As she spoke, she shook her head vigorously, as if transported back to that helpless night, every tiny expression and movement silently voicing her trauma and lingering fear.
Julian Ford watched her look like a bird startled by the twang of a bowstring, and his steps preparing to draw near halted.
A barely noticeable frown tugged at his brows as he took in her obvious terror, the guilt in his heart resurfacing and intensifying.
He stood his ground, not advancing further, his voice softer than before. "The matter has been thoroughly investigated."
Elena Bennett paused her shrinking movement, glancing up at him timidly, her eyelashes still glistened with physiological tears.
"It was the nanny who spiked the drink," Julian Ford continued, stating the result in a calm tone. "She has been sent to the police station and will face the appropriate punishment."
He paused for a moment, as if weighing his words, and finally added, a little awkwardly: "I... I misunderstood you yesterday."
For someone as aloof and high-ranking as Julian Ford, this was as close to a direct apology as it got.
Elena Bennett seemed to relax a little now that the truth was out, but her grip on the quilt never loosened. She just hung her head, sniffling miserably.
Seeing that she was still pale and fragile, Julian Ford turned, picked up two documents from the low table beside the sofa, walked to the bed, and handed them to her.
"These are the transfer agreements for 2% of Ford Group's shares, as well as the ownership documents for a villa in the west of the city. Sign them, and they'll be yours."
Elena Bennett's gaze fell on the two light-looking documents in front of her, and her heart almost leaped out of her chest.
Based on her memories of the original owner, the Ford family was one of the top five wealthy clans.
2% of Ford Group's shares! That was an astonishing fortune many people could only dream of accumulating in several lifetimes. Coupled with a top-tier villa!
She almost screamed in excitement internally, eager to grab the pen and sign her name immediately.
But on the surface, she slowly raised her eyes, looking at Julian Ford in disbelief, her voice trembling slightly:
"Brother... why are you giving me these... what do you mean?"
It was as if she suddenly understood. Her eyes quickly filled with water, and her voice was laced with the despair of being humiliated:
"You want to use these things... to buy me for a night? Or... do you think I'm an eyesore, and want to get rid of me by throwing money at me, kicking me out of the Ford family?"
Her questioning was tinged with sobs, filled with the grievance of being objectified and abandoned.
Julian Ford clearly hadn't expected her to react like this, and his brows furrowed instantly. "That's not what I meant..."
"What do you mean then?" Elena Bennett interrupted him, tears sliding down her cheeks.
She stubbornly turned her head away, leaving only a trembling and fragile profile for him.
"I know I was ignorant before, and annoyed you... but I never thought of paying you off in this way... Take these things back. What do you take me for?"
She performed "heart-wrenching sorrow" and "hurt pride" to perfection, perfectly masking the ecstasy that was almost bubbling out of her.
Looking at her like this, Julian Ford was momentarily lost for words.
When he had prepared the compensation, he had only considered how much it could make up for her losses, completely forgetting to consider... her feelings.
Watching Elena Bennett be so heart-broken as if his "compensation" had deeply hurt her, he also felt that his actions were indeed somewhat inappropriate.
His fingertips moved slightly, wanting to take back the documents and reconsider—
Elena Bennett's peripheral peripherally sharply caught the moment he intended to retract them.
Her heart let out a sudden "thump," and she silently shouted: Oh no! I overdid the acting. The cooked duck is about to fly away!
In the blink of an eye, she snatched the two documents from Julian Ford's hand before he could react.
Without waiting for him to respond, she grabbed the pen placed on the head of the bed beside her, wiped her tears away with a "pat-a-pat-a" sound, and quickly signed her name at the end of each document.
The tip of the pen scratched across the paper, almost piercing through it, as if signing a shameful contract of servitude.
"Since... since this is the result Brother wants..." Her voice was choked with sobs, but unusually clear, "Then I'll sign it."
After signing the last one, she threw the documents away randomly and stuffed them back into the dumbfounded Julian Ford's hand. Her whole person seemed to have been drained of all strength, yet she stubbornly held onto the last bit of "self-esteem."
She sniffled, putting on an appearance of holding back her tears:
"Don't worry, Brother. As soon as I'm better... I'll move out of the Ford family myself. I won't stay here to annoy you anymore... I won't mention a word of what happened last night to anyone, especially Dad..."
Watching her pretend to be deeply wronged and wronged, yet actually putting on an act of "I understand everything, I'll help you," the sense of suffocation in Julian Ford's chest grew heavier.
He opened his mouth, trying to explain: "I'm not trying to drive you away, this is just..."
"Brother!" Elena Bennett suddenly interrupted him, pulling the quilt over her whole body and huddling into a tight ball. A muffled voice came out: "Just go out... please... I'm really tired... I want to be alone..."
However, out of Julian Ford's sight, deep in the quilt, Elena Bennett pressed her lips tightly, barely holding back the wild scream that was about to burst out of her.
Got rich! Got rich!
This man, Julian Ford, might be a jerk, but his hand was really generous!
From now on, she, Elena Bennett, was a rich woman in this world!
Julian Ford's unfinished words were swallowed up by the order to leave and the figure of the slightly trembling ball under the quilt.
Holding the two already effective documents in his hand, he experienced a sense of powerlessness for the first time—making things worse instead of better.
He had clearly investigated the truth, apologized, and offered compensation that would make anyone overjoyed, so why had the situation become... even more tricky?
He stood silently for a few seconds, said nothing in the end, just took a deep look at the lump under the quilt, then turned and left the guest bedroom.
The door closed gently.
As soon as the sound of footsteps faded away, Elena Bennett suddenly threw back the quilt.
With her hair in a mess and her eyes shining with excitement, Elena Bennett almost jumped out of bed, no longer showing an ounce of weakness or sadness.
She quickly pulled up the system panel in her mind, staring intently at the [Affection] column.
[Strategy Target: Julian Ford]
[Current Affection: -12% (Disgust)]
It had increased by another 3 points!
Elena Bennett covered her mouth, lying on the soft big bed, shaking her shoulders silently with laughter.
It seemed that making him feel guilty was indeed the fastest way to gain points at this stage.
However, relying solely on being a "victim" and feeling wronged to exploit his guilt was not a long-term solution.
Moreover, overacting would easily lead to the opposite effect.
What should I do next?