Chapter 412

"Mom! I'm sorry, I made a mistake! I thought we'd succeed, but this happened. I didn't think Mel would be so foolish as to kidnap Lily. I had no idea she would do such a thing! Plus" Nathaniel paused, glancing at Eloise. "I didn't know Frank was a drug addict. He has a terrible international reputation!"

Nathaniel only learned the truth after investigating Melanie's predicament. Everything clicked into place: his inability to contact Melanie and Frank—the Westwood police had apprehended them.

"That's enough. He lied to me, too," Eloise said, rubbing her temples. The mention of Frank brought on a throbbing headache. She hadn't been cautious enough. She'd considered Frank smart and talented, a past award-winner. She had no idea his achievements were plagiarized and his reputation was so tarnished.

"He did that to you, too" Nathaniel gasped, staring at Eloise in astonishment. Her discomfort at his gaze prompted a glare.

"What the hell are you thinking? I didn't know he was like that and was tricked, too!"

"Oh" Nathaniel breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression only angered Eloise further. "What in the world is going on in that head of yours?"

"I—I want to do better and make you proud of me someday, but I seem to have ruined everything," he said, upset.

Eloise's tone softened as she saw his sadness. She'd always felt guilty about her years of absence, especially as his mother.

"It's okay. You haven't ruined everything yet. At least this isn't the worst-case scenario. By the way, I heard you're courting Lily again?"

This made Nathaniel even more distressed.

"It's not going well?" Eloise asked, not seeing it as a major problem. "That's to be expected. Do you remember how you treated her? How could she forgive you so easily? The Lodge family is probably still angry, too. You need to be patient."

"No matter how patient I am, it's useless! Mom, she's dating someone else!" Nathaniel interrupted, unhappy.

Eloise was stunned. "Who? I haven't heard anything about this."

"I—It's Alexander Russell." The thought of Alexander made Nathaniel shiver. He still couldn't believe it.

"Who?" Eloise exclaimed, astounded. This was Nathaniel's expected reaction.

He repeated, "You heard right. It's Alexander, the CEO of La Beauté Group and the current head of the Russell family." This stunned Eloise.

After a moment of silence, she composed herself. "Who told you this?" Rumors were rampant; fake news was common. Eloise wouldn't believe Nathaniel so readily.

"I saw it myself," he said, heartbroken.