Reborn as the Villainess

Eleanor couldn't deny that Andrew and Felix had been nothing but kind to her. No one in the family had ever given her grief. But that kindness couldn't erase the love and sacrifice of the Andersons.

They may have been her adoptive family, but they had raised her as their own. Even after discovering her Vanderbilt roots and being forced to give her up, their hearts had shattered.

This debt of gratitude belonged not just to the original Eleanor, but to her as well.

Although Eleanor didn't voice these thoughts, Andrew, sitting beside her, keenly sensed the shift in her mood. He shot a glare at the oblivious Felix.

Catching Andrew's stern look, Felix finally fell silent.

He hadn't meant to react that way. It was just that he hadn't even had the chance to cherish his own sister yet. It was one thing for his brother to vie for her attention, but for someone else to step in and try to steal her away really threw him off balance. Gloria, who hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise, silently gritted her teeth. She despised this atmosphere. It felt like everyone was revolving around Eleanor, hanging on her every smile and frown. She sat there feeling like an outsider.

Gloria hadn't missed how Dylan, seated next to her, had stolen several glances at Eleanor. Though he tried to be discreet, with his eyes darting away quickly, she caught every instance.

And Samuel, sitting across from them, wasn't even trying to hide it.

Gloria broke the silence with a gentle smile. "Eleanor, was that your brother from the Anderson family looking for you outside?"

"Mm-hmm," Eleanor replied casually.

Eleanor wondered why Gloria was suddenly interested. 'She is up to something again?'

Sure enough, Gloria continued with an innocent look, "Eleanor, is that box in your arms a gift from your brother? What's inside? You seem to really like it, hugging it even while we're eating."

At Gloria's words, everyone at the table turned their attention to the box Eleanor was holding.

Unfazed by their stares, Eleanor made no move to open it. She simply continued eating calmly and said, "It's nothing special. Just a graduation gift from Ross."

Gloria's eyes lit up at the sight of the box. "Wow, is that a gift? Can I take a look?"

Eleanor really didn't want to deal with her. 'Gosh, she is so annoying. Why is she butting in on someone else's gift?'

With a frown, Eleanor coldly refused. "No."

Gloria's eyes immediately welled up with tears as if she'd suffered some great injustice. She looked at Eleanor with a trembling lip. "Do you hate me?"

Eleanor remained silent.

"I really didn't mean anything by it." Gloria sniffled. "I was just curious about what a graduation gift looks like. I've never received one, you know. I'm just so envious. If it's too much trouble for you, I won't look. Please don't be angry, Eleanor. It's all my fault." Eleanor couldn't help but laugh at this ridiculous turn of events. Unbelievable,' she thought. "This is straight out of a novel -

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a textbook example of a manipulative bitch. How can she spout such shameless lines without even blushing? Doesn't she feel any embarrassment at all?'

But Eleanor was about to realize just how wrong she was.

As soon as Dylan heard Gloria's pitiful words, his face darkened. He turned to Eleanor with a disapproving look and said in a reproachful tone, "Gloria just wanted to take a look. Do you really find it amusing to be so aggressive?" Eleanor was stunned. 'Aggressive? Who? Me?' She had never felt so wronged before.

The tension in the room escalated as Dylan and Samuel took Gloria's side. Samuel, who had only recently begun to warm up to Eleanor, chimed in, "Come on, it's just a gift. Gloria only wants to take a look. Why are you being so uptight about it?"

Emboldened by her brothers' support, Gloria acted even more dramatically. Her eyes, which had been only slightly red before, now welled up with tears. "Please, don't be mad at Eleanor." She sniffled. "Maybe she just doesn't like sharing with me. I'm used to it, really. It's okay."

Eleanor was at her wit's end. She couldn't believe that not showing them her own belongings had somehow become her fault. 'She's really got a face of brass,' she thought, shaking her head.

Felix had heard enough. He rolled up his sleeves and stood up, ready to set things straight. "What's wrong with you people? That's Ellie's private stuff. If she doesn't want to show it, she doesn't have to. It doesn't matter if it's her sister asking or the President of this country she has every right to say no."

While Felix had felt a twinge of jealousy earlier about Eleanor's closeness to the Anderson family, he couldn't stand by and watch them bully her right in front of him.

Dylan set down his utensils and gracefully wiped his hands with a napkin. He looked at Felix and said coolly, "Gloria just wanted a quick look. What's the big deal?"

"Oh yeah? Well, what if I just wanted to slap you across the face? No big deal, right? Would you let me?" Felix shot back. Dylan's face darkened. "Felix, I'm your brother. You are being ridiculous now."

Felix rolled his eyes, brushing off the comment. "Well, Ellie is Gloria's big sister. How could Gloria push her around?"

"Enough." Andrew's icy voice cut through their bickering. His cold gaze swept from Felix to Dylan, and finally settled on Gloria.

Intimidated by Andrew's stare, Gloria lowered her eyes. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as she worried silently. 'Could he have figured something out?'

Andrew shifted his attention to Eleanor, who had finished her dinner. "Ellie, why don't you head upstairs and rest? I need to have a word with the others."

Eleanor blinked and stood up without hesitation. "Alright." She was glad for the excuse to escape Gloria's dramatic performance anyway.

But just as she turned away, her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a text from Victor: [Hi Eleanor, it's Victor. We're starting the costume fittings and the opening ceremony for our film tomorrow at 8 AM. Please be on time. The location is at the film studio.] Victor was true to his word. He'd said they'd begin right after the University Admissions Testing, and sure enough, the moment her exams finished, they were getting to work.

This meant she'd have to leave early tomorrow. Aloria wasn't exactly close to the film studio, and she'd need time for makeup once she arrived.

Eleanor paused, turning back to Andrew, who was still seated. "Andrew, I just got a message from Victor," she said. "I have gotNôvelDrama.Org owns this.

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costume fittings and the opening ceremony at the film studio tomorrow at 8 AM. I'll need to head out pretty early."

Andrew furrowed his brow. He'd been so caught up with company affairs and accompanying

Admissions Testing that he'd completely forgotten about Victor's film shoot.

Eleanor to her University

Glancing at his watch, he saw it was already 8 PM. It would take at least four hours to drive from here to the film studio. Plus, Ellie had just finished her exams and hadn't even had a chance to rest. It would be quite a pressure. "I'll call Victor and ask him to postpone for a day," Andrew said, reaching for his phone.

Eleanor quickly stopped him. "No need, Andrew. Victor must have planned this carefully. We can't keep the entire crew waiting for me. I'll go."