Chapter 2 Bankruptcy

　　Elaine was roused from her sleep by the commotion of voices downstairs. 　　"Hurry up! Move all these out!" a loud female voice shouted. Elaine paused for a moment, wondering if the voice sounded familiar. 　　"Nell? Nell? What's going on outside? Is there a guest?" she called out as she got out of bed and walked outside. But Nell, who usually appeared immediately when Elaine called her, did not respond. 　　As Elaine walked to the stairs, she saw a group of people wearing work uniforms who were busily packing up and removing items from the room. 　　Suddenly wide awake, Elaine shouted, "Hey! Who are you guys? What are you doing here?" 　　"Oh, look who's here! Elaine Morgan. Did your parents forget to take you when they ran away? Oh my, how cruel of them!" a female voice said. Elaine followed the voice and saw that it belonged to Teresa Hart, Forrest's mother, who had never liked Elaine. 　　"What? Your parents didn't fill you in on what happened?" Teresa sneered, using her fan to shield her face as she gave Elaine her usual disdainful look. 　　If it weren't for the fact that her son was so in love with Elaine, Teresa wouldn't have given her a second thought. 　　She couldn't understand why her son was drawn to a girl whose parents were so flashy and new to wealth. Despite introducing Forrest to many other eligible women, he only had eyes for Elaine. 　　A girl like Elaine, from such an upstart family, was not the typical choice for a future daughter-in-law of a prestigious family like Teresa's. 　　Teresa couldn't help but feel unhappy as she looked at Elaine's striking beauty. Even she had to admit that Elaine was a rare gem. 　　"She must have cast a spell on my son with her eyes!" Teresa thought, with a hint of envy. She had never seen anyone with such striking purple eyes. Every time she looked into Elaine's eyes, she felt uncomfortable, as if Elaine could read her thoughts. 　　"Oh, I get it now," Teresa said with a look of understanding. Her tone was heavy with sarcasm. "They must have left you behind and gone abroad to escape their debts without telling you a thing." 　　Elaine frowned, as she was no stranger to Teresa's unkind gaze. But at that moment, she couldn't bring herself to care. Teresa's words captured all of her attention. 　　"What do you mean, going abroad to escape debts?" Elaine asked, confused. 　　Teresa let out a sigh of impatience. Talking to Elaine was a waste of her time, she thought. "Your father's company went bankrupt. Your parents owe us a large sum of money and couldn't pay it back, so they mortgaged the property to us. That means this is no longer your home and this house belongs to us now," Teresa explained, gesturing to a servant to bring the mortgage contract and a newspaper for Elaine to see. 　　Elaine quickly scanned the contract and the newspaper. Her eyes widened and her face went pale as she saw the headline that the Morgan Group had gone bankrupt. 　　Elaine suddenly remembered the conversation she had overheard between her parents yesterday at the door of the study. At the time, she had just made small talk with them and didn't think much about what they were discussing. She also didn't notice the strange expressions on their faces. 　　She quickly grabbed her cell phone to call them, but all she got was a recorded message saying their number was temporarily unavailable. She tried calling multiple times, but the same message played each time. 　　Panicking, Elaine looked around frantically and called out to Nell, her family's maid. When Nell appeared, Elaine grabbed her hand tightly and asked, "Nell, what's going on? Where are my parents? Where did they go?" 　　Nell's face was sad as she looked at Elaine, who she had taken care of for years. But as a servant, she had no control over the situation. She pulled a letter out of her pocket and handed it to Elaine. "Miss, this is a letter from your parents. They said you would understand everything after reading it." 　　Dear Elaine, 　　By the time you receive this letter, we will have already left the country with your sister Elena. 　　We apologize for the sudden departure, but we had to resolve a business issue. Please don't be too upset - we'll be reunited soon. It was a difficult decision to leave you behind, but we didn't want you to be affected by our problems. 　　You're always our favorite child, and we don't want you to suffer because of our actions. We understand if you're angry with us for leaving without saying goodbye. 　　Please know that your fiancé Forrest will take good care of you, and your sister Elena needs us as she is still young and has no one else to rely on. 　　If the Hart family rejects you because of the Morgan Group's bankruptcy, you can stay temporarily at Sanctum Manor, a house belonging to one of your father's good friends. 　　Someone will come to collect you when the time comes. Your father's friend will take care of you during this period. 　　Take care of yourself while we're away. 　　Love you. 　　"No!" Elaine could hardly believe it. The reality of her family's financial ruin and the fact that her parents had abandoned her was overwhelming. 　　She couldn't understand how everything had changed so drastically in just one night. 　　Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to come to terms with her new circumstances. 　　"It seems that you still don't fully understand the situation, Elaine Morgan," Teresa sneered, her eyes fixed on Elaine's tear-streaked face. 　　The sight of Elaine's purple eyes made Teresa feel a bitter twinge of jealousy, but she pushed the feeling aside. 　　"Your family has gone bankrupt and mortgaged this house to me. In other words, everything in this house belongs to me. And you can't leave, either. This house isn't enough to pay off your family's debts yet," Teresa said coldly, her words cutting deep into Elaine's heart. 　　Just then, a male voice interrupted them. "How is it going, dear?" A tall figure appeared beside Teresa and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. 　　It was none other than Forrest's father, William Hart. 　　"All is well, my dear," Teresa said sweetly, giving Elaine a disgusted look as she noticed the surprise in William's eyes as he looked at Elaine. 　　"This bitch! She seduced my son and now she dares to seduce my husband in front of me," Teresa thought, her anger growing with each passing moment. 　　Teresa cast a steely gaze at the guards she had brought with her and barked, "What are you waiting for? Seize that girl! Her parents will be sure to pay their debts once they know she's in my custody!" 　　"No, you can't do this!" Elaine exclaimed in terror. "Forrest will never allow it!" 　　"Forrest? You seem to forget that I sent my own son abroad this morning. He won't be coming to save you," Teresa sneered, turning once more to her guards. "Take her away and lock her up!" 　　Without hesitation, the bodyguards closed in on Elaine, leering at her torn dress as if they were undressing her with their eyes. 　　Feeling the danger closing in, Elaine spun around and made a run for it. 　　"After her! Don't let her escape!" Teresa shouted. 　　The guards quickly surrounded Elaine, reaching out to grab her arms. 　　"Stop!" 　　Suddenly, a cold male voice cut through the chaos from the doorway.