Vanessa turned to her and said, "The ne is still in my bag. Serena, you should take it back."


    Serena took Vanessa''s purse and pulled out the long velvet box, her disbelief in as she opened the lid and lifted the ne, inspecting the engraving on its base.


    The initials "E. S." caught her eye for a moment. Sure enough, it was Eleanor''s monogram.


    "Vanessa, are you sure this was meant for Eleanor? Are you positive my brother doesn''t have any other female friends with those same initials?" Serena couldn''t quite believe her brother would go out of his way for Eleanor like this.


    Vanessa let out a sigh. "You can ask him yourself."


    Serena, stubborn as ever, decided to do just that. She grabbed her phone and dialed her brother on the spot.


    The phone rang for ages before he finally picked up.


    "What is it?"n''s voice was edged with impatience.


    "Where are you,n? I need to talk to you." Serena''s voice dropped a notch, a little less bold now.


    "I''m out. If it''s important, tell me tomorrow."


    Serena pressed on, n, the ne I gave Vanessa-was that meant for Eleanor?"


    "Yes."n didn''t hesitate.


    "Why are you buying Eleanor such an expensive ne? You''ve never even given me a proper ne in all these years!" Serena''s jealousy red.


    "Did I ever teach you to take something that wasn''t yours and give it away?"n''s voice bristled with frustration.


    The reprimand caught Serena off guard. She tightened her grip on the phone, nced at Vanessa, who had closed her eyes to rest, then quietly slipped out into the hallway.


    "I just thought it looked nice, so I gave it to Vanessa. Besides, you and Eleanor are divorced. How was I supposed to know you''d want to give it to her?"


    "Don''t touch my things again," Ian warned.


    He hadn''t raised his voice, but to Serena, who''d never been spoken to sternly by her brother, it may as well have been a shout. Hurt and indignant, she swallowed hard. "Fine, I won''t. I won''t touch your stuff anymore."


    "Bring the ne back. And don''t make this mess again."


    "Do you know what Eleanor said to Vanessa because of that ne?" Serena burst out, unable to contain herself. "She mocked Vanessa to her face, said she was picking up her leftovers-and even said you were just a man she didn''t want. Are you really going to let her treat Vanessa like that?"


    Eleanor had made it clear she didn''t wantn, yet here he was, still chasing after her with gifts. Serena didn''t get it.


    There was a long pause on the other end. Whenn finally spoke, his voice was tight with anger. "You don''t understand."


    Serena was stunned. Was he actually defending Eleanor?


    "Vanessa ended up in the hospital over this, and you still—"


    Before she could finish, the line went dead. Serena stared at her phone, stunned. What was with him today? He was cold and distant-nothing like her big brother.


    She returned to the hospital room. Vanessa was curled up on the bed, knees drawn to her chest, looking small and fragile.


    Serena''s heart ached. If she told Vanessa hown had acted, it would only make her feel worse.


    "What happened, Serena?" Vanessa asked gently, her voice soft. "What did your brother say?"


    "He... he''s just in a bad mood, that''s all. Don''t worry, Vanessa. I''m sure whatever he''s doing for Eleanor, it''s only because of Evelyn. We both know how much he loves my niece."


    Vanessa offered a small, reassuring smile. "Alright, I''m not upset anymore. I know your brother has his boundaries."


    Serena felt some relief seeing Vanessa so understanding. She tossed her phone on the nightstand and grumbled, "Eleanor only said those things because she''s jealous. She couldn''t keep my brother, and now she can''t stand seeing you happy. Don''t let it bother you. You''re his first love, Vanessa, the one he''s never forgotten. She''ll neverpare."


    Vanessa smiled quietly. "Thank you. I''ll try not to dwell on it. I known still cares about me. But don''t let this cause a rift between you and your brother, alright?"


    "Don''t worry, he won''t stay mad at me," Serena said, brimming with confidence. Then, as if remembering something, she looked at Vanessa. "Vanessa, do you know who''s living upstairs fromn at Cloudcrest Manor?"


    Vanessa shook her head. "He never mentioned it."


    Serena huffed. "It''s Eleanor. She lives right above him. But don''t get the wrong idea-my brother only bought that ce for Evelyn. And now that I''m staying there, I''ll keep an eye on things. I won''t let Eleanor get anywhere near him."


    Vanessa''s gaze dropped, a faint, unreadable smile on her lips. When she looked up again, her expression was calm. "Thank you for all this, Serena. Honestly, it''s not about the gifts. It''s just... your brother is different with Eleanor, somehow."


    "What''s so different? It''s just because of Evelyn," Serena scoffed. "Besides, Eleanor''s already off trying to charm Xavier Vaughn. My brother''s not thrilled about that, either!"


    Yet here was her brother, still eager to shower Eleanor with gifts. Serena could hardly believe it. That ne-how could Eleanor ept it without feeling a pang of guilt?