Chapter 1

Eleanor Sandberg thought she was having a wet dream. She'd been living like a widow for the past three years—there was no way anyone would be doing that with her.

It felt so real, though. In fact, she felt so embarrassed that she woke up.

Eleanor lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling dazedly, her lips parted slightly as she panted. Why would she suddenly feel like that?

She'd finally declared victory last night after years of battling her cheating, morally bankrupt husband and her greedy uncle and his family. She'd become Sandberg Group's youngest chairwoman cum CEO.

Could it be that her tightly wound nerves had finally snapped after that, sending her mind spiraling into reckless abandon?

She was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and the heat in her body had yet to completely dissipate.

Suddenly, a man's husky voice rang out above her. "Are you ready?"

Eleanor jolted at that and widened her eyes in horror as she met a pair of unreadable eyes in the dim room. She felt like her soul had left her body as lightning struck her—this wasn't a dream!

This was actually happening! Someone was making love to her, and they weren't giving her the chance to react!

Eleanor wanted to scream. She helplessly reached out to grab the man's arm, but he took it as a sign of acceptance and welcome.

Her world rocked and swayed, and her soul seemed to ascend to heaven. She had no idea where this man had come from.

She lived in Minharton, which was a neighborhood in Jorstone City with the best security measures available. Outsiders couldn't get in, and she had household staff living with her. How had this guy—hold up!

Eleanor belatedly realized that the room she was in was unfamiliar to her. The man lifted her from the bed, giving her the chance to see the heart-shaped balloon arch and a banner congratulating her on her marriage.

Was this… a marital room?

She was stunned. Then, something occurred to her, and she touched her hair. It was long and silky-smooth, and the tips were damp from her sweat. A few tendrils clung to her flawless back, curling sexily, forming an alluring sight on the vague silhouette of her body. She was like a painting come to life.

She had long hair. It wasn't the chic, shoulder-length bob she'd gotten later in life because of how busy she'd been with work. A short hairdo was easier to maintain, after all.

Had she been reborn? Had she been taken back to her wedding day three years in the past?

The man leaned down to kiss Eleanor. She immediately dodged him, afraid that he was her cheating husband, whom she'd dubbed "Mr. STD".

He faltered, evidently not expecting her to refuse his kiss when she'd responded so "positively" to him earlier.

Eleanor took the chance to take in the man's appearance with the help of the lights streaming in through the gaps in the curtains, which weren't fully drawn.

He had a broad forehead and chiseled features—his eyes were deep-set yet slightly grim, and he had a tall nose and thin lips.

Even in the darkness, she could clearly see his strong, sharp jaw. He was so handsome that she was momentarily captivated.

He wasn't Mr. STD, but Eleanor still recognized him—Sebastian Whitman, her cousin-in-law!

Sebastian watched as her expression went from horror to confusion and then to surprise. Whatever it was, she didn't look happy. That told him that she wasn't pleased to have him as her groom.

His gaze darkened, and he briefly oscillated between leaving and throwing caution to the wind. Then, he chose the latter.

He gripped the back of Eleanor's head rather roughly before giving her a searing kiss. He left no room for her to reject him and continued with this mixed-up matrimonial night.

Eleanor's head spun from having her breath taken away. She was a complete rookie at this, so she stood no chance against Sebastian's ministrations.

Then, she vaguely heard some maids' panicked voices come from the corridor outside.

"There's been a mistake! The grooms went to the wrong rooms—Mr. Porter went to the tenth floor, where Ms. Brenda is!"

"What? Doesn't that mean the cousins have been mixed up? W-What are we gonna do? Should we knock on the door to tell Ms. Eleanor?"

"They've already consummated the marriage upstairs, and people took photos of them. I don't think we can change them back…"

While trapped in Sebastian's fierce and passionate kiss, Eleanor puzzled the whole thing out.

She wasn't the only one who'd been reborn.

Brenda Sandberg, her cousin, had also been reborn. In her past life, she and Brenda had shared the same wedding day. Unfortunately, Brenda's groom—Sebastian—had gone missing on the wedding night, turning her into the laughingstock of Jorstone City.

And so, Brenda had later hooked up with Maurice Porter, Eleanor's scumbag husband. That had turned Eleanor into another of Jorstone City's laughingstocks.

