Adrian Grant just noticed how stiff Eleanor Winslow’s body was, as if a certain obsession was keeping her barely calm. "Zia?" Melody Nash looked puzzled at Adrian Grant, then at Eleanor Winslow. The woman in his arms fluttered her eyelashes again, appearing slightly startled by the voice. "Eleanor!" Adrian Grant said softly. When Eleanor heard him, she closed her eyes for a moment, then looked again at Melody Nash, meeting her gaze, which was filled with delight. Eleanor found that gaze rather piercing. Seeing her, why be so happy? It’s not the first time they’ve met. They had crossed paths many times before. "Zia, I am mommy!" Fresh chapters posted on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵 Melody Nash, worried Eleanor wouldn’t recognize her, wanted to hug her again, but Eleanor was firmly protected in Adrian Grant’s embrace. "I know." Eleanor didn’t understand why she could remain so calm. Melody Nash became overjoyed, took Zoe Nash’s hand, and introduced her to Eleanor, "Zia, this is Zoe; she is... Zoe is a few months younger than you, like your younger sister!" Eleanor looked at Zoe Nash, who stared back at her bewilderedly and curiously as her sister. Eleanor found the scene in front of her very dramatic, ridiculous even. "Zia, come, go with mommy!" Melody Nash tried to grab Eleanor’s hand again but was stopped by Adrian Grant, the ’roadblock.’ She couldn’t help but ask Eleanor, "Zia, who is he?" "My husband at the moment." "You, you’re married?" Melody Nash was stunned and shocked, "You’re, you’re just how old!" "I thought you knew." Eleanor looked at Melody Nash with a smile lacking any warmth in her eyes, "Didn’t you say I’m a woman without ambition, marrying early?" Melody Nash froze for a moment, then her face turned ashen. "Mommy!" Zoe Nash supported Melody Nash, reproaching Eleanor, "Eleanor, how could you say that!" Such a display of mother-daughter affection! Watching this made Eleanor’s eyes hurt, with her heart feeling heavily pressed by something. She turned her head, facing Adrian Grant’s chest. The man, without hesitation, buried her head in his embrace. In just an instant, the sourness in her eyes overflowed uncontrollably with tears. Through his shirt, Adrian Grant felt the warm dampness. "Zia... Zia, mommy didn’t mean that! Mommy wasn’t intentional just now; mommy didn’t know it was you, mommy... sorry, Zia..." Melody Nash rambled on in explanation, with tears brimming. As she spoke, she glanced at Adrian Grant, her eyes filled with confusion and scrutiny. She didn’t know Eleanor was married, nor did she know who Eleanor’s spouse was. "Mommy..." Zoe Nash looked at Melody Nash with distress and urgently at Eleanor, "Eleanor, no, sister, mommy truly didn’t mean to say those things about you, nor did she think that way about you, don’t misunderstand mommy..." Eleanor stepped away from Adrian Grant’s embrace, looking back at Zoe and Melody Nash. "I have things to do, let’s leave it here for today." Her expression and voice were calm. If it weren’t for the slightly damp eyelashes, no one would have thought she had silently cried just now. Eleanor didn’t want to talk to them much now. Seeing Melody Nash unwilling to give up and wanting to speak, Adrian Grant interrupted first: "Miss Nash, I see your mother is not feeling well; perhaps you should take her home to rest first." Melody Nash looked at Adrian Grant incredulously, her eyes filled with shock and dissatisfaction at Adrian’s interference. She was talking to her daughter, what right did this man have to interfere! Adrian Grant saw through Melody Nash’s thoughts and said to Jeanette Grant, "You and Eleanor escort Miss Lockwood back." Jeanette Grant was stunned. Blake Lockwood quickly caught on, linking arms with Eleanor as they walked out, giving the dazed Miss Grant a glance. With three fewer people, the surroundings became even quieter. Adrian Grant’s expression hadn’t changed, and he still had a polite smile, but the air around him felt much colder. The man’s thin lips parted slightly, his laughter carrying a hint of puzzlement as he asked Melody Nash, "Should I address you as Mrs. Thornton or Mrs. Winslow?" Daniel’s full name is Daniel Townsend. Melody Nash detected the hidden sarcasm in Adrian’s words, her face becoming even more unsightly: "I have long had nothing to do with The Winslow Family!" "Since you have nothing to do with The Winslow Family, how can you have a connection with Eleanor?" Melody Nash found the young man simply unreasonable: "I am her mother!" "Is that so? To my understanding, my mother-in-law passed away when my wife was twelve." Adrian Grant’s words were like a knife stabbing into Melody Nash’s heart, leaving her speechless and unable to refute. "I forgot to introduce myself; I’m Adrian Grant, Eleanor’s husband," Adrian added politely, pausing, "Furthermore, it was I who actively pursued marrying Eleanor." Melody Nash was struck by the overwhelming information and reacted after a few seconds: "I don’t care who you are, you cannot stop me from seeing my daughter!" She was firm, not noticing that beside her, Zoe Nash’s fingers tensed when she heard ’my daughter.’ All these years, she had been mommy’s daughter! "You care about Eleanor?" Adrian Grant seemed to hear the greatest joke, "Mrs. Thornton, last week on the cruise, you personally shut Eleanor out, and today, you also changed the rules arbitrarily to embarrass Eleanor!" Melody Nash’s face was already pallid. She remembered what she had done; it wasn’t just these incidents. On the cruise, Zoe Nash had told her about meeting an excellent Eastern girl, who was probably Eleanor. Not only did she bad-mouth Eleanor, but she also told Zoe to stay away from such people. The person whose character she criticized was her beloved biological daughter! The man in front of her clearly had Eleanor leave, intending to stab her heart! "Wait, you, you’re Third Grant?!" Melody Nash finally understood why Adrian Grant’s name felt familiar, "You’re Jesse Grant’s cousin? Wasn’t Zia’s fiancé Jesse Grant? Before I left, I specifically asked Jesse Grant’s parents to take care of Zia, how could Zia marry you? Did you do something to ruin Zia’s original marriage!" Melody Nash had never met Adrian Grant before; when she visited the Grant Family, Adrian happened to be studying in Europe. But she had heard of Adrian’s reputation. The Grant Family said this heir was ruthless beneath a noble facade, thus his own mother didn’t favor him! But Jesse Grant was different; he was well-behaved and charming from a young age, favored Eleanor. Jesse’s mother was her friend, and she trusted Jesse! "Mrs. Thornton, when Jesse Grant’s parents learned Eleanor lost her mother, without fatherly love, they were the first to dissolve the engagement," Adrian said coldly, "Your judgment is terrible!" "Mr. Grant, please don’t speak of my mommy like that!" Zoe Nash couldn’t help but interject, "Everyone is a free individual; my mommy hasn’t wronged sister in any way!" Adrian Grant nodded, "Then, Mrs. Thornton, be free!" ——Do not disturb Eleanor! On the surface, it appeared Eleanor and Jeanette Grant were sending Blake Lockwood off, but in reality, Blake and Jeanette were escorting Eleanor back to the apartment. It wasn’t until Eleanor settled down for a while that she realized she had returned home. Messages from Julian Jacobs popped up on WeChat, asking when she could come back. Eleanor Winslow replied apologetically, saying she had something come up and couldn’t make it. —Her current emotional state really wasn’t fit for going out again. "Eleanor, if you’re upset, just have a good cry." Blake Lockwood comforted Eleanor while holding her tightly. Jeanette Grant, never having encountered such a situation, stood by with her camera, utterly at a loss. She had always known that Eleanor’s mother passed away early, which was why Eleanor suffered so much in the Winslow Family. If the woman who showed up today was Eleanor’s mother, then what is the meaning of all the suffering Eleanor endured over the years? Her mom had many bad habits, could even be called sharp-tongued, opportunistic, and conceited, yet her mother also loved her with all her heart. Why would a mother ignore her child for so many years? Jeanette Grant couldn’t understand. "Blake, you should go home and rest." Eleanor huddled on the sofa, hugging her knees. "I’m worried about you." Blake Lockwood spoke up directly. "Jeanette is here with me, Blake, if you stay here with me, I’ll be worried about you." Watching her competition today had already been exhausting, it was time to rest. But given her current emotional state, it was clearly unsuitable for Blake Lockwood to stay and rest here. Blake Lockwood looked over at Jeanette Grant, his eyes saying: Can you handle this? Jeanette Grant: "..." Miss Grant knew herself well and had absolutely no trust in herself! Eleanor appeared calm, continually persuading Blake Lockwood to go home and rest. Blake Lockwood couldn’t argue with her, so he instructed Jeanette Grant to take good care of Eleanor. Not even ten minutes after Blake Lockwood left, Eleanor asked Jeanette Grant to go home as well. Jeanette Grant shook her head like a rattle-drum: "No, I have a mission! What if something happens to you? I might end up being