrance. His face looked dark, and even though his eyes showed no focus, they pointed straight toward her.

"Where were you last night?"

The question came without warning, and her chest tightened.

She lifted her head toward him. Even knowing he couldn't see her, she still adjusted her clothes before answering after a short pause, "Last night... I stayed in the lab. I was working on something new. It might help your legs."

She tried to keep her voice steady, but the faint roughness in it gave away how drained she was.

It sounded believable.

Shawn's face didn't change, yet the heaviness in him eased a little.

Then, without warning, he gave a low scoff, and the tone that followed turned darker. "It better."

After a brief pause, his voice dropped further. "If I find out you went looking for another man, Eleanor... you already know what happens."

Hearing that, Eleanor almost laughed.

He and Jenna were two peas in a pod. They thought the same way.

A slight curve formed on her lips as she answered slowly, "Shawn, I'm not like you. I don't waste time on things like that. Believe me or don't, it doesn't matter. Let's eat."

Eleanor didn't wait after that and walked straight to the table.

She failed to notice that his face darkened even more at her words.

Once she reached the table, she began laying out the breakfast, setting each item in place.

There was plenty of food.

But it was meant for one person.

She wasn't surprised. No one in this house had ever thought about her. Not even enough to set aside something as simple as breakfast for her.

Holding back what stirred inside her, she finished arranging everything and then turned to bring Shawn over.

"Shawn, it's time to eat."

The moment she spoke, Shawn's face turned cold, and his hand lashed out.

The hot porridge splashed across her arm.