When Her "Death" Couldn't Break Him

Left with no other option, Eloise had to retreat to her room and call her father for help. But the moment she explained the situation, her father exploded.

"Over five million just to show off with some clothes? Have you completely lost your mind?"

"It's all because of Cecilia! She's the one who provoked me. She made it seem like I couldn't afford anything. I've always been better than her growing up. There's no way I could let her outshine me now, right?"

James' voice was flat and cold. "And what makes you think you can compare yourself to Cecilia anymore? She's the CEO of Jamieson Group."

That hit Eloise hard. Only now did she realize just how serious things had become. Her voice dropped. "Then what should I do? Dad, can you give me the five million? If not, my husband and mother-in-law are going to tear me apart."

"I don't have a dime to spare! Don't you know how bad things are for me right now? Stop dragging me into more problems!" And with that, James hung up.

It was the first time Eloise had ever found herself in this kind of situation. She tried calling her mother, but got the same answer-there simply wasn't any money.

That was the moment it finally sank in. She was truly on her own. She realized she'd let herself get carried away, trying to prove a point she couldn't afford to.

Just then, Tristian pushed open the door. He saw her standing there, distraught. "What happened? Did your parents say anything? Are they giving us the money?"

Eloise's face was pale with anxiety. "You know our family's situation. They're barely scraping by. There's no way they could give me that kind of money."

"I don't care, doesn't your family only have a few daughters? They're looking for a matrilocal son-in-law, aren't they? They won't bother about you, will they?" Her husband frowned, "If you can't figure out a way to make up for those five million, you can get out."

He wasn't bluffing.

"You think making money is easy?" he added.

Eloise kept her head down, quietly taking the scolding. Bitterness twisted inside her. She had never felt this humiliated in her entire life. “But I really don't have any other options,” she said softly, her voice catching.

"Have you ever thought of turning to your cousin, Cecilia? Ask her for help. She owns the mall, right? I'm sure she can help you return those overpriced rags."

Eloise's expression changed. "You want me to go to her?"

She hated the thought. All her life, she'd been ahead of Cecilia. If she asked her for help now, that'd feel like she'd finally lost.

"What else are you going to do? She's the CEO of Jamieson Group now! You've got to be delusional to think you can compete with someone like that. If I were you, I'd be doing everything I could to get in her good graces. She's your golden ticket, and you're too blind to see it!"

Tristian continued his tirade, baffled by how he'd ended up with someone he saw

as so foolish. Everyone knew that it was smarter to cling to the powerful. Yet she had chosen to challenge them instead.

"Figure out what really matters to you your pride or this family." And with that, he turned and slammed the door behind him.

The noise alerted Rebecca, who came upstairs and stared at Eloise with a cold, hard look. "Eloise," she said slowly, "I never expected you to bring glory to this family, but e certainly didn't expect you to drag us down either. Did you go and offend Cecilia? What are you trying to do? Make this family fall the way yours did?"

After taking hit after hit from her husband and mother-in-law, Eloise finally understood her position in this household. More importantly, she knew what she had to do next.

"Mom, please calm down. I'm going to go see Cecilia right now."

"That's more like it." Rebecca seemed finally satisfied and walked away.noveldrama

Alone in her room, Eloise pulled out her phone and opened the family group chat, hoping to find Cecilia's contact info.

Only then did it hit her that Cecilia wasn't in the group.

Eloise asked the others, and one of her younger sisters replied, "Eloise, don't you remember? You were one who kicked Cecilia out of the groupchat. You said a deaf her didn't belong in the Escobar family group."

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