Tangled Temptations

Harvey took a glance.

Even for him, the person involved, it was hard to explain the situation. And yet, he had indeed let it happen.

Joan had been tailing him every day lately.

He hadn't reacted. But they were ex-lovers, after all.

A woman tailing a man every day...noveldrama

Well, it spoke volumes.

Harvey just found it amusing.

For a man, this was somewhat of a thrill.

However, he had no intention of getting back together with her, let alone becoming her lover.

Eloise hadn't asked, and he had no plan to explain.

Eloise just came out with a plate of noodles, with Harvey still holding her phone in his hand.

The atmosphere was a bit tense.

Finally, it was Eloise who broke the silence. "Veronica didn't mean any harm; don't be hard on her."

Harvey put down the phone.

He scoffed, a hint of mocking in his voice. "You're always worrying about others; why don't you think about yourself for a change?"

Eloise countered. "Harvey, do you want me to care or not?"

Harvey's breathing became a bit ragged.

He couldn't answer.

Eloise knew they couldn't communicate; she lowered her head and gave a self- deprecating laugh. "Whichever it is, I can put on a show for you."

The atmosphere was oppressive; she switched the topic, saying, "Eat your pizza; I'm going to take a bath."

She had barely taken two steps before her arm was forcefully grabbed.

She turned around and saw that Harvey was frowning.

He didn't feel like eating. He tightly grabbed Eloise's arm, although he wasn't sure what he was trying to hold on to.

He didn't regret it.

He didn't want to give Eloise what she wanted, nor could he, because he didn't want to get married.

Heartache?

Perhaps not much.

He just wasn't used to this version of Eloise. He felt somewhat estranged from this version of her.

She seemed cold, as if she didn't care about anything.

Harvey came home early tonight, wanting to make love to her, but after seeing

Eloise's indifferent expression, he found it uninteresting.

Perhaps after making love, he would feel even worse.

Eloise and Harvey were at a stalemate.

He didn't let her go, but he didn't coax her either, and he didn't come back to the apartment on time every day.

Eloise didn't care, but Michelle was getting antsy.

A few days passed.

Michelle called, asking Eloise to go shopping.

After answering the call, Eloise figured that since Michelle was usually thrifty and now wanted to buy clothes, she probably wanted to talk about Harvey.

Sure enough, Michelle was just accompanying Eloise with her credit card, buying stuff for Eloise, and saying that girls should dress nicely.

Eloise bought a few items as per her wishes.

While having coffee, Eloise lightly touched Michelle's hand. "I have plenty of clothes, so there's no need for you to waste so much."

Michelle glanced at her.

Then Michelle lowered her voice. "What happened between you and Harvey? Why did his ex suddenly appear? She's such a pretty girl, so why's she always tailing Harvey?"

Eloise gave a faint smile.

She took a sip of her coffee and said, "That's between them, Michelle. It's not my place to interfere."

Michelle felt bad for her.

She cursed under her breath. "When he was chasing you, he was wining and dining you. He even took care of you in the hospital and helped you deal with Max, and now look at him."

As Michelle spoke, she started to cry. "How can he not cherish you after getting you? How did your relationship turn out like this? Where are you lacking compared to her?"

Eloise handed Michelle a tissue.

Michelle wiped away her tears, then said, "Don't blame me for meddling! I had high hopes for him, hoping he would cherish you."

Eloise gently patted her hand.

She comforted her in a soft voice. "He made it clear from the beginning that there was nothing to complain about. Besides, Ms. Joan pursuing Harvey is her business, and Harvey accepting her pursuit is Harvey's problem. Michelle, I have no right to blame others."

Harvey might not see anything wrong.

But to Eloise, this attitude was already ambiguous enough.

In the future, Eloise planned on leaving Harvey. Why should she quarrel with an irrelevant woman?

She told Michelle that she wanted to focus on her career now.

Michelle finally calmed down.

She laughed. "As long as you understand that, it's good! Focusing on your career is a great choice."

Eloise then accompanied her shopping for a while longer, bought some things for the house, and then personally sent Michelle home.

Back at the apartment.

Eloise guessed that Harvey probably wouldn't come back tonight, so she just made a simple dinner.

But just as she finished making a dish, she heard someone knocking on the door. Eloise was puzzled. Who could be visiting at this hour?

It turned out to be Orlena.

Orlena was carrying several bags in her hands. As soon as she entered the door, she placed them at the entrance, saying, "Eloise, my mom asked me to bring these for you."

Eloise took a look; they were all expensive items.

There were two limited-edition platinum bags, a Patek Philippe diamond watch, and some accessories.

She was about to refuse, but Orlena had already run to the dining table, picked up the dish, and started eating heartily.

After Orlena finished eating, she finally had time to speak. "That was delicious! Eloise, make another one later."

After saying that, she suddenly remembered her task.

"Eloise, let me take you out!"

Eloise was cleaning up the dishes. She smiled and asked. "Where to?"

Orlena looked a bit nervous, her face unnaturally flushed. "A nice place; just come with me."

She was afraid Eloise would refuse, so she deliberately said, "You left early on my birthday; consider this making up for it."

Eloise quite liked her, so after thinking for a bit, she agreed.

Orlena pushed her to the wardrobe and personally picked out a dress and jewelry for her.

A pink chiffon long gown that had a waist area intricately designed, making her look very alluring.

Together with Eloise's hair color, she looked like a top-tier actress.

Orlena was so stunned that she began speaking in a low voice. "I don't know how

my brother can bear to leave you." After saying that, she playfully stuck out her

tongue.

Eloise wasn't mad.

She picked up a handbag and paired it with a pair of nude high heels.

"Where are we going?"

Orlena couldn't reveal her objective. Her mom sobbed at home every day, unable

to meddle directly with her and her brother's business, so she specifically asked her to take Eloise on a "cheating hunt."

"Your brother is still single at this age and finally meets a good girl but is about to drive her away. Orlena, you can't let this happen!"

Orlena decided that it was time to intervene.

Orlena and Landon snooped around and then came to find Eloise.

When Eloise asked, she mysteriously replied. "Don't worry, it's a kick ass place."

Orlena had driven over, so she took Eloise in her own car.

Eloise couldn't resist her enthusiasm.

Half an hour later, Orlena's red sports car stopped in front of "The Mirage Club".

The doorman recognized Orlena.

He respectfully called her "Ms. Horigan," but he sneakily took a look at Eloise. He thought she was stunning and that he had never seen her before.

Orlena naturally saw this.

She felt very smug about claiming Eloise as her brother's girlfriend.

Eloise and Orlena walked into the third-floor private room together. Eloise asked

her. "Have you invited other friends as well?"

Orlena stopped at the door of Room 308.

She opened the door and invited Eloise in, feeling extremely nervous inside. "Um,

I invited a bunch of friends."

Eloise was not prepared and just walked in.

When she entered the private room and adapted to the light, she was stunned.

She basically knew everyone in the room. She saw Harvey, Landon's gang, and,

of course, Joan.

Eloise turned her head to look at Orlena.

Orlena quickly made herself scarce. "Lou! You've gotta fight for your own

happiness!"