No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 1059

Vanessa bit her lip so hard it almost bled. Eleanor's words had left her with no comeback.

"But no matter what, he did it for me. Did he ever do that for you?" Vanessa persisted, desperate to provoke Eleanor.

Eleanor sneered. "I wasn't a research subject he needed to manipulate. He didn't have to do those things for me."

The implication was clear: Vanessa had always been just a research subject, and everything Ian did was merely a necessary means to ensure her cooperation.

Vanessa's eyes flashed with frustration. When had Eleanor become so clear-headed? Shouldn't she be provoked by all this?

"If you want to walk away from this with any dignity, there's only one path: cooperate and do what you're supposed to do. It will be better for both of us," Eleanor warned her coldly.

Vanessa grabbed her bag and glared at Eleanor. "Eleanor, do you really think he'll treat you sincerely just because you're on his side now? The only people he's ever loved are his family. You're just an outsider."

Eleanor watched her leave with an air of distaste. "Vanessa, save your breath. Your attempts to provoke me are useless."

Vanessa's chest heaved with frustration. Eleanor's imperviousness was a major setback. Every carefully crafted barb she had thrown felt like it had been plunged into cotton.

"Fine. Just make sure you don't go crawling back to him. If you do, I'll be the first to look down on you," Vanessa said, forcing a triumphant smile as she left.

As the door slammed shut, Eleanor sat back down in her chair and took a sip of her lukewarm coffee. Vanessa's words hadn't been entirely without effect, but she was no longer the person who could be so easily swayed by her emotions.

She knew exactly what kind of man Ian was—calm, rational, calculating, and willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals.

He might have never loved Vanessa, but it was equally likely he had never truly loved her either. From the very beginning, their relationship had been entangled with too many complex factors. She had naively walked into the situation back then, and getting hurt was the inevitable outcome.

Just then, a slender figure in a white lab coat emerged from another hallway. Eleanor walked over to him, holding a laptop. She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping coolly over Ian.

Ian's previously emotionless eyes instantly lit up. The way he looked at Eleanor held none of the coldness of utility, none of the calculation of a transaction, but a pure—appreciation and joy.

A sharp pain pierced Vanessa's chest. She watched as Ian immediately fell into step with Eleanor, reaching out to take the laptop from her hands. Eleanor said something, and he withdrew his hand. Then he asked her a question, and as she answered, Ian leaned in closer to listen—

Vanessa stood frozen, the needle mark on her arm throbbing faintly. Watching them, she was overwhelmed by a wave of intense anger and resentment.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Hello, Lawyer Brown? I have a stock agreement I'd like you to look at."

Vanessa had to break free from Ian's control. She needed to see if there were any legal loopholes in that contract she could exploit. She couldn't spend the rest of her life as a lamb waiting to be slaughtered by Ian and Eleanor.