?Chapter 270:


    With no choice left, Benjamin turned bitterly toward the door. Just as he reached for the handle, Elena’s voice called out, halting him in his tracks. He let out augh—she hadn’t ignored him after all! Swinging around with a hopeful smile, he began, “Elena, I knew—”


    Elena wasn’t having any more of his nonsense—she grabbed the two gifts he had brought and sent them flying straight at him. With a dismissive flick of her hand, she dered, “Take your garbage and leave.”


    Benjamin’s face fell, his disappointment palpable. Javier, on the other hand, finally looked satisfied, his expression one of smug relief. This was the Elena he knew—the one who didn’t take anything from anyone.


    The moment Benjamin was gone, Jolie breezed in from the garden, her brow furrowing as she noticed Elena and Javier standing in the middle of the living room. With a puzzled tilt of her head, she asked, “Why are you just standing there? Come, sit down.”


    Javier wasted no time filling her in on the recent events, his words tumbling out in a rushed whisper. As he spoke, Jolie’s expression darkened, a storm brewing in her eyes. She grasped Elena’s hand firmly, her voiceced with fierce protectiveness. “I’ll make sure the Reed family is banned from Hillside Manor from this day forward!”


    Holding Elena’s hand, Jolie felt a surge of sympathy. Elena looked away, her voice soft and uncertain. “If I push the contractors to cut ties with the Reed Group, would that be going too far?”


    “Not at all,” Jolie assured her, squeezing her hand gently. “Considering what they’ve done, terminating contracts is letting them off easy.” Jolie kept to herself that the Harper family was already plotting their next moves against the Reed family.


    After all, Elena had deep roots in the Reed family, and such knowledge could only hurt her. They would handle the situation without burdening her.


    Turning to Javier, Joliemended him with a warm smile. “You’re brave, Javier, stepping up to protect your cousin like this.”


    Javier’s chest puffed out with pride, though he tried to y it cool, tilting his head back with a cocky grin.


    Curious, Elena looked at him. “But why did youe here today?”


    Caught off guard, Javier paused, the initial reason for his visit slipping his mind in the heat of the moment. His face went nk as he scrambled to remember why he hade.


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    Javier thought for a long moment, and then a sudden realization sparked a renewed sense of purpose in him. Leaving his usual yfulness behind, he shifted to a serious tone and said, “Grandma suddenly has a stomachache. I came to see if you could examine her.”


    Elena arched an eyebrow. “So, I take it you’re not calling me a fraud today?”


    Previously, when she had treated Bertha, Javier had even argued with her about it. Javier remembered that incident too, and his youthful face flushed with shame. Back then, he didn’t really know Elena. Despite her youth, she had taken the responsibility of treating their grandmother. It was only natural that he had been skeptical.


    While these thoughts still yed in his mind, Javier quickly admitted his mistake out loud. “I’m sorry. I misunderstood you before. Please ept my apology.”


    His demeanor was sincere, direct, and firm. Such quick acknowledgment of his mistake was admirable. A flicker of respect appeared in Elena’s eyes. Javier didn’t seem as unreasonable as he once had.


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