Chapter 5 Clapback At Ex-fiancé'S Mum

"My wife…" When I heard those two words, my face flushed instantly. There was something flirtatious in the way Edward said it. Alexander was shocked. Were they really married? Edward wouldn't just randomly bring a woman to deceive him. However, this wife of his good friend looked so familiar. He seemed to have heard her name somewhere, Eleanor… Alexander silently repeated these three words in his mind several times. Suddenly, he seemed to think of something. He looked up abruptly, almost choking himself. "Eleanor! Isn't this the one who was exposed for cheating at yesterday's engagement party... the one who made a 'big splash' at yesterday's engagement party? Edward, you actually married the one Arthur dumped..." He swallowed hard on the last few words, not daring to utter them. I suddenly understood. Alexander surely couldn't believe that Edward had married his nephew, Arthur's fiancée, which was why he was so astonished. After all, it was against ethics for Edward, as an uncle, to marry his nephew's former fiancée. Edward's eyes darkened slightly, and he said calmly, "You can leave now." Alexander also wanted to get away from this troublesome place as soon as possible. He coughed several times. "Miss Lancaster, I'll take my leave then. Oh, by the way, Edward, that person has shown up. You might want to look into it when you have time." With that, as if something was chasing him from behind, he ran off in a flash and disappeared in three seconds. Edward turned his gaze to me, as if sizing me up. It was a while before he spoke gently. "It seems Miss Lancaster has already cleared up the rumors from yesterday's wedding banquet. You're much faster at handling things than I expected." I always felt that Edward's words carried an element of probing. "Luckily, it was all just a coincidence. I happened to run into the person Vivian bribed. That's why things went so smoothly." Edward's lips curved slightly. "Is that so?" He had also investigated the person who fabricated the pictures and spread the rumors, but unfortunately, he was a step too late. I couldn't figure out exactly what he meant for a moment. Just then, his assistant Nicholas opened the car door. I immediately changed the subject. "Mr. Ashford, what are you doing at the hospital too?" Edward's eyes narrowed slightly. "Handling some troubles caused by my juniors." Troubles? I thought for a moment and then suddenly understood. Heh, it must be that messy business of Arthur calling off the engagement. Thinking of the broken engagement, I started to worry. The engagement token between Arthur and me was a black-diamond brooch named Eclipse. It was given to the Cavendish family by my mother, but the condition was that it would belong to the Cavendish family only after I married into it. This brooch could earn a favor from Highgate. That was one of the reasons why Arthur, despite loathing me, hadn't called off the engagement. Highgate was the political and financial center, and its status was far beyond that of Ravenshire. Now that the brooch was in my hands, Vivian would surely try to take it away. But if I give it to Edward... At this thought, I gave him a shy smile, and then I said in a pleading tone, "Mr. Ashford, since we should never put off till tomorrow what we can do today, how about I give you my brooch to celebrate our marriage now?" The air suddenly fell silent. Edward looked over. He seemed to have caught sight of the word 'Cavendish' on one corner of the brooch. With a faint smile on his lips, he said, "Not really a good idea. Giving me the engagement token from your ex-fiancé? Is this some kind of recycling?" I was speechless. Weren't you from the Cavendish family too? What difference would it make if I gave it to you? I forced myself to keep smiling. "How can you say it's recycling? This brooch is a token of the agreement between my mother and the Cavendish family. Anyway, it's going to be yours. What does it matter if it's given earlier or later?" Edward narrowed his eyes, looking a bit suspicious of my words, and sank deep into thought. Just then, Nicholas stopped the car and turned his head respectfully. "Edward, we've arrived at the Gilded Café." I looked up in surprise. The Gilded Café was a well-known restaurant among the upper-class. Vivian was a regular there, but I'd never had the chance to dine there. What was Edward bringing me