Chapter 285
Chapter 285:
Treading carefully toward Alden’s room, Helena abruptly caught snippets of conversation from two nurses whispering nearby.
“Mr. Wilson is just too handsome! Even with his injuries, he radiates charm! I’m all aflutter whenever I spot him p>
“You should stop that. His wife’s tenderness towards him is incredible—they seem utterly inseparable p>
“I just enjoy the view—what’s wrong with a little harmless admiration p>
Their laughter receded, yet Helena remained rooted to the spot, immobilized.
A constriction gripped her chest, and her breathing felt tight. She dropped her gaze, fixating on the wedding ring adorning her finger.
Mr. Wilson’s… wife?
Who were they talking about?
Lost in thought, Helena barely noticed as two figures crossed her path. A slender woman gently guided a robust man down the corridor toward the balcony at its end.
“Staying indoors won’t help your recovery. Some sunlight is what you need!” the woman said softly.
Her tone carried a nurturing warmth.
The man remained silent, compliantly following her lead, clearly showing his obedience to her.
Helena watched, her jaw dropping slightly, as they vanished from her sight. Her hands balled into fists as she faced the painful truth—the couple she had just seen were Alden and Eleanino.
Eleanino had already spotted Helena. Her earlier display of affection toward Alden hadn’t been a spontaneous outpouring—it was a calculated performance, meant to mislead Helena into drawing the wrong conclusion.
The moment she tugged Alden onto the balcony, he pulled his hand free.
He cast a glance over his shoulder. “Was that my wife—by contract?” He wasn’t guessing. Over the past few days, Alden had quietly looked up whatever he could find on Helena, and the moment they’d passed each other earlier, he recognized her.
Eleanino knew better than to treat him like a fool. Alden’s instincts were razor-sharp, and denying it outright would only backfire. Instead, she lowered her head with a soft, measured sigh.
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A faint crease appeared between Alden’s brows, his gaze narrowing in quiet confusion.
After a beat of silence, Eleanino spoke in a hushed, hesitant tone. “Though your marriage is not real, Helena is still your wife in name, and I really don’t want to speak ill of her in front of you. But the truth is—she p>
Her deliberate pause only piqued Alden’s curiosity further. “Go on. Say it p>
“She tried to use your name to force her way into high society. But you and your grandmother cut off that path, so she turned her sights elsewhere. She’s been trying to leverage your name—and your network—to boost her media career. I’m sure you’ve seen the pattern in her public work. All her big interviews? They were with you or Dorian. She even interviewed me once. And each one only happened because of the connections you handed her p>