Chapter 3

I bought a plane ticket that very night and flew to France.

At the vineyard, the old butler’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw me.

“Miss Eleanor, what brings you here? Didn’t you say you were lending the estate to Mr. Blackwood for a banquet today? And that all the family members were to be cleared out?”

Hearing that, pure rage surged through me.

Just as I was about to answer, Julian’s call came through.

“Darling, I’m in a cross-country meeting. I’ll fly back to you as soon as I’m done.”

Before I could reply, I faintly heard a sickly sweet female voice from the other end.

“Julian, do I look good in this?”

The next second, Julian muffled the phone and walked away.

“Gotta go, the meeting's starting.”

Almost simultaneously, the grand, ornate gates of the vineyard swung open, and over a dozen luxury cars pulled up, parking one after another in the fountain square.

Countless unfamiliar faces were being seated. I found a secluded spot and sat down.

Once everything was set, Chloe, wearing a fiery red haute couture gown, made her grand entrance, radiating the triumphant arrogance of someone who'd gotten everything she ever wanted.

“Let me introduce myself. I am Chloe Miller, the new owner of this vineyard.”

“Mr. Blackwood said that from now on, the wine, the castle, even every grape in the vineyard, are all under my command!”

“To celebrate, all the wines are seventy percent off! Consider it my welcome gift to you all!”

Seventy percent off? She's certainly generous. The cheapest bottle here costs at least a million dollars.

Some are even collector’s items; even the British Royal Family would have to think twice before getting a discount like that!

Mr. Davies, who had watched me grow up, was seething with anger.

“Since when did this vineyard belong to her?!”

“And Julian Blackwood! How dare he keep a mistress behind Miss Eleanor’s back! Is he out of his mind?!”

Seeing the butler about to storm out, I quickly shook my head. This wasn't the time to expose her.

I wanted to wait for Julian to personally admit his relationship with Chloe, then I would utterly ruin that wretched pair.

Just then, the ornate gates opened again, and Julian walked in, dressed in a custom-tailored suit.

Seeing him, Chloe immediately ran into his arms, giggling as she shook his arm.

“Julian, I told you this brand of suit fits you best.”

Julian’s eyes visibly stiffened, but he managed to maintain a poker face and nodded.

And the anger in my heart almost burst into flames. The founder of that brand is a sworn enemy of my family.

My father, he was literally schemed against by them – it broke his heart and his health.

Julian knew all about this, yet now, he was publicly slapping me in the face.

Just as I could no longer hold back and was about to storm out, Julian's friends surrounded him.

“Julian, look at Chloe! She's so vibrant, so captivating!”

“Chloe, our Julian here just hands over a multi-million-dollar estate like it's nothing! Where else would you find a man like that!”

Amidst their laughter, Chloe lowered her head, blushing.

Just then, Mr. Jenkins, the wine estate manager, who was delivering wine, spoke up, confused.

“What do you mean 'now belongs to a Miller'? Didn't you just borrow this from our young lady, Miss Vance?”

At his words, the guests exchanged bewildered glances, whispering amongst themselves.

“What’s going on?”

“I only ever heard this vineyard belonged to Mrs. Blackwood. But Mrs. Blackwood's surname is Vance, isn't it?”

“Huh? Then if her name is Miller, isn't she a fake?!”

Mr. Jenkins's face was already burning with anger.

“Mr. Blackwood, how could you do such a thing behind Miss Eleanor’s back?!”

Saying this, he reached for his phone to call me.

The next second, Julian's bodyguards swarmed forward, roughly forcing the manager to his knees.

Julian’s gaze swept coldly over the crowd.

“Silence him. Make him understand the price of loose talk.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried the ruthlessness of someone long accustomed to power. The banquet hall fell into immediate silence.

Julian didn't even lift an eyelid, his fingers idly caressing Chloe’s face.

“Chloe is the *real* Mrs. Blackwood! Eleanor Vance is nothing but a servant I hired for my household!”

A servant?

I almost laughed out loud from sheer indignation.

It seemed Julian had truly forgotten who had helped him climb to his current position of power.

If it weren't for me, he'd still be begging on the streets, getting kicked around by strangers!

I stood by him for ten years, fighting tooth and nail, even taking two knives to the chest for him, while my brother helped us behind the scenes.

Even when I was hovering between life and death, all I could think about was how to pave the way for his success.

And now, in his mouth, I was just a “servant.”

No one dared to challenge Julian, and they all quickly chimed in.

“Oh, is that how it is! Mrs. Blackwood is far too generous, letting a maid use the Blackwood name to scam people!”

Some even advised Chloe.

“Mrs. Blackwood, a maid like that might try to seduce Mr. Blackwood at any time.”

“You need to be careful! I think you should fire her!”

“With such malicious intent, she should be thrown into the sea to feed the fish!”

The smugness on Chloe's face was impossible to suppress.

The manager’s face was ashen, and he struggled desperately before being dragged away.

“I want to see Miss Eleanor Vance! She’s the real Mrs. Blackwood!”

The guests wore expressions of disdain.

“This maid is truly cunning! Even the vineyard manager has been fooled by her!”

“Mr. Blackwood, you can’t keep a treacherous person like that around.”

Julian’s cold gaze swept over everyone, and his thin lips parted.

“I’ll say it one more time: I only have one wife, Chloe Miller. From now on, anyone who dares to disrespect her will face my wrath.”

The hall was silent, save for my slow applause, which drew everyone’s attention.

I took off my baseball cap, looking at them coldly. “Then tell me, if she’s Mrs. Blackwood, who am I?”

Julian’s and Chloe’s smiles instantly froze.

The air in the banquet hall seemed to instantly solidify.

The guests' eyes collectively snapped to me. From initial confusion, they gasped in shock as they recognized my face.

Chloe’s triumphant smile instantly froze.