After leaving Ningyi Court, Eleanor looked for a moment at the courtyard wall hidden by plum and bamboo, then turned around and walked toward the car.
Since Gabriel had already made his move, their marriage probably wouldn't last much longer. She might as well let the old woman enjoy her last moments of having a perfect daughter-in-law.
The car drove back to the Gu residence. As soon as she got out, a frivolous male voice suddenly sounded from the side.
"Where have you been, First Lady~?" Eleanor turned her eyes. Miguel was leaning lazily against the wall outside the Gu residence, his delicate features tinged with the warm morning light, and the look in his eyes was teasing and roguish, like a drunk playboy just returning home.
Eleanor didn't want to deal with him and raised her foot to enter the Gu residence. Miguel casually laughed, "My lady, we haven't gotten together in so long. Why don't you honor me this time? Otherwise, if I get upset, my mouth might slip, and maybe I'll accidentally reveal some of our embarrassing past. Hmm… wouldn't that be bad for your image as the nation's First Lady?"
Eleanor stopped and turned around with a speechless look at Miguel. "You never get tired of pulling this trick?"
Miguel raised his eyebrows and smiled brightly. "How could I be? You care so much about Gabriel's reputation, and this always works on you. Why would I stop?"
Eleanor turned and stepped out of the Gu residence. "Where are we going?"
Miguel's eyes deepened with amusement. "Of course, the old place from back then."
Ru Gui Restaurant. Eleanor sat at the table, sipping tea while staring at Miguel. "Talk."
Miguel smiled under her gaze, then dropped the teasing tone and got straight to the point. "Gabriel shut down my bar."
Eleanor paused slightly with her teacup, lifting her eyebrows. "So you came to me?"
Miguel nodded, picked up a glass of red wine and took a sip, then leaned back comfortably against the sofa and spoke naturally. "My bar got shut down because of you. Of course, you owe me compensation."
Eleanor gave a soft laugh, her lips curling in faint mockery. "Because of me? Miguel, I've been drinking at your place for years. Gabriel never shut it down before. Now suddenly he did, and you think it's because of me?"
Gabriel shutting down a bar just because she went drinking? Ridiculous. If Gabriel was that kind of person, even if someone died in that bar, he wouldn't take a glance, unless there was something he wanted inside.
Miguel raised his eyebrows slightly and didn't argue, but the look in his eyes deepened as he stared at her, as if trying to judge whether she was telling the truth.
Eleanor stood up and put down the teacup. Her hand still hurt. She really needed to go home and rest. "If that's all, then I can tell you clearly, it wasn't because of me."
"Gabriel doesn't act over trivial reasons. Instead of blocking my way, maybe you should think about what shady business you had going in that bar. Maybe Gabriel found something."
Eleanor turned to leave, but Miguel suddenly grabbed her hand. The playfulness on his face was gone, replaced with a frown as he stared at the faint bruises on her wrist under the sleeve.
"You got an injection?"
Her arm already hurt, and being pulled like that felt like being stabbed. Eleanor frowned and threw his hand off. "Didn't get enough of the whip last night?"
Thrown back, Miguel took two steps and then put on his annoying smirk again. "Ah, maybe not. Come to think of it, ever since you stopped hanging out with me, it's been years since I tasted that whip of yours. Why don't you give me another round? For old times' sake?"
Eleanor looked at his shameless face and felt her hand start to itch again. Suddenly, a maid's startled scream came from the distance.
Without thinking, Eleanor pulled Miguel and rolled to the ground.
Bang. Bang bang bang bang bang.
A stream of bullets shot into the spot where they'd just been standing. If Eleanor hadn't dragged Miguel away in time, they would've been riddled with holes.
The nearby guards immediately returned fire. But aside from that first burst of shots, the gunman made no further moves.
"What the hell. Who dares try to snipe your lord in broad daylight?"
Miguel, still being pulled by Eleanor, got up angrily. He first looked at Eleanor and, seeing she wasn't hurt, began brushing off the dust furiously.
Eleanor let go of him and walked toward the pavilion. "Send Second Young Master Mo home."
