Chapter 731

Henry Lancaster froze mid-step. His jaw tightened visibly.

"Absolutely nothing occurred—"

Harrison Lancaster sliced through his words like a knife. "Nothing happened between you and Eleanor. That's your rehearsed line, isn't it? You've repeated it so often it's lost all meaning. I could recite it in my sleep."

Henry's silence was deafening.

Harrison arched one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Just as nothing transpired between Isabella and her assistant. Yet here you are, consumed by irrational jealousy. Tell me, Henry—doesn't that mirror exactly how Isabella feels about you and Eleanor?"

Henry's fingers curled into fists at his sides.

"I've done my research," Harrison continued smoothly. "Eleanor's parents' tragic demise connects directly to the Lancaster family legacy."

A humorless chuckle escaped Henry's lips. "You investigated her?"

Harrison's crimson lips curved. "I know you've been trying to atone. But there are countless ways to make amends. Perhaps... a less intimate approach?"

The grandfather clock ticked loudly in the heavy silence.

"Understood," Henry finally ground out before turning sharply toward the door.

Harrison's stilettos clicked urgently across marble. "Wait! I'm coming with you!"

The Lamborghini's tires screeched across the Lancaster estate's manicured lawns, coming to rest at a dramatic angle.

Inside the opulent drawing room, Isabella and Eleanor had already begun their carefully choreographed performance upon seeing the car arrive.

Eleanor sprang up dramatically. "I can't remain here another moment! I'm leaving immediately!"

Isabella clutched Eleanor's wrist with theatrical desperation. "You can't! Where would you go? After what our family did to yours—Father always said this is your home!"

Two perfect tears tracked down Eleanor's cheeks. "Don't you see? I'm a laughingstock here now! That woman will never accept me!"

Henry stormed in like a thunderclap. "What's this commotion?"

Isabella rushed to his side. "Father! Eleanor wants to leave!"

Henry's gaze locked onto Eleanor's trembling form. "Explain."

Eleanor lifted a tear-streaked face. "Just... let me disappear..."

Isabella interjected sharply. "Father, Eleanor's remained unmarried all these years—still untouched. Last night you left her alone in your bed! What will people say? And Mother would never—"

Henry's voice cut through the theatrics like ice. "If she wishes to leave, let her."

The room froze.

Eleanor's tears halted mid-track. Isabella's mouth hung open.

Their carefully constructed drama had backfired spectacularly.

Eleanor's voice shook. "You're... telling me to go?"

Henry's expression remained impassive. "You declared your intention to leave. I'm simply not stopping you."

Eleanor's carefully constructed facade cracked. "I didn't mean—"

"The Wintervale villa is yours," Henry continued calmly. "All paperwork is finalized. Move in whenever you choose."

The grandfather clock's pendulum swung relentlessly, marking the end of Eleanor's carefully laid plans.