Tangled Temptations

Linda nodded, not quite getting it. Children, after all, didn't get the adult affairs. All she knew was that she was going to have a mother soon, and her mood was incredibly buoyant, munching down two servings of spaghetti for dinner.

The household staff were all delighted, "Miss Linda, you did so good today!"

Linda, with her brown curls, negotiated with her father, "If I get to see Eloise every day, I'll eat two servings of spaghetti every day!"

Harvey was seated on the couch, sorting through paperwork. Hearing this, he glanced over, "If you want to see Eloise, figure out a way yourself!"

Linda sniffled. She ran over, cuddling into her father's chest, "Dad, you're useless!"

Harvey didn't respond. He moved aside the documents, hugging Linda, his chin resting on her soft chestnut curls. His voice suddenly grew hoarse, "Dad made her angry! Linda, can you bring mom home?"

Linda lay on his shoulder, a silent confirmation. She muttered, "I want to play the piano!"

Harvey looked around their villa, realizing that he had forgotten to buy a piano. But his little princess wanted to play, so he drove her out to get one.

Half an hour later, a black Maybach was parked below an apartment building. The apartment was just as it had been.

When Harvey missed Eloise and had nowhere to vent, he would come here alone, sitting in the living room quietly and lighting a few cigars until he felt better and had to rush back. He had Linda to look after.

Upon entering, Linda expressed her love for the place.noveldrama

Harvey said hoarsely, "This is where Eloise and I fell in love, and that's the piano I gave her as a gift. But I made her angry. She didn't want it anymore!"

Linda suddenly felt a little nervous, she looked up and asked, "Will she not want me too?"

Harvey squatted down. He looked at Linda, saying seriously, "She doesn't know about you. She loves you a lot!"

Linda nodded, not quite understanding. But she was born proud, "I also think that if she knew she had such a cute baby like me, she definitely wouldn't want to leave."

Harvey smiled faintly. He kissed her soft cheeks, setting her in front of the piano. Linda had only had one lesson but her talent made it look like she'd been playing for years. Harvey stood by the French window, watching Linda's white dress, brown hair, and back straight as a pencil. He felt as if he was looking at Eloise!

Linda finished a simple piece, looking up for praise, but was taken aback by the tender look in her father's eyes.

On the ride home, Harvey carried her downstairs. Linda thought about how her father usually let her walk by herself. Today, he carried her as if she had no legs.

Huh! An old man in love, quite unusual!

...

Harvey missed Eloise terribly. Before, when she was in Switzerland, he couldn't see her and he had to deal with it. But now that she was in Peterborough, he had to suppress his feelings, which was taking a toll on him both physically and emotionally.

Linda was in the bathroom, singing. Harvey was half-reclining on the couch, feeling a bit lazy. He took Linda's phone and texted Eloise: [Eloise, it's Linda's dad!]

On the other end, Eloise had just taken a bath and saw a message from an unfamiliar number on Facebook. It turned out to be Linda's dad. Her first impression of this Lincoln car owner, a shrewd businessman, wasn't very good.

But he was Linda's father. Eloise needed to communicate with him well. She tried to maintain a professional attitude as she discussed Linda's piano progress with him. The businessman seemed somewhat distracted though.

Eloise sent a question mark. After a while, Linda's dad replied: [Linda said you are very beautiful!]

Eloise felt somewhat offended. She hesitated for a moment, then sent a Facebook message asking him to behave.

Harvey stared at the message, a light smile showing on his face. A sense of joy filled him; he could almost imagine Eloise's angry and embarrassed face.

It had been three years since they last had contact. Even on New Year's, his greetings were met with silence. Now he could flirt with her under the guise of Linda's dad. For a man, it was quite thrilling, at least Harvey thoroughly enjoyed it.

Linda came out of the bathroom in her onesie.

Without a twitch of his face, Harvey deleted all the chat messages. He held his little one, drying her hair.

Eloise had dreams all night long. She dreamt of Linda. For some reason, the child's face overlapped with her Linda's, and she was calling her mom.

Eloise woke from the dream. She sat quietly on the bed, unable to recover for a long time. After a while, she gently touched her lower abdomen, where Linda had once been nurtured. It had been three years. The traces of her kid in this world had almost completely disappeared.

Eloise didn't want to forget. She couldn't bear to.

In the early morning, she went to the Horigan family cemetery.

Three years had passed. The cemetery had changed a lot, the caretaker had aged a bit. Upon seeing Eloise, he greeted her warmly, leading her in, and chatted quite a bit, "A couple of years ago, Mr. Harvey planted a lot of roses here! White roses and red roses, all imported from Italy. The entire cemetery was filled with them!"

Eloise was stunned. The cemetery, which used to be lifeless, had turned into a rose garden. It was blooming season.

As it was a private cemetery, outsiders couldn't enter. Many bloggers and influencers explained and filmed from the outside, and it was said to have become a must-visit spot.

Eloise stood before the small pointed mound, holding a daisy. It was different from before. A ten-inch square tombstone, sunk into the ground and etched with

names.

Harvey, Eloise.

There was no Linda's name.

Eloise gently stroked it, a pang in her heart. This place seemed less like the grave of a deceased child and more like a monument to love. She quietly stayed for a while. The cemetery guard probably knew she was feeling down and said softly, "He would come here every Valentine's Day, and he would stay all day!"

Valentine's Day.

Eloise couldn't understand why