The people in the cell heard the voice and quickly put down what they were holding. They knelt and bowed.
"Master."
Eleanor turned to look and saw Gabriel's cold figure standing at the cell entrance. His deep, cold eyes looked at her from afar.
She did not stand up. She continued sitting on the chair, sipping the fragrant tea in her hand. She told the servant behind her, "Since the master is here, why aren't you bringing a chair?"
The servant hurried away. Eleanor slightly pulled the corner of her mouth and nodded toward Selene in the cell with her chin. "The master is so busy, but he still made time to come here. Did he come to watch the 'beautiful view' with me?"
Her voice was calm, as if she did not know why he had come. They had not been so intense together last night.
Gabriel looked at the woman, whose beauty could not be hidden even in the dark cell.
She was smiling, but there was no joy in her eyes.
Eleanor always called him 'master' outside. But once inside the bedroom, she only called him by name, showing a fierce side that wanted to devour him.
When she dealt with women who tried to flatter him, she never hid it from him.
No matter how cruel her methods were, she was always open about it, without the fear other women had of being hated if their secrets were found out.
She seemed not to care at all.
The servant was about to bring him a chair, but Gabriel stopped him. His tall figure walked to Eleanor and his cold voice froze the air.
"Enough."
Eleanor no longer wanted to keep the fake smile. She touched her teacup and looked at Selene in the cell. "If the master is not here to enjoy it with me, then leave."
Gabriel did not leave. He stood still in front of her. "Selene, don't move."
"Don't move?" Eleanor laughed softly and looked up at him.
Gabriel said nothing more and lowered his eyes to look at her.
After a few seconds of silence, Eleanor suddenly set down her teacup with a bang. She stood up and pushed toward Gabriel.
"What? Does she really look like the white moonlight in your heart? So hard to let go? Planning to take her back as a substitute to play with?"
The servants kneeling around held their breath, not daring to breathe heavily.
Although the madam and master were at odds, she had never mocked him like this outside.
Gabriel's face suddenly turned cold. "Eleanor!"
Every time the white moonlight was mentioned, Gabriel's expression changed.
Eleanor's eyes showed mockery, and she did not hide it. "Am I wrong? Or is it because I hit the mark? Angry because of shame?"
Gabriel suddenly grabbed her wrist hard. His dark eyes were icy cold. "Eleanor, look at yourself now!"
Eleanor paused. The sharpness around her slowly withdrew. She suppressed the emotions rising inside and stepped back. She fixed her slightly messy clothes and looked at Gabriel. "What do I look like now?"
Gabriel no longer looked at her. He turned to look at Selene in the cell.
Eleanor smiled again, watching his cold and determined side profile staring at Selene. Somehow, she suddenly felt that this routine she had repeated for five years was meaningless.
She suddenly stepped forward, whispered close to his ear, "What do I look like? Haha... maybe I look like someone getting their comeuppance."
Gabriel paused slightly and frowned as he looked back at her.
Eleanor shook off Gabriel's hand and turned to walk out of the cell.
Gabriel stared heavily at her back. His hand that was shaken off slowly clenched. "Eleanor."
Eleanor stopped, then walked back to him. In his dark and deep gaze, she stood on tiptoe and whispered so only they could hear.
"Ah, I almost forgot to tell you, Gabriel, you sounded really good last night."
Gabriel froze. His eyes darkened with shadow.
Eleanor smiled at him and turned to leave the cell.
This time, she did not look back.
Eleanor went to the Autumn Joy bar.
When Melisa arrived, her table was already full of empty bottles.
Seeing the bottles, Melisa's worry grew stronger. She sat next to Eleanor and gently took the bottle from her hand.
"Stop drinking. Your stomach can't take it."
Eleanor looked up, seeing Melisa's worried face. Her grip on the bottle slowly loosened. She smiled bitterly.
"If I don't drink, then I don't. Anyway, no matter how much I drink, I won't get drunk."
The Han family has been in business for generations. They have never lacked all kinds of social drinking. So the children of the Han family, both boys and girls, learn a special skill from a young age: no matter how much they drink, even to the point of alcohol poisoning, they look normal and stay clear-headed.
When Eleanor just returned to the country, she used this skill to outdrink almost all southern merchants at various banquets. Because of this, the Han family business quickly got back on track and grew fast.
Eleanor used to be grateful for this skill. As a woman, it was harder to succeed in business than for men. Even though she always had bodyguards, she was also skilled herself. If she could not stay clear-headed at banquets, she might fall into traps and miss many chances.
But now, after marrying Gabriel, Eleanor started to hate this skill more and more.
Because even if she drank until vomiting blood and needing a stomach wash, her mind stayed clear. She could still clearly remember Gabriel's dark eyes that looked like a stranger's, and how he called another woman's name in a low, hoarse voice while on top of her. This gave her no chance to imagine or forget for a while.
Melisa looked at her and wanted to say something comforting, but her lips moved and then stopped, not knowing what to say.
After drinking, Eleanor lost some of her usual grace and showed more of her natural carefree side.
Her slender, full body was dressed in elegant clothes, but she lay lazily on the soft sofa. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, matching her fair skin and delicate features, making her look stunning and tempting.
As a woman, Melisa could not help feeling a desire to keep Eleanor like a work of art. The other men around them were already secretly casting admiring glances.
To Melisa, Eleanor was almost perfect.
Strong, beautiful, full of endless knowledge, able to do things even men might not manage. Since coming to Anhai, the most prosperous city, Melisa had admired and envied her.
But even Eleanor had not found the happiness she wanted.
Melisa lowered her eyes, pushing down a sudden wave of sadness, and quietly stayed with Eleanor for a while. Then she asked a waiter to bring some soup to sober up and stomach medicine.
Suddenly Eleanor looked at her and asked, "How are things with you and Bernard?"
Hearing the name 'Bernard,' Melisa flinched slightly. She smiled faintly but her expression showed some hidden bitterness.
"Same as before... but," Melisa looked up at Eleanor, a gentle and satisfied smile appearing in her eyes, "after reading the book you gave me last time, when my father-in-law came back last week, I was able to barely keep up with some of his words. He even replied to me."
Being able to keep up with Bernard made Melisa look satisfied. Eleanor smiled slightly and gently squeezed Melisa's hand.
"What about the others in the Mo family?"
Melisa's smile faded a little. "They... are still the same."
Eleanor looked at her for a moment. "Last month I just got a batch of new maids. Tomorrow I'll send two to the market. You go and buy them."
Melisa pressed her lips and looked gratefully at Eleanor but shook her head. "No need, Eleanor. Like you said, I should learn to be independent. That's the only way to solve problems. Even if you gave me many people, I couldn't change much."
After hearing this, Eleanor didn't insist.
The Mo family, like the Gu and Han families, were once among the four great families. After the Gu family's near destruction ten years ago, they rebuilt and now stand strong in the south.
The Mo family, thanks to their ancestors' foresight, started withdrawing from the military and political scene two generations ago. They stayed out of worldly affairs and kept the family stable during this turbulent time.
Melisa's husband, Bernard, is the eldest son of the Mo family. He studied in Europe since childhood and knows both ancient and modern cultures inside and out. He is a rare young genius today.
But though Bernard is talented, his health is very poor. As a child, he often fell ill, sometimes every few days.
As a scholar, his emotions sometimes cause him trouble.
Bernard has a "white moonlight" love he cannot have. She is old and sick, and his mother forced her back by threatening to die.
But even after she returned, Bernard still refused to marry.
In the end, his mother had no choice but to arrange a "luck-bringing" marriage. He took a concubine from a village, chosen because her birth date matched his.