here for? Edward was playing with the brooch in his hand and gave a soft laugh. "Since you want to give me the brooch, I'll accept it." "But I can't just take your token for nothing. So, I'll treat you a meal. Let's go." I let out a sigh of relief when he took the brooch, but then I grew curious. How did he know I wanted to come to this place? Was it just a coincidence? Before I could figure it out, some discordant voices suddenly came from not far away. "That woman doesn't deserve my son. Allowing her to break off the engagement gracefully was already showing her mercy! A bumpkin. I bet no one will want her now that Arthur has dumped her!" "The scandal spread like wildfire yesterday. Arthur is very kind, if you ask me. Such a woman should be ruined, both in reputation and fortune…" Mocking laughter rang out intermittently. Several women dressed like noble ladies wore looks of contempt. Just then, one of them suddenly saw me and widened her eyes: "Lady Cavendish, look! Isn't that Eleanor!" Everyone turned their heads abruptly. I frowned. What bad luck, running into Arthur's mother while coming for a meal. I was about to head to the private room when, unexpectedly, Mrs Cavendish, Vivienne, quickly walked up. She had a look of disgust on her face. "What are you doing here, Eleanor? Arthur has broken off the engagement with you. What's the point of trying to curry favor with me now?" Curry favor with her? I was so angry that I almost laughed. Arthur and his mother were equally narcissistic. Many guests around looked over. Vivienne held her head high, looking haughty. "If you admit your mistakes in front of me, maybe I'll put in a good word for you with Arthur. But don't get your hopes up. Arthur would never marry someone like you…" "Mrs Cavendish," I interrupted Vivienne, smiling in a rather profound way. "Why do you think that I must marry Arthur?" I stared straight into Vivienne's eyes. I saw her tremble slightly, but then she tried to put on a brave face. "Ridiculous! Everyone in Ravenshire knows you're infatuated with Arthur. Eleanor, you should know your place. Look at Vivian, she's nothing like you! A woman as ignorant as you, Arthur would never look at you twice!" I turned my head and saw Edward standing not far behind me. He didn't seem to have any intention of speaking up. It seemed he wanted me to handle this on my own. Suddenly, a devious idea popped into my head. "Mrs Cavendish, considering we were once engaged, I thought it inappropriate to talk about some aspects of our private life. Now that the engagement is off, I've already spared Arthur's dignity. Don't push me to tell everyone he can't get an erection." As soon as these words came out, everyone was stunned. This was clearly telling everyone that Arthur was impotent! After all, as Arthur's fiancée, I should know best if he was a real man or not. Vivienne's face changed drastically. She shrieked, "Eleanor, what on earth are you spouting!" I feigned helplessness and shook my head. "Mrs. Cavendish, you really don't need to test me anymore. I'm not interested in a man who can't perform. If Vivian wants him, she can have him. You don't really think your son is some hot commodity, do you?" The onlookers' expressions grew even more peculiar. Vivienne was so angry that she was trembling all over, a seething rage pent-up in her chest. "You... son of bitch, shut up!!" "Alright, I'll shut up." I sighed, pretending to be magnanimous. "Mrs. Cavendish, you'd better accept the truth sooner rather than later. It's not the end of the world if your son has issues. After all, Vivian is sticking by him, isn't she?" Finally, the crowd couldn't help but start whispering among themselves. "Oh my God, knowing Arthur has such a problem, Vivian still throws herself at him. What's she after?" "No wonder I often saw Arthur going to the hospital. Miss Lancaster has kept this secret for so many years. She must have had a tough time!" "Exactly. Mrs Cavendish knows her son has this issue but still thinks Miss Lancaster is obsessed with him. The Cavendishes are just too full of themselves, aren't they?" One mocking comment after another rained down. The smile on my lips grew wider. I brushed past Vivienne and casually said, "Mrs. Cavendish, I suggest you stop bothering me. You see, if you do, it's your son who'll end up looking bad." With that, I didn't look back and walked straight towards the private room.