Chapter 51

Laughter, chatter, and the clinking of glasses filled every corner of the villa, and no matter how far Eliana walked, the noise followed her like a stubborn shadow. Only when the hum of voices dimmed did she slip her phone from her pocket and dial Seth.

"The transfer we talked about can get underway tomorrow," she said.

Seth was delighted. "That place is massive. Even if you just leased it, you'd rake in a fortune. Are you telling me Carl really handed it over to you?"

"He did," replied Eliana.

"Sounds like the Murray family's treating you better than I expected," Seth answered.

She didn't deny it. Aside from Sean's occasional outbursts, the rest of the family had shown her genuine kindness-none more so than Stella.

Time spent with Stella had given her a taste of something she'd never known before-maternal warmth, the kind that felt like stumbling upon a hidden treasure.

Eliana's light sleeping habits meant she noticed the quiet moments, like Stella gently tucking her in at night.\

For someone who had grown up without a mother's care, that simple act felt like something rare and priceless.

Over the line, Seth said, "If they're good to you, do you want me to dig into who set your father up? We could find out the truth."

Back when Eliana's identity as the Murray daughter was revealed, Seth had already run a surface check.

/

The truth had been clear-Louis had been set up-but he hadn't pushed deeper. because she hadn't given the word.

She hesitated, then replied, "Let's hold off for now." From the way Stella had reacted, there was more to the matter than it seemed.

The Onyx Syndicate already had eyes on them, and probing into Louis's case would only invite trouble Besides, she had a strong feeling Louis might have walked into it on purpose. That made rash moves dangerous.

"Got it," Seth replied. He took her caution for mistrust toward the Murray family and left it there. "I'll get things lined up so the transfer starts first thing tomorrow."

"Alright. They're going to have a rough time settling in, so see to it that everyone gets a good reward tonight from me," Eliana instructed.

"Understood!"

Once the call ended, her eyes lifted to the lone morning star gleaming like a jewel in the dark sky.

She decided to linger under the night for a while, anything to postpone crossing paths with the so-called elite waiting inside.

The silence lasted only a few seconds before a strange tension crept into her senses. Someone unfamiliar was drawing near.

Her brows knit together, yet she kept her gaze fixed on the heavens, pretending nothing had changed.

A short distance away, Barry advanced with cautious steps.

He hadn't wanted to set foot in the Murray estate. In his mind, marrying a girl from the countryside was unthinkable.

But Zach's orders weren't something he could ignore, not when he still owed both Zach and Addie enough to sink him for life. His pride could wait.

That resolve cracked the moment he saw Eliana.

Even among the parade of beautiful women in the Murray halls, Eliana drew every eye without effort.

One look, and Barry was captivated. When she slipped outside alone, he cut short his conversation with another guest and trailed after her.

Believing she had no idea he was behind her, he closed in and reached to pull her into his arms.

Before his hand could reach her, Eliana caught him and flipped him over her shoulder, slamming him hard onto the floor.

Pain clenched his jaw as he tried to push himself up, only to feel a knife press against his throat the very next moment.

"Tell me, who the hell are you?" Eliana demanded.

Pain and humiliation flared in Barry, but when he looked up, the sight of her face bathed in moonlight stole the heat from his anger.

For extraordinary beauty like this, he thought, maybe she could be forgiven for putting him on the ground.

A quick, eager smile spread across his face. "Hey now, no need to get the wrong idea. I'm not some creep..."

"Talk. Who are you? Because if you don't, I might just forget to keep this knife steady." Eliana cut in, her voice low and dangerous.

Barry was hooked. The beauty alone was enough to turn heads, but it was the confidence in her posture,the edge in her tone-she was unlike any woman he'd ever crossed paths with. And he wanted her.

"I'm your fiancé. Name's Barry. You can call me that," he said without a hint of shame.

"Fiancé?" Eliana found it amusing. "That's interesting. Considering I wasn't aware I'd ágreed to marry anyone named Barry."

If anything, she already had two names tied to her in that regard-Tristan and Neal. This stranger certainly wasn't either of them.

Trying to keep his eyes off the knife, Barry quickly said, "I'm Barry White. My uncle and his wife sent me here,told me you were going to be my bride." Eliana asked disdainfully, "And who exactly are they?"

"My uncle is Zach White. I'm guessing they've told you about me?" Barry asked, his voice careful but probing.

"Zach White?" Eliana's brows lifted, a glint of mockery flashing in her eyes. "So his wife works fast-already arranging me a future husband."

A flicker of excitement lit Barry's face. "Then Addie has spoken to you about me. How about putting that knife down? I'm really your future fiancé..."

Noticing the knife still in her grip, he quickly added, "Listen, if you marry me, I'll make sure you're taken care of. Anything you want, it's yours. And your father-since he's been taken in-we've got the power to pull some strings and get him released."

Eliana almost laughed outright. She was seconds from calling Jordy to drag Barry out when a rich, smooth voice cut through the night. "Seems the title of Ms. Murray's fiancé is in high demand tonight..."

Both she and Barry turned toward the sound-and were met with a vision framed in moonlight.

The man stood tall in a fitted black suit, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips.

But his eyes, dark and unyielding, were locked on Barry with a chill sharp enough to bite.

It was none other than Tristan.

Barry's mouth went dry, his eyes going wide. "M-Mr. Pearson..."

A slight tilt of Tristan's head was all it took. Rocco and Doran mnoved in, each gripping a shoúlder and forcing Barry down until his knees slammed the ground.

Pain shot up Barry's legs, dragging a hiss from his throat, but he swallowed it quickly, replacing it with a forced, toothy smile. "Mr. Pearson, what's going on? I don't understand... I haven't done anything wrong."

Tristan stepped forward, his gaze unwavering. "No, you haven't-unless you count attempting to steal my fiancée." "Y-your fiancée?" Barry blurted, whipping around to stare at Eliana as if the words themselves were absurd.A country-raised girl like her-Tristan's fiancée? No way. If that were true, why would Addie be arranging his marriage to Eliana? And the Pearsons? With their standards, they'd never welcome the disgraced Murray family,let alone replace the well-bred Leyla with someone who'd grown up far from privilege.

"Mr. Pearson, there's got to be a mistake here. Ms. Murray is about to get engaged to me.."