Chapter 10 When Kicking a Dog, Mind Its Owner

Eleanor had sent Grayson back to the gym to train. After eating and taking a shower, she went back to bed for some more sleep.

Victoria's call came in the evening.

Eleanor heard about the incident from Penelope, who she thought had been getting along well with her daughter. However, to her shock, Penelope had berated Eleanor on the call, upset because Eleanor had landed Peter in the hospital.

While Victoria was eager for Eleanor to marry into the wealthy Vaughn family, the possibility that her own daughter might have been bullied brought her to tears. She vowed over the phone to settle the score with Penelope.

Eleanor, worried about retaliation from the Vaughn family, quickly interjected, "Mom, I didn't come out on the losing end."

Victoria rushed over, and when she saw the bruises on her daughter’s neck and arms, she burst into tears again, her voice laced with anger, "I'll make them pay for this!"

"Mom!" Eleanor rose to her feet, grabbed Victoria, and pushed her down onto the sofa, ignoring her own pain. "And how do you plan to do that?"

"Patriarch Vaughn announced that whoever grants Mr. Vaughn a great-grandchild will get a bigger share of the family business. Penelope, looking for a suitable bride for Peter, has her eyes on a premature inheritance—they’re desperate because of Peter’s tarnished reputation and he's not exactly prime husband material. She set her sights on me to draw you into their scheme. Now, with Peter in the hospital and under police investigation, the Vaughns are like a cornered animal. If you confront them, you'll just end up as their scapegoat."

Victoria was struggling to let it go, "So what do you suggest we do?"

Eleanor stuffed a cushion behind her, let out a weary sigh, and said, "Peter got what was coming to him when I stabbed him. I'm not the one who ended up at a loss here."

It took a while for Victoria to calm down after Eleanor's persuasion, and she agreed to hold back for the time being.

But she was puzzled, "I heard that it was the Quinns who tipped off the authorities about Peter. Why would they help us?"

Grayson mentioned it was Aaron Quinn who had ordered, aiming to have Peter behind bars for an extended stay.

The harm Peter inflicted on Eleanor could result in a three-year sentence at best, but the police couldn't just make up charges. They had to investigate further.

The Vaughns were seething yet speechless; in Nan City, crossing the Quinns was a mistake nobody could afford to make.
Penelope had leveraged The Quinn family's tendency to ignore Eleanor and her daughter - if they were sidelined by someone as insidious as Peter, the Quinns would typically turn a blind eye. It never crossed her mind that the Quinns would stand up for her.

"Is it Aaron?" Victoria guessed, now that Aaron was at the helm of the Quinn family. She couldn't think of anyone else who would step in.

A twinge of fear stabbed at Eleanor's heart, worrying that Victoria might start making wild guesses, mainly because she felt guilty herself.

She clarified, "After all, we're Uncle Quinn's kin. On his deathbed, he entrusted them to look after us. They wouldn't ignore it if we were mistreated."

Fortunately, Victoria didn't ponder it any further and accepted what sounded like a reasonable explanation.

...

When Eleanor got ready for work on Monday, she carefully chose a turtleneck blouse to conceal the gauze on her neck.

Her injured hands were harder to hide. When her closer coworkers asked, she played it off as a minor kitchen mishap - just a cut from cooking over the weekend.

"Eleanor," whispered the intern from the next cubicle, "I heard we've got a new director."

They were her protégé, always addressing her respectfully.

"Ulysses was due for a promotion."

As Eleanor booted up her computer, she glanced over at the intern. The previous director had moved up, leaving the Project Department's director seat vacant. The Deputy Director was competent; it was about time they stepped up.

The intern shook her head. "I've heard differently. It's an external hire. There was quite the buzz when I came in this morning."

Eleanor frowned. Office politics were nothing new, as outsiders often landed positions because of who they knew, not what they knew.

"Poor Ulysses, it was supposed to be her turn," the intern lamented, her first taste of corporate cruelty.

