Chapter 4 Eleanor Breaks Down

• Sparkee, huh? Does this guy have a death wish or something?
• Emmanuel's eyes narrowed as his body exuded a murderous aura that was so imposing.
• “I'll go take care of him right away, Boss,” Freddie said when he saw that Emmanuel was about to explode with rage.
• “Wait!” Emmanuel stopped him before he stepped out the door.
• There was a dangerous look in his eyes as he continued, “I'll take care of him myself. Right now, I want you to get Eleanor a new job, but make sure to do so discreetly. She won't accept the offer if she knows I'm the one who arranged it. I'm sure you know what to do, don't you?”
• “Yes, Boss. I know exactly what to do,” Freddie replied before disappearing into the night.
• ...
• Emmanuel and Evangeline were the only ones left in the clinic.
• “Eva? Where have you been?” A desperate voice called out from outside.
• Upon turning around, the two of them saw Eleanor and Rosalind standing at the door. Eleanor's face was as white as a sheet, and Rosalind looked incredibly anxious.
• Rosalind stared at the Rolls-Royce parked outside the clinic for a good ten seconds before following Eleanor into the clinic.
• She had never seen a car that expensive, even while she was still wealthy.
• The smile on Evangeline's face vanished the moment she saw her mother and grandmother.
• She quickly hid the bag of bottles behind her and took a few steps back.
• “Come here, you little sh*t!”
• Eleanor ran forward and started spanking her as she yelled, “Didn't I tell you not to go anywhere until I pick you up at school? Why won't you just listen to me, huh?”
• Evangeline clenched her teeth to keep herself from crying as she apologized, mumbling, “I'm sorry, Mommy! I'm sorry!”
• With a pained look in his eyes, Emmanuel stepped forward to stop her. “Stop hitting her, Eleanor. It was me who took Eva away.”
• Eleanor's eyes were filled with rage like a rabid dog when she turned around.
• “How I discipline my daughter is none of your business! Also, you have no right to take her away like that!” she screamed maniacally in his face.
• “I...”
• “What? Have you not learned your lesson after eight years in prison? I'll send you back to prison if you don't leave my daughter alone!”
• “Please don't blame him, Mommy. I ran off on my own, and he even helped take care of a problem—”
• “Why are you defending him?”
• Eleanor was under so much stress that she broke down crying on the spot. She didn't even care if Emmanuel was there.
• Earlier that day, she asked her boss if he could lend her some money, and he gave her a card with two hundred thousand in it.
• However, he asked her to accompany him on a one-week vacation in Salinsburgh.
• Naturally, she knew what he was playing at and turned his request down. That resulted in her being fired on the spot.
• As if that wasn't bad enough, she was told that her daughter had gone missing from school, only to find out that she was with Emmanuel.
• The worst part of it all was the fact that Evangeline defended Emmanuel when she confronted him, making Eleanor feel like she had lost everything in life.
• Evangeline grabbed the bag of bottles and showed it to Eleanor, who was bawling her eyes out on the floor.
• “Don't cry, Mommy! I heard Grandpa asking you for money to pay for the rent and his medical bills. I knew you didn't have any money, so I thought I'd sell these plastic bottles to help relieve some of your burdens!” Evangeline said in an attempt to stop her from crying, but that only made Eleanor cry even louder out of guilt.
• Emmanuel felt his heart ache when he saw Eleanor crying on the floor.
• It made him realize how difficult things must have been for her to raise a child on her own.
• After taking a moment to regain her composure, Eleanor said with an expressionless look on her face, “Mom, go wait outside with Eva.”
• “Okay.” Rosalind shot Emmanuel a fierce glare as she led Evangeline out of there.
• Emmanuel wanted to say something, but he couldn't bring himself to utter a single word. Eventually, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it in silence.
• Before he could even take a puff, Eleanor snatched it out of his mouth and began puffing away really aggressively.
