Charlotte clenched her fists as she marched toward Eleanor, anger radiating off her. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.
Eleanor smirked, tilting her head in feigned innocence.
"I figured you must have seen the news by now. Thought I'd save you the suspense and tell you in person."
She paused, letting her words sink in before adding with a mischievous glint, "Oh, and I came to invite you to the engagement party."
Charlotte's jaw tightened as the fury rose within her.
"You're... really shameless, Eleanor," she spat, her voice trembling.
"You snatched Alexander from me, someone you claimed was your friend...and now, you have the audacity to show up here like this? Really?"
Eleanor's smile widened, her grin growing more mocking.
"Snatched? Oh, Charlotte, don't flatter yourself. You really thought someone like Alexander would settle for... well, you?" She gestured at Charlotte, looking her up and down with disdain.
"Take a good look at yourself, girl. Alexander was always way out of your league. I simply showed him where he truly belongs."
Charlotte's vision blurred with tears of frustration, but she refused to back down.
"You're disgusting. You don't know the first thing about loyalty or friendship, do you? You'll do anything for your selfish desires."
Eleanor shrugged nonchalantly. "And you'll do anything to live in a fantasy. Grow up, baby girl. He was never yours to keep."
Suddenly, Lena's car screeched into the driveway and made a stop before them. She jumped out, rushing toward the two women.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Eleanor crossed her arms, smirking. "Perfect timing, Lena. Maybe you can talk some sense into your delusional friend here."
With her response, Lena wasn't having it. She strode up to Eleanor without hesitation and slapped her hard across the face.
"You traitorous bitch!" Lena screamed in anger. "How dare you? You call yourself her friend, yet you go behind her back and steal her fiancé? What kind of person does that?"
Eleanor stumbled back, her hand flying to her cheek, eyes blazing. "How dare you?!" she growled, stepping forward as if to strike Lena.
But Lena was ready. She grabbed Eleanor's wrist mid-air and shoved her back with a force that made Eleanor stagger.
"Try me," Lena answered coldly. "You think you can come here, insult Charlotte, and walk away without consequences? Oh, that's ain't possible slut! Leave now, or I swear, you'll regret it more than you can imagine."
Eleanor glared at Lena, her lips curling into a sneer.
"Mark my words. You'll both regret this." She straightened her outfit and turned on her heels, heading to her car.
"Do something stupid, and you'll see what happens," Lena called after her, her voice rising.
Eleanor drove off with a screech, leaving an unsettling silence in her wake. Lena turned to Charlotte, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly, her fiery demeanor replaced with concern.
Charlotte nodded weakly, her earlier rage now replaced with exhaustion. "I'm fine," she whispered.
"Come on," Lena said, guiding her inside. "Let's go cool you off."
Charlotte let herself be led, grateful for Lena's strength when she had none left...
★★★
Eleanor gripped the steering wheel tightly as she drove to Alexander's apartment, her anger boiling over.
Without bothering to announce herself, she parked in the garage and marched into the house, slamming the door behind her.
Alexander, seated in the living room with his laptop open, glanced up briefly.
"Eleanor, you're here." he greeted casually, but his brow furrowed at her restless pacing. "What's going on?"
Eleanor stopped mid-stride, her eyes blazing. "You won't believe what just happened!" she exclaimed.
Alexander closed his laptop halfway and leaned back. "What happened?"
"I went to see Charlotte," Eleanor began, her voice heavy with indignation. "I wanted to clear the air after last night's announcement, but instead, she and that witch Lena attacked me!"
"Attacked you?" Alexander repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes!" Eleanor continued, her voice on the top. "Charlotte slapped me twice, and Lena jumped in to support her! It was humiliating."
Alexander stayed silent for a moment, his gaze locked on hers. Then, calmly, he said, "Eleanor, why did you go there in the first place?"
Eleanor froze briefly before softening her tone and putting on a contrite expression.
"I just thought… After everything, Charlotte might misunderstand the announcement. As a friend, I wanted to talk to her, you know, woman to woman. Make sure she didn't get the wrong idea about me or us."
Alexander sighed and shook his head.
"You shouldn't have gone there. None of us owes her any explanation. I've ended things with Charlotte, and that's final. She's not part of my life anymore."
A satisfied smile crept onto Eleanor's face as her mood began to lighten.
"I know but, I—"
"There's no butEleanor." Alexander cuts in. "I chose you and not her!"
"Fine," She replied and walked over to the couch and sat beside him, casually glancing at the stack of documents nearby.
"Why are you working today? It's Saturday."
Alexander's demeanor stiffened, and he rubbed his temple in frustration. "It's the Grayson Enterprises proposal. The one I told you about. It got rejected."
"Rejected?" Eleanor's eyes widened in surprise. "But you said that deal was your ticket to a major breakthrough and it's at the brink of getting approved!"
"Exactly," Alexander muttered bitterly. "I don't know what went wrong. I've been trying to reach the CEO for weeks, pulling every string I can, but I haven't even come close."
Eleanor leaned back, crossing her arms thoughtfully.
"Well, that's not surprising. Everyone knows Ethan Grayson is a ghost. No one outside his circle even knows what he looks like."
"And that's the problem!" Alexander exhaled heavily. "I can't fix this if I can't even get a meeting with him."
Eleanor tilted her head, a sly smile forming. "Don't worry. I'll talk to my dad. He knows people who can make things happen. He'll fix this."
"You'd do that for me?" Alexander's face lit up with relief. Eleanor leaned closer, her smile widening more.
"Of course. This is why we're perfect for each other. I can give you what Charlotte never could."
Alexander nodded in agreement.
"You're right. And let's not mention Charlotte again. I don't even want to hear her name anymore."
They both laughed, Eleanor basked in her small victory. Then she immediately shifted closer, her hand resting lightly on Alexander's arm.
"You see," she said softly, her voice dropping into a sultry tone, "this is what makes us so good together. We understand each other."
Alexander's gaze met hers, a faint smirk on his lips. "You do have a way of making things happen," he murmured, and her fingers traced the edge of his jaw...
"I don't just make things happen, Alex. I make us happen."
"Really?" He replied. "But I..."
He hadn't finished his statement when Eleanor instantly shut him up with a quick kiss.
As their lips met, the kiss started slowly. Alexander pulled her closer, his hands gripping her tiny waist...
The documents on the couch fell to the floor as Eleanor shifted onto his lap, her fingers ruffling his hair.
"Shall we?" Breathless, she whispered against his lips.
Alexander responded by deepening the kiss, his actions speaking louder than words. Her hands moved over his chest, unbuttoning his shirt slowly, savoring the feel of his skin beneath her fingertips.
He drew her closer, his hands slipping under her blouse, the white fabric soft against his palms as he lifted it over her head.
"Your boobs got bigger?" He giggled under his breath as he cupped them into his hands.
"Yeah, just for you!" The words escaped her mouth almost immediately.
Alexander's lips found the sensitive spot on her neck, trailing kisses down to her shoulder, igniting a fire that left her skin tingling as she let out a soft gasp.
'Eleanor, I will keep giving these kinds of moments till I get what I want from you, and the Whitmores!'
Alexander thought to himself, his hands exploring her curves as she arched into him, her body responding instinctively while he fucked her.
Over and over until she let out a pleased hum...