Chapter 3 Throwing Myself Into Edward At Dawn?

I immediately found the master bedroom of the villa and pushed open the door. The curtains in the master bedroom were drawn tightly, making the room pitch-black, which suited me just fine. My feet sank into the soft carpet, making no sound as I groped my way to the bedside in the darkness. Just then, my hand accidentally touched something warm, thin, and the faint breath carried the unique scent of a man. —It was Edward's lips! I was so startled that I almost screamed. Didn't he say he wouldn't come back?! But since I was already here, I gradually got used to the dim light in the room and could make out some shadows. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to move forward, my eyes scanning the bedside inch by inch. I saw nothing, but then I lost my balance and fell towards him. Just as my lips were about to touch his... Edward opened his eyes. Without his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes were sharper. He said in a hoarse voice, "Didn't Miss Lancaster say you had no improper thoughts about me?" My mind suddenly went blank with a "boom". I felt my soft lips brush against the corner of his mouth, inch by inch, with a searing tremble, leaving no space between us. I could even feel the slightest moist breath from the man's lips. I was bending over, my mind in a daze, not knowing how to react. I just stared into his eyes while kissing Edward for a few seconds. It was not until Edward spoke again, his voice hoarse and tinged with a hint of impatience, "Eleanor, get up." I snapped back to my senses, my face flushing bright red in an instant. I immediately tried to get up. But unexpectedly, my legs went weak, and I fell back into his arms. Edward curled his thin lips, a magnetic and amused laugh rumbling from his throat. "Miss Lancaster, are you seducing me so early in the morning?" I immediately felt that he'd misjudged me, but what I'd done was really hard to explain! I scrambled up in a panic, under his intense gaze. My face was flushed, and I stubbornly held my neck stiff as I whispered, "I'm telling you it's a misunderstanding. Do you believe me, Mr. Ashford?" Edward let out a soft laugh, not saying whether he believed me or not, yet I could plainly detect the teasing in his laugh. What should I do? What can I say now? Surely Edward doesn't suspect that I was actually trying to come on to him? Just as I was in a flurry of nerves, a ringtone broke the somewhat ambiguous deadlock. "I, I need to take this call!" I felt as if I'd been saved. I grabbed my phone and rushed out, randomly pressing the answer button. Unexpectedly, the next moment, my dad's voice exploded in my ear. "Eleanor, get your butt to the hospital right now! You shameless thing, you got Vivian into the hospital and spread the matter everywhere, making a huge ruckus. Do you think this is going to just go away?" Edward's eyes suddenly narrowed sharply. I paused, losing the previous bewilderment, and casually retorted, "Who did I inherit my shamelessness from? Dad, haven't you heard the saying 'like father, like daughter'?" "You unfilial wretch!" Dad was so angry with me that he was gnashing his teeth, but he quickly calmed down. "Everyone knows what happened at your wedding yesterday. Because of your affair, the Cavendish family has decided to call off the engagement. Arthur is magnanimous and won't hold it against you, but you have to give Vivian the engagement token between you and the Cavendish family!" "If you don't, just wait for your mother's keepsakes to be thrown in the trash! You and your mother only bring misfortune!" With that, the other side hung up with a bang. My face darkened little by little. The engagement token? Give it to Vivian? Ridiculous. Why should I give something my mother left me to Vivian! I copied the evidence I'd found onto my phone and immediately turned around and left. I was so stupid before. I was blinded by Arthur and thought he was a man worthy of love. Since they've insulted me like this, don't blame me for not showing them any mercy! As soon as I arrived at the hospital, I opened the door of the ward. I saw Vivian leaning weakly in Arthur's arms. "Arthur, do you really have to call off the engagement with Eleanor? After all, it's all because of me. Shall I go and apologize to my sister?" Arthur frowned and said, "My decision to call off the engagement has nothing to do with you. She had an affair and shamed the Cavendish family." My father also said coldly, "Vivian, this is the decision of our two families. She has to call off the engagement today, whether she likes it or not!" Just then, Vivian saw me. She lifted her tear-filled eyes, looking scared and trembling all over. "Eleanor, how did you come so quickly?" I stood at the door, looking at my sister and my fiancé cuddling together. I sneered, smoothed my hair, and raised my eyebrows lazily. "If I didn't come quickly, I wouldn't be able to see this lovey-dovey couple." Vivian quickly broke free from Arthur's embrace. All the color drained from her face and she seemed on the verge of collapse. The moment Isabella saw me, she flew into a rage. She raised her hand, trying to slap me in the face, and shrieked, "How dare you laugh?! Look what you've done to Vivian!" I grabbed her hand and bent it hard. "I'm not the one who stole someone's partner. Why shouldn't I laugh?" My father was furious. "You brute! Your sister and Arthur are in love. Watch your mouth!" I sized Vivian up. "A bastard child, and she has the nerve to call herself my sister?" "Presumptuous!" My father immediately picked up a teacup and threw it at my head. I dodged it. Trying to hit me with a teacup. From now on, I won't call you Dad anymore. Just then, Vivian said softly: "Dad, don't be angry. I know I'm sorry for Eleanor. As long as she is happy, I'm willing to step aside..." She looked as if she'd suffered a great injustice. Henry got even angrier and pointed at my nose, shouting. "Look how kind Vivian is! So what if you have had an engagement with Arthur since childhood? It was my idea to let Vivian marry into the Cavendish family instead of you. If you have any grievances, come at me!" "Besides, you had an affair first. Do you know you shamed the family yesterday? You wretch!" I let out a cold laugh. So he did understand such things, "So Dad knows that having an affair brings shame." Everyone's expressions suddenly froze. Inside and outside the ward, it went completely silent in an instant. Even the nurses looked at each other in dismay. That's right, the one who had an affair first... wasn't it Henry? He wasn't ashamed of himself, yet he had the nerve to blame his daughter? Henry's face flushed red with anger. "Shut up! Your mother couldn't keep her man. What's that got to do with me? Why don't you think it was because your mother wasn't good enough that I got together with Isabella!" Bang! How dare he blame my mother! I picked up a chair and smashed it hard on the ground, making a deafening noise. "Say that again if you've got the guts." Henry trembled all over and almost couldn't catch his breath. My gaze swept over everyone in the ward. Vivian was only three months younger than me. Three days after my mother passed away, Isabella moved into the villa with Vivian cheerfully. At that time, I had some doubts about my mother's cause of death. Just as I was about to speak up, my father sent me to the countryside and left me to fend for myself. If it weren't for the fact that my mother's will stated that I must be the heir, I'm afraid they would have forgotten about me. Henry's face turned red, then white. He stiffened his neck and roared, "What did I say wrong? Your mother and you never look for reasons in yourselves, only blame others!" "Look for reasons in ourselves?"