Reborn as the Villainess

Chapter 42

Eleanor followed Stephen back to Lloyd Villa. Liam was supposed to return with them, but halfway through, Stephen. suddenly mentioned that today was the recruitment day for Fusion Xtreme, the professional esports team.

As soon as he said that, Liam, who had been chatting with Eleanor, instantly had his attention captured. His eyes lit up with excitement, and he enthusiastically insisted that he had to go sign up. He even threatened to jump out of the car if they didn't let him go. Stephen, seemingly annoyed by Liam's outburst, nodded and agreed. He even had Oscar flag down a taxi for Liam, which finally calmed him down.

Oscar, sitting in the front passenger seat, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth at the whole situation. He thought. "Mr. Lloyd's really letting Mr. Liar go off to play esports just so he can spend some alone time with Ms. Vanderbilt

Who would've thought? After all, Mr. Liam had jumped off buildings, cut himself, tried hanging himself, and even crashed into trees just to pursue esports-and none of it worked. Yet today, Mr. Lloyd easily let Mr. Liam off the hook just to hang out with Ms. Vanderbilt At that instant. Oscar found himself feeling a little sorry for Liam and mused, Seems like, in the end, the wife wins out over

the brother.

When Eleanor entered the villa with Stephen, the first thing she saw was two rows of people in suits standing neatly in the hall. It startled her as they all looked like gangsters. "What is...this?" she asked. Oscar, quick to notice her reaction, immediately stepped forward to explain, "Ms. Vanderbilt, these are the jewelry designers under Lloyd Group. There are supposed to be 45 of them, and all 45 are present."

Eleanor said nothing, thinking that this level of formality was a bit much. Sure, they were designers, but to someone unfamiliar with the situation, it could almost seem like they were about to start marching in formation.

Stephen, however, remained calm as ever. He led her to the sofa and even reminded a servant to bring her a glass of milk.

It was only then that he turned his attention to the line-up" in front of him. "Come take a look," he said. "Figure out how to remove this bracelet without damaging the skin or the bracelet self."

"Understood." The chief editor of the jewelry design team, who also happened to be the department manager, stepped. forward to examine the bracelet on Eleanor's wrist. She inspected it carefully for a long moment before pulling back and reporting to Stephen. She said, "Mr. Lloyd, the material of this bracelet seems rather unique. It doesn't look like typical silver or any common metal. If we try to force it off, it might damage the skin, but if we use tools, there's a risk it could deform the bracelet. In the worst case, it could even be ruined.

"This is the first time I've seen a bracelet made of such material. Please give us a moment to discuss a solution."

After saying that, the head jewelry designer took out the tools and started photographing the bracelet from all angles. She even measured it carefully, noting down every little detail. It took her more than ten minutes before she finally stopped.

As Eleanor watched them huddie together with the data, deep in analysis, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. "Are they really up

for this?" she asked, unsure if it was just her imagination, but they all seemed a little too mysterious and secretive.

Stephen, however, remained calm. "They're professionals when it comes to jewelry. If they can't even handle this, they might as well quit." His certainty made Eleanor half believe, half doubt him, but she still nodded.

"Are you hungry? Want to grab something to eat while we wait?" he asked.

"No. Thanks." Eleanor shook her head, her gaze glued to the designers who were still discussing the bracelet. She lost her

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Chapter 12

appetite right now. All she wanted was to get this over with and head home. She still had homework to do.

Stephen didn't press her any further and stayed quietly seated on the couch, waiting with her without saying another word.

About an hour later, the head designer returned, holding a few sheets of A4 paper covered with notes, and handed them to Stephen

She said, "Mr. Lloyd, this is the data analysis we conducted on both the bracelet and this young lady's wrist. What's strange is that the bracelet's opening is clearly too narrow for a hand to fit through. In other words, it's impossible to remove it without hurting the hand" Stephen's expression darkened as he frowned, and the tension in the air became palpable. With a sudden motion, he slained the papers down onto the table with a loud thud, scattering them around. "I don't care about your process. Just give me the result." The head designer flinched at his cold tone, but she quickly composed herself as what a professional would do. "Mr. Lloyd. after our discussion and data analysis, we've come up with only two solutions. First, we can use tools to cut the bracelet open. then return it restored and pristine with our professional techniques."

"Absolutely not! Stephen interrupted immediately. This is my grandma's only keepsake. There cannot be any damage to it."

The chief jewelry designer nodded and continued, "Then there's only a second option. We'll have to forcibly remove it, but that might injure the lady's hand" Stephen protested, "No way-"

His refusal, however, was drowned out by Eleanor's voice. "It's timer

She went on, saying. Tm fine with that. I don't mind if my hand gets injured. I use my right hand for writing anyway, not my left. A small cut should heal quickly." heard

The moment Steph Eleanor's words, his face darkened, and even the temperature in the room seemed to drop a

few degrees. He thought, 'Is she that eager to cut ties with me that she's willing to get hurt over it?

The chief jewelry designer, seeing Eleanor's resolute expression, awkwardly tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Miss, you've misunderstood. The diameter of the bracelet is very small. It's almost perfectly fitted to your wrist. If we don't damage the bracelet, the only way to remove it would be to surgically cut off a portion of your palm. This isn't just a minor scratch we're talking about."

Eleanor's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? Cut off my palm?"

The designer nodded. "Yes. Those are the only two options right now. Which would you prefer to save?"

Eleanor fell silent, stunned, as she pondered, 'Save which one? This sounds like choosing between saving the mother or the baby. How could I possibly choose? One is an elderly woman's only keepsake, and the other is my own body part. "..." She wanted to keep both.

Stephen took a deep breath and massaged his temples. "Alright. That's enough. You can all-elive for now."

The chief designer respectfully nodded. "Yes, Mr. Lloyd. With that, she led the large team out of the room.

In an instant, the huge living room was left with only three people - Stephen, Eleanor, and Oscar, who had been standing silently on the side the entire time.