CHAPTER 358: CHAPTER 358: IT WAS ALL THE OLD MAN’S SCHEME

She grabbed Hugo’s hand, wanting to leave, but Hugo looked at her with worry.

"Not feeling well?"

Eleanor opened her mouth, glanced at him, then at Old Master Quinn, but ultimately said nothing.

The two sat in the hospital for a while longer, and she felt like she was on pins and needles.

Finally, when they managed to leave, she wanted to pull Hugo aside to explain, to tell him that she wasn’t pregnant and it was all the old master’s plot.

But just as she was about to speak, the phone rang. It was the old master calling.

Eleanor’s heart trembled with a fear of being exposed.

"Can you go to the supermarket and get me a bottle of water? I’m suddenly thirsty."

Hugo was almost always accommodating to her requests, immediately pulling over and getting out of the car.

Only then did Eleanor answer the call, and it was indeed the old master.

"Eleanor, open your bag. There’s something I gave you inside. Put it on and don’t take it off."

Eleanor opened her bag and found a pair of earrings, which certainly weren’t ordinary earrings.

She furrowed her brow but obediently put them on.

When Hugo returned with the things, he placed a bottle of water next to her.

"Drink it, don’t let our child go thirsty."

His face was full of happiness, gazing at Eleanor with endless tenderness.

Eleanor forced a smile, took the water, opened it, drank a sip, and then fell silent.

As the car stopped in front of the villa, she was just about to get out when Hugo grabbed her sleeve.

"You don’t actually want to have a child with me, do you? Otherwise, why would your mood be so low after finding out you’re pregnant?"

Eleanor’s heart sank, realizing the old master was really formidable.

Hugo was already beginning to suspect her, suspecting she didn’t want the child.

"No, let’s go inside."

She tried to calm herself and took his hand.

But Lan Yancy, who’d been waiting nearby, suddenly rushed over, full of urgency.

"President, something happened."

He hesitated to speak further, meaning something significant might have occurred. Hugo sent Eleanor into the house and carefully instructed her.

"Stay home, don’t run around since you’re pregnant, and wait for me to come back."

After leaving those words, he left with Lan Yancy.

After waiting, Eleanor suddenly waited three days and felt devastated to learn about the incident at Grandeur through television.

Grandeur was suspected of tax evasion, and a host of police had already entered to investigate, even the higher-ups were involved.

Upon seeing the overwhelming news, Eleanor felt increasingly cold, with an intuition that this was connected to the old master.

She picked up her phone and called the old master.

Old Master Quinn knew she would call eventually, so he was already waiting on the side.

"Eleanor Hollis, I’ve told you before, you and Hugo can’t possibly win against me. Grandeur is his life’s work; can you bear to see it destroyed? As long as you leave him, nothing will happen to Grandeur, and don’t think he can overcome this crisis. You know Meredith Sterling, right? I had her orchestrate everything behind the scenes; all the evidence is real. If you don’t believe it, wait a few more days and see if Hugo can solve it."

The old master’s words were full of threat, and Eleanor slowly moved the phone away, feeling suffocated in her chest.

It wasn’t just the news on TV, even social media was filled with stories about Grandeur. Grandeur had previously offended many people, and now that it was being investigated, everyone wanted to seize the opportunity to completely swallow Grandeur.

Eleanor finally couldn’t sit still and went immediately to the company.

In the office, she saw Hugo with furrowed brows, and when he saw her, there was a glimmer in his eyes.

He seemed like he hadn’t rested for days, yet his spirits were still high.

"Is it difficult?"

She asked worriedly, unable to resist leaning into his arms.

"It’s a bit difficult, it’ll take at least half a month to sort it out. Meredith Sterling orchestrated all this, and evidence has already been seized by the authorities. They could shut down Grandeur with a single command, but don’t worry, Eleanor."

He comforted Eleanor, feeling a bit worried about her health since she was pregnant and shouldn’t stress over these matters.

"How can I not worry, if it weren’t for me..."

She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes reddening as she rested in his arms.

"How could it be because of you? Don’t take everything upon yourself, I’ve said I’ll take care of it, I just need time. I might not be going home during this period, can you wait for me? The company’s in a bit of chaos."

Looking at the man’s tired face, Eleanor suddenly felt heartache.

She didn’t want to see him so exhausted. If the old master could create such a mess so easily, how about the next time, and the time after that? The old master clearly wouldn’t stop until she left.

Returning home, she still couldn’t calm down, her mind filled with Hugo’s fatigued face. He ought to be the favored son of heaven.

She took a deep breath and dialed the old master’s number again. Now, the old master had seized her two Achilles’ heels — Hugo and Samantha Sullivan. She had no choice but to comply.

"Old Master, I agree, I’ll leave Hugo."

The old master’s face was full of smiles, knowing this would happen sooner or later.

"I don’t just want you to leave him, Eleanor. I want him to hate you and never forgive you."

Eleanor’s heart went cold; this man really was ruthless.

"From now on, you have to follow my instructions and not defy them."

Eleanor slowly closed her eyes, her hand holding the phone involuntarily tightening. Following the old master’s orders, who knows what he might do?

But did she have any other choice?

"Okay."

Her eyes were sore as she touched her belly. If she were really pregnant, how wonderful that would be; at least there’d be some solace.

Once forced to leave, everything here would become a fleeting dream, and maybe before long, Hugo would forget about her.

Hugo indeed had been rather overwhelmed recently. In the few days he hadn’t been to the company, such a significant event occurred. What annoyed him most was the executives concealing the situation, missing the best time to rectify it. And by now, Meredith Sterling had already gone abroad, impossible to apprehend.

His face was grim; the talents he had carefully selected were duped by a few sweet words. It was truly humiliating.

In the vast conference room, the executives were all silent, knowing how serious it was this time. The authorities could shut down the company anytime, causing widespread unemployment, and it was all their doing for believing Meredith Sterling’s words.

Only now did they realize the true nature of Meredith Sterling, that seemingly gentle and pitiful girl had a heart as venomous as a snake.