Chapter 629

Chapter 629

Logically speaking, the last thing the Myers family should be doing right now was rushing into new partnerships.

They simply couldn't afford to take any risks. Using their limited resources to patch internal problems should have been their top priority.

Yet they used this precious opportunity to zero in on Lucas and Eleanor for collaboration with pinpoint accuracy.

The whole thing reeked of calculated scheming from start to finish.

That was when Lucas started keeping his guard up.

On the surface, he played along with Clifford. Behind the scenes, he had people dig into what the Myers family had been up to lately.

Hearing all this, Eleanor still had one major question. She studied Lucas carefully. "You're sure you were hypnotized? And you're fully aware right now? How?"

Three questions in rapid succession, because Eleanor had heard about Casey's abilities.

So how had Lucas managed to avoid the hypnosis?

Lucas pulled out a mental health evaluation he'd had done in secret and showed it to Eleanor. "This diagnostic report proves I'm clearheaded right now."

Getting the evaluation wasn't just to prove things to Eleanor.

Lucas himself had been worried that if he got controlled, he might do something that would hurt Eleanor.

He couldn't take that chance. So he'd confirmed he was safe before returning to the country.

While Eleanor looked over the report, Lucas explained, "Before I left the country, Phillips came to me. He gave me some capsules—said they could reduce the effects of hypnosis. But more importantly, he told me to stay vigilant at all times, not to let myself fall into the hypnosis trap."

If Lucas had only been suspicious before...

The moment he noticed someone trying to hypnotize him, he became certain that Clifford was up to no good. That made him even more alert.

Which ironically helped Lucas resist the effects of hypnosis even better.

As for later playing along with Wendy's flirtations and signing that contract without hesitation—it was all an act to make them think the hypnosis had worked, to make them let their guard down.

All so Clifford would gradually reveal his true intentions.

Resisting hypnosis wasn't easy.

But Lucas had advantages.

First, he had the medication. Second, he'd already built up mental defenses.

On top of that, he knew Eleanor and Asher were counting on him. Asher's situation was already dangerous. If something went wrong with Lucas, it would directly threaten Asher's safety.

So Lucas's resolve was rock-solid.

From the moment he realized Clifford was trouble, there was no way he'd be hypnotized.

"What about the contract?" Eleanor pressed.

"Don't worry."

Lucas gave her a reassuring smile. "From the moment I knew Clifford had bad intentions, I've been waiting for him to slip up.

The contract itself is fine, but before I signed it, I planted some landmines in there. Later on, I'll actually be able to use it to screw Clifford over and make some money off him."

Otherwise, even if Lucas needed to play along and deceive Clifford, he never would have done anything that truly damaged their interests.

Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

They'd been apart for a while, and so much had happened in between.

Now that they were finally reunited, they had endless things to talk about.

As for bringing Wendy back...

Just thinking about these past few days of pretending with Wendy made Lucas's skin crawl.

His expression turned cold. Remembering how Wendy kept taking subtle verbal jabs at Eleanor made him especially irritated.

Bringing her up now, his tone was full of disgust. "I agreed to bring her back because Clifford really cares about this daughter."

From just that one sentence, Eleanor instantly understood Lucas's intention.

She considered it thoughtfully. "So you went along with Wendy's request to come back together, but actually it was to keep her under your control, so you'd have leverage over Clifford later."

"Exactly."

Though the father and daughter were cautious in their actions...

Even after he'd shown signs of being successfully hypnotized, they'd barely slipped up.

But on this matter, they'd been a bit overconfident.

Clifford had actually felt comfortable letting Wendy leave with Lucas. That gave Lucas the opportunity to get a hold on Clifford's weakness.

If things went sideways later, they'd have leverage to use against Clifford.

Eleanor nodded in agreement.

Now that all their concerns were cleared up...

The two began discussing their next steps.

Eleanor filled Lucas in on everything she'd done during this time. "The outside world basically believes we're dividing assets. Even Eric doesn't know the truth."

"Same here."

Lucas said warmly, "Looks like even without contact, we still have that connection. When I was doing all this, I didn't let anyone know. Even David thinks I've lost it."

Thinking about David's hidden anxiety these past few days...

Lucas felt a flash of guilt, then exchanged a glance with Eleanor.

They'd independently chosen the exact same approach. If this wasn't a perfect match, what was?

Eleanor didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I've already suppressed the rumors on the outside. That's because I needed to create the illusion that we're getting divorced but have to hide it from the public."

Just like before, when they'd hidden news about the child from the outside world.

They needed people to think she was quietly searching.

While maintaining a calm surface.

So everyone would know the child was missing, but think they were covering it up.

This time was the same.

They needed the outside world to know they were really getting divorced, while maintaining a peaceful front on the surface, even denying it and calling it all rumors. That would actually make people think the divorce was real.

After all, the more you try to cover something up, the more guilty you look.

People who loved gossip loved digging into the details.

Now, whether it was outsiders or people inside the company, nobody was openly talking about it, but everyone tacitly understood—Lucas and Eleanor were probably really getting divorced.

This was exactly the purpose of Eleanor's elaborate scheme.

As for that secretary Lucian who'd supposedly been dealt with for spreading rumors...

Eleanor had actually protected him long ago. He'd secretly gotten a promotion at a company that appeared to have no connection to either Lucas or Eleanor.

Because on the surface it had nothing to do with them...

It only confirmed the story that he'd been fired and found a new path.

The two went through everything that had happened while they were apart, finally aligning all the information from both sides.

Eleanor organized her thoughts. "Looking at it this way, someone behind the scenes wants to drive us apart..."

Lucas's expression turned cold.

Whoever was behind this wasn't just after the child—they were targeting the two of them now.

Everything that had happened recently was designed to turn them against each other.

To completely destroy them both, stretch them too thin. Then Asher's situation would be even more dangerous.

The maliciousness of whoever was behind this was clear as day.

But fortunately...

Eleanor smiled confidently. "We were already prepared."