"Yes."
Miguel froze mid-motion and quickly shouted after her. "Eleanor. We're not done. What about my compensation? I should at least get something, right?"
Eleanor had already stepped into the car opened by a servant. "Go ask Gabriel yourself."
Miguel choked, then smiled. "Fine. Then I'll come knock on your front door directly."
On the way home, Maid Yu came back and reported the situation. "My lady, we didn't find anything…"
"Nothing?" Eleanor looked at Maid Yu. Maid Yu lowered her head slightly, looking a bit ashamed.
These years, ever since Gabriel and Eleanor got married and the Gu family regained power, Anhai City had practically been under their control. Now, not only had someone almost assassinated her on her own turf, they couldn't even identify the killer.
Maid Yu half-knelt, ready to take punishment. Eleanor didn't look at her and just lowered her gaze in thought for a couple of seconds.
"Forget it. Tell the ones escorting Miguel not to return yet. Let's see how the Mo family reacts."
First figure out if the attack was aimed at Miguel or her.
By the time they returned to the Gu residence, sleek black cars were already parked outside the courtyard walls. Seeing her, everyone near the cars bowed respectfully.
"My lady."
Eleanor nodded, slightly surprised that Gabriel, who was usually too busy to be seen, was home this early today. Still, she only paused for a second, then composed herself and walked inside.
As she approached the main hall, the butler was already bowing and waiting. "My lady, the master is in the study waiting for you."
Eleanor stopped briefly, glanced toward the study, and then walked in that direction. Inside the study, Gabriel was sitting behind the desk, reading a confidential report. His tall figure looked even more composed and distant under the lamp's glow.
Hearing the door open, he lifted his dark eyes and looked at Eleanor, scanning her from head to toe before speaking calmly. "Did you see who fired the gun?"
Eleanor sat on the sofa across from him, her voice equally calm. "No."
Gabriel lowered his eyes. The shadow of his lashes cast a faint gloom, and his sharp brows furrowed slightly, as if in deep thought.
"The north has been unstable lately. A group of fugitives crossed into the south. Take more guards with you when you go out."
The north?
Eleanor remembered the northern trade intel given to her by Manager Lin. She didn't respond, just stared closely at Gabriel's usual emotionless face.
How deep did this man's thoughts go? Eleanor had never been able to figure it out. Even now, when things had already started moving against her from the north, he could still play the role of the concerned husband, asking about the attack right after coming home.
When she didn't answer after a while, Gabriel looked up at her. Eleanor rose from the sofa. "I'm tired."
She turned and walked out of the study. A cool night breeze drifted in through the window behind Gabriel, stirring the corner of Eleanor's sleeve in the soft light.
Gabriel's gaze suddenly fixed on her wrist. "Your hand… what happened?"
Eleanor glanced at the slightly exposed wrist and pulled the sleeve down with her other hand. "Nothing."
As she spoke, she walked past Gabriel. Just as she was about to leave, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Gabriel's hand was large and his grip was firm. Because of that action, he stood up from his chair, his tall body looming over Eleanor and almost enveloping her completely.
"You…"
Knock knock knock.
At that moment, there was a sudden knock on the door. The butler's low voice followed.
"Master, Miss Hannah is here. She says she has something important to report."
Hannah.
Among all the rumored women linked to Gabriel over the years, she was the only one who had stayed by his side for three years. Every time she showed up, she brought clues about Gabriel's first love.
She was the one he kept around to search for that old lead.
Eleanor's lips twitched into a mocking smile. She pulled her wrist away and strode out of the study.
The butler outside saw her leave. There was a trace of sympathy in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared as he bowed respectfully to Eleanor.
All these years, the master never avoided the lady when searching for that person. And the lady no longer lost her temper whenever she heard Hannah's name.
But the butler glanced at the master. Gabriel stood where he was, silently watching Eleanor's departing figure.
Over the years, not only had the lady changed, the master had changed too. He looked at her more often.
Even when hearing news of Hannah, he didn't react the way he used to. Still, the butler wondered if the master had noticed his own changes.