Chapter 715

The years-long feud between Isabella and Eleanor had reached an impasse, with Henry Lancaster caught in the middle like frozen prey between two predators. No progress. No resolution. Just endless tension.

Then Harrison arrived.

With her quiet elegance and razor-sharp mind, she unraveled the knotted threads between them effortlessly. Like a breath of fresh air in a suffocating room.

Isabella studied the young woman before her. "We've only met once, yet you're helping me like this. Why?"

Harrison's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Sometimes one meeting is enough to recognize kindred spirits. Though I should warn you—your daughter Isabella and I have... history. If she sees us together, her reaction won't be pleasant."

The contrast between the two young women couldn't be starker.

Isabella was spoiled rotten, throwing tantrums over designer handbags while Harrison had not only treated her illness but devised strategies to help her.

A bitter taste filled Isabella's mouth. This remarkable woman wasn't her daughter. The one who was? A constant disappointment.

"You've saved me," Isabella declared, gripping Harrison's hand. "As long as I'm here, that brat won't lay a finger on you."

Harrison's shoulders relaxed. "Then let the show begin."

The stage was set.

Henry returned to Rosewood Manor to find Eleanor waiting. "You're home."

Isabella rushed forward. "Daddy!"

Henry's gaze turned glacial. "Running away today was unacceptable. Your mother nearly collapsed searching for you."

Isabella's face twisted with contempt. "That woman doesn't care about me! Growing up motherless, I dreamed of her return—only to be betrayed all over again!" She pinched her wrist hard enough to draw tears.

Eleanor embraced her. "Shh, darling. You'll always have me."

Isabella clung to her. "Daddy, I want Ms. Eleanor to be my mother!"

Eleanor's cheeks flushed as she glanced hopefully at Henry.

Henry's expression darkened. "Enough! Your mother is Isabella. Never speak of this again!"

Both women froze.

Eleanor paled. "She didn't mean it—"

But Isabella wasn't finished. "Ms. Eleanor has stood by you for decades! She's given you her youth while Mother abandoned us! You owe her—"

CRACK!

Henry's palm connected with Isabella's cheek with brutal force.

Silence.

Isabella touched her stinging face in disbelief. After all her misdeeds, her father had never raised a hand to her.

Until now.

For Harrison.