Chapter 58

Samuel remained silent, narrowing his eyes at Eleanor.

Eleanor chuckled. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"Eleanor," Benjamin interjected. Sensing the rising tension, he stood up and tugged on her hand.

But Eleanor stood firm. "You're not leaving, huh? Fine, then I'll go."

With that, she turned to leave. Benjamin started to follow, but he heard Samuel say mockingly, "Ah, living as a rich heiress for a few years really boosts your confidence! But Eleanor, don't forget your roots. If it weren't for me, you'd have starved to death ages ago. Then, where would you get the strength to boss people around like this? And now, you've turned your back on me because I'm of no use to you? Let me tell you, Eleanor. I've been holding back out of respect for the fact that you're my daughter. But if you keep being so heartless, don't blame me for spilling all your dirty secrets!"

As Samuel finished speaking, Eleanor's footsteps slowly came to a stop. She turned to look back, only to see him smirking confidently, as if certain that he had already won.

Eleanor knew exactly why he was so confident. He believed he held a trump card—her dark, shameful past that she couldn't allow to surface. Hence, he expected Eleanor to bow her head to him.

But to his shock, Eleanor looked straight at him and broke into laughter.

Samuel's heart jolted upon seeing her reaction, and before he could respond, Eleanor asked, "What secrets? Are you talking about the time you almost took advantage of me?"

Though her tone was calm, her hands were clenched by her sides so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, breaking the skin. The sharp, shooting pain coursed through her body, like a sharp blade gouging out the festering wound she had buried deep within herself and exposing it to the whole world.

Benjamin immediately turned to look at her, his eyes wide in shock. His already unstable frame staggered. Though the restaurant wasn't very busy, there were still quite a number of people. Eleanor's words were like a bomb exploding and sending shockwaves throughout the room.

Eleanor could already foresee that by the next day—no, later that night—this news would spread like wildfire throughout their social circles.

The restaurant was in an uproar, while Samuel remained silent, his face distorting with anger.

"Now, this matter is no longer news." Enduring the pain in her heart, Eleanor took a deep breath and then continued, "So, don't even think about using it to threaten me again."

She finished her sentence in one breath.

She had thought that she would feel liberated after letting it out. But in reality, she had overestimated herself. As soon as the words left her mouth, it felt as though she was living that day over again.

A man reeking of alcohol, and his expression menacing. The sound of clothes being ripped.

It all happened in that damp and dark room.

Thinking about it now, it felt like she was an elephant tied to a post. With every pull, it tore at her flesh and caused her agonizing pain.

Benjamin looked at her with shock and a trace of disgust, and Eleanor felt her chest tighten, making it hard for her to breathe.

But it wasn't because of Benjamin. It was simply because... she had seen that look too many times before. When she returned to the Thompson family, wasn't that how they all had looked at her?

And now, Eleanor knew that soon, everyone would be looking at her the same way again.