In fact, Eleanor wasn't just sure that Brenda had also been reborn—she knew Brenda had orchestrated this whole thing. There was no other explanation for both the grooms going to the wrong rooms and sleeping with the wrong brides simultaneously.

In her past life, Eleanor had refused to suffer in silence. After discovering Maurice and Brenda's affair, she'd exposed them and announced that Brenda was a homewrecker. The latter had been thoroughly shamed and scorned by the upper crust.

At the time, Brenda had sworn to get revenge. She'd told Eleanor that if they could redo things, the first thing she would do would be to replace Eleanor as Maurice's wife!

That would explain why Brenda had arranged for the grooms to be switched in this lifetime. She wanted to rewrite the plot from the very beginning.

As for having their photos taken, that was also part of Brenda's plan—she knew there was a chance Maurice's parents wouldn't accept her if everything was hush-hush.

The Porter family would have no choice but to accept her as one of their own now that she had photos as evidence. At the same time, she would solidify her position as Mrs. Porter. That way, no one would be able to call her a homewrecker as they'd done in her past life.

It was a pretty well-rounded plan.

Eleanor couldn't care less about Maurice, also known as Mr. STD. Brenda could be his wife for all she cared.

The only problem was that Sebastian was supposed to have gone missing per the storyline in her past life. Why was he now here and pistoning into her so earnestly?

Eleanor turned into jelly on the bed as her heart raced. In her past life, her marriage with Maurice had been nothing more than a business deal. He'd slept around with countless women, and she'd been afraid of contracting STDs. So, they'd never slept together.

During the three years after their marriage, she'd thrown herself into getting back everything that was rightfully hers, so she hadn't been interested in love and sex. Even until the day she'd died, she'd had no idea what it felt like to make love.

She didn't expect to experience this first thing after being reborn. Also, it seemed Sebastian was pretty good at this. That was a surprising discovery.

Eleanor didn't know whether this was his first time, but she had to admit she was pretty satisfied with her first time.

Sebastian only got up when his breathing evened out. He covered her eyes with his hand.

She smelled the musky, woodsy fragrance on his palm before she heard something click.

He'd turned on the lights.

With his palm shielding her eyes, she got used to the sudden brightness. She couldn't help thinking that he was rather considerate.

Chapter 2

Eleanor's greatest strength was her unwavering composure. She believed in accepting what came—the outcome was already set, whether in terms of her rebirth or getting her husband switched out. There was no point in making a fuss out of things.

Sebastian would soon disappear for no reason, anyway. She was already used to living like a widow, and she had experience in getting back what was owed to her.

In this lifetime, she could still drive Brenda and her family out of the Sandberg household. She would eventually get back the inheritance her parents had left her, which Brenda's family had taken possession of for years.

She had one more goal in this lifetime—to find an untainted, handsome man to satisfy her now and then. Sebastian would be her standard for reference. She wouldn't settle for anyone who couldn't pleasure her like he had.

Sebastian had no idea what Eleanor was thinking about. He only saw the lingering blush on her face and how she seemed to ooze sensuality as she lay there. His Adam's apple bobbed as he tried to suppress the urge to have her again.

He got out of bed and put on a bathrobe. Eleanor lay on her side as she took in his broad shoulders and long legs. She also admired his height—six feet and two inches—and flawless proportions.

He was an outstanding specimen of a man—enough to make women want to throw themselves at him.

He and Maurice shared the same father but had different mothers. Half of their genes came from the same person, but Sebastian was much better-looking than Maurice.

Yes, Sebastian and Maurice were half-brothers. The former wasn't just Eleanor's cousin-in-law. He was her brother-in-law, too.

He suddenly turned to look at Eleanor, faltering briefly when he caught the odd look in her eyes.

Then, he said coldly and deliberately, "I didn't know it was you with the lights off earlier. Still, what's done is done. I'll take responsibility for this."

What was that supposed to mean? He hadn't known it was her. Did that mean he'd thought she was Brenda?

Disgust bubbled in her.

Eleanor didn't mind having sex with anyone, but her pride wouldn't allow anyone to mistake her for someone else—especially that bitch, Brenda.

Her anger immediately spiked, and she sneered. "You must be disappointed, then."

