Chapter 2

Ethan looked at me, his brows tightly furrowed, a flicker of impatience in his eyes.

"That school is the top private institution in Europe; countless children from elite families would kill to get in. Lily studying there will only benefit her future."

"I'm her father. Do you think I'd harm her? This is your overprotective love, and it's ruining her prospects."

"The bigger picture, Ellie. As the lady of the Thorne house, you should understand what sacrifices need to be made more than anyone."

The bigger picture.

Always the bigger picture.

He forced Eleanor to her death to preserve his beloved's "bigger picture."

Later, he stripped me of my management authority in the corporation to appease shareholders – the "bigger picture."

And now, he wants to abandon his ten-year-old daughter in a foreign country without a second thought, all for the "bigger picture."

I was so angry I laughed, my voice piercingly harsh in the empty ballroom.

"The bigger picture? Ethan, you're willing to throw your ten-year-old daughter to the wolves in a foreign country just to please another woman, and you call that 'the bigger picture'? What a truly devoted father you are!"

"Shut up!"

Ethan erupted in fury, slamming to his feet and pointing at me.

"Eleanor Hayes, how dare you speak to me like that?!"

Serena, feigning fear, shrank behind Ethan, advising in a sugary voice,

"Ellie, Ethan is just thinking about the child's well-being. Lily staying here, seeing us like this, wouldn't be good for her development. How can you be so selfish, only thinking of yourself and not wanting to let go of her, without considering her future?"

I spun around, my gaze like a sharp blade piercing Serena.

"For her well-being?"

I walked step by step towards the main table, glaring at her.

"If you're so concerned about children, your daughter, Isabella Thorne, is already fifteen. She should see the world, so why not send her?"

Serena's face paled, and she shook her head frantically.

"Isabella... she's not well. She can't handle hardship. And... and Ethan said Lily needs the training more..."

"Lily needs the training more?"

I scoffed.

"Aren't you always bragging to people that the Thorne family will eventually be yours, that you're the one Ethan truly cares about? So, when it comes to making sacrifices, why are you suddenly remembering that Lily is the legitimate Thorne daughter?"

Serena was speechless, reduced to hiding behind Ethan, sobbing softly.

"Ethan, look at her... I was only trying to help, and she's humiliating me like this in front of everyone..."

Ethan protectively shielded her, his gaze towards me colder than ice.

"Eleanor Hayes, I'm not discussing this with you today; this is a decision!"

He waved his hand, and an assistant, trembling, presented a document to me.

"Mrs. Thorne, this is the school enrollment agreement. Please sign it."

Lily cried and rushed forward, clutching Ethan's leg tightly.

"Daddy! Please don't send me away! I promise I'll be good and never make you angry again! Daddy..."

Ethan didn't even glance at her, coldly pushing her away.

"Guards, take Lily upstairs! No one is to see her without my permission!"

"I'd like to see who dares!"

I snarled, pulling Lily behind me.

The lethal aura from years of special forces training instantly erupted, forcing the bodyguards who were about to advance to take a collective step back.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, staring at me dangerously.

"Eleanor Hayes, are you trying to defy me?"

"What if I am?"

I looked at him coldly, then suddenly reached out and snatched the document from the assistant's hands.

To everyone's horrified gazes, I tore it with both hands.

"Rip—"

The enrollment agreement was ripped in half and thrown at Ethan's feet like trash.

"Ethan, listen carefully. As long as there's one Hayes family member alive, Lily will never be sent to a place like that by you!"