Henry tushed to catch up with Ste.

Fions and Andrew exchanged a knowing look, silently observing

Just before they reached Eleanor’s doo, Hoy stopped Ste. “I’m sorry” he said. “This is all my fault. I didn’t know you couldn’t eat in ?morning 1 thought maybe you could have just a little, even if you weren’t hungry.

was going to order takeout, but the food out there isn’t healthy enough. So, I decided to make it myself for poni.

“Honestly, after we parted yesterday, I missed you so much that I just had to see you again. That’s why came up with this excuse. Please don’t be mad at me. If you don’t like it I promise I won’t do it again.”

Ste sighed in reliet “Come in with me.”

Inside the room, Eleanor stood up as they entered, but Henry gently stopped her. He said, “Eleanor, please stay seated. Your healthes first, and I’m just here to check on you,”

Eleanor nced at Ste and said to Henry, “They brought me the breakfast you made. It was delicious. I’m bso /bpleased you have such good cooking

Henry blushed slightly. “To be honest, I couldn’t cook before. But thinking about marrying Ste makes me so happy. I wanted to do something bfor /bher. I wasn’t sure what else I could do, so I decided to start by learning to cook.

Eleanor said, “That’s very thoughtful of you.”

Henry stole a nce bat /bSte. “I know how big the gap is between us, but I’m determined to bridge it. For Ste, I’d do anything

Eleanor nodded, and throughout the conversation, Henry did all the talking. Ste remained silent.

Soon, Henry excused himself, leaving Ste alone with Eleanor.

Eleanor’s eyes were soft and tender as she looked at Ste. “Ste, you don’t really want to marry him, do you? bI /bknow it’s a lot to ask of you. Just say the

word, and I’ll-”

“Grandma,” Ste interrupted Eleanor firmly. “I’m willing to

Eleanor bstudied /bSte carefullyb, /bsensing that something was being hidden. She had asked, but Ste didn’t want to say. There was nothing more she could do. With a quiet sigh, Eleanor told herself to trust that this was the right choice for Ste.

Ste stepped out of Eleanor’s room and nearly bumped into Max

Apparently, Henry had already transferred 1 billion to Max, with over 3 billion more pending. bThese /bfunds would only be released after Ste and Henry got marriedb. /b

Ste thought, ‘Now that thepany’s affairs are all settled, he’s got nothing better to do than keep an eye on me, right?”

Ste kept ignoring him, but Max trailed after her. He said, “bLook/b, Henry may be a bit older, and he has a kid. He was widowed twice, but he’s truly devoted to you.

“Since his second wife passed, he hasn’t been with anyone else. With his wealth, he could have been with anyone, yet when our family was in trouble, he came to bus /bfirst, Doesn’t it show how sincere he is?

“Forget about his age, looks, or height. What matters is he genuinely loves you and will cherish you for the rest of his ”

Ste stopped and turned to face him. “Max, doesn’t this whole situation seem suspicious to you??

Max blinked, caught off guard. “Suspicious? What do you mean?”

“You admitted it yourself, ste said. “He came in our family right after the crisis. Don’t you think he might have ulterior motivest

Max scoffed. “You’re being too cynical. What ulterior motive could he have?”

Ste gave a coldugh. “Motives? There are plenty, Mr. Hayes. If you can’t see that, you’re asking for trouble”

Max said, “Ste, we only want what’s best for you. Why are you so ungatefull Do you really think you’ll find anyone who treats you better than Henry bdoes/b?

Steb, /bwho had bstarted /bwalking away, suddenly stopped and turned around to face Max. She locked eyes with him. “Max, in your eyes, I must be utterly disgusting, right?”

Max froze, visibly shocked again.

“Exactly,” Ste continued, her voice sharp. “Forget about those people who refuse to believe I wasn’t gang–raped. Even though you personally heard the doctor confirm it, you still wouldn’t believe me.

“To you, a woman blike /bme, who’s supposedly slept with countless men, should feel lucky that anyone would want me. But instead, f being picky about everything. You think I’m wrong, don’t you?”

| Eleanor away whenever I want. As for the

“Max, I’ve already agreed to marry Henry. What I choose to do is my business. Stop bothering me, or I’ll take  rest of byou/bb, /bdo whatever the hell you want

Ste returned to her room, waiting for Martin to arrive for her treatment.

She wasn’t worried. She knew he would show up. The Hayes family relied on him to bhelp /bher recover, mainly so they could parade her around for the media and boast about how well they’d taken care of her. How hypocritical.

After the acupuncture session, Martin stared at Ste in surprise. b“/bYou’re recovering for quicker than I expected. bHave /byou been following all bmy /binstructions!”

“Yes, I bwalk /bas much as I can every day. if i get too tired, I take a break.”

Ste nodded. “Yes, I

Martin bsaid/b, “That’s excellent. With byour /bdedication, I believe you’ll make significant progress in three months. But about your rheumatism…

Ste knew it wouldn’t be cured overnight. “I’ve learned to live with it. Thank you, Dr. Dewitt.”

In just a few days, Martin had be quite fond of Ste. Smiling warmly, he assured her, “Don’t worry, Ste. I believe byou’ll /bwork ba /bmiracleb./b”

A miracle? Ste thought for a moment. “bMaybe /bit’s just about defying fate. Even if it doesn’t end well, at least I’ll have tried!

Once Martin left, Ste checked herptop. Jordan had mentioned somepany matters that needed bher /battention, so she wanted to review them. But first, she decided to grab a bss /bof water.

She went downstairs. As she bturned /bto go back up, Anna suddenly mped her hand over her nose. “Ugh, what is that smell? Mary,e here. Did you forget to clean the bathroom?”

Mary hurried out of the first floor storage room, looking puzzled. “What’s wrong? just cleaned the bathroom.”

“It smells bawful/b! Disgusting!” Anna bsaid/b.

Fiona came out of her room, wrinkling her nose. “Oh, my God. It really stinks What’s going on?

Ste stood rented to the spot for a long while, not

Fiona, her sharp sense of smell quickly pinpointing the source, shot Ste a ing look. “Ste, what on earth is wrong with you? Why does it smell so

Ste’s face darkened as she slowly began to walk up the stairs, acutely aware of the servants‘ eyes on her

Anna’s eyes widened in shock. “S Ste, don’t tell me you

Ste tumed to her, ring coldly. “Yes, just as you think. Thad an ident.”

The maids all fell silent, not daring to speak..

Fiona marched up to Ste. “What are you doing? Are you trying to suffocate us with that stench? Ste, what’s wrong with you?”

Ste’s eyes hardened as she met Fiona’s gaze, causing Fionato bfall /bsilent

She said, “In Dusty Pines, I lost control of my bodily functions. Sinceing bback/b, I’ve tried to use the bathroom as much as I can.

“But I’m not used to life here, I’ve been constipated for days. It just happened unexpectedly Does that answer your question?”

?