Chapter 3

Dominic gracefully departed, and I stumbled out after him, shocked to find Ethan still waiting outside the door.

"I saw you throwing yourself at him, Eleanor. I never thought you'd be so shameless!" His eyes seemed to blaze with fire.

I sneered, "What? Are you jealous? Waiting so long downstairs just to mock me?"

Before he could answer, Chloe's syrupy voice drifted from the nightclub across the street. "You're mistaken, Ellie. Ethan was waiting for me, not for you."

She wore a shimmering sequined dress that hugged her curves, a stark contrast to my stiff suit dress.

Ethan's tone with her was utterly doting. "Babe, aren't you cold?"

He took off his coat and draped it over her. She whined coquettishly, "Hmm, not enough. Ethan, warm my hands for me."

Ethan immediately cupped her hands, gently blowing on them to warm them.

I used to cry and demand to know why he loved her and not me.

His answer was that I was always focused on work, like a grim, hardened man.

Only a drama queen like Chloe could make him feel that spark of romance.

"I'm totally wasted, Ethan. Take me home now." Chloe climbed into the passenger seat of the Ferrari.

I snapped, "Get out! Ethan drove me here for my date with Dominic, and now he has to take me back. Besides, I bought him this car!"

"Let Ethan choose, darling," Chloe pouted, then leaned closer to me and hissed maliciously, "You pathetic shrew, you lost again. You can spend all the money you want, but you'll never make Ethan love you. And even if you stripped naked in front of Dominic, you wouldn't get him."

Sure enough, Ethan chose her again, driving the sports car away with a roar.

Just then, a few burly guys burst out of the nightclub, grabbing my hair and demanding money for drinks.

"Your sister didn't pay just now! She told us to find you! Hand over the cash, or else…"

They leered, their dirty hands reaching for me.

I immediately screamed, "Let go of me! Ethan! Help me!"

Ethan hadn't driven far. I was sure he could see the scene in his rearview mirror, but he didn't stop.

He hesitated for just a second, then sped away.

It was just like in our relationship: he unhesitatingly abandoned me, choosing my lifelong enemy, Chloe, leaving me sleepless night after night, crying until my eyes were dry, and laughed at by all my enemies.

"Stop screaming. Come play with us, pretty girl…" The club thug's foul-smelling breath was close to my face, his greasy hand gripping me tight.

I finally snapped, pulling out the documents from my bag and using them as weapons, wildly striking at them.

The sharp edges of the papers cut their skin. My sudden fury forced them to retreat, step after step.

When I turned, I saw Dominic Vance's Rolls-Royce parked by the street.

After confirming I had repelled the thugs, his car started and drove away.

He had witnessed everything, yet chose to stand by.

A wave of frustration washed over me. I realized I didn't have the charm to make him like me.

But I had to use the pretense of pursuing him to secure an investment.

If I could just persuade him to drop Ethan and invest in me instead, I could turn the tables, climbing above Ethan and even my father.

Unexpectedly, a video of me fending off the club thugs was filmed and posted online, even trending on social media.

#HayesHeiressMeltdown #DumpedFiancéDrama

The media gossiped wildly about my history with Ethan, saying I was a rich heiress who supported a poor boy, only for him to get rich and dump me for being a 'dowdy old hag'…

*Slap!* Ethan slammed a stack of newspapers onto the table in front of me.

"The headlines and trending topics are all calling me a 'backstabbing scoundrel'! Eleanor, you knew this was a critical time for me to lead the Hayes Group in fundraising and going public. How could you buy hit pieces to trash my name?"

I sneered, "If you don't want people to know, don't do it. The media isn't wrong. I poured my heart and soul into you for ten years. How are you repaying me?"

Ethan knew he was in the wrong, but his expression remained cold. "You asked me to help you pursue Dominic, and I agreed. But he doesn't like you. What more can I do?"

"That just means you haven't tried hard enough! You need to push harder." I grabbed his tie, manipulating him. "At tomorrow's spring auction, I want to buy him a gift. Whatever I set my sights on, you'll get it for me, no matter the cost."

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