Chapter 185 Hidden Ties of Regal City

Chapter 185 Hidden Ties of Regal City

I forced myself to speak. "I don't need any help from you. My only goal is to end this marriage, that's all. But what you're doing now has completely messed up my plans."

"Are you serious about divorcing him?" Alvin crossed his arms, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "You'd better think this through. In a top circle like the Spencer family, there's no turning back once you leave."

I didn't hesitate for a second. "I'm dead serious."

This marriage was long past saving.

From the moment I lost my child, everything between William and me was already over.

I never owed William anything. These past four years, I gave everything I had—more than enough to settle any debt between us. We're even now.

To outsiders, my wanting a divorce looks like nothing more than me making trouble on purpose, just trying to get attention.

Most people think marrying into the Spencer family is the best thing that could happen to an ordinary person, and choosing to walk away from that is completely irrational.

"I see." Alvin raised an eyebrow and didn't press further. "You don't even need to push for it yourself. You two will be divorced soon enough."

"What do you mean?"

"You've met Jade, right?"

He scratched his head, a trace of disgust crossing his eyes, his tone even. "Anyone or anything Jade sets her sights on ends up going exactly the way she wants. Your divorce is just a matter of time."

He wasn't exaggerating.

I'd seen Jade's style firsthand—forceful, domineering, and possessive to the extreme.

"I hope you're right."

I looked back at Alvin. This was the third time I'd met him, but from how careful William was around him, I could tell he was wary of this man. I couldn't help asking, out of pure curiosity, "What about you? Who exactly are you?"

He wasn't from Silverlight City, yet he'd shown up at the Foster family's birthday banquet dressed however he liked, and he'd dared to mock and target William openly in front of everyone. His background had to be something else entirely.

"Me?" He straightened up lazily, yawned, and there was a hint of smugness in his voice. "Want to know who I really am? That's going to cost you too."

I was completely baffled.

He was clearly from a top-tier family himself, yet he brought up money in every conversation, like someone who'd fallen on hard times and was scraping by on every opportunity he could find.

"Like I said, if you want to make money, there are faster ways than this."

With that, I turned and walked off.

I'd just reached the lobby of the club when Emily came out of the private room. Her eyes were red, clearly from crying.

"Let's go home."

"Okay."

I nodded softly and didn't ask anything else.

Once we were in the car, Emily pulled her coat over her head.

I could hear her quiet sobbing. A few minutes later, she tossed the coat onto the back seat and wiped the tears off her face.

"It's really over. From now on, whether he marries someone else or gets together with anyone, it has nothing to do with me anymore."

Emily had always been open and easygoing.

She never held her feelings in. When she was sad, she let it all out, and once she was done crying, she moved on completely.

Just then, Ryan called.

There was hesitation in his voice, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "Eleanor, the person with Alvin just now, that was you, wasn't it?"

I froze for a second, then decided not to hide it. "How can you be sure it was me?"

That coat had completely covered my body and face. Even William could only suspect it was me because of my shoes, nothing more.

"Are you wondering why William couldn't tell, but I recognized you right away?"

Ryan caught the surprise in my voice and let out a soft laugh.

"Yeah."

"It's simple, really."

Ryan's voice was warm and gentle. "William is too confident. He's convinced you still have feelings for him, so it would never even cross his mind to connect you with Alvin. At most, he'd suspect me."

I answered flatly, "I get it."

Maybe in Ryan's mind, William still had feelings for me.

But I saw things clearly. William never cared about me as a person.

What bothered him was never being emotionally betrayed. It was just his pride and possessiveness as a man being wounded.

"Eleanor."

"What is it?"

There was a brief silence on the line, then he asked, cautiously, "Have you and Alvin known each other for a long time?"

"Of course not."

I answered honestly. "Counting today, we've only met three times. We're basically strangers."

I didn't need to hide anything from Ryan, so after answering, I took the chance to ask my own questions. "Ryan, I've never heard any of you mention Jade or Alvin before. What's their background?"

"They're both from Regal City."

Ryan sounded relaxed, and he explained patiently. "They're not part of our social circle. The Marie family is planning to open a branch in Silverlight City soon, so they sent Jade here to get some experience running things."

"I see."

"As for Alvin."

Ryan went on. "He's the only heir to the Jordan family—the one and only child for generations, spoiled by the whole family. He does whatever he wants and his moods swing all over the place. Nobody can figure him out, so it's best you don't get too close to him."

"Got it, thanks, Ryan."

Since I was already asking, I decided to clear up everything at once. "So are the Jordan family and the Marie family really that powerful?"

"More than just powerful."

Ryan clearly knew this well, his tone turning serious. "In Silverlight City, the Foster family, the Spencer family, and the Brown family are all new powers that have only risen in the past two or three generations. They're just ordinary wealthy families, nowhere near the level of the old, established houses. But Regal City has three top clans that have lasted for generations, and both the Jordan family and the Marie family are among them."

Everything suddenly made sense.

Now I understood why Alvin could ignore the dress code at the Foster family's birthday banquet and dress however he pleased, and why Cressida herself had walked him out.

I also understood why William was so wary of Alvin.

Alvin had provoked him openly, targeted the Spencer family in front of everyone, and stood against them without hiding it, yet William never dared to confront him or give him trouble.

The gap between an ordinary wealthy family and a century-old clan was never about the size of their fortune.

A wealthy family's power comes only from money, while a century-old clan's power comes from connections, standing, and the kind of influence that builds over generations—things money can never buy.

They were the real power players, the ones holding real resources and real influence.

The gap between people, in terms of status, always goes further than ordinary people can imagine.

"Ryan, I have one more question."

"Go ahead."

"Alvin and Jade match in background and age. They could easily marry each other and strengthen ties between their families. So why did they both end up coming to Silverlight City instead?"

"Now that's the real question."

Ryan, uncharacteristically talkative, answered easily. "As it happens, I know about this one. The Jordan family and the Marie family do have a generations-old marriage agreement, but the intended bride was never Jade."

"The real young lady the Marie family arranged the marriage for is the one who was kidnapped as a child and has been missing for years. Rumor has it she and Alvin grew up together, and they were incredibly close."

"I see."

I was genuinely caught off guard. I never expected someone as wild and carefree as Alvin to be so devoted.

He and Ryan were alike in that way—both still holding on to someone from their youth, their feelings unchanged after all these years.