Chapter 2 A Run-In With The Barnes Family

Once the clock passed five, Elena shut her laptop. She pulled out the flash drive. She stepped outside.

Her destination was Enclave Club, a place close to Bramville University. It only took a little over ten minutes to reach on foot.

Halfway there, a strange feeling crept up on her. Someone was tailing her. She stopped and turned, and two men dressed in black came into view behind her.

One of them leaned closer and murmured, "That's her. Move."

A cold look settled in Elena's eyes. The street was crowded, and cars kept rolling past. She didn't want trouble out in the open, so she picked up her pace. Then without warning, she changed direction and slipped into a narrow alley nearby.

The two men rushed in after her. When they reached the alley, they froze. It stretched ahead of them, long and empty, with no trace of her anywhere.

They halted where they stood, their faces stiff with disbelief.

"Where did she even go? How can she move that fast?"

"She got skills," the other said under his breath. "Now I get why they sent both of us. Let's check inside."

At first, they thought dealing with Elena would be simple. She looked like an ordinary college student. But then she disappeared-like magic, right in front of them.

That stung.

By then, Elena had already lost them. She circled out through another street and continued on her way to Enclave Club.

Still, things refused to go smoothly for her. Not long after she shook off the men who had been chasing her, she ran into the Barnes family right outside the club.

Sophia Barnes noticed her first, and her expression turned sharp right away. "Why are you here? Who told you you could show up?"

Both of them studied at Bramville University. They were in the same year, though they belonged to different departments. Sophia had never liked her.

After hearing that Elena might end up engaged to her brother, that dislike turned into open disgust. Luckily, her family had no plans to push it through. If they had, she wouldn't have been able to stand it.

The evening had been arranged to celebrate her birthday, and his family and friends had gathered to make it lively.

She hadn't thought she would run into Elena.

One by one, people shifted their attention toward Elena. The instant they recognized who it was, their expressions turned openly displeased.

Elena met Sophia's stare without a hint of hesitation. "Does this place belong to your family?"

Before Sophia could answer, her mother, Lise Barnes, approached. Without asking a single question, she spoke with firm certainty. "You really don't understand your position, do you? You even followed us here. Let me be clear, Elena. We already gave your family five hundred thousand before. That matter is settled. As for any engagement with my son, our family will never accept it. He won't marry someone like you! Just stop thinking about it."

In her mind, her son's future wife had to come from a proper background. Someone like Elena had never been part of that picture.

A faint, cold laugh slipped from Elena. "You're overthinking it. I have no interest in your son, especially with all the scandals tied to him."

Sophia crossed her arms and looked at her with a mocking smile. "If that's true, then why show up at my birthday?"

The club stood as one of the city's most exclusive places, known as a playground for the wealthy. Someone with Elena's background clearly didn't fit in a place like this. In Sophia's mind, there was only one reason she came.

With a slight sneer, she continued, "Even if you came for that, it won't help you. My brother isn't even in the country. You won't get the chance to throw yourself at him."

Another woman, dressed in elegant fashion, let out a soft laugh. "She either doesn't know her place, or she's just greedy. Five hundred thousand won't last forever. If she married into your family, everything would change for her. She live comfortably for life. Why would she ever give that up?"

Sophia laughed again, this time with open disdain. "We would never accept someone like that."

Richard Barnes, Sophia's father, looked at Elena, a shadow crossing his face. The sight of her irritated him. After everything that had happened before, he didn't expect her to still appear in front of them.

He turned toward his father, Walter Barnes, and spoke in a steady tone. "Dad, you should go inside. I'll deal with this."

Today was meant to celebrate his daughter. If things turned messy here, it would be their family who ended up embarrassed.

Walter gave no reply at first. He moved closer instead, stopping right in front of Elena. "Elena, your father once helped me when I needed it. Because of that, I agreed to that arrangement so he could rest without worries. Still, there's something you need to understand."

His voice stayed calm, though the chill in it was clear. "You don't suit my grandson. Even so, our family won't leave you without support. If something happens to you later on, you can come to us. I'll make sure it's handled."

Then his tone dropped lower. "But if you stir up trouble here and make us look bad, don't expect it to go well for you."

A surge of disgust hit Elena. Her eyes swept across them, sharp and unyielding. "Do you all struggle to understand what I'm saying, or do you just ignore anything you don't like? I already told you I came to end that engagement the last time. And running into you here wasn't planned. I don't care about any of you."

Years ago, her father had reached an agreement with Walter: once she turned twenty, she would marry his eldest grandson.

She understood what her father wanted. He hoped she'd have someone to depend on. Even so, she never wanted marriage, and she didn't need protection from the Barnes family. That was why she kept her distance from them after arriving in Bramville.

Now that she had turned twenty, she went to their residence a week ago for one reason-she planned to end the engagement. Somehow, they took it the wrong way and assumed she came to claim it. Not only did they refuse to meet her, but they didn't even allow her past the entrance. They even had a housekeeper step in to mock her.

That encounter showed her exactly what kind of people they were.

As for the five hundred thousand they kept bringing up, she had never received any of it, and she had no interest in it anyway.

Her words caused every face there to darken.

No one believed her. To them, she was only trying to save face after being rejected.

Richard let out a cold scoff. "You'd better mean that. If you act properly, I can make sure you stay in Bramville. If you don't, then don't expect me to hold back."

Walter's patience finally wore thin. "That's enough. Let's go inside."

Elena had no reason to stay any longer. Without another word, she turned away and walked toward the club.

Sophia rushed forward the moment she saw Elena continue toward the entrance. "Hold it right there. You're still planning to go inside? Take a look at yourself first. Do you really think you belong here?"

Elena turned her head slightly and glanced at her. Her voice came out cold and sharp. "Get out of my way."

Sophia opened her mouth, ready to fire back, but someone approached before she could speak.

"Miss Harvey," he said, his tone respectful. "We've been waiting for you."

Elena's eyes shifted to him. "Mr. Wells, sorry to keep you waiting."

With a polite smile, Jaycob Wells motioned toward the interior. "Everything's ready. Please come in."

"Alright."

Sophia stood frozen, unable to react for a moment. The manager himself had come out to greet Elena!

Around her, her family and friends exchanged looks. Shock crept across their faces.

Enclave wasn't just any place. Its connections ran deep, and even its manager held a position that most people wouldn't dare underestimate.

The Barnes family didn't carry enough influence to receive that kind of attention. Yet somehow, Elena did.

Color drained from Sophia's face, then returned in a rush of anger. "What the hell is going on?"

One of her friends quickly spoke up. "She's probably working here. I heard she got an internship recently. Maybe she needs the money."

Lise stepped closer to her daughter and placed a hand on her arm. "Forget about her. It's your birthday. Don't waste your time on someone insignificant."

In her eyes, Elena was nothing more than an orphan with no support. Someone like that only showed up in places like this for work, or to get close to rich men. Either way, she had nothing but contempt for it.

Still, Sophia couldn't let it go. She wrapped her arm around her mother's and spoke with clear irritation. "Mom, can't you have her removed from the university? I'm tired of running into her."