Reborn as the Villainess

Chapter 45 40Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Stephen noticed the beads of sweat forming on Eleanor's forehead, and his throat felt a little dry. Turning his gaze away somewhat hastily, he asked, "Were you just practicing ballet?"

She nodded and didn't bother hiding it. "Yeah. I heard Victor, the director, is coming to our school to scout for ballet dancers. I haven't danced in a while, so I'm a bit rusty/ Eleanor figured there was no need to worry about Stephen overthinking it. After all, the Anderson family's wealth made it more than easy for the original Eleanor to take up ballet lessons. Any malnutrition she had suffered was a result of Gloria's torment after arriving at Vanderbilt Manor.

But Stephen didn't dwell on it too much. Instead, his mind raced, trying to recall information about Victor.

Lloyd Group owned several entertainment companies, and Stephen had attended quite a few award ceremonies. He did have some impression of the director-Victor had won several awards, had his own set of principles, and was, simply put, a pretty good director. "Do you need any help?" Stephen offered.

Eleanor quickly shook her head. "No. I've got this.

Whether it was her dance skills or her award-winning-worthy acting, she knew she could outshine Gloria by a mile and secure the role with no problem. There was no need to pull any strings, and besides, she didn't like owing people favors, especially not the Lloyd family.

The following day, the typhoon had come and gone quickly. By morning, the skies were already clear and sunny.

Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief-thank goodness the storm had passed. She was glad she didn't have to spend another night there. With all those diamonds and jewels plastered across the walls, she was half afraid they'd come loose and crush her in her sleep Oscar pulled the car up to the villa's entrance, then walked around to open the door for her. "Ms. Vanderbilt, please get in."

Eleanor nodded and obediently climbed into the understated yet luxurious Rolls-Royce.

She hadn't seen Stephen all morning, not even during breakfast which made her a bit curious. "Where's Stephen?" she asked.

Oscar's hands trembled slightly on the steering wheel as he struggled to find the right words. "Mr. Lloyd, um... He probably had some company matters to attend to and left early."

"Oh." Eleanor didn't think much of it. It made sense. Stephen was running such a huge corporation. Of course, he'd be busy.

Seeing that she bought the explanation, Oscar discreetly wiped the sweat from his forehead. He couldn't exactly tell her that Stephen was currently upstairs, cramming through a book titled One Hundred Ways to Win Your Wife, now could he?

Just as Oscar had said, Stephen stood by the window upstairs in his room, watching as the Rolls-Royce slowly disappeared from sight before finally turning back to his desk.

At this time of day, Stephen would usually have been fully dressed in a suit, ready to head to work. But today, he was still in his pajamas, looking completely exhausted, with a terrible complexion.

He reached up to rub his aching forehead, but it didn't make him feel any better. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he could ser was Eleanor's graceful waist and lively figure. It was like he was possessed.

Stephen never thought of himself as a man driven by desire. Even during medical check-ups, his family doctor had suggested he might be asexual. But last night, he had an endless stream of erotic dreams, and the lingering sensations didn't

13

fade, even after taking an ice-cold shower all morning.

Now, just the thought of Eleanor's face made it impossible for him to control his body.

"Damn it! For the first time in his life, Stephen swore.

Lighting a cigarette, he took a deep drag. Only when his mouth and lungs were filled with nicotine did he feel like he had regained control over his body.

Stephen blew out a smoke ring and let out a mocking laugh. "I really am a goddamn animal. Just wait. Wait until she finishes her testing"

Eleanor, however, had no idea what Stephen was going through Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she entered Class A and was greeted by a familiar but unexpected face.

Janet was reading a physics book. When she looked up and saw Eleanor, her eyes lit up, and she waved enthusiastically. shouting, "Eleanor, over here!"

Eleanor was at a bit of a loss for words. Of course, she knew where her seat was.

Before she could say anything, Liam, who was sitting nearby, slammed the table angrily. "Why do you get to call her over? She's my boss, and you're not allowed to call her!"

Janet, sitting to the right of Eleanor, didn't back down even though there was an aisle between them. She glared back and snapped. "She's my leader. Why can't I call her over? If you've got a problem with it, try shutting me up then!" "You" Liam's hair practically stood on end, and he rolled up his sleeves in frustration. "No way. She's only my boss!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, I say she's only my leader! What's with you whining like a kid?"

"Hey. Don't think just because you're a girl I won't hit your

"Well, don't think just because you're a guy, I'm gonna lose! What? You wanna fight? Bring it on!"

"Let's go then....."

Eleanor, ignoring the two who were ready to throw punches, calmly slung her backpack over her shoulder and sat down at the desk. "If you two want to fight, take it outside. I don't want to get accidentally hit." Both Janet and Liam immediately stopped, and in unison, they let out a huff, "Hmph!"

Janet pulled a face, glaring at Liam, who sat next to Eleanor, seething as she wondered, "Why did I ever think this guy was handsome before? Was I blind or just completely out of my mind?

'He's nothing but a bossy, arrogant idiot. What makes him think he deserves to sit next to Eleanor?

Seeing that the two had finally quieted down, Eleanor spoke up, Janet, what are you doing here in Class A

Janet replied, "I've always been a good student, consistently in the top 20 of the grade. It's just that I used to be a fool, willing to stick with Class D for the sake of so-called friendship."

Her eyes dimmed as she spoke. If it weren't for the setting, she would've slapped herself hard a few times. She had been so foolish before, childish enough to joke around with her own future. Eleanor was a bit surprised to hear that. She hadn't really paid attention to the grade rankings and didn't realize Janet was such a good student.

273