killed twice, once by Blake Lockwood and once by Third Grant!" Eleanor said nothing more, hugging her knees, lost in thought, eerily silent. Jeanette Grant felt a bit uneasy, sensing that the only sound in the air was her own breathing, overwhelmed by pressure. Time passed unknowingly. Finally, the sound of the fingerprint lock echoed. The door was opened from the outside. At the sight of Adrian Grant, Jeanette Grant stood up as if granted amnesty: "Brother, Eleanor is in your hands now!" Without Adrian Grant even saying a word, she vanished with her camera. Eleanor, upon hearing the noise, slowly blinked her eyes. It wasn’t until the man knelt down on one knee in front of her that she lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes. "What did you say to her?" Eleanor asked. ’She’ was self-explanatory. "Nothing much," Adrian Grant replied. Eleanor glanced at him, naturally not believing such a statement. Adrian Grant sighed, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear: "I explained my identity to her, that I’m your husband, what’s my name is, rather than just some random passerby." "Adrian Grant, I want a divorce from you." —Stop casually calling yourself my husband. The man read her chaotic reply: "I know." Eleanor felt utterly exhausted, closing her eyes, unwilling to argue any further on the matter. "Eleanor, if I don’t mention who I am to you, without having a proper identity, how am I supposed to talk to her? Is that right?" He patiently explained, which was rare, prompting Eleanor to look at him again. Her emotions were visibly low, starkly different from the calm and aloof demeanor she carried outside the competition venue. Years of being alone had taught her to always wear armor in front of ’outsiders’, making it hard for others to see through. But Adrian Grant knew that she was forcing herself to maintain a taut string. "Your tears," Adrian Grant pointed to a spot on his chest, just where the dark grey vest revealed the white shirt underneath, now marked by moisture, "haven’t dried yet." Eleanor gave him a detached glance: "Sorry, I lost control of my emotions for a moment." She hadn’t intended to cry. Adrian Grant sighed helplessly, stood up, pressed a central control button, drawing the curtains, turning off the lights. The bright living room gradually dimmed. Noticing the change in light, Eleanor instinctively looked up, only to be pulled into Adrian Grant’s embrace, her face pressing into his chest, shielding her from everyone’s view, including his. "Zia, no one will know you cried, not even me." He spoke an obvious lie. "Adrian Grant, I’m not a child, there’s no need for you to soothe me ." Eleanor’s muffled voice came through. The year Melody Nash ’passed away’, Eleanor moved to Aethelgard with Eugene Winslow to settle down. Facing her entirely unfamiliar ’new family’, she refused to show weakness in the Winslow Family, often crying alone while playing at the Grant Family, saying she missed her mommy. Adrian Grant quickly discovered this and always turned off the room’s lights and windows, closing the door. Eleanor had always thought it was because Adrian Grant disliked her, feeling her cries disturbed others, and her tears inconvenienced him. At this moment, Eleanor finally realized, Adrian Grant was creating a completely safe environment for her—darkness hid her tears, closed doors blocked out the sound of her crying. He was telling her she didn’t need to feign strength. Small sobs gradually filled the space. The only difference was, the young Adrian Grant would sit coldly on the sofa, waiting for Eleanor to finish crying. Now, he held her tightly in his arms, making her stifled sobs disappear into the gap between their embrace. Adrian Grant kissed the top of Eleanor’s head, suddenly saying: "Zia, I love you." This expression of love wasn’t a confession, but more like a reassurance. Eleanor closed her eyes tightly, burying her face deeper, as if not wanting to hear it. When Adrian Grant felt she had cried herself out, he gently pushed her away, holding her face, kissed away her tear stains in the dim light. The taste was moist and salty. "Zia, I love you, I love you very much..." In the depths of her ice-cold heart, the man’s repeated declarations of love began to awaken her from numbness. She looked up, gazing at the man, tears in her eyes and the dim light made it hard to see his face clearly. Eleanor couldn’t control the sob in her voice: "Adrian Grant, you don’t need to use this method to comfort me." Adrian Grant chuckled, his voice deep and magnetic, very pleasant: "Darling, I should take advantage of your vulnerability."