Sebastian's aloof expression seemed to stiffen for a second.

Eleanor rolled her eyes. She picked up her nightgown from the floor to put it on but found it torn. It went without saying that Sebastian had done it. It was clear how out of control he'd been earlier.

She snorted. She didn't want to admit that he'd given her a good first time and hadn't hurt her despite being out of control. After all, he'd mistaken her for Brenda.

She cast the torn nightgown aside and got out of bed. She strutted to the closet beside Sebastian with her head held high and grabbed a bathrobe. She met his gaze as it landed on her, and her hands trembled slightly as she tied the belt.

She just didn't think there was any point in hiding anything since they'd already slept together—he'd already seen everything there was to see.

However, his gaze was almost tangible as he scanned her, seemingly ravaging her with his eyes. It was overwhelming.

Eleanor had always been proud. Even if she felt shy or embarrassed, she wouldn't let it show. Before heading to the bathroom, she said, "You can't make a crude person appreciate the finer things in life."

She was taking a jab at him for mistaking her for someone else and also ruining her nightgown.

Sebastian was rendered speechless.

…

The bathroom was well-lit, and everything was illuminated with stark clarity. Eleanor stood before the sink and leaned close to the mirror to get a better look at her face.

She was only three years younger than she'd been in her past life but looked much prettier. It wasn't because a man had just pleasured her, was it?

She'd always known that she looked good—the netizens had dubbed her "Weston Crabapple" after she'd accidentally gone viral online. The nickname was supposed to be a nod at her beauty.

Now, however, she was… a little too captivating. Even she felt shy looking at herself.

This only made Sebastian seem all the more blind. How could he have mistaken her for Brenda? She couldn't believe it.

As Eleanor stared at herself in the mirror, her expression slowly became grave. She knew why she'd been reborn.

In her past life, after she'd defeated Brenda and her family and gotten back Sandberg Group, which her parents had left her, she'd partied until the wee hours with her friends. She'd later returned to Minharton, where her stomach had suddenly hurt like hell.

Her desire for survival had pushed her to call an ambulance. The last thing she remembered was the medical personnel arriving and performing CPR on her. However, she'd slowly faded out of consciousness until everything had gone black.

This meant she'd died in her past life. Had it been because of an acute illness or alcohol poisoning? Or could it be… murder?

Eleanor had annual medical checkups and had never been diagnosed with anything major. Despite constantly working late, she still felt she was relatively healthy.

Her instinct told her murder was the likeliest explanation. Who could've been behind it?

Brenda and her family were the only enemies that came to mind.

Well, it didn't matter. She would settle old grudges and new scores together.

Eleanor exhaled and took off the bathrobe before heading to the shower. She inadvertently caught sight of her body in the mirror—she was covered in hickeys from her neck to her collarbones.

She flushed. Was that bastard Sebastian a dog or something? He'd gnawed on her like she was a bone!

She even had bruises on her waist. Her skin was soft and supple, so the marks were obvious. She looked rather… horrific. She glared in Sebastian's direction with the door between them.

Forget it. He would probably be gone when she was done.

Her and Brenda's weddings had been held on a cruise ship. In her past life, the ship had encountered a storm in the middle of the night, after which Sebastian had gone missing. And so, there'd been rumors that he'd fallen into the ocean.

It didn't matter whether he would leave Eleanor jilted or fall into the ocean. Either way, he would disappear.

Eleanor silently reminded herself to respect his fate before stepping into the shower. She wouldn't think about him anymore.

…

Sebastian lit a cigarette as he stood before the window in the suite. As he lowered his head to flick the lighter, the flame illuminated his handsome face. His fringe fell over his forehead, casting a shadow over his eyes, making him seem all the more aloof and distant.

However, if one were to take a closer look, one would notice that his hand trembled slightly as he held his cigarette.

It was like a long-cherished dream had finally come true. He looked calm on the surface, but his emotions were erupting like a volcano underneath the façade. They were held back only by his ironclad self-control, leaving his face devoid of emotion.

"Mr. Whitman." A man dressed as an attendant approached the window surreptitiously, addressing Sebastian in Criptonese.

Sebastian didn't even flinch. He turned to glance at the bathroom, only turning back to the attendant when he was sure Eleanor wouldn't emerge just yet.

