The True Blood Returns

In June, the scorching sun blazed down. As Eleanor Holton stepped into the front door of the villa, a suitcase was suddenly thrown at her feet with a loud "bang." A richly dressed woman stood in the foyer, looking down at her with disdain. Her gaze swept over the girl's delicate features and fair skin, a hint of jealousy flashing through her eyes before being replaced by an expression of undisguised contempt. "I’ve had all your belongings packed," Helen Holton sneered. "From today onwards, you can get out of this house and go back to your real parents." Eleanor didn’t even glance at the suitcase on the ground. Instead, her almond-shaped eyes, cold and detached, fixed on Helen—this woman she had called "Mom" for seventeen years. The commotion at the door caught the attention of the others inside. Soon, Peter Holton and his children appeared, looking on with varied expressions. Peter Holton’s brows knitted slightly as he took the suitcase at Eleanor’s feet, and he turned to his wife, his tone almost reproachful. “Helen, what’s going on here? Eleanor is still the daughter we’ve raised for eighteen years.” “She’s nothing but an ungrateful ingrate!”Helen’s glare was icy as she looked at Eleanor.“I clearly told her to give up her spot as the city’s new public ambassador to let Katherine have it, but she ignored me! I wouldn’t have found out if I hadn’t heard about the final list. If she had any decency, she would never have taken that from her sister!” Katherine, standing nearby, lowered her eyes in a show of modesty, though a flicker of resentment glinted briefly before she masked it with a look of hurt and disappointment. “Mom, please, don’t be so harsh. I understand that the ambassador position is rare, and it’s understandable that Eleanor didn’t want to give it up. Maybe I just wasn’t good enough to win it myself.” “Not good enough?”Helen’s voice softened as she comforted her daughter.“There’s nothing she has that wasn’t given by the Holton family.” Eleanor watched this mother-daughter act with a hint of derision. She had witnessed this type of performance countless times, and by now, not only did she feel nothing, but she almost wanted to laugh. Three days earlier, she had been hit by a car while saving Katherine, thrown over twenty meters, and presumed dead by everyone. When Helen and the Holton family rushed to the scene, they hadn’t come to check on her injuries but to console Katherine, who was shaken up by the accident. Lying there in a daze, Eleanor had felt a coldness seep into her bones as she overheard Peter and Helen's conversation. "The car’s totaled. She’s probably not going to make it," Peter had remarked. "Honestly, that might be for the best," Helen had replied coolly. "If she dies, it means she really did take on Katherine’s disaster, and all those years we raised her wouldn’t have been in vain." Eleanor had always known she was just a tool—a puppet raised by the Holton family to absorb Katherine’s misfortunes. When Katherine fell ill, Helen would insist Eleanor stay by her sister’s side round-the-clock, and each time, Katherine’s health would improve swiftly while Eleanor herself would fall seriously ill afterward. It wasn’t until she met her master that she finally understood. Her birth chart and Katherine’s were perfectly matched opposites, a dual force in the mystical arts. She was the light half of that duality. By keeping her close to Katherine, the Holtons had effectively drawn her fortune away to counteract Katherine’s misfortunes. The more she protected Katherine, the more her own fate declined. Had she not been prepared, Eleanor would have perished in that car accident three days ago. Ironically, that accident had led her real father to find her. “Are you done?”Eleanor’s tone was icy as she surveyed the family she had once called her own.“If you are, I’ll be on my way.” Having heard her supposed parents coldly discuss her potential death, any lingering hope she held for the Holton family was gone. She felt nothing about leaving. “Eleanor, don’t blame your mother. What you did wasn’t right,”Peter said, stepping forward with his usual stern expression.“Since your birth parents have come to claim you, you should go with them.” Katherine chimed in softly,“Don’t be mad at Mom, Eleanor. She’s only looking out for me.” With that, she handed Eleanor an envelope, her expression sympathetic.“There’s a thousand dollars here. I heard from Dad that your birth parents live in the mountains and are poor. Places like that don’t have much internet, so you might need some cash.” Helen let out a mocking laugh.“We’re not heartless after all these years. That thousand should last you a whole year in the mountains. We’ve been more than generous.” She sneered,“Once you’re back, you’ll probably be married off to one of those hillbilly bachelors who can’t find wives. It’s not like you’re getting into college with your grades.” Eleanor stared at Helen, her lips curling slightly as she observed the older woman’s smug, self-satisfied expression. With a deadpan tone, she remarked,“Your frown lines are deep, Helen. It’s a sign of scheming too much and accumulating bad karma. Instead of worrying about me, you might want to use that thousand dollars to buy a face mask.” After a pause, she added,“Although, I doubt it would help.” Helen’s face twisted with anger, her voice shrill.“You little ingrate! How dare you speak to me like that!” With that, she raised her hand to slap Eleanor, who merely looked at her coldly, tilting her head slightly so the slap hit nothing but air. Katherine stepped forward, grabbing Eleanor’s arm to hold her still.“Please, Eleanor, don’t make Mom angry. If you just apologize, I’m sure she’ll forgive you.” Feigning concern, she held her hand out, exposing a jade bracelet around her wrist. Seeing it, Eleanor’s eyes flashed with realization. She seized Katherine’s wrist, her voice icy.“Why are you wearing my bracelet?” Katherine had worn it on purpose, hoping Eleanor would notice. When she was grabbed, she yelped,“Ow!” Helen instantly sprang forward, pulling Eleanor away with fury.“What are you doing?!” Eleanor’s gaze remained fixed on Katherine.“That bracelet was my grandmother’s.” “Your grandmother?”Helen scoffed.“That bracelet belonged to the Holton family’s daughters. Now that you’re no longer one of us, it’s Katherine’s!” Eleanor clenched her jaw, dropping her suitcase to the floor. Turning to Peter, she demanded,“I don’t want anything from the Holtons. I just want my grandmother’s bracelet.” If there was anything about the Holton family that had kept her tethered, it was her grandmother. Her grandmother had been the only one who truly cared for her, who had feared she’d suffer after her passing. The bracelet was the only memento she had left. Peter regarded Eleanor without any visible change in his expression.“We are decent people and wouldn’t send you back without essentials. Take what you need.” As for the bracelet, he didn’t mention it at all. Katherine sighed softly, feigning sympathy.“Eleanor, I know you want the bracelet, but, well…it was my grandmother’s too. I’ll transfer you more money if you’d like. Would ten thousand be enough? Or twenty?” Her implication was clear: she believed Eleanor wanted the bracelet only to sell it. Eleanor shot her a frosty glare, causing Katherine to flinch. Helen immediately stepped forward to shield Katherine, her tone venomous.“That’s enough from you. Katherine’s right. This is the Holtons’bracelet. What right do you have to demand it? Don’t forget, we’ve raised you all these years, and even gave you a thousand extra. You’re just an ungrateful wretch!” Finally, Charles, who had been silent, spoke. His face, a younger mirror of Peter’s, was filled with disapproval and disappointment. “Eleanor, that’s Katherine’s. Since when did you become so greedy?” Eleanor clenched her fists at her sides, silent. Charles continued,“If you just listened and gave up the ambassador spot to Katherine, I’d try convincing our parents to let you stay.”