Reborn as the Villainess

Chapter 40

Eleanor glanced over at Vincent, the CEO's assistant, who was following her every step of the way according to Andrew's orders. She couldn't help but give a small helpless smile, thinking, 'Well, he'd better not treat me like a child; I don't need a guardian. Ross checked his watch on his wrist and said. "Ellie. I've got something to take care of. I need to head out."

Eleanor immediately looked at him with a hint of reluctance. "Right now? So soon? We haven't even had a meal together

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In this story, the people who truly cared for the original Eleanor were only the Anderson family. Their affection wasn't just because of her body's original charm, but even she felt a natural closeness to her brother standing in front of her.

Ross affectionately ruffled Eleanor's hair, his eyes still warm and full of a gentle smile. "Be good, Ellie. I just got back to the country, and I've got a few things to handle. Once this busy time is over, I'll call you, and we'll have a proper few days to hang out, alright?" Hearing that, Eleanor could only nod. "Alright."

She figured there was still some time before the University Admissions Testing, and she really needed to study anyway. If they went out to have fun now, it wouldn't feel right. It'd be better to wait until Ross was free and her exams were over. That way, they could enjoy themselves properly.

With his left hand in his pocket, Ross gave Eleanor another playful ruffle on the top of her head before turning to leave. But just before he did, his gaze swept over Stephen, who was standing nearby, and in that instant, a chilling murderous intent filled his eyes. Stephen raised a brow, meeting Ross' gaze fearlessly. But Ross' mood shifted quickly. By the time Stephen tried to figure out what was behind Ross' look, it had already vanished, and Ross was back to his calm and refined self as if that brief glance had been nothing but Stephen's imagination. Watching Ross retreating figure, Stephen narrowed his eyes, thinking, Something's off about this guy.

"That look in his eyes wasn't just a simple warning or disdain. It was something far darker and more dangerous, a kind of killer instinct that doesn't just appear out of nowhere. That's not the look of an ordinary person.

'So, who is he really? And what's his purpose in getting close to Little Hedgehog?

But whatever Ross is hiding, if I find out he's approaching Little Hedgehog with any bad intentions, I won't hesitate to make him a dead man.'

At that moment, Eleanor had no idea Stephen was sizing up her brother. She furrowed her brows as she looked at Stephen, who was still standing beside her without any intention of leaving, and asked, "Janet's family went bankrupt because of you, didn't it?" Stephen snapped out of his thoughts, looking down at her. He neither confirmed nor denied it, asking, "Why do you think it was me? It could've been your brother standing up for you."

Eleanor didn't want to play mind games with him, so she explained bluntly, "It's common knowledge that the only family capable of bankrupting the Hall family overnight is the Lloyd family. I don't have to guess."

At first, she had thought Andrew might be behind it, but after giving it some thought, she realized that couldn't be right. After all, the Vanderbilt family didn't have the financial, material, or human resources strong enough to take down their enemy in one move. Stephen suddenly laughed. It wasn't mocking or sarcastic, nor was it a forced or fake laugh-it was genuine, the kind that came from pure amusement. "Little Hedgehog, you really are clever. That's right. It was me," he said casually. Thu, Oct 31

Chapter 40

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Eleanor hadn't expected him to admit it so easily, and for a moment, she was stunned, automatically ignoring the fact that he'd just called her "Little Hedgehog

She asked, "Why did you do it? As far as I know, the Hall family doesn't have any beef with you, right?"

Stephen smirked and replied, "No beef? The heiress of Hall Group bullied my fiancée. Isn't that enough of a reason?"

Eleanor was speechless, thinking in frustration, I knew I shouldn't have asked

"I've told you before. I'm not your fiancée. Don't call me that again. If you do, I won't hesitate to shut you up with my fists!" She clenched her fists, and the fury burning in her eyes made it clear that she was seriously considering it. Stephen raised an eyebrow, looking at the now-alert Little Hedgehog" in front of him. Her puffed-up, angry expression was so cute that if he didn't think continuing the conversation would make her prickly, he wouldn't want to stop at all. With a sly grin, he glanced at Eleanor and remarked. "Well, if you're not my fiancée, then you should return that bracelet on your wrist. My grandma gave it to my future wife, so it doesn't seem right for you to keep it

Eleanor rolled up her sleeve and looked at the bracelet on her wrist. Under the sunlight, the bracelet shimmered with a soft sparkle. For a second, she almost thought she saw it twitch, but she wasn't sure if she was just imagining it. It was not that she didn't want to return it. She had tried every method she could think of over the past few days. She'd even resorted to using pliers at one point, but it still wouldn't budge, almost as if it had become part of her wrist. It was definitely odd.

Stephen, seeing the look on Eleanor's face, knew she couldn't take it off. The amusement in his eyes deepened, making all those prayers to his grandma's spirit feel well worth it.

He said, "How about this. I'll have one of the Lloyd family's jewelers take a look at it. Even though the bracelet's old, a skilled. jeweler should be able to figure out how to handle it.

Eleanor looked at Stephen with disbelief. "You're not planning something again, are you?"

He gave her a small smile. "What could I possibly be planning? My grandpa is so fond of you, and I wouldn't dare force you. Since you've already decided not to be my fiancée, as the head of the Lloyd family, I can't exactly chase after you relentlessly, can I?" As he spoke, he took a step back. "If you can come up with a better way to remove the bracelet, by all means, give it a try." Eleanor fell silent and pondered, 'What other options do I have? I've already tried everything I could over the past few days. "But on second thought. Stephen actually makes sense here. He can't really force me, and he's the CEO of Lloyd Group-a whose decisions can shake the country's economy. With all the stunning women he could have, why would he waste a high schooler like me?'This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

"So, where am I supposed to find those jewelers?" Eleanor asked.

"At my house," Stephen replied calmly.

"What? Your house?" Eleanor's eyes widened as she stared at him, the trust she had just begun to build completely crumbling at those two words.

But Stephen remained calm, his tone straightforward. "The Lloyd family's jewelry designers are elites who are essential to our jewelry business. Such highly confidential professionals can't just show up anywhere, you know?"

Eleanor pressed her lips together thoughtfully. She had never dealt with jewelry before, but from the way Stephen put it, it did seem similar to the confidentiality agreements actors sign-where they can't reveal any details about the movie after filming to preserve the mystery for the audience.

Chapter 40

As she thought about it, she realized that it actually made sens