Chapter 269

Serena's POV

That question made my blood boil, but I kept my face neutral.

I stopped walking, turning to face the press directly. The security team tensed, but I gave them a subtle signal to hold their positions. "The welfare of those children is not up for public discussion," I stated firmly, my voice carrying clearly despite its measured tone. "If you have questions about the court proceedings, I suggest you direct them to the appropriate legal representatives."

I paused briefly before adding, "As for why I'm here today... Lucas attended my hearing last time, so I'm returning the gesture."

I signaled my security team to escort me away. The reporters' calls behind me fell on deaf ears. My mind was entirely focused on Lucas's hearing today.

Entering the courtroom, I immediately spotted Spencer Sherwood and Drew Yeager. To my surprise, Maeve was sitting next to Drew! I furrowed my brow at this unexpected sight.

Spencer and Drew had clearly noticed me too. Spencer waved me over. After a moment's hesitation, I decided to join them. First, I had no reason to avoid Lucas's friends - I was certain they knew Lucas was doing this for me, so there was nothing to hide. Second, their seats were perfectly positioned directly opposite the defendant's bench.

After I sat down, everyone greeted me, including Maeve.

"Hello, Miss Sinclair. I'm Maeve," she said with a touch of shyness. Though not a major celebrity, she had been making regular appearances in the media lately and had established a name for herself in the entertainment industry.

"Hello," I responded with a slight nod, deliberately maintaining my distance. I didn't know Maeve well enough to judge her character, but because of her connection to Eleanor, I couldn't bring myself to warm up to her, even if she wasn't necessarily a bad person.

Maeve clearly sensed my reservedness and wisely didn't pursue further conversation.

"Where's Eleanor?" I asked Drew directly, shifting my attention away from Maeve.

I noticed Drew's expression change subtly. Frowning, I could clearly see the emotional ripple beneath his composed exterior. A woman's intuition told me something might have happened between Drew and Eleanor. Despite the physical distance Drew maintained from Maeve, I sensed an underlying connection between them.

"Why the sudden interest in Eleanor Yates?" Spencer interjected. "Hasn't she been out of the picture for quite a while? Right, you and Eleanor were close, and Quinn was too. I never understood what drew you both to her, given how sharp-tongued she could be."

I swallowed the words that had been on the tip of my tongue. It was now apparent that Spencer didn't know about Drew and Eleanor's relationship. This meant their involvement hadn't been made public.

"By the way, Maeve is Drew's girlfriend now," Spencer added teasingly.

I felt my world tilt. Wasn't Drew dating Eleanor? How did Maeve enter the picture? What was going on?

"We still have some time before the hearing starts," Drew said. "Let's step outside, and I'll explain everything."

"Alright," I agreed without hesitation.

Drew and I walked out of the courtroom and found a quiet corridor. He got straight to the point: "Eleanor and I broke up."

"Why?" Although I had suspected as much, I still couldn't understand.

"She never loved me, not really. She's always loved Jace. With me, it was just gratitude. I... I'm letting them be together." Drew smiled faintly. The once cheerful young man now seemed shrouded in melancholy.

"You're saying Eleanor loves Jace?" I still found it hard to believe. Eleanor wasn't the type to change hearts easily. If she had decided to be with Drew, she wouldn't have entertained any possibility with Jace. Besides, hadn't Jace been in a serious accident? Did Eleanor know? Was she by his side?

"As long as she's happy..." Drew said wistfully. "As for me... it doesn't matter."

"So now you're with Maeve?" I set aside my other questions, knowing Drew probably couldn't answer them. Only Eleanor could.

"Yes," Drew nodded. "My parents wanted to set us up, Maeve agreed, so I did too."

"Drew, relationships aren't games. Even if you've broken up with Eleanor, you should take time to heal instead of rushing into another relationship..."

"It's fine," Drew said dismissively. "If it's not Eleanor, it doesn't matter who it is."

I wanted to say more, but he cut me off.

"That's all there is to Eleanor and me. We never went public with our relationship, and I hope you'll continue to keep it private. Just... pretend Eleanor and I were never together."

"Alright," I nodded. I wouldn't have said anything anyway.

"If you see Quinn, please explain it to her too."

"Of course."

"I should head back in," Drew turned to leave.

Watching his dejected figure retreat, I realized he didn't seem capable of smiling anymore. It was as if his happiness had been permanently extinguished.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Eleanor's number. We hadn't spoken in ages. Before, I had avoided contact, afraid I might slip up Jace's situation, potentially affecting her relationship with Drew. Now, there was no need for such caution anymore.

I dialed Eleanor's number, only to be met with an automated voice: "We're sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and try again."

My mind raced with confusion - had Eleanor changed her number? No, what shocked me more was that she had completely disconnected her old one. Something felt terribly wrong about this.

Questions began swirling in my head: What secrets lay beneath the surface between Eleanor, Jace, and Drew? While I trusted Drew's account - despite our limited interactions, I knew he wasn't the type to lie - could there be some misunderstanding between him and Eleanor? And what was really going on between Eleanor and Jace? With Jace still in a coma and Eleanor's sudden disappearance, there were too many questions without answers.

"Serena." Quinn's voice pulled me back to reality, and I found myself standing in the marble-lined hallway outside the courtroom.

"Has Eleanor contacted you recently?" I asked suddenly.

Quinn paused, considering her response. "No, she hasn't. I've been swamped with work lately. I tried messaging her a few times, but she never responded. I meant to call her when things calmed down, but something always came up, and I kept forgetting. What's wrong? Did something happen to Eleanor?"

I could hear the tension mounting in her voice.

"Eleanor and Drew broke up," I said quietly.

"What? Eleanor never told me!" Quinn exclaimed, her professional composure momentarily slipping. "Why would they break up? They seemed so good together! Don't tell me Drew was seeing someone else? I always worried about him spending so much time with Spencer..."

"It wasn't Drew," I cut her off. "Eleanor said she's still in love with Jace."

"You can't be serious," Quinn's eyes widened in disbelief.

"That's why I'm convinced there must be some misunderstanding between the three of them. But with Eleanor gone and Jace in a coma..." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I'm worried about where she might have gone."

"Her phone's not working?"

"The number's been disconnected completely."

"Then she's probably..." Quinn trailed off, choosing her words carefully. "She's trying to cut ties with everything here. Including us."

I met her gaze, searching for answers.

"She doesn't want any connection to her old life anymore," Quinn said bluntly. "That includes both of us."

"What could have happened?" I pressed.

"I wish I knew," Quinn shook her head slowly, her expression troubled.

"Do you think she might..." I couldn't bring myself to finish the thought, but Quinn understood immediately.