Second Vows Adored by the Billionaire novel Chapter 3

Eloise held a fixed smile, her gaze sweeping the room before settling calmly on him.

"You still weren't home," she said lightly. "Thought I'd check in. You said you're working late, are you done now?"

"Eloise, perfect timing," he said quickly. "Anita just secured a major client for the company—a billion-dollar deal with the Seafort Group. It's a big win, so I decided to celebrate here and combine it with her birthday. I know you're always so understanding, so you're not going to be upset about something like this, right?"

Eloise paused.

Seafort Group? That was a subsidiary under Belton Group. Clarkson Group had only gotten that partnership because of her. When did it become Anita's achievement?

Seeing Eloise stay quiet, Victor grew anxious and shot Anita a look.

"Anita, you and Eloise are close. Help me out here."

The word "close" felt like a slap across Eloise's face.

Her gaze shifted slowly to Anita. Thinking of all the help and care she had given her over the years, her eyes burned dry.

Anita hesitated for a moment, then smiled and stepped forward, linking arms with Eloise.

"Eloise, please don't be mad," she said softly. "Victor really didn't mean to miss your anniversary. Everyone was just so pumped after landing Seafort Group. My birthday was just coincidental."

She turned toward the crowd with a bright smile. "Victor even said he wanted to wrap this up early so he could go home and celebrate with his wife. Right?"

The employees immediately backed her up.

"Absolutely. Everyone knows Victor's crazy about you, Eloise."

"Eloise, please don't take it personally."

Eloise looked at the faces she had once worked alongside during the company's early days. Now they stood behind Anita, saying things they didn't mean. Her heart lurched, and her nails dug into her palms.

She pulled her arm free and walked calmly toward the cake table.

On the red satin cloth lay a diamond brooch alongside a bouquet of red roses. She had desired that brooch for so long, only to be told it was already sold. It turned out Victor had bought it—but not for her.

"These are gorgeous," Eloise said casually.

Her gaze passed over Anita's pale face and settled on Victor. "Are these my anniversary gifts?"

Anita stiffened and instinctively stepped forward. "They're..."

"Yeah. Of course," Victor cut in immediately. He placed the flowers and gift box into Eloise's hands. "Take them home. I'll be back soon, okay?"

Anita clearly wanted to speak again but stopped when Victor shot her a warning look.

Anyone could see how desperate he was to get Eloise out of there.

Eloise's fingers curled inside her sleeve. She looked at Victor, as if wanting to say something, then swallowed it.

"Okay," Eloise finally said softly. "Don't be too late."

Once she walked out of the building, her tears finally came. They burned as they fell, landing on her hand like cold drops of rain.

After pulling herself together, she called Gregory.

The reply came immediately: [Fine.]

She stared at the screen, stunned. [You're not even going to ask why?]

The response was just as brief: [We can talk after we're married.]

Eloise stared at the screen.

Well, that was... unexpected.

Maybe the rumors were true—that Orion was gay and only needed a marriage on paper for business or family reasons.

The thought caught her off guard for a moment. Then she felt oddly relieved.

If anything, it made things simpler.

After Victor, she had no intention of loving anyone again. A marriage built purely on mutual benefit, with clear boundaries and no emotional entanglement—that she could handle. His reasons were his own business.

At least this way, her grandfather would finally stop worrying about her.

Eloise put her phone away and was about to leave when she saw them. Victor and Anita walked out of the building with Beatrice between them, each holding one of the child's hands. The picture-perfect family. It felt like a knife twisting in her chest.

On impulse, she got out of her car and followed at a distance until they entered a family-style restaurant.

She waited a beat, then slipped inside. Once she spotted where they were sitting, she chose a booth across the dining room and slid in with her back to them.