The attendant continued lowly, "There was a mistake with the intel. We didn't find the item, so we'll cover you while you leave."

Chapter 3

Sebastian's calm gaze turned stormy. He couldn't understand where things had gone wrong. Why wasn't the item there?

He said in fluent Criptonese, "This trip will be a waste of time if we can't find the item, so I'm not going anywhere. Continue searching."

The attendant didn't dare influence his decision. He said, "The news of the two grooms 'accidentally' going to the wrong rooms has already spread, and someone from the tenth floor is coming to get you. Be careful, Mr. Whitman."

After that, he swiftly left, his movements deft and agile. It was clear he wasn't an ordinary person.

Sebastian stubbed out the cigarette and shut the window. Then, he returned to the messy bed. He bent down to pick up the torn nightgown. His face was still emotionless, but his gaze seemed to darken.

Just then, Eleanor emerged from the bathroom. Sebastian immediately threw the nightgown onto the floor.

She was taken aback and blurted out, "What are you still doing here?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. Then, he asked coolly, "Where else would I be?"

Eleanor frowned. Things were turning out differently in this lifetime, leaving her puzzled. However, someone knocked on the door before she could process the situation.

She turned around and opened it to see a maid standing outside. The Sandberg and Porter families had booked the cruise ship for the two weddings, so the servers on the ship were the maids from the two households.

The maid lowered her head and said, "Ms. Eleanor, Mr. Philip, Madam Sheila, and Mr. and Mrs. Porter are asking you and Mr. Whitman to join them on the tenth floor."

Eleanor narrowed her eyes. She knew this meant they wanted to get to the bottom of the groom mix-up. She smirked and said, "Tell Uncle Philip and Aunt Sheila I'll be there in ten minutes. I need to change."

The maid made a sound of acknowledgment. Eleanor shut the door and approached Sebastian, saying bluntly, "Let's talk, Sebastian."

They didn't know each other well. In her past life, they'd only seen each other a few times. Her understanding of him was limited to knowing of his existence and that he was actually an illegitimate son of the Porter family despite them claiming he was adopted. He was very unpopular with the Porters.

Rumor had it he didn't even get paid despite working at Porter Group. He was even worse off than she was—a sad sprout, he was. That gave her the leverage she needed to bargain with him, though.

Sebastian sat on the bed. "What about?"

Eleanor stood before him and started hashing out the details. "You're the one who mistakenly came into my room, right? You're also the one who made the first move, right? Even if you mistook me for Brenda, you're still at fault, right?"

He raised an eyebrow as she rattled off her questions. "So?"

"So, you have to take responsibility for what's happened. That's what you said earlier, isn't it? This means we'll be husband and wife from now on," Eleanor said.

Sebastian fell silent. A few seconds later, he fixed his gaze on her and repeated, "We'll be husband and wife from now on?"

Eleanor didn't know why, but she felt somewhat oppressed the moment his eyes landed on her. She pursed her lips and said, "Yes, we will. Didn't you hear what the maids said earlier? Brenda's been photographed in bed with someone else, and everyone now knows about the groom mix-up.

"We can only go along with the mistake. What else can we do about the situation? It's not like we can have you and Maurice swap back."

He couldn't be so loyal to Brenda that he didn't even care about being cuckolded, could he?

Sebastian fell silent, seemingly deep in thought as he weighed the pros and cons. The look on his face was complicated.

Eleanor wasn't happy with that. She hated it when others left her hanging, so she stepped on his foot. "Say something."

She'd taken off her drenched shoes after leaving the bathroom, so she was barefoot. Her dainty toes were an alluring sight.

Sebastian silently retracted his gaze. He carried himself with an innate sense of nobility—not even Maurice, the proper son of the Porter family, could compare to him. Then, he grunted.

Eleanor took that as an agreement and moved on to the next step. "Since we're husband and wife, you have to be on my side. I don't care how much you love Brenda—you're not allowed to help her backstab me. If you dare do that…"

She abruptly grabbed him by the collar and leaned down to look menacingly into his eyes. "I'll castrate you!"

She wouldn't allow him to treat her as Maurice had done in her past life—helping her nemesis while playing the role of her husband!

Sebastian looked at her up close. Her skin was flawless and as smooth as marble. She'd just showered, so she smelled wonderful. The fragrance wafted into his nose.

