Harvey MacLeod certainly wouldn''t be herst man. She nned to use his connections to break into the Kingston elite circle and find a more suitable target. After all, she still wanted to settle down one day.


    She had to find the right man, preferably someone liken, Xavier, or Henry. If she ever met a man of that caliber again, she would absolutely marry him without a second thought.


    Suddenly, Vanessa thought of the man who had once pursued Eleanor-Mansfield. She seemed to recall he was also from Kingston. When she had a chance, she could ask Harvey MacLeod about him and find out what his background was.


    That evening, Harvey invited her to another dinner. As soon as they got in the car, she snuggled into his arms and asked with a smile, "Mr. MacLeod, you''re so well- connected and know so many people in Kingston''s elite circles. Do you know anyone in the military?"


    Harvey, who loved to boast in front of her, tweaked her cheek. "Several of my buddies are in the military. You shouldn''t underestimate me."


    "Of course, I wouldn''t dare. It''s just that a friend of mine is being pursued by a soldier, and I wanted to ask about him for her," Vanessa said with a charming smile.


    Harvey immediately said, "Go on, then. What''s his name?"


    "I think she said his name is... Mansfield!" Vanessa enunciated the name clearly.


    "Mansfield?" Harvey sat bolt upright. The smug, casual look on his face vanished, reced by an expression of utter shock. He pushed Vanessa away, his voice changing pitch. "Who did you say? Mansfield? Which Mansfield?"


    Vanessa was startled by his intense reaction, nodding in a daze. "Yes. My friend said his name is Mansfield. What''s wrong, Mr. MacLeod? Is there a problem with him?"


    "A problem? It''s a huge problem." Harvey''s voice rose. He looked Vanessa up and down, his eyes filled with suspicion and scrutiny. "Who is this friend of yours? How does she know Mansfield? And she''s being... pursued by him?"


    His stare made Vanessa''s skin crawl. She vaguely realized she might have stumbled upon someone incredibly important. She didn''t dare mention Eleanor''s name, so she equivocated, "She''s just... a casual friend. Maybe... maybe she got it wrong!"


    "A casual friend? You think the kind of woman Mansfield would pursue is just some ''casual'' person?" Harvey scoffed, then his tone became serious. "Vanessa, don''t you ever mention that name in front of anyone again, you hear me That''s not a name for people like us to mention. In Kingston circles, you don''t even ask about him."


    Vanessa''s breath caught in her throat. What kind of status could make Harvey MacLeod this terrified? Yet that man had clearly doted on Eleanor; he was a genuine suitor.


    Still, Vanessa couldn''t let it go. She threw herself back into his arms and pleaded, "Mr. MacLeod, please just tell me! I promise I won''t go around asking anyone else. I''m just curious who he is."


    "Do you know who his father is?" Harvey lowered his voice.


    Vanessa frowned and shook her head. "Who?"


    "The Vice President." Harvey practically whispered the words in her ear. Then he added, "The


    Ellington family is a true politica


    dynasty, with deep roots. They''re not people businessmen like us can ever get close to or ask about if a girls being pursued by Mansfield, that''s the kind of luck you get once in a lifetime. So, stop asking about him. You''ll get burned."