Elise nodded, her expression sincere. "Elizabeth, you're truly wonderful. William is fortunate to have found you."

A faint blush colored Elise's cheeks. In truth, she felt equally blessed to have William in her life.

"Thank goodness James's mother was blind," Elizabeth continued, her voice filled with genuine admiration. "Otherwise, I'd never have such an amazing cousin-in-law."

"Just get some rest," Elise urged with a soft smile before quickly making her way to the bathroom.

As Elise disappeared from view, Elizabeth's smile gradually faded from her face.

She found herself wondering if every woman had to encounter scoundrels before finding their prince. Even someone as remarkable as Elise had crossed paths with someone like Samuel Mitchell.

As for herself, Ethan was more than enough disappointment for one lifetime.

The piercing ringtone of her phone jolted Elizabeth awake early the next morning. Recognizing the caller, she answered with a groggy voice. "Linda, didn't I tell you Ethan Parker would handle everything? We just need to wait, so please stop bothering me already..."

"He just made an official announcement," Linda stated bluntly.

Elizabeth immediately sat upright in bed, all traces of sleep vanishing instantly.

The movement woke Elise, who rose to find Elizabeth visibly agitated. Elizabeth had already opened her news app and found Ethan's statement denying any personal relationship with her, insisting they only had professional ties. He further announced he was now dating Amanda Mitchell and warned media against making baseless speculations.

Elise felt stunned reading the news... Ethan was actually dating Amanda?

It wasn't that she held prejudice against the Mitchell family, but Amanda was definitely not good news.

"Elizabeth!" Linda's sharp voice came through the phone.

"Yeah." Elizabeth quickly composed herself, her demeanor turning surprisingly calm.

"Is there really nothing between you and Ethan Parker?" Linda asked, her tone clearly skeptical of Ethan's announcement.

After all, would Elizabeth have been photographed at Levine Manor if there was nothing between them? That wasn't a place just anyone could access freely!

"Ethan made himself pretty clear, didn't he?" Elizabeth responded with a faint, bitter laugh.

Linda sounded furious. "Honestly, what's wrong with his eyesight? Choosing Amanda over you?"

In reality, Linda had been convinced Elizabeth was dating Ethan. She'd even gotten the company to agree to fully support Elizabeth if they went public with their relationship.

She was absolutely stunned to discover Ethan had such poor judgment!

If that was the case, why would Elizabeth harbor such strong feelings against him?

People don't develop such intense dislike without reason, unless...

Elise glanced at Elizabeth and noticed she had already put away her phone and settled back into bed.

Elise resisted voicing her thoughts—if Elizabeth truly didn't want others to know, she could certainly pretend ignorance.

"I need to get to work. Will you be alright here by yourself?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth murmured sleepily. "The issue is resolved, so I can finally relax in peace."

"Okay. There aren't many dining options around here, so you'll need to order delivery."

"Understood."

With that, Elise got out of bed and prepared to leave for work.

During her commute, she thought for a moment before calling William. "Elizabeth's staying at my place."

"I know. Keep her company for the next few days."

"You were aware, weren't you?" she asked, though his tone made it evident he had been.

"What wouldn't I know when we all live under the same roof? Only Elizabeth thought she was hiding it well, but I never realized she'd hold on for so many years." William admitted, though he acknowledged he hadn't anticipated this outcome. "I shouldn't have pressured her to return to Levine Manor."

Still, Elise couldn't contain her curiosity. "Does Ethan not have feelings for Elizabeth?"

She could clearly see that Elizabeth loved Ethan.

But was Ethan's lack of interest the reason they couldn't be together?