He lowered his gaze to see the lapels of her robe falling slightly open due to her posture, revealing her full chest. Eleanor was slender, but she had curves in all the right places.

She was gorgeous.

Sebastian's Adam's apple bobbed. He moved his now darkened gaze back to her face.

Eleanor didn't notice. She was too focused on being nice after threatening him earlier. "Of course, I'm not a ruthless bloodsucker. As long as you play your role as my husband well, I'll give you 300 thousand—no, 500 thousand dollars as your monthly allowance."

Sebastian said, "I don't want your money. I only have one condition."

She frowned and released him. Then, she straightened up and crossed her arms. "Let's hear it, then. I'll consider it."

He got up. He'd been seated earlier, giving her the chance to look at him imperiously. Now that he was standing, he towered over her, his presence daunting and prominent. She didn't back away, though.

He gazed at her solemnly. "We'll be an actual married couple."

"What? What do you mean?" Eleanor's brain suddenly stopped working.

Sebastian said slowly, "What we just did—I want us to do it all the time."

Her head shot up as she stared at him. She would never have expected that to be his condition. She flushed and blurted out, "Are you that insatiable?"

Her heart raced. "We can't do it every day. I'll have my period every month, and I'll need to go out of town on business trips now and then. I—"

He frowned. "I'm not that desperate."

Eleanor pressed her fingers together to wake herself up. They were just talking about sex. Why did she feel so flustered?

She'd planned on getting herself a man, anyway. Since she had a husband, she would enjoy his crown jewels the best she could.

She went back to being her proud, aloof self. "Deal."

Sebastian made a sound of acknowledgment and sidestepped her to get a glass of water. Eleanor had other matters to discuss, though. "How did you get to my room? The people on the tenth floor are going to ask about this since they want to see us."

She could figure out everything else later. Now, she had to know how exactly Brenda had made the switch happen.

Sebastian paused. Then, he said, "I had too much to drink, and a maid helped me here. The lights weren't on."

Oh. That probably meant the maids had been bought over.

Eleanor got dressed while puzzling things out. Then, she gave Sebastian a once-over. "You had too much to drink? I don't remember smelling any liquor on you, though. Your face showed nothing, too."

He didn't answer. Instead, he called someone and had them bring him his clothes.

Eleanor applied a red lipstick that was bold enough to make her look daunting. At the same time, she said, "Don't say anything later."

She didn't want him to get bullied, the poor sad sprout. She could put this show on herself.

Chapter 4

The cruise ship had 15 floors. It was equipped with various entertainment facilities to accommodate the hundreds of guests the Sandberg and Porter families had invited for the weddings. There were over a thousand people on the ship, including the staff.

That meant over a thousand people had witnessed the groom mix-up debacle. With how advanced the Internet was now, it went without saying that everyone in Jorstone City's upper crust knew about this. The Sandberg and Porter families were now laughingstocks.

That was why none of the parents looked happy as they waited in the living room on the tenth floor.

When Eleanor and Sebastian arrived, they saw Brenda weeping in the arms of her mother, Sheila Bronson. She played the victim to perfection while Maurice knelt before the parents.

His mother, Linda Greene, was the first to speak up. "Someone teach him a lesson! Show him the consequences of getting so drunk that he lost his senses!"

Two attendants stepped forward, each holding a thin cane. They looked perfect for hitting someone with.

"Hit him!" Linda commanded.

The attendants stood on either side of Maurice and started hitting his back. The canes wouldn't cause any fatal injuries but were enough to make one hurt. He balled his palms into fists tightly and clenched his jaw as he endured the pain.

After a while, Brenda threw herself at him and shielded him. One of the attendants couldn't stop in time and hit her, making her cry out in pain.

Maurice immediately held her. "Bren!"

She wept daintily. "I'm at fault, too. I didn't realize what was happening before it was too late. Still, things have already ended up like this. Mo is my husband now; it's only right for a couple to stand by each other no matter what happens. Punish me, too!"

Maurice held her, looking moved. Meanwhile, Eleanor almost burst into laughter. Brenda's acting skills were horrible, but the act she'd put on was still entertaining.

