Reborn as the Villainess

Eleanor slowly lifted her head, locking eyes with a pair of mischievous ones. Standing before her was Stephen, one hand casually tucked into his pocket, exuding an air of lazy elegance. The fading sunlight of the late afternoon seemed to crown him in golden light, making him look almost untouchable-brilliant, yet blinding With a faint smile playing on his lips, Stephen asked smoothly, "Miss Vanderbilt, might I have the honor of inviting you over to my house?"

Without even glancing at him, Eleanor sidestepped, her voice as cold as ice. "No, you might not.

In her head, she tried to get back to where she'd left off in her studies. "Now, where was 12 An allusion occurs when the author makes a brief reference to a topic, such as a location, event, or plece of literature...

As she walked past him, her head bobbed slightly, irresistibly cute. For a brief moment, Stephen's fingers twitched as he fought the overwhelming urge to ruille her hair.

But he clenched his fists instead, forcing himself to stay in check. After all, in his eyes, this little hedgehog still had her spikes out, and poking her would be far more dangerous than it looked.

"But my grandfather wants to discuss the engagement with you, Stephen continued, feigning disappointment. "You know, the one that was originally a bet? It was never serious, but... if you're not ready to officially break it off, we could at least maintain the appearance of being engaged for a little while longer.

Eleanor froze in her tracks. Her mind spun, and she turned back to face him, disbelief written all over her face. "Wait, you're

serious:

Stephen smiled wider, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I always keep my word," he said.

Her sharp gaze narrowed as she studied his expression. His face was open, his eyes steady, and for once, there seemed to be no hidden agenda in them.

Sure, the Lloyd family was a renowned name, their influence stretching far and wide. If she were tied to them, her life and career would be set for success. But that wasn't the kind of life Eleanor wanted.

She'd rather earn everything with her own two hands, brick by brick. That way, no one could ever take it away from her because it was rightfully hers.

She figured if Albert really was willing to call off this ridiculous engagement, then that would indeed be a blessing in disguise. It seemed that making the trip wouldn't be a waste after all.

"Fine," she said, nodding. I'll go.

Stephen's usually cold, handsome features softened, and a rare smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Before he could stop himself, he reached out and ruffled her hair. "Good girl."

The sound of collective gasps filled the air from those nearby. Everyone who witnessed it had the same thought. What's the deal between the Lloyd family and this girl? Why is Stephen acting so affectionate toward her?"

As Liam stood next to the car, his eyes were practically bulging out of his head. His backpack slipped from his shoulder and thudded to the ground, but he didn't even notice. "Oscar, quick. Slap me. I think I'm hallucinating His brother-the one with obsessive-compulsive cleanliness that made him wash his hands ten times just for touching a file -had just ruffled someone else's hair.

Oscar was equally stunned, rubbing his temple as if to shake off a dream. "Mr. Liam, I think I'm hallucinating too."Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

Meanwhile, Eleanor had backed up a step, glaring at Stephen with icy suspicion. Her gaze was filled with such murderous

intent that, if looks could kill. Stephen's hand would've fallen of by now.

In the car, Liam's eyes scanned Eleanor up and down before he leaned in closer, trying to whisper though his voice was anything but subtle. "Hey, what's the deal between you and Stephen?" he asked. Eleanor's response was icy, as if the question was beneath her. "There is no deal."

Π

Liam wasn't buying it. "No deal? Come on, I literally saw him patting your head back there. Oh, I get it now. You got transferred to Class A. right? Stephen put you there, didn't he? You're spying on me for him, aren't you?" His tone shifted to one of exaggerated certainty, nodding to himself as if he'd cracked the case "Yup, definitely a control freak." "Control freak!" Eleanor blinked, a little lost on why this guy seemed so worked up.

Liam's face puffed up with indignation. "That's right. Total control freak. I'm all about eSports, right? But he won't let me play and insists I graduate and take over the family business. It's like he's squashing my dreams, suffocating my very existence. Tell me, if that's not controlling, what is it?"

With every word, the temperature in the car seemed to drop a degree.

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Oscar discreetly wiped the sweat from his forehead. He stole a glance at Stephen, whose expression grew thunderous. Oscar's heart skipped a beat as he thought, 'Is Mr. Liam trying to get himself killed? Bad- mouthing Stephen in front of him like that? He doesn't even bother lowering his voice."

Hearing Liam's words, Eleanor glanced over at Stephen, who still appeared to be resting with his eyes closed. But recalling his odd behaviors, she couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Yeah, you're not wrong."

The moment Liam heard her affirm his viewpoint, his face lit up as if he'd just found a comrade in arms. He completely forgot about his earlier suspicions of her spying on him.

In a flash, he grabbed Eleanor's hand, his eyes gleaming with emotion. "I knew it. You get me. Finally, someone sees it the way I do."

Eleanor blinked, caught off guard by his sudden enthusiasm, her brows furrowing. She couldn't help but feel there was something off about this whole situation.

Liam, still caught up in his newfound sense of solidarity, continued his rant. "You don't know the half of it. Everyone else. just sucks up to Stephen. They won't say a bad word about him. But you? You're brave enough to speak the truth. From now on, we're like brothers-in-arms, blood brothers," he said with a serious look.

At this, Eleanor could only think, "Yeah, this is definitely off

Liam cautiously lifted his head, sneaking a glance at Stephen, whose eyes remained shut, as if he hadn't heard a word. Feeling braver, Liam let out a sigh of relief and leaned closer to Eleanor, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Since you're on my side now, I'm officially inviting you to join my Anti-Control Freak League. From now on, we're teammates in the fight, bound together in our noble mission to bring down the tyrant. He puffed up his chest, his voice swelling with pride.

Eleanor raised an eyebrow, momentarily surprised by his sincerity. An Anti-Control Freak League? she thought, her curiosity piqued. Liam might seem like a slacker on the surface, but he's got enough fire to create a whole movement for his dreams. At least that spirit is something to be admired. Maybe misjudged him. There's more to him than meets the eye.

"How many members do you have in this league of yours?" Eleanor asked quietly.

He answered, Two. You and me."

Eleanor couldn't help the wave of exasperation that washed over her. 'Why did I expect anything else?

64%a

Albert was already waiting by the door of the mansion when the car rolled into the driveway. His face broke into a wide, toothy grin as soon as he saw them pull up. "Oh, Ellie's here, isn't she?" he called out, practically beaming with delight as he greeted them. As soon as Eleanor stepped out of the car, her eyes met Albert's warm, affectionate gaze. She inhaled deeply, trying to keep herself composed. "Hello, General Lloyd, Eleanor said politely, offering a small smile.

Despite her grievances about the arranged marriage Albert had forced upon her and her not-so-warm feelings for Stephen. she couldn't be rude to Albert. He was, after all, an elderly man, and it was clear he cared for her deeply.

Though she wasn't thrilled with the prospect of marrying his eldest grandson, she respected Albert enough not to show her frustration. He hadn't done anything to deserve her ire.

"Good girl, good girl" Albert chuckled, clearly pleased. "Come iude, I've had the staff make some lemonade. Perfect for this heat. We can't have you wilting away. He was already leading her toward the house, still smiling from ear to ear, and completely forgetting about his two