Chapter 259

Chapter 259

The Lancaster Group Presidential Office

Elena sat hunched over the IPO assessment report, her eyes scanning the endless rows of figures.

She had to admit—Kian's workload was insane.

Back when she was abroad on her own, she'd pushed herself hard, dealing with all kinds of people and situations. But compared to what Kian handled daily? It was child's play.

She let out a long sigh, murmuring to herself.

"Guess I'm just building up Nora's inheritance."

The words came out flippant, but the moment she thought about Kian lying unconscious, fighting for his life, her chest tightened with a thousand tiny pinpricks of pain.

Just then, her phone buzzed on the corner of the desk. Unknown number.

Elena hesitated, then answered. Immediately, Eleanor's shrill voice sliced through the line:

"Elena. Come see me. Now. We need to talk."

Same as always—barking orders like Elena was still some subordinate.

Elena's fingers stilled. She caught the venom in Eleanor's tone and instantly understood.

Howard and Indigo had just gotten shut down at the company. Now Eleanor was calling out of the blue? Definitely their doing. Definitely nothing good.

She had no intention of wasting time on pointless drama. Her tone stayed cool.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Lancaster. I'm in the middle of handling urgent IPO matters. I don't have time to meet. Whatever it is, you can say it over the phone."

"Over the phone?"

Eleanor's laugh was cold and sharp.

"Elena, don't push your luck."

That same condescending tone. Always looking down.

"I 'will' see you today. And if you don't come to me, then I'll go to the hospital myself. Pay a little visit to my 'dear granddaughter' Nora."

She drew out the words 'dear granddaughter' like a blade.

The threat landed like a spike straight to Elena's heart.

Nora was still recovering. Her little body had just started to heal—she couldn't handle any kind of disturbance.

And Eleanor? She was unstable. If she said she'd do something, she'd do it. If she actually showed up at the hospital and made a scene, Nora would be the one to suffer.

A child is a mother's weakness.

Elena gripped the phone tighter, her voice low and controlled.

"Where are you? I'll come to you."

Eleanor rattled off the name of an upscale restaurant and a private room number.

"I'll be waiting. And don't make me wait long—or I can't guarantee I won't do something you'll regret."

The line went dead.

Elena pressed her fingers to her temples, briefed Ryan on what needed handling, grabbed her bag, and headed out.

An hour later, she arrived.

She pushed open the door to the private room and immediately spotted Eleanor sitting by the window.

But when Elena got closer, her heart jolted. She almost didn't recognize the woman in front of her.

In her memory, Eleanor had always been polished and elegant. Even past fifty, she'd maintained that regal air.

But now? Her cheeks were sunken. Dark circles pooled beneath her eyes. She looked ten years older, at least. The lines on her face were so deep even heavy foundation couldn't hide them.

She'd caked on makeup today—bright red lipstick smeared unevenly across her mouth, exaggerated smoky eyeshadow smudged at the corners of her eyes. It didn't make her look put-together. It made her look harsh.

Especially that thick eyeliner. It only sharpened the bitterness in her gaze.

"Sit."

Eleanor glanced up at Elena, her fingernails tapping against the table in a sharp, grating rhythm.

Elena pulled out a chair and sat down, hands folded neatly in her lap. She didn't speak first. She waited.

"Elena, I know exactly what you're up to."

Eleanor wasted no time. Her voice was like a knife.

"Kian's unconscious, so you swoop in and take over his shares, seize control of the Lancaster Group, and now you think you can use that child to worm your way back in as Mrs. Lancaster?"

"Let me make this clear—dream on. You will 'never' set foot in the Lancaster family again. Not in this lifetime."

Elena could hardly believe it. After all this time, this was still all Eleanor cared about.

"I took over the Lancaster Group because Arthur asked me to. I'm stabilizing the company until Kian wakes up. When he does, I'll step down."

Elena kept her tone even, patient.

"As for Nora, she's my daughter. Protecting her is my right as her mother. I've never used her to fight for anything. I have more than enough ability to build a future for her on my own."

"'Asked you?' I call that opportunism!"

Eleanor slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet, jabbing a finger in Elena's face.

"You're a curse! You destroyed my family—the Stewarts went under because of you! And now you come back and put Kian in the hospital! You're bad luck incarnate!"

"Get out of the Lancaster Group. Stop bringing disaster on us!"

The insults kept coming, each one uglier than the last. Elena's patience frayed thread by thread.

She remembered five years ago—how Eleanor had looked down on her for being an orphan, how she'd mocked and belittled her at every turn. And now, once again, Eleanor was pinning every failure on her. Even dragging Nora into it.

Elena took a deep breath and stood.

"Mrs. Lancaster, we clearly have nothing more to say to each other."

"I'll say this one last time. I will manage the Lancaster Group. I will protect Nora. And you need to stop coming after me."

Seeing Elena about to leave, Eleanor panicked.

Elena wasn't going to listen. She wasn't going to back down.

Eleanor's mind flashed back to Howard's backup plan—

"Elena's not going to agree easily. So when the time comes, we hold her head down and 'make' her nod."

Eleanor bit down hard on her lip. She pulled a pill from her pocket—the one Howard had given her—and swallowed it. Then she squeezed her eyes shut, steeled herself, and let her body tip backward.

She hit the floor hard.

"Ah!"

"My heart… it hurts…"

She clutched her chest, her face draining to a ghastly white. Her breathing turned shallow and rapid. Cold sweat beaded across her forehead.

Elena spun around. Her brow furrowed instantly.

She pulled out her phone and dialed for an ambulance, then knelt down to check Eleanor's condition. Her breathing was getting weaker by the second.

The paramedics arrived quickly. Elena rode with them to the hospital.

She'd barely had two minutes to catch her breath when her phone started buzzing nonstop. Olivia's name flashed on the screen. Her voice was frantic:

"Elena, check online! Now! Someone's smearing you!"

Elena's stomach dropped. She opened her phone. The trending topics were plastered across the top:

#ElenaDrovesEleanorToCollapse

#ElenasRevengeOnTheLancasterFamily

She clicked in. The posts were vicious.

Someone had snapped photos of her and Eleanor arguing at the restaurant.

Others had added their own spin—claiming she was trying to steal the Lancaster fortune and had deliberately provoked the elderly Eleanor. That she was cruel. Heartless. A monster who wouldn't even spare an old woman.

The comment section was a flood of hate. People piled on, calling her ungrateful. A snake.

Elena's jaw tightened. She was about to have Ryan contact PR when suddenly—the narrative flipped.

A new post shot to the top: "Elena's Five Years: Not Revenge. A Comeback."

The poster had done their homework. They laid out a full timeline:

Five years ago, Elena married into the Lancaster family. Eleanor tormented her. Kian was cold and distant. To protect her unborn child, she faked her death and left. She raised her daughter alone for five years, built her own design studio overseas.

Now, with Kian critically injured, she'd stepped up to save the Lancaster Group, turning around multiple failing projects. Meanwhile, Eleanor's past cruelty, Howard and Indigo's schemes to seize the family fortune—it was all exposed.

The comments flipped instantly. People rallied behind Elena:

> [This isn't revenge. This is a woman who got pushed to the edge and came back swinging. She still saved Eleanor after everything? That's strength.]

> [Elena's gorgeous, brilliant, raised a kid solo for five years 'and' built a career? Absolute queen behavior.]

The public opinion reversed so fast it was dizzying.

Elena stared at the screen, her eyes narrowing slightly.

This was too coordinated. Too precise. It wasn't organic. Someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.

And the first person who came to mind?

Felix.