Linda had only been putting on a show by punishing Maurice—she couldn't actually bear to hurt him. Although Brenda's defense of him wouldn't make Linda instantly adore her, it was still a move that would leave a good impression. More importantly, Maurice gobbled it right up.

That was why he and Brenda already had pet names for each other.

Linda's tone immediately softened when she saw Eleanor. "You're here, Elle."

But the next second, she became angry at the sight of Sebastian standing beside Eleanor. "Get on your knees! Mo is tonight's groom, and the guests plied him with drinks. It's understandable that he got drunk, but the same can't be said for you. Who knows whether you did this on purpose?"

She was insinuating that Sebastian was just an illegitimate son who wanted to ride on the Porter family's coattails.

Sebastian exuded an air of cold detachment. His lashes cast shadows underneath his eyes, and he looked like he couldn't care less about Linda. Or rather, he looked like he couldn't care less about what was happening. He seemed to just be there to enjoy the show.

Eleanor couldn't help glancing at him. Could he really stand there and act like none of this fazed him? She would've expected him to tremble with fear and lower his head as he apologized meekly… Was he a sad sprout or not?

Linda already despised him because he was an illegitimate son. She was about to lash out at him over his attitude when she saw Eleanor move to stand before him.

Eleanor was a head shorter than Sebastian. He stiffened at her actions and looked down at her as she said, "Let's focus on resolving the problem, Linda."

Brenda's father, Philip Sandberg, stood up. "Elle is right. Let's deal with the problem at hand. It looks like we can only go along with what's happened."

He and Sheila had never approved of Brenda marrying Sebastian. They'd only begrudgingly given in because she'd thrown a major fuss over it.

They were secretly delighted that she'd somehow ended up with Maurice. They had to ensure things stayed like this!

Philip said, "I already have an idea. We can tell outsiders this is how things were always meant to be. Brenda was supposed to marry Maurice, and Eleanor was supposed to marry Sebastian. We made no mistakes—everyone else was just confused.

"You may have to suffer a slight grievance, Elle, but you and Sebastian look good together. I'll give you a house as compensation—it can be your marital home. What do you think?"

Eleanor gave him a mocking look.

He was her uncle by blood. Her parents, Francis Sandberg and Melanie Eastwood, had passed away in an accident when she'd been much younger.

She'd been a minor at the time, so Philip had used his status as her legal guardian to take over everything her parents had left for her. He'd claimed he was only temporarily managing them for her.

That had slowly turned into him treating the things as his own. Even after Eleanor had come of age, he'd used various excuses to explain his refusal to return the things to her.

One moment, he would say she was too young to make others have faith in her. The next moment, he would say she was too inexperienced to shoulder the responsibilities required of her.

After managing Sandberg Group for so many years, Philip had long since switched out the staff for people loyal to him. Eleanor couldn't forcibly take the company from him—she had to do this the long way.

Fortunately, she'd inherited the best of her parents' genes. It had only been two short years since she'd started working at Sandberg Group, but she already had some achievements under her belt and the support of some older employees.

Ultimately, Philip had been forced to use his trump card. He'd claimed that Francis himself had stated that his successor needed to meet two criteria—the first was to maintain an upstanding image. After all, the successor would represent the company. Any flaws would affect the company's stock price.

The second criterion was to be capable. Whether or not one was capable was subjective, but the most straightforward way to prove that was by making the company's stock price shoot up.

Nothing could help her meet both criteria faster than securing the perfect political marriage. Coincidentally, Maurice's grandmother, Henrietta White, had stepped forward to matchmake him and Eleanor.

Henrietta had always adored Eleanor and wanted the latter to be her granddaughter-in-law. Besides, Eleanor and Maurice were considered childhood friends. Neither of them particularly liked the other, though.

Maurice didn't like that Eleanor was strong-willed, proud, and unwilling to rely on him. Meanwhile, she didn't like that he was a seasoned player who couldn't keep it in his pants.

Still, the Porter family was the most prestigious in Jorstone City, and Henrietta controlled its finances. Maurice would only gain real power after he was married.

So, he and Eleanor had struck a deal—they would have a contractual marriage. She wouldn't meddle in his personal life after their marriage, and he would play his role as her loving husband.