• Each puff she took hit Emmanuel's heart like a sledgehammer, and he felt so hurt and guilty that he found himself suffocating.
• “Stop smoking!” he shouted while snatching the cigarette out of her hand.
• Eleanor simply let out a wry chuckle and sat on the floor with her hair in a complete mess.
• Although she wasn't looking at Emmanuel, he could see that her expression was calm, which made him feel even worse.
• He would've felt a lot better if she had yelled at him and slapped him repeatedly to vent her anger.
• However, she was as cool as a cucumber, which was a clear sign that her heart was completely dead.
• “I'm sorry for what I did,” Emmanuel said after a prolonged moment of silence.
• Eleanor simply shot him a glare with her lifeless eyes without saying anything, but Emmanuel could feel her immense hatred toward him.
• It was as if his death was the only way to appease that hatred of hers.
• “Eleanor...”
• Unsure of what he should do to comfort her, he instinctively reached out to hug the poor woman in front of him.
• Little did he know, that action had the same effect as fuel on a fire.
• Eleanor, who was eerily calm, exploded in anger the moment he tried to hug her. “F*ck off! Don't touch me!” she yelled while smacking his hands away.
• “I know you won't accept my apology, but please let me make it up to you. Here's the deed to a mansion in Pollerton and the keys to a Maserati. I humbly ask that you accept them,” Emmanuel said seriously while handing those items to her.
• However, Eleanor found his actions so funny and pathetic that her eyes started to tear up.
• I went from being a dancer with a bright future to a mere loony with a child! My family got kicked out of the clan because of him, and I ended up having to make a living in a small company! As if that wasn't bad enough, my family faced one obstacle after another because of him! My father became disabled, and my mother went from being a lady of leisure to working as a vendor on the streets! None of this would've happened if it weren't for what he did to me! Does he seriously think a mansion in Pollerton and a f*cking Maserati are enough to repair all that damage?
• With her teeth tightly clenched, Eleanor snatched the deed and car keys from him.
• Like a madman, she then threw the keys on the floor and tore the deed to pieces in front of him.
• Her expression was so vicious that it looked like she was trying to rip his entire being to shreds.
• “Stop tearing it up, Eleanor! We're only in this situation because of this b*stard over here! This is what he owes you!”
• Rosalind came running over all of a sudden and tried to stop Eleanor from tearing up the deed.
• “I don't want his f*cking stuff!” Eleanor yelled through clenched teeth as she continued shredding the deed.
• Emmanuel simply stood there staring at her as she vented her anger and frustration.
• If this will help her feel better, so be it...
• Rosalind could only let out a sigh as she looked at the pieces of paper on the floor.
• Why? Why would she let such a fancy house go to waste? After everything this b*stard did to us, he could give us ten mansions, and they still wouldn't make up for the damage he had done to my precious daughter!
• With reddened eyes, Eleanor jabbed a finger at Emmanuel as she said, “You listen to me now. I don't give a f*ck about how rich you are, nor do I expect you to make it up to me. I don't need you to give me anything. All I want is for you not to see Eva ever again. She's my daughter, and she has nothing to do with you! Is that clear?”
• “Mommy, is this man my daddy?” asked Evangeline, who was standing on the side.
• “No, he is not! He's nothing but a f*cking scumbag!” Eleanor shouted at the top of her lungs.
• Evangeline was a little terrified as this was her first time getting yelled at by her mother.
• Even so, she still glared defiantly at Eleanor as she sobbed, “But everyone else has a daddy! Why don't I have one?”
• “Let's go, Eva!”
• Eleanor then forcefully dragged a teary Evangeline out of the clinic.
• As much as it pained her to see her daughter so upset, her hatred toward Emmanuel had yet to cease.
• I know I haven't been a great mother to her, and she'll probably never receive the love of a father because of my selfishness. Even so, I won't forgive that b*stard for destroying my life! I'm sorry, Eva. I hope you'll forgive me for being a selfish mother.