Chapter 7 Is She the Mistress?
“Ethan is my friend.”
“Friend?” He shot her a sidelong glance, his brow furrowing with a hint of coldness. “I never imagined you’d become friends with someone like Ethan.”
Ethan had a notorious reputation as a playboy. If it weren’t for his status as the third son of the Xander family, no one would likely be his friend.
“What’s wrong with someone like him?” Eleanor’s eyes flickered, her tone sarcastic. “Mr. McKenzie, how much better are you compared to him?”
Ethan was her ally. Even if he wasn’t the most reliable ally, at least he stood on her side. Gabriel, on the other hand, would always stand against her, repeatedly urging her to give up.
The more she compared, the more she felt for Ethan, her words unintentionally favoring him. “Mr. McKenzie, please don’t speak about my friend like that again.”
Gabriel’s gaze darkened, anger igniting beneath the depths of his eyes. “Do you know what you’re saying?”
Thinking of Ethan’s remark about “women being like clothes,” his expression turned icy. “Ethan has been a playboy for so long. You can’t keep him.”
“So what does that have to do with me?” Eleanor smiled, her tone full of reason.
Her husband didn’t stand by her, but someone else did. She wouldn’t push that person away.
Gabriel’s expression grew colder, an icy barrier seeming to form around him, the temperature dropping in the air.
“Do you really like Ethan that much?”
He knew he shouldn’t be
angry.
If she had chosen someone ordinary and normal, it would be one thing. But Ethan was a man who couldn’t even count how many women he’d been with.
With her personality, if she entered the Xander family, she probably wouldn’t last a year.
“Do you think the Xander family is like the McKenzie family? Do you think Ethan will protect you? Eleanor, you’re still young. Don’t waste your future so easily.”
Eleanor’s heart skipped, and she laughed lightly, looking up. “How else could I waste it? Isn’t my marriage already wasted in your hands?”
Gabriel stared at her face, lips pressed together in silence.
After a while, he spoke again, his voice softened.
“After the divorce, I’ll leave the villa to you.”
Eleanor was momentarily stunned.
”
“You’ve lived there for years. Even after the divorce, we’ll still be friends…”
The Lin
“No need,” Eleanor gripped her coffee spoon, stirring it aimlessly in her cup. “Let’s not keep in touch after the divorce. I don’t need the house.”
Gabriel’s throat moved, his gaze darkening even further.
The agreement that day had been drafted by her, clearly showing she didn’t want anything to do with him. In the agreement, she almost left with nothing.
“Gabe!”
Eleanor didn’t notice when Sienna arrived, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, perfectly interrupting their conversation/3
“She shouldn’t want the house. A woman who cheats during marriage should leave with nothing,” Sierina said lightly, her words sharp and direct.
The thought of Gabriel secretly leaving a villa for Eleanor made Sienna’s heart ache with anger.
She’s just a cheating woman! What right does she have to take the McKenzie family’s assets?
Sienna’s sudden appearance made Eleanor’s eyelids flicker, especially at the mention of “cheating,” which made her face. tingle.
When did 1 cheat during the marriage?
She remembered when she had brought up divorce, Gabriel had asked her if she likes someone else, and she had answered
yes.
She didn’t expect Gabriel to tell Sienna about such a detail. No wonder Sienna was so important to him.
“If we’re talking about cheating during marriage, who can outdo Mr. McKenzie?” Eleanor said, watching as Sienna’s face alternated between red and white.
Her “cheating” had no evidence, but Gabriel’s affair was known by everyone in town.
“I’m curious, Ms. Sienna, why did you willingly stay as his mistress for so many years?”
At those words, Sienna’s face twisted with fury.
Eleanor laughed brightly. Though she couldn’t directly confront Sienna, she could still make sharp remarks.
More and more people gathered around, some holding cameras, clearly media personnel.
She had noticed that these people had come with Sienna.
Sienna raised her chin, confident and arrogant. “Ms. Weston, actually, when Gabe married you, I was already with him. You were the one who intruded on our relationship. You’re the mistress!”
At Sienna’s signal, the waiting reporters rushed forward.
“Ms. Weston, Ms. Sienna says you’re the mistress. Is that true?”
“Have you and Mr. McKenzie already divorced?”
16
The microphones were shoved toward her mouth from all directions, the crowd surged, and Eleanor almost lost her balance.
At that moment, a hand blocked all the microphones.
It was Gabriel.
“Mr. McKenzie!” The reporters felt a bit awkward.
Gabriel was tall and his face was finely chiseled, handsome to the point of perfection. In the sunlight, his features looked even sharper.
Such an eye–catching man had no reason to be ignored. They had simply listened to Sienna’s words and deliberately shifted all the focus onto Eleanor.
His appearance now was like a burst of fireworks in the cold winter, igniting the crowd.
“Mr. McKenzie, is Ms. Weston really the mistress?”
Someone asked the question, and the scene immediately fell silent.
Everyone was waiting for Gabriel’s answer. Eleanor was waiting too.
If Gabriel admitted she was the mistress, she would carry the label forever. If he denied it, the blame would shift to Sienna.
2/3
Even though she knew the likely outcome, she still wanted to know if he would defend her in front of everyone.
Le Gabriel stood there like a tall pine tree. He glanced at her, his deep eyes filled with emotions she couldn’t read.
His indifferent expression made her heart sink.
“Everyone, do you really need to ask such a question? How long have I known Gabe? Don’t you all know?” Sienna smiled sweetly, her innocent demeanor instantly making her likable.
Her playful and affectionate tone drew her closer to the reporters.
The reporters suddenly understood.
Indeed, before the news of the secret marriage broke, no one knew Eleanor. But Gabriel and Sienna had known each other for years, and they were still considered the nation’s golden couple.
To outsiders, Sienna could never be seen as the mistress. In terms of timing, it was the unknown Eleanor who appeared to fit the role more.
The reporters‘ gazes shifted toward Eleanor.
“Ms, Weston, why would you become a mistress?”
“I heard her family is poor. She must have married Mr. McKenzie for money!”
The accusations flew like daggers, and Eleanor lowered her head, smiling at her own naivety and the expectations she had placed on someone.
“I proposed to her.” Gabriel finally spoke, his voice clear and melodious, like a rushing stream that washed away her embarrassment.
Eleanor’s nose tingled. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about her reputation. She also wanted to hear him say with his own words that she wasn’t the mistress.
A faint smile curved on Eleanor’s lips. Finally, he had said something fair on her behalf.
Gabriel added, “We had a contractual marriage.”
A contractual marriage meant there was no love, and no prioritization of emotions.
With this statement, Gabriel took all the blame onto himself.
The reporters could only redirect their questions to Eleanor.
“Well, Ms. Weston, would you bless Mr. McKenzie and Ms. Sienna?”
Eleanor chuckled softly.
Bless them… Do these people think I should step aside?