He'd originally done a good job, which had benefited them both. However, he'd made a fatal mistake in getting involved with Brenda and secretly helping her family to backstab Eleanor. He'd failed in his basic duty as her political husband.

That was why Eleanor had exposed his cheating ways and announced that Brenda was a homewrecker after she'd gained control of the Sandberg family and Sandberg Group. She'd made them pay.

In this life, Brenda had swapped their husbands. Eleanor guessed it was partly because she wanted to be Maurice's proper wife and partly because she wanted to replicate Eleanor's success and become Sandberg Group's leader.

Eleanor knew Brenda too well. They'd both been reborn, which meant they both had advantages. Eleanor's edge was that she was sure Brenda had also been reborn, while the latter wasn't yet sure of her situation. As long as Eleanor played her cards right, she'd be able to lurk in the shadows and bide her time.

How should she act to make Brenda think she hadn't been reborn?

Eleanor chuckled. "You guys are blatantly stealing a marriage that's supposed to be mine, Uncle Philip. Do you think a house is enough to brush me off and make me swallow this without complaint? Do you think I lack a house?"

Chapter 5

Philip retorted, "You can't put it that way, Elle. This is an accident, and none of us expected this to happen. In a way, we're victims, too."

Sheila added, "The guests already saw what happened, and everyone knows about this now. Besides, you two have also—ahem—done the deed. Both couples have already consummated the marriage, so there's no way of switching the husbands back. We might as well minimize the issue. What else can we do?"

Eleanor looked unfazed. "How would I know whether this really is an accident? Even if it is, I don't mind that Maurice has already slept with Brenda. My stance remains unchanged—this marriage is mine, and no one is taking it from me!"

Her attitude made it clear—she wasn't backing down.

Everyone knew how arrogant she'd always been. Nothing could make her back down and suffer in silence, especially when she faced Brenda's family, who'd always been her archenemies.

The atmosphere tensed. Sebastian, like everyone else, watched Eleanor. She stood there with her head held high and an arrogant look on her face. She was like a regal cat.

He could tell she was saying these things on purpose, of course. She wouldn't agree to be his wife one moment and claim she wanted Maurice to be her husband the next. That would be reneging on their deal.

Still, he didn't like hearing her say these things. There was also the fact that Eleanor and Maurice were childhood friends. He couldn't be sure that she felt nothing for Maurice. Why else would she have agreed to marry him? Could there be some sincerity behind her words?

Eleanor was engrossed in her act, but a chill suddenly ran down her spine, pulling her back to reality. She turned around to glance at Sebastian. That was when she noticed him looking frosty.

It confused her. What was wrong with him? Could it be he was jealous after seeing his beloved Brenda getting cozy with Maurice?

What a joke. He had nice eyes; it was too bad he was blind.

Eleanor suddenly regretted agreeing to be his actual wife. She was worried she wouldn't be able to stop herself from grabbing a pair of scissors if he were to think of Brenda each time they slept together.

The more she thought about that, the angrier she got. She glared daggers at him.

Brenda had been secretly observing Eleanor and Sebastian the whole time. The sight of Eleanor glaring at Sebastian made her relax.

She concluded that Eleanor hadn't been reborn. The latter would never say anything about wanting to have Maurice as her husband if she had.

Eleanor had detested every fiber of Maurice's being after discovering his affair with Brenda in her past life. She'd refused to touch Maurice with a ten-foot pole, regardless of his identity and status, let alone have him to herself.

That was what Eleanor had always been like. She acted arrogantly and made it seem like she was a princess just because she was the heiress of the Sandberg family. She would never allow anyone to disrespect her.

The only explanation for her behavior was that she hadn't been reborn… or so Brenda thought.

Brenda couldn't stop a small smile from playing on her lips at the thought of that. Even the gods had realized how unfairly they'd treated her in her past life—that was why they'd given her a second chance at life! In this lifetime, she would make everyone watch as she stomped all over Eleanor!

She would be Maurice's proper wife!

Brenda suppressed her smile. The next second, tears flowed down her face. She said, "Eleanor is right. This marriage should be hers; I'm unworthy of this. I'll beg those people who took photos to delete them, and we can act like none of this ever happened. Everything will go back to how it's supposed to be."

Her forbearance and compromise only made Eleanor seem more willful and stuck-up. How could Maurice bear to see the woman he'd been intimately intertwined with just half an hour ago suffer such a grievance?

