CH- 2 Divorce?

"James Clifton? Are you really talking about James Clifton, of the Clifton Group?"

Everyone was taken aback with surprise, including Lady Hyacinth Frost, the matriarch of the family.

"Of course!"

Henry confirmed their doubts and said proudly,

"I had a few drinks with James yesterday. He was very friendly and introduced me to his friends. He also said that he might consider a collaboration with us in the future!"

The hall suddenly became quiet, and everyone was amazed to hear these words…

Could it be true?! The Clifton family was not just famous, but they were one of the top three elite families in Edinburgh!

In their eyes, the Cliftons were the perfect example of a rich, cultured family.

"There is one other thing, though. James has a crush on our Eliana. As soon as she gets divorced, she can marry James, and everything will become alright again!"

On hearing this, all the pairs of eyes focused on Eliana's face, which had gone pale.

Especially her mother, Olivia, was now looking at her with eyes full of excitement.

How glorious it was, to be married into the Clifton family? This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and what were the chances that it had fallen directly into her daughter's lap!

She had long wanted Noah to leave the family, she had never felt that a beggar like him deserved to marry a princess like Eliana.

However, her mother-in-law was afraid that outsiders might think they have cut off all relations with Noah after he had helped them out in the past, and it would tarnish their reputation. Moreover, the stain of a divorce would also ruin Eliana's reputation in the society. That's why she had never allowed Olivia to openly talk about Eliana's divorce.

But this moment, an overwhelming sense of excitement could be found in the usually calm and solemn eyes of the old lady as well. Somehow, the whole concept of owing Noah for his favor had vanished from her mind within seconds, after hearing about James Clifton!

After a long pause, she got up and patted the table twice, silencing everyone at once.

She said loudly,

"It is settled, then. Thanks to the wonderful proposal by my grandson Henry, everything has fallen perfectly into place. Eliana shall be divorced immediately, and meanwhile, we will begin the preparations for her engagement with James Clifton. That is my final decision!"

Of course, she would not pass up this opportunity, not even in a million years!

With the help of James Clifton, the Frost family would also join the upper ranks of rich and powerful families in Edinburgh, or possibly even the whole country. It was no longer just a dream, rather, it would soon become their reality!

As for Noah?

He was nothing but a door-to-door waste, who cared about him!

"Yes, yes, that is the most sensible approach!"

"We fully support this decision!"

"This is what they call, killing two birds with one stone!"

“……”

Excited shouts and cheers echoed in the hall, and everyone was praising Henry's ability to persuade James for this arrangement!

"Eliana, you must thank your brother for this unbelievable proposal."

"Look how Fate has smiled on you, dear!"

"I'm so jealous, it's like her destiny has changed overnight! From having a parasite as her groom, to the most eligible bachelor in Edinburgh!"

The old lady was drinking tea with a brilliant smile on her face, as if she was already sitting on top of all the fame and money this deal would offer.

Eliana frowned and shook her head.

"No, I am not going to marry him!"

"You won't marry him?" The crowd looked at her, as if she had sprouted a set of horns on her head.

"How can you even think that I'll agree to marry him?! Everyone knows about what a playboy he is, there is hardly any woman left in the city whom he hasn't slept with! In fact, he is so wild and filthy that he has even given STDs to many women!"

"This is complete bullshit! Do you personally know the women who are claiming this? Who knows if they themselves are sluts!"

"Yes, yes! And besides, why do you think the STDs were passed on to them by James? Maybe they just want to spread these rumors about him to extort money!"

“……”

Eliana listened to their lame excuses, and felt a numbing realization. Within moments, the faces of her own relatives had started to disgust her, as if they could come up with any unlikely story just to achieve their own goals.

She gritted her teeth and spoke again, ignoring everyone else;

"Grandma, if Noah wasn't here, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to live to this day! He sacrificed so much to save me, then how can I just forget about the last three years? I'm sorry, but I can't throw someone away like a piece of old furniture!"

"You nasty girl!!"

The old woman was so angry that she slammed the table as she yelled at her granddaughter;

"Are you trying to call me ungrateful and selfish?! Don't you have any shame in saying that your grandmother is deliberately forgetting about someone's favor? Do you think I want to harm someone who has helped us in the past!"

"That's exactly what she meant to say!"

Henry, who was standing beside his grandmother, added fuel to the fire with his words;

"Oh, wow! Eliana, you are really a great hypocrite! You want to repay your rotten husband, because you feel like you owe him, but have you ever thought about grandma? She is the backbone of our family, she has taken care of all of us for so many years! And let's look at it this way, if she hadn't given birth to uncle David, then you wouldn't even be born in the first place. So, in a way, your life is given to you by Grandma! Shouldn't you feel even more grateful towards our dear granny, instead of siding with that rat?"

"Yes, yes, Henry is completely right!"

"At least someone from the younger generation is still sensible."

"He is right, we owe everything to grandma, even our breaths!"

The bystanders chimed in, in support of Henry, one after another.

“……”

The old lady also looked at Henry with great approval, and then said to the crowd, "That's all! The meeting is over, and my decision is final!"

"But grandma…"

Eliana still wanted to argue, but the old lady had already gotten up from the sofa and started walking towards her room, without even looking in her direction. The harsh tapping sound of Lady Hyacinth's cane hitting the floor echoed in the hallway, while Henry followed her like a loyal dog.

She didn't even bother to listen to whatever Eliana had to say, let alone care about what she thought…

Once her grandmother had left the hall, calling the end of the meeting, there was no reason for anyone else to stay there. But before leaving, they made sure to offer their own advice to Eliana, hoping that they would be able to persuade her.

"Eliana, dear, I know you are smart, so of course I don't need to tell you that it is important to put your family above everything else… right?"

"You are lucky, Eliana, that you are getting a chance to pay off your debt to your ancestors, for being born in this family! So why are you hesitating? It's just a matter of a few years!"

"Yes, and in return, you are getting the most handsome and rich groom you could dream of! It's like God himself has sent you this proposal as a blessing, don't be foolish enough to kick it away…"

"Just think about how much slander we all will have to face if the scandal is leaked to the public! And all because of your selfish demands; this is not right, Eliana! I hope you know that…"

"If you just take some time to think about it calmly and look at the whole situation, the solution will become crystal clear to you. Don't be so hasty that you end up shooting your own foot for some worthless trash!"

Meanwhile, as all her aunts and uncles left her with nothing but taunts and insulting remarks, Eliana stood quietly at her place, unable to utter a single word.

But the ultimate test of her patience was when her own mother turned towards Eliana with her hand raised, as if she was about to slap her.

The next moment, Olivia pulled her hand back, as if she had controlled herself with great difficulty. She scowled with disgust before looking at her daughter from head to toe, and spat out;

"If I had known earlier, that I would give birth to a disgrace like you, I would have asked God to make me childless! You have insulted me and your dad in front of everyone! Now are you at peace, you wretched girl!?"

Only when Olivia had also stormed off, Eliana's tears poured down without any restraint; like a dam had been broken inside her.

Noah felt his heart break at the sight of her crying like this, like an innocent child who had been abandoned…

Seeing her in this state, with no one to support her, Noah felt a rush of anger as his fingers clenched into a fist.

He felt strangely protective of her, and a thought arrived in his mind: he would do anything, he would shake up the whole world if he had to, just to let her know that he was right behind her, supporting her through every step…

Almost everyone had left the hall by now, and the sound of Eliana's soft sobs filled the air.

Unable to stop himself, Noah reached out to softly wipe the tears on her face, and said;

"Ellie, don't worry. I won't let anyone trouble you, okay? Everything will go the way you want it to."

Without saying anything else, he turned around abruptly and walked out of the room.

Eliana was stunned.

At this moment, she had felt like it wasn't Noah standing in front of her, but someone else entirely. His body language and attitude felt so different from Noah's usual humble and submissive self, as if he had changed within a matter of seconds!

Noah stepped out on the balcony, lighting his cigarette. The cool breeze ruffled his curly brown hair as he took a deep breath, relaxing his tense shoulders before taking out his phone.

He opened the list of contacts, and scrolled down until he found a phone number he had been avoiding for so long.

Within seconds of dialing the number, someone picked up;

"Young master, is it really you? It's been so long! Oh, God is really great! Master, the hair on my head has turned white, just waiting to hear your voice once before I die…"

At the other end of the phone, an old man sobbed with excitement and disbelief.

Noah said softly,

"I am ready to inherit the billions of dollars, but I have a condition..."

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