The Ex-Wife He Can’t Have novel Chapter 77

After they finished their purchases, Eleanor showed absolutely no intention of returning to the main estate.

"It's been quite a while since I've visited Killian's place," Eleanor remarked casually.

Sienna immediately plastered on a bright smile. "It certainly has."

"You'll come with me, Sienna. We'll rest our feet, have a nice cup of tea, and invite ourselves to dinner at Killian's expense," the older woman declared warmly.

"Of course, Mother," Sienna agreed smoothly. "It works out perfectly. I haven't seen Connor lately, and I miss him terribly."

"Jillian, dear," Eleanor called out.

Jillian quickly stepped forward.

"How has Connor been lately? What has he been studying?"

Jillian's stomach plummeted, and she nervously bit her lip.

She had moved out of The Yale Residences, but no one at the main house knew yet.

"He's taking painting lessons."

"Oh? Did you hire a private tutor?"

"Killian reached out to some contacts and secured a well-known artist named Silas Xavier."

"Him?" Eleanor leaned heavily on Jillian's arm, scoffing dismissively. "I've seen his work. It's completely uninspired."

Sienna walked a step behind them, eagerly chiming in. "Your taste has always been impeccably high, Mother."

Eleanor beamed at the flattery. "Well, I hear this Silas Xavier is incredibly trendy right now. Perhaps I'm just getting old and failing to keep up with the times."

The three generations of women left the luxury boutiques and were chauffeured directly to The Yale Residences.

Mrs. Zeller personally opened the door. The moment she saw Jillian standing there, the housekeeper swallowed her usual venom and didn't dare utter a single disrespectful word.

Jillian immediately slipped into her role, instructing the maids to brew fresh tea and bringing the delicate porcelain cups to the older women herself.

She then ordered the kitchen staff to begin preparing an elaborate dinner.

Everything flowed flawlessly, painting the perfect picture that she was still the undisputed lady of the house.

"By the way, Jillian," Eleanor said, taking a slow sip of her tea, her eyes crinkling into a warm smile. "Did you finish all the custom fertility medicine I had prepared for you?"

"Don't you dare call me Grandmother! I moved heaven and earth, pulled every favor I had to get the country's top specialist to customize those treatments for you! How many drops actually made it down your throat? Did you throw every last bottle in the trash?!"

Eleanor's voice grew increasingly vicious, the sheer force of her authority crushing the oxygen out of the room.

Jillian dropped her head, her hands trembling so violently that her nails dug scarlet crescents into her palms.

Eleanor had never subjected her to this kind of public execution. In the past, she had always maintained a polished veneer of civility.

"I used to think you were obedient and knew your place. Now I see you've picked up Killian's disgusting habits. You think you can mock an old woman behind my back? After everything I've done for you..."

Eleanor's berating dragged on relentlessly.

Jillian went completely numb, a hollow, bitter smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Everything she had done for her?

The truth was, Eleanor simply found her pedigree too filthy to even warrant a direct argument.

If Sienna's hatred was loud and theatrical, Eleanor's silent, aristocratic contempt was just as suffocating.

Jillian wasn't stupid. She saw it all with horrifying clarity.

Eleanor had known everything from the very start, yet she had dragged her on a lavish shopping spree, playing the doting grandmother all afternoon just to orchestrate this flawless, humiliating ambush. She had been playing her for an absolute fool.