While My Husband Cheated, I Married His Powerful Brother

Chapter 169: Chapter 169 The Poisoned Words

The quiet inside the small café was almost heavy.

Eleanor sat alone near the large second-floor window, watching her cup of tea slowly go cold while keeping her eyes glued to the sidewalk across the street. The rest of the upper floor was completely empty, leaving her with total privacy.

The heavy entrance door on the ground floor clicked open.

A moment later, Naya Whitmore walked up the stairs into the quiet seating area.

She looked as polished and refined as ever. Her dark hair was styled into smooth, perfect waves, her designer outfit looked ridiculously expensive, and her high heels made a sharp, confident sound with every step she took across the floorboards.

She looked around the empty room until her sharp eyes landed on Eleanor sitting in the corner.

"Eleanor," Naya said, taking in her appearance. "You look absolutely terrible."

Eleanor offered her a small, weak smile, making sure she looked exhausted and completely run down.

"I haven’t been sleeping well at all lately," Eleanor murmured softly, gesturing toward the seat across from her. "Please. Sit down."

Naya pulled out the chair, set her expensive leather handbag down on the empty seat beside her, and locked her gaze onto Eleanor.

"You told me over the phone that you suffered some kind of grievance," Naya said, getting right to the point. "What actually happened to you?"

Eleanor dropped her gaze to her hands, letting her shoulders sag forward like she was carrying the weight of the world. Her voice came out low and fragile.

"It’s really hard for me to talk about it."

Naya leaned forward over the table, her tone turning sharp. "Try."

Eleanor let out a shaky breath and slowly lifted her head. She made sure her eyes looked wet and full of unshed tears.

"It’s Veyra," Eleanor whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "She’s the sole reason I got locked away in the meditation room."

Naya’s dark eyebrows rose in genuine shock. "The family meditation room?"

"It’s a place meant for harsh punishment. No natural light, zero sound, and complete isolation from the outside world." Eleanor let her voice crack right on cue. "They kept me trapped in there for seven whole days."

Naya went dead silent, staring at her in disbelief.

"She turned the entire family right against me," Eleanor continued, building up the lie. "She spun fake stories about me and twisted the truth around until I looked like the bad guy in everyone’s eyes."

"Why on earth would she do something like that to you?"

"Because she’s completely manipulative," Eleanor spat out, putting a bitter edge on her words. "She uses people around her to get ahead. She twists every situation, and she won’t stop at anything until she gets whatever she wants."

Naya narrowed her eyes, her interest clearly pulled in. "And what is it that she wants?"

"Dorian."

The name hung right between them in the cool air of the room.

All the color drained straight out of Naya’s face. Her fingers curled up into tight, white-knuckled fists against the tabletop.

"Dorian," Naya repeated, her voice turning dangerously flat. "She wants Dorian."

"She doesn’t just want him. She already has him locked down," Eleanor said, keeping her voice low and grave. "She’s carrying his child right now."

Naya’s face suddenly flushed bright red with pure anger, her voice rising in pitch. "She’s pregnant?"

"Yes. That’s the only reason he went through with marrying her."

Naya’s jaw tightened up so hard the muscles jumped under her skin. Her eyes blazed with furious heat.

"He only hitched himself to her because she ended up pregnant," Naya said slowly, working out the words one by one. "Not because he actually cares about her."

Eleanor gave a small, solemn nod. "That’s exactly what I think happened."

Naya let out an icy breath, her voice dripping with disgust. "She trapped him. She got herself pregnant on purpose just to secure a spot in the Thorne family."

Eleanor stayed completely silent, letting Naya run wild with the narrative.

Naya’s hands were visibly shaking against the wood. "She is a total snake. A scheming, fake, calculated gold digger."

Eleanor reached across the small table and gently laid her hand over Naya’s trembling forearm.

"Don’t let her get under your skin like this, dear," Eleanor said, pretending to comfort her. "She really isn’t worth your energy."

Naya snatched her arm back immediately. "She’s worth every bit of it."

Eleanor leaned back into her seat, keeping her voice completely soft and gentle.

"I know how furious you are right now," she said. "But you shouldn’t go doing anything reckless out of anger. She’s a lot more dangerous than she looks."

Naya let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Dangerous? Please. She’s a nobody from nowhere. She’s just a shameless climber who used a baby to trick a powerful man into signing a paper."

Eleanor shook her head, putting on a worried expression. "I’m telling you, she has more tricks up her sleeve than you think."

Naya didn’t seem to hear a word of the warning. Her eyes went completely blank as she stared down at the table, her mind spinning through dark thoughts.

"If she somehow lost that child," Naya said real low, her voice dropping into a cold whisper, "Dorian wouldn’t have a single reason to protect her anymore."

Eleanor made her eyes widen in fake shock. "Naya—"

"I’m not saying I’m going to do anything crazy," Naya cut in quickly, her tone turns cold as ice. "I’m just pointing out the truth. If that child is out of the picture, there’s literally zero reason for him to stay stuck in a marriage with a woman like her."

Eleanor kept her mouth shut, letting the silence fill the room.

A thin, cruel smile slowly spread across Naya’s lips. "And then he’ll finally be free again."

Inside her chest, Eleanor’s heart was thumping with pure excitement.

The trap was fully set. She had planted the exact idea she wanted, fed into Naya’s worst insecurities, and convinced her that Veyra was the ultimate enemy standing in her way.

Now, Naya was practically begging for payback on her own.

Eleanor felt a huge wave of satisfaction wash over her, but she made sure not a single trace of it showed on her face. She kept her posture relaxed and her tone full of fake concern.

"Just promise me you’ll be careful," Eleanor murmured. "If anyone ever finds out what you’re planning—"

"Nobody is going to find out a thing."

Naya suddenly turned her head and looked straight out the large glass window. Her eyes narrowed into sharp slits.

"Is that her down there?" she asked, pointing toward the sidewalk.

Eleanor followed her finger, looking down at the street below.

Veyra had just pushed open the front glass door of her new shop and stepped out into the afternoon sun.

Eleanor forced her eyes to go wide, putting on a surprised tone. "Oh. Wow, yes. That’s actually her."

Naya didn’t take her eyes off Veyra for a single second. Her fingers clutched the edge of the table so hard her nails turned pale.

"Veyra Solenne," Naya spat out, her tone dripping with deep hatred. "The trash who stole my entire future."

Eleanor sat back and said nothing at all, letting the resentment simmer.

Naya watched Veyra walk down the block toward a parked car, her voice dropping down to a harsh whisper. "She isn’t getting away with this. I’ll make sure of it."

Eleanor smiled into her teacup.

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