Chapter 440

The drive unfolded in silence.

Soon enough, the car pulled up at the grand entrance of the Benton family's villa.

Eleanor slipped off her seatbelt, thanked Nolan with a courteous smile, and stepped out of the car.

At the sound, Jeff quickly emerged from the house.

His eyes flickered between his daughter and the familiar car in the driveway, suspicion and curiosity written all over his face. "Sweetie, you and Nolan..."

He let the words trail off, but the unfinished question spoke volumes.

Eleanor caught the implication instantly, though her composure never wavered. "Dad, don't let your thoughts run wild. We only shared a simple meal,nothing more," she replied evenly.

Just then, Hilda arrived, swatting her husband's hand with playful reproach. "Leave Eleanor be. She knows her own heart; you don't need to meddle."

Taking Eleanor by the hand,she led her into the house. Inside the living room, Eleanor did not retreat upstairs to wash away the day's fatigue as she usually did.

Instead, she sank into the sofa, her expression unusually solemn. "Dad, Mom... could we bring Fraser back to the country?"

The unexpected request hung in the air,leaving both parents momentarily stunned.

Hilda's eyes softened with concern as she spoke first "Why Fraser,all of a sudden? Did something happen?"

Eleanor lowered her gaze, masking the truth behind a calm facade.

"I just miss him," she replied gently. "Eve since I was formally accepted into this family, I haven't had the chance to spend time with Fraser... or with any of my other brothers."

Her explanation was simple, even ordinary, and Jeff accepted it without hesitation.

"That shouldn't be too hard. Fraser can be arranged,"he assured her. "As for your other brothers... well,their work is not exactly ordinary. I'll reach out, hear what they think, and give you an answer."

Eleanor's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile as she nodded,her tone soft as a whisper.

That was as far as she could go for Lillian.

From here on, the outcome was beyond her control.

Hilda urged Jeff to make the call, then turned to Eleanor. "You must be exhausted after such a long day. Go on upstairs, get some rest. Don't stay up too late."

Eleanor nodded obediently and made her way up to her room.

Meanwhile, in the presidential suite on the top floor of a luxury hotel, Colson burst through the door,stumbling in his haste.

Ady's brows knitted in irritation at the sight of his frantic state. "What has gotten into you?"

Colson bent over, breathless, struggling to get the words out. "Dad... Dad is awake!"

Ady froze, her hand halfway to removing her face mask. A moment later, she regained her composure,tossed the mask into the bin, and scoffed.

Norwood,it seemed,was far too fortunate for his own good.

After being comatose for so long, he still managed to open his eyes again. But Colson could hardly contain his panic. "That is not the problem! I just got word from a contact at the police station. If Dad goes to the police and accuses us, this won't stay a civil matter. It'll become a criminal case. That means... prison!"

Ady's calm expression shattered at that single word.

Prison.

After everything she had clawed her way through,after all her sacrifices to climb so high, how could she allow herself to be thrown behind bars?

Her pause lasted only a heartbeat before she spoke with icy resolve. "Here is what we'll do. Tomorrow morning,reach out to our trusted people and liquidate all our shares as quickly as possible. Then, we leave the country."

Once they were abroad, not even Nolan's power would be able to reach them.

But Colson still faltered, his worry gnawing at him."What if... what if Nolan takes Dad to the police right away? Will we really have enough time?"

Ady's lips curved into a sharp sneer, her eyes gleaming with certainty. "He won't. Nolan's weakness is Norwood. Norwood has just regained consciousness,his body still fragile. Nolan would never allow him to be burdened with such troubles now. That gives us the window we need."

Ady's reasoning steadied Colson's nerves, and he finally exhaled. "Alright... I'll start making the arrangements tomorrow morning."

Just then, the bedroom door creaked open. Brodie stumbled out, rubbing his eyes, his voice thick with sleep. "Dad, Mom, what's all this noise about? You're interrupting my rest."

Colson was about to answer, but Ady cut in smoothly,"Nothing important. We were just talking about how to secure the CEO position for you."

At that, Brodie's drowsiness melted away, his eyes lighting up. "Then keep talking! Just make sure I get that CEO seat soon."

With a yawn, he turned and shuffled back to bed.

Colson frowned, lowering his voice as he looked at Ady. "Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

Ady shot him a sharp glance, her tone impatient."Do you really not know his temper? If he found out, he would lose control and ruin everything." Brodie's ambition for the Stewart Group throne was no secret.

If he discovered they were planning to cash out and run,he would cause a storm-and worse, alert Nolan. And once Nolan was on guard, escape would be impossible.

Colson parted his lips as if to argue, but in the end, he said nothing.

Neither of them realized it then, but that single choice -to keep Brodie in the dark-would spell the downfall of all their plans.