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Not even ten minutes into Cosmo’s meeting, he was already buried in a Finance Department report. His brows were furrowed in concentration as he studied the details, so he didn’t notice Eloise’s presence right away.

The financial director, however, spotted Eloise in the reception area and offered her a polite smile. Eloise returned it with a small nod and smile of her own, making the director quickly look back at his papers, slightly embarrassed.

After pointing out several errors in the report, Cosmo finally looked up and noticed Eloise sitting on the sofa.
“Alright, fix the issues I mentioned and re-submit the report,” he told the director. The man nodded and left immediately.

Cosmo then walked over to Eloise with a curious smile. “What brings you here all of a sudden?”
Usually, whenever he asked her to come with him to the office, she would decline. That’s why her unexpected visit today caught him off guard.

“I met with Mama earlier,” Eloise explained. “She asked if we wanted to have a make-up wedding. I said no, but she told me to ask your opinion too.”

Eloise knew how much work went into planning a wedding, guests, banquets, giveaways, and all sorts of things. They hadn’t even taken proper wedding photos, and they’d probably need to get rings as well. Just thinking about it already felt exhausting.

“Why did you say no? Do you really not want a wedding?” Cosmo asked, a little surprised. “Most women usually care a lot about these things.”
Eloise smiled. “Before marriage, maybe it’s a dream. But after you’re married, you realize that what matters more is the everyday life together, not some grand celebration.”

She had heard of so many women tearing up their wedding photos after a divorce. What used to be happy memories turned into sharp reminders of pain.

“Sounds like you’ve been through something,” Cosmo teased. “The way you’re talking, it’s like you’re already planning to divorce me someday. So… does that mean you’re not planning to divorce me now?”
Eloise muttered under her breath while rolling her eyes, “Not now. But who knows? Maybe someday.”
“What was that?” Cosmo asked with a smile.
Eloise looked him straight in the eye. “That depends on you. However you treat me, that’s how I’ll be with you. Just because we’re fine now doesn’t mean we’ll be fine forever.”

People change, after all. It wasn’t wise to put everything on just one man. Better to keep the option of moving forward, or stepping back, if needed.

Cosmo wasn’t thrilled with her words, but he wasn’t surprised either. That was just how Eloise was, honest and practical in her thinking.
“Alright, we’ll see,” he said. It wasn’t the kind of answer he wanted to hear, but he knew Eloise was the type who knew what she wanted and wasn’t easily swayed by others.

Meanwhile, Ardiel was slowly making her way into the circles of wealthy wives, thanks to her connection with Eloise. She was often invited to social events now.

Elaine, who never liked Eloise, took advantage of this to get closer to Ardiel and other wives with influence. Because of that, her beauty club also started gaining more high-profile clients.

At the salon, a few affluent women began talking about Cosmo and Eloise. One of them asked Elaine about their relationship. Naturally, Elaine didn’t miss the chance to stir things up, especially with the lingering story of Cosmo and Chloe, a woman once close to him.
“What a shame,” Elaine said with a sigh. “If Eloise hadn’t come along, it might have been Chloe with him now. It was obvious back then that Cosmo didn’t really want me, so I never thought I’d end up as his wife. But Chloe… that was different.”

Chloe had nearly been forgotten by everyone. But because of the gossip, her name resurfaced.

Rumors spread that Cosmo had long harbored special feelings for Chloe. That he had even sponsored her studies abroad and visited her while she was away, all because he wanted to be with her.

Some claimed Cosmo had only married Eloise to keep Chloe from being dragged into his family’s issues.
And even though Tania had once said Cosmo liked Eloise before they got married, others insisted that was only said to cover up his past with Chloe.

Sasha, who loved gossip and had wide connections, heard these rumors while she was abroad. Of course, she immediately passed them on to Eloise.

Since some parts of the story sounded plausible, people found it easy to believe even if they didn’t know the whole truth. With neither Cosmo nor Eloise making any official statement, the rumors only grew.

One day, Eloise and Tania attended a banquet. There, they personally overheard a group of wives gossiping about Cosmo and Eloise.

At first, Eloise kept quiet and simply listened. But when she could no longer take it, she finally walked up to them.

“So, you’re really enjoying your gossip, huh? Did you crawl out from under our bed that’s why you know everything?” she asked directly.

The women were caught off guard. They knew Eloise was there, but they didn’t expect her to confront them head-on.

“It’s just chika,” one of them replied, wearing a purple dress.

Eloise’s tone wasn’t angry, but she was calm and firm. “Then why don’t you just ask me instead? I’m the one in your story anyway, right?”

Some of the women looked like they wanted to argue with Eloise, but it was clear they also wanted to avoid trouble. Unfortunately, Eloise blocked their way before they could leave, forcing them to stay put.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to talk about people behind their backs?” Eloise said with a sharp look, her lips curling into a smile. “Are you even sure the things you’re saying aren’t just gossip?”

One of the women couldn’t help but respond. “Which part is gossip? Isn’t it true that Cosmo and Chloe were close before? And wasn’t your marriage forced?”

Eloise raised an eyebrow. “And you? How many boyfriends have you had? Are you sure every single one of those was true love? Why, are people in their twenties not allowed to fall in love?” She said it with a touch of arrogance and confidence.

She smiled when she noticed how speechless they all were. None of them could answer back. Honestly, which one of them didn’t have a past love story before they got married? Everyone had their own history.

“What now? You’re allowed to love and get hurt, but when it comes to me, suddenly it’s a huge scandal?” She looked at each of them in turn. “Double standard much?”

Another woman spoke up. “If Cosmo hadn’t been heartbroken, you wouldn’t even be his wife. You just got lucky.”

Eloise gave a sarcastic smile. “That’s right, I got lucky. Maybe that’s why you’re bitter, you weren’t as lucky. So now you just gossip about me behind my back?”

Silence fell. No one dared to reply. They didn’t expect Eloise to be this fierce. They thought she was just quiet and reserved, someone who preferred studying over drama. But right now, she stood before them like a lioness.

“Did you really think I’d stay quiet forever?” Eloise added before dismissing them. “Next time, if you want real answers, ask me directly. Don’t whisper behind my back.”

After that scene, Eloise noticed Chloe standing under the shade of a tree. She must have arrived earlier and heard everything.

Chloe walked toward her and spoke softly. “You don’t have to mind them.”

Eloise smiled. “Good thing I stayed calm. If it had been Sasha who overheard, she probably would’ve smacked them all.” She let out a small laugh.

Chloe smiled too. With her shy and quiet personality, she admired people like Eloise, those who weren’t afraid to speak up and stand their ground against drama. But for her, even when she wanted to yell or defend herself, she held back. It always felt like a thorn stuck in her throat that she could never pull out.

She was used to holding things in. But the truth was, suppressing everything eventually became a habit, and in the end, all you’re left with is unspoken resentment.

Eloise sighed. “So, what’s keeping you busy these days? Do you have a shoot?”

Chloe nodded. “I accepted a short drama. We’ll be starting in a few days.”

Eloise frowned. “A short drama? You? Why that project?”

Chloe bit her lip. “There’s nothing wrong with taking whatever work comes. Work is work.”

Eloise was caught off guard by her answer. “Wow, you really sound like you’re going through something.”