Chapter 168

Eleanor's smile grew sharper, a flicker of amusement in her eyes as she listened. "So,remind me, what exactly did I promise you for attacking Mrs. Benton?" she asked, her tone light.

She swept a lazy glance from Jeff's scowl to Lainey's frantic performance. "Let's get real. That was the first time I ever spoke to Mrs. Benton. We didn't have any conflicts. Why would I plot against her?"

Before Millie could say anything, Eleanor continued, "Don't drag out this tired feud with Lainey either.Although she stole Jonny from me, I've already let it go. Now, I'm seeing Nolan."

Her meaning couldn't have been plainer. Nolan outshone Jonny in every way, and she had no reason to create trouble over a man she had already left behind.

Fraser had been skeptical of her involvement before, and when he heard this, his doubts vanished completely.

Eleanor had no reason at all to harm his mother.

Besides, if she had really meant to hurt his mother, then why would she have gone out of her way to hand him those pills?

HHis father's anger had clouded his judgment, but he steadied himself, determined to stay clear-headed.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Millie had been bribed into this mess.

Nolan had come to the same conclusion.

He moved closer, and the weight of his presence seemed to close in around Millie. "Let me be clear. Lying now means crossing the Stewart family. Are yo sure that's a risk you want to take?"

The threat hit its mark, and Millie's nerves frayed.

Everyone knew the Stewart family could destroy a person's future with a single call. If she crossed them, it wouldn't matter how far she ran or how much money she carried; peace would never follow.

But Lainey had a ruthless streak of her own, and if she decided to reveal the truth, life would become just as unbearable.

Cornered, Millie drew in a shaky breath and made her decision. "Alright, I lied. None of this has anything to do with Miss Warren. I did it. Mrs. Benton bumped into me once, made me spill a tray, and the manager cut my pay.I wanted payback, so l acted on my own."·

With her confession out, Millie squeezed her eyes shut and slumped to the floor, pretending to faint.

To Jeff, it looked like Millie had been scared witless by Nolan's warning.

He turned on Nolan, voice icy with anger. "You threaten a witness right in front of me? Do you have no respect for me? Is protecting Eleanor really worth crossing us?"

Nolan said nothing at first, his gaze flickering past Jeff and settling on Lainey, whose composure was slipping fast.

A cold, amused smile played at his lips as he retorted, "It's funny, isn't it? You're ready to paint Eleanor as the villain based on nothing but hearsay. Why are you so desperate to put this on my girlfriend? Tell me,are you really after the truth, or are you just covering for your family? Maybe take a closer look at your family.You might be surprised by what you find."

He almost called Lainey out by name.

A wave of panic rushed across Lainey's face, clear as day.

How in the world would Nolan have any way of knowing about all this?

Was he just putting on a show, or had he actually uncovered something real?

Fear made her shrink back, refusing to meet his eyes.

At first, Jeff seemed oblivious. Then, realization dawned, and his anger spiked. "You can't be serious! Lainey would never hurt her own mother. If you're going to shift blame, try to come up with something that isn't ridiculous!"

Nolan, unfazed, met his outrage with a smirk. "Unless, of course, she's not really your daughter after all.Ever think about that?"

He didn't wait for a reply. Without looking back, he took Eleanor by the hand and led her away.

The car pulled off, leaving only the echoes of Nolan's words behind.

Fraser,silent throughout, caught every flicker of fear on Laiey's face.

The truth was plain enough: Lainey had probably bought Millie off.

So she wasn't just impersonating his sister; she had even attempted to murder his mother.