Reborn as the Villainess

After getting drunk, Eleanor was clingier than Stephen had imagined. She was like an insecure child and could only fall asleep by pulling at his sleeve when she saw him standing by the bed.

But even in her sleep, Eleanor curled up tightly as if in self-defense. Her delicate face showed fragility and distance, with her brows slightly furrowed! She was like seafoam, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.

Stephen felt a sharp ache in his heart. He wondered, 'What had she been through? If it hadn't been for her drunken state, he would have continued seeing the carefree girl who always masked her true feelings behind a bright smile. But now, it seemed that wasn't the real her at all.

Yet no matter which version of Eleanor was real, she was still the woman Stephen had chosen as the future Lady of the Lloyd family-his future wife.

A soft knock broke the silence.

Stephen straightened up, his usual calm and dignified expression returning. He opened the door to find a man standing there with a deep scar across his face.

The man gave a slight nod when he saw Stephen. "Mr. Lloyd, I've uncovered the details."

Stephen's gaze turned icy as he motioned for the man to stay quiet. He glanced back at the sleeping Eleanor, ensuring she hadn't been disturbed before quietly closing the door. "Speak. What's going on?"

The scarred man respectfully reported, "Mr. Lloyd, just as you suspected, they're planning a secret auction. The item up for sale is a test subject from Mandorium. Ever since that twisted laboratory was shut down, this is the last surviving specimen in the world."

A dangerous glint flashed in Stephen's eyes. He knew something was off. A small, unknown family business hosting a commercial banquet shouldn't have attracted so many high-society figures. Something had to be going on behind the scenes. But to think they had managed to get a test subject was beyond what he had expected.

The scarred man looked at Stephen hesitantly. "Mr. Lloyd..."

Stephen's expression remained stoic as he said flatly, "If you have something to say, just say it."

The scarred man said, "Mr. Lloyd, we also learned that Ghost Sect will attend the banquet. They are determined to get the test subject. If we compete openly, we might not have the upper hand. Should we consider using some covert methods to snatch it?" Stephen's eyes darkened. He thought, 'Ghost Sect? Well, isn't this a small world?' A sinister, ruthless sneer crossed his face as he spat, "Take the test subject at any cost. As for Ghost Sect, kill every single one of them on sight."

The scarred man nodded and obeyed. "Understood."

Stephen stood by the window, the view from the 21st floor commanding his sight of everything below.

Stephen's parents were always busy with work when he was a child, and his grandfather was away in the military. His grandmother was the one who raised him. Almost every memory of his childhood was filled with her lullabies and stories.

In her youth, his grandmother had been a rare beauty with an elegance that left a lasting impression on everyone. As a child, Stephen believed there were eleven great unsolved mysteries in the world, and the eleventh was-how could someone as gentle and graceful as his grandmother have fallen for a grumpy old man like his grandfather?

So, from a young age, Stephen studied hard, driven by one dream-to one day invent an elixir of immortality for his

grandmother.

But life rarely went as planned. Before Stephen ever had the chance to spread his wings, his grandmother died at the hands of an organization known as Ghost Sect in Mandorium.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

His grandmother, the epitome of gentleness and dignity, how could she have become entangled with such an underground group?

Stephen wanted to investigate, but Ghost Sect was clusive, filled with experts who left him no openings to dig deeper. But did they really think he would just give up?

For three years, Stephen painstakingly pieced together everything he could about Ghost Sect. He poured most of his fortune into establishing Nine Shadows in Nerovia, vowing to make Ghost Sect pay in blood for what they'd done.

Stephen thought, 'If the truth can't be uncovered, then there is no need for it. Once the entire Ghost Sect is wiped out, whatever the truth is won't matter anymore, will it?'

When Eleanor woke up, she felt her head throbbing with pain. She wondered, 'Is this what a hangover feels like?' In all her years, through two lifetimes, this was the first time she had ever experienced one.

"You're awake? Have some water." A deep, magnetic voice broke through the haze.

Eleanor was about to sink back into sleep and was instantly wide awake. She wondered, 'Who is that speaking? And a man, no less? What's a man's voice doing in my home?' In a flash, she sat upright, staring in horror at the source of the voice In a sharp suit, Stephen sat casually on the bedroom sofa. His legs were crossed, and a document was in his hands. The simple gray pen between his fingers somehow looked like a luxury item elevated by his presence. He glanced up at Eleanor, his eyes partially obscured by a few stray locks of hair, his expression unreadable.

"You... How did you get into my house? This is breaking and entering. Believe me, I'll call the police." Eleanor pointed at Stephen, her voice sharp with accusation. As she spoke, she glanced down at her clothes, and upon seeing she was still in the same outfit as the day before, she exhaled in relief. At least her clothes hadn't changed.

Stephen didn't bother to respond to Eleanor's accusations. Instead, in an even tone, he simply said, "Continue."

Eleanor thought, 'Continue? Does he really have the nerve to tell me to continue?' She was already cranky from waking up, and now Stephen was acting like he owned the place. Her temper flared instantly. 'Does he really think I'm some kind of pushover?

In one swift motion, Eleanor got out of bed. She grabbed a pillow with full intent to whack him. "Stephen, what's the big idea? Do you honestly think I'm just going to let this slide? Testing my patience over and over again? You think I won't..."

But when Eleanor turned around, she froze. Staring back at her from the tablet on the table were dozens of wide-eyed faces.

Eleanor was stunned to see that Stephen was in a video conference. As if her hangover hadn't already made her head feel fuzzy, this realization took her embarrassment to a whole new level.

Fortunately, her body reacted faster than her mind, and Eleanor quickly leaped out of the camera's view. Desperately trying to salvage the situation, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both..." She had just completed the University Admissions Testing, so the classic poem was still fresh in her mind.

The room fell silent for a beat. Then, awkward explanations began pouring from the computer speakers.

One said, "Oh, I see. There's a kid at Mr. Lloyd's place studying and practicing their recitations-so diligent." Another added, "Yes, yes, very studious indeed. That's from William Shakespeare, right? A classic."

One chimed in, "Absolutely Nothing like a good Percy Bysshe Shelley passage. The kid really takes their studies seriously."

Eleanor was speechless. She thought, 'Seriously? Do any of you actually hear the nonsense you're saying right now?