Eleanor handed her a piece of candy, "Don't be so down. I'll take you out for some bubble tea later."

The intern nodded vigorously, her mood instantly lifting.

Monday mornings meant staff meetings. Eleanor settled into her usual seat, silencing her phone.

The conference room doors swung open again. The earlier murmurs ceased as if muted, and Eleanor knew the new Director had arrived.

She looked up and froze.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm your new Marketing Director, Vincent Thompson. I look forward to working with all of you."

Applause filled the room.
Eleanor was a beat behind as she joined in the applause with everyone else.

Vincent, who was around the same age as Eleanor, had an air of effortless grace about her. A stunning fashionista with a degree from a prestigious overseas university, her resume was impressive.

After introducing herself, she dived right into work, attentively listening to the team report their progress.

Eleanor couldn't be sure, but she felt Vincent's gaze linger on her every now and then, hinting at something more profound.

After the meeting, Eleanor headed to the break room to get water, only to overhear a conversation about her.

Normally, she'd ignore such chatter, but Vincent's name caught her attention.

"Tough as nails, that Eleanor. No matter how many beauties you bring in, none seem to shake her status. Even someone as gorgeous as Vincent comes up short."

"I knew Eleanor back in college; she was the belle of Southern University, deservedly so!"

"What's the use of just being pretty? I was chatting with a friend who mentioned something about Director Thompson."

"What about her?"

"She's getting engaged."

"So? What about the engagement?"

"She's marrying into the Quinn family, Aaron. What do you think?"

"Wow, that's incredible luck!"

Eleanor entered without a word. The gossips instantly switched topics, with those pouring water and those washing fruits pretending to be engrossed in their tasks.

She never expected Aaron's fiancée to become her direct boss.

But Eleanor didn't dwell on this; she returned to her desk and immersed herself in work.

By evening, a contract needed revising. Work ran late, and she was the last one there.

As she shut down her computer and stood up, the director's office door opened.

"Working late too?" Vincent raised an eyebrow.

Eleanor nodded, "Just fine-tuning some contract details."

Together, they walked to the elevator.

They were about the same height. Interns had secretly looked it up, comparing, saying Eleanor was just a bit taller.

It had become a tradition in the department, every time a young and attractive new face arrived, they would covertly measure her up against Eleanor.

As one intern put it, "Eleanor, don't you realize you're the gold standard of beauty here?"

Eleanor usually kept to herself around people she wasn't close with, quietly standing to the side, waiting for the elevator to take them down from the thirty-second floor.

"Eleanor." Vincent suddenly spoke up.

Eleanor turned to look at her.

"We've met before at Eleanor Tower, right?" Vincent's smile was warm, creating a feeling of closeness.
Eleanor didn't deny the statement, "You had dinner with Brother."

Vincent nodded, gazing at Eleanor's face, "It was Aaron who mentioned it to me, that's how I learned you're Quinn's fifth uncle's daughter."

Eleanor's fingers tightened imperceptibly.

"You're quite talented. Ulysses might be transferred soon, and when that happens, I'll recommend you for the position."

"Then I owe Director Thompson my thanks," Eleanor replied with a smile, not lingering on the subject.

After leaving the office, Eleanor hailed a taxi back to the Quinn Mansion. There was something she needed to check with Victoria.

Arriving back at Quinn Mansion well past dinner time, clusters of lights flickered on, adorning the courtyard garden with a dreamy enchantment.

The pond at the front was under repair, scattered with stones and cement, forcing Eleanor to take a detour.

"Today, the Vaughn family patriarch himself paid us a visit, asking for leniency for his grandson. You're usually indifferent, so why suddenly take an interest in Eleanor's affairs?"

Eleanor instinctively stopped in her tracks, standing behind the shadow of a tree.

Aaron's voice was cold as an icy wind, biting into her heart, "The Vaughns have the nerve to bully the Quinns now, but even when you strike a dog, you must consider its owner."