He hurriedly stopped her from leaving. "I told you I'd take responsibility for you, Bren. You're my wife!"

He turned to look Eleanor in the eye. "I won't deny that we were engaged, but I'm going back on my word now. Spit out your conditions, then. If a house isn't enough, what else will it take for you to go along with this act?"

That was exactly what Eleanor had been waiting for. She said, "I don't doubt that you can pay the price I ask. What about my uncle, then?"

Maurice said, "There's nothing that we won't give. Spit it out! If your uncle can't give you what you want, my family will! We won't shortchange you!"

Philip agreed with that. Nothing was more worth it than being able to be allied with the Porter family through marriage. He would give Eleanor five houses if that was what she wanted.

With that thought in mind, he said, "Go on!"

Eleanor stated her condition. "I want to be Sandberg Group's deputy CEO."

Why would she be interested in a man whose dick was dirty from all the women he'd stuck it in? Power was what mattered most!

Maurice said without hesitation, "Deal! It's yours!"

Philip snapped to his senses. "No way!"

He couldn't allow Eleanor to become one of the company's senior executives. He said, "Elle, becoming a company's deputy CEO isn't a game. You're not capable of bearing that responsibility just yet. How about I give you two houses instead?

"One is close to the city center and is at least 5,000 square feet. I'll throw in a car, too. That should be enough, right?"

Sheila's heart ached at the thought of losing so much money. "That's more than enough! Demanding more would only be an act of pure greed!"

Eleanor snorted. The houses and the car would at most be worth 100 million dollars, but Sandberg Group had a net worth of over 100 billion dollars. That didn't even include the benefits it would gain after the marriage alliance with the Porter family.

Philip and Sheila were brushing her off like she were a beggar, yet they dared call her greedy.

She smiled and didn't mince words. "Let's call the cops to get to the bottom of this, then. How did the grooms end up in the wrong rooms? We can start with investigating the maids and attendants."

Sheila screeched, "How can you call the cops? That'll only make this blow up!"

"Uh-huh. What does that have to do with me, though?" Eleanor's smile widened. "I'm upset because of the losses I've suffered. I need to vent my anger somehow, don't I?

"If anyone asks me about this, I'll be frank and tell them you guys plotted against me. I have nothing to lose, so I'm not afraid of the consequences. I don't mind the whole world knowing about this. How about you?"

Sheila panicked. "How can you say we plotted against you? Do you have proof of that?"

"No, but that's what I'm going to say. It's obvious now that I'm the only one on the losing end. Why don't you see whether the outside world believes me or you guys?" Eleanor asked.

She'd always been an expert at pressing people's buttons. Yet the more arrogant she was, the more breathtaking she became. It only made her come alive and seem that much more captivating.

Brenda and her family had no doubt that Eleanor would do something that extreme. Brenda's mind raced as she pondered the matter. It wouldn't be good to let Eleanor climb the ladder, but the priority now was to solidify this marriage with the Porters. They could deal with everything else later.

She'd been reborn and had her memories to help her. She already knew what would happen in the future—it'd be easy enough for her to deal with Eleanor.

So, she stepped forward and said, "If you think being appointed as the company's deputy CEO is enough to appease you, you can have it, Eleanor. We're all family here—peace and harmony is what matters most."

She sounded kind and generous. It undoubtedly improved Maurice's parents' impression of her. They'd earlier been hesitant about her but were now more than satisfied.

Eleanor had gotten what she wanted, so she didn't care about Brenda's act anymore. Besides, was the latter so sure that the Porter residence was a nice place to be at?

Eleanor narrowed her eyes as she recalled the things she'd gone through in her past life. "Alright, then. I'll clear the air and announce to the world that Sebastian and I are a proper couple once I receive the appointment letter with the company's official stamp on it. It's getting late, so goodnight, everyone."

With that, she turned and left. She didn't forget to take Sebastian, who hadn't said a word from beginning to end, with her.

Maurice looked at her sashaying hips as she strutted off. Suddenly, he felt rather upset. Still, he soon returned to his senses, and his expression turned disdainful. At the same time, he pulled Brenda closer to him. She was the type he liked—gentle, sweet, tender, and endearing.