The Heiress’s Second Chance at Vengeance.
Chapter 266 Dangerous Ties
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“You’re a Suc, Eliza. This isn’t just about you anymore,” Halbert said coolly. “And besides, you agreed to the engagement. Backing out now? It makes you look bad.”
“I’m not here to play by anyone else’s rules.” Eliza shot back.
She started walking toward campus, but Halbert grabbed her by the back of her collar and tugged her in the other direction.
“This way.”
Eliza didn’t argue. She followed him silently.
He opened the car door and nudged her inside, shutting it firmly behind her.
Sitting across from her, he muttered, “And Soren? Stay away from guys like him. He’s not from the kind of family we take seriously. Even if you don’t end up marrying Henry, trust me–there’ll still be a line of men waiting just for a chance to meet you.”
A Sue heiress was supposed to have the finest things in life, no exceptions.
Nolan? Please.
If Eliza wanted, Tristan could pull together a list of hundreds of elite bachelors–any one of them eager to win her over.
“I’m not interested in any of that,” Eliza said calmly. “I just want to know what you found out about what I asked you to look into.”
Halbert still hadn’t given her a straight answer about Naomi.
“Yeah,” he replied. “I found something.”
Halbert leaned back, then pulled a photo from his coat pocket and slid it over to her.
Eliza’s eyes narrowed as she studied it. It was Naomi, dressed in heavy makeup, sitting in the lap of a man in his fifties.
At first, Eliza didn’t even recognize the girl in the photo was Naomi.
Naomi had always acted like she was above everyone else–polished, composed, and obsessed with her image. She used to dress sweet and innocent, always keeping her look soft and natural.
Now? She was wearing heavy makeup and sitting on the lap of an older man.
“What is this?”
“A photo from a nightclub,” Halbert said. “Turns out your dear sister’s more clever than she looks. As soon as she realized her family was broke, she used what she had–her looks and her youth–and got herself a job in nightlife. It didn’t take long before she landed a man with real money and influence in Westbrook. After that, she enrolled at Claire like nothing happened.”
Eliza looked closer at the man in the photo. She could only see part of his face, but something about him felt oddly familiar.
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Chapter 266 Dangerous Ties
“He’s really that powerful?”
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“He’s from your side of town. You tell me.” Halbert said dryly. “His name is Nathaniel Hartwell. Fifty–six. Major player in the underground world. Not the kind of guy you mess with. He’s worth close to a billion, and let’s just say a lot of that didn’t come from anything legal. His connections go back over thirty years- deep roots. If you’re smart, you’ll stay off his radar.”
Nathaniel Hartwell? Eliza frowned. That name…
She knew that name. He’d made headlines in the near future–murdered by his own adopted son. It was one of Westbrook’s most talked–about scandals.
So why the hell would Naomi get involved with someone like him?
Eliza’s gut twisted.
This couldn’t be a coincidence. Her instincts screamed that something was off. Way off.
“Keep someone on her,” Eliza said quietly. “Something about this just doesn’t sit right.”
Don’t tell me Naomi’s onto something already.
“You’re overthinking it,” Halbert said. “Yeah, Nathaniel’s dangerous–but you’re a Sue. He wouldn’t dare cross you, not publicly. He’d have to show you respect.”
“Exactly. In public. Who knows what he’d do behind the scenes, especially for some new girl he’s obsessed with?”
He won’t,” Halbert said confidently. “Nathaniel’s a calculating one. He wouldn’t make a move against you for a woman like Naomi. She’s not worth it.”
To a guy like Nathaniel, women were just something to pass the time with. There was no way he’d actually go out of his way–let alone take a risk–for someone like Naomi.
“Yeah? I wouldn’t be so sure,” Eliza muttered.
No wonder Naomi had felt off yesterday. There was no way someone could change that much in just a few days–at least not without a reason.
Hopefully I’m just reading too much into it, Eliza thought.
Because if she wasn’t… things were about to get a lot more complicated.
Meanwhile…
Inside a luxury penthouse suite, Naomi stretched out on the bed, lazily running her fingers along her body.
Afterward, she curled up in Nathaniel’s arms and pouted playfully. “My grades aren’t great… What if the school won’t let me graduate?”
Nathaniel smirked. She was exactly his type–soft–spoken, needy, and eager to please. He stroked her cheek and said, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. You could skip every exam and still walk across that stage. I’ll take care of
it.”
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Chapter 266 Dangerous Ties
“I knew you were the best, Mr. Nathaniel.” Naomi cooed, planting a kiss on his check.
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But Nathaniel was done for the night—he was well past the age where he could keep up with Naomi’s
energy.
Naomi didn’t care.
She wasn’t there to please him–she was playing a role.
Switching gears, she murmured, “So…. about my sister.”
“You mean the Sue girl?” Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. Even he’d heard the rumors about the family finding a long–lost daughter.
Naomi nodded. “Eliza and I had a falling–out. I want to fix things, but she’s still upset. She won’t even talk to me.” She paused, then looked up at him sweetly. “I was hoping… maybe you could help smooth things over. You know, say a few words. We’re family now, right? And who knows–maybe she could be useful to you someday, too.”
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