Tangled Temptations

Eloise slammed the car door shut.

Her eyes were tinged with red, glowering at Ravenna with anger.

Ravenna's gaze fell on the red sports car, her voice laced with jealousy and mockery, "Eloise, do you think you're all that? The truth is, we're all living off men's money. Who's to say who's more noble between us?"

Eloise snorted in response.

"So, you ruin other people's happiness and think it's justified, feeling no guilt at all, huh?" Eloise retorted.

Ravenna laughed. "Let's go to the café and have a chat, Eloise. I've been wanting to talk to you since the last reunion," she suggested.

Eloise really didn't want to waste her time chatting with such an annoying person. But for the sake of Veronica, she followed Ravenna into the café -The Cozy Cat.

Eloise didn't speak first, fearing she might be tempted to toss her coffee at Ravenna's face.

Ravenna, on the other hand, seemed to have a lot to say.

Taking a sip of her coffee, she smirked confidently, "Don't think I just met Gunner recently. We've been together since college!"

Eloise was both surprised and angry.

Ravenna stirred her coffee, raising an eyebrow, "Don't believe me, Eloise? Remember that Christmas party? Gunner was the one accompanying Veronica. He was handsome, rich, and generous. Veronica naively introduced him to all of us. That night, Gunner and I hooked up! He was quite pleased with my 'performance' and even gifted me an iPhone!"

"Since then, we've been together. Whenever Veronica was indisposed, I was there with Gunner. He was very generous, and he practically paid my entire college tuition."

Eloise was taken aback, her blood boiling.

She was in disbelief!

After a while, she gritted her teeth and asked, "Weren't you infatuated with Max back then? How did you end up with Gunner?"

Ravenna laughed, shaking with amusement.

"Eloise, you're so innocent! I did like Max, but how does that contradict with me dating Gunner? Didn't I eventually get Max, too? Eloise, want to hear about me and Max?"

There was a glint of seduction and tease in Ravenna's eyes.

Eloise thought to herself that If a person had no regard for their dignity, they wouldn't care about being slandered.

Eloise replied coldly, "I don't want to hear it."

Ravenna was taken aback, and she didn't expect Eloise to be uninterested in the story.

As she stood there stunned, Eloise had already gotten up to leave.

Ravenna, in a panic, reached out and grabbed Eloise with surprising strength.

Eloise frowned.

Ravenna's facade finally cracked. She leaned in, teeth gritted.

"You don't want to hear?! Eloise, you're the real heartless person here. Didn't you once say you loved Max to death? Weren't you hell-bent on being his girlfriend? And then what? You broke up with him just like that, while I take pride in the few dates I had with him! Eloise, you said you loved him, but when Max got into fights for you, got arrested twice, and got drunk for you, did you ever feel touched? Did you ever feel sorry for him? You only care about yourself! I'm the one who truly loved him!"

Ravenna had a lot to say, but Eloise didn't care. She sneered, "Ravenna, you don't love him. He brought it upon himself!"

Ravenna slumped down in defeat.

Eloise left a $5 bill on the coffee table and left quietly. Once in the car, she held her phone, undecided on how to explain the situation to Veronica. Relaying Ravenna's words seemed inappropriate, but hiding them from her seemed unfair. In the end, Eloise decided to wait for Veronica to return from Sydney and discuss it face to face.

...

However, she didn't expect Veronica to call so soon. "Eloise, can you come over?" Veronica sobbed uncontrollably, unable to articulate her words.

Eloise sensed the seriousness of the situation, and she quickly got up, assuring, "Don't do anything rash. I'm on my way!"

Veronica's crying intensified on the other end of the line.noveldrama

When Eloise arrived at Veronica's villa, she saw Ravenna in a provocative nightdress, with disheveled hair and face scratched up by Veronica. It was a sorry sight.

Veronica wasn't in a great state either; her dress was missing some buttons, and her face bore a clear handprint.

Eloise's heart sank. She suspected it was Gunner's doing.

Upon seeing Eloise, Veronica burst into tears. "Eloise...I want a divorce!"

Despite hating Gunner's betrayal and his violence towards Veronica, Eloise knew this wasn't the time to add fuel to the fire.

She helped Veronica sit down, and got some ice for Veronica's wounds. Eloise felt guilty, and if she had told Veronica sooner, she wouldn't have been subjected to domestic violence.

Veronica sobbed, "He hit me for that woman!" She clung to Eloise, shaking with rage, "They've been together for years! My bed has been used by them countless times!"

Eloise felt a pang in her heart; she glanced at Gunner, wondering about his reaction.

Gunner was pissed. He really loved Veronica, but man, her temper was a real pain in the ass. Ravenna, on the other hand, always played nice and made him feel comfy.

You know, guys always like a girl who knows her place.

Gunner didn't feel sorry at all, though. He just snapped, "If you don't love me, then get lost!"

Veronica burst into tears again.

Eloise figured she didn't want to divorce since she was still into Gunner. She calmly said to Gunner, "You've been with Veronica for years, dude. Do you really think treating her like this is cool? Whether you're married or not, you gotta keep it classy." She played her cards right, saying, "Veronica's been alive for 24 years, and she's only dated you!"

Sure enough, Gunner softened up right away.

He adjusted his collar, looking a bit uneasy, and said, "I just messed with you, don't be mad. It's no biggie!" He pulled Veronica in, but she was still upset and not having it. Gunner swallowed his pride and tried to smooth things over, "Come on, I've already saved your face. We're visiting family tomorrow. Stop crying. If your face swells up from crying and our family asks, I'd have a hard time explaining."

Veronica was about to slap him, but in the middle of it, they ended up tangled up together.

Eloise felt helpless, but she respected Veronica's decision and planned to keep an eye on Gunner's future behavior.

The once hostile couple made up.

Ravenna turned pale. She had planned to expose herself to Veronica today, ready

to fight her last battle. But damn, Gunner had the nerve to say he was just messing with her!

Ravenna covered her face and chuckled bitterly at Eloise.

"Eloise, you're really something! I underestimated you!"

Before Eloise could say anything, Gunner was already rushing her out, "Get out of here! We're done."

This outcome left Eloise sighing.

In the following days, Eloise was busy with her music studio, so she couldn't meet Veronica.

However, she could tell from their phone calls that Veronica and Gunner were living the sweet life, just like newlyweds. Eloise couldn't judge the value of such a marriage. She thought perhaps many women would choose to forgive their husbands like Veronica did.

After a few busy days, Eloise almost forgot about Harvey, and they barely kept in touch.

On this particular evening, she came back to the apartment.

The lights were on in the apartment lobby. Eloise paused for a moment, then quickened her pace.

Sure enough, Harvey was back.

He was sitting on the couch, talking on the phone with a suitcase beside him. Obviously, he just got back.

When Harvey saw Eloise, he looked intense.

He motioned her over.

Eloise changed her shoes and sat next to him. While Harvey was still on the phone, he held her and absentmindedly stroked her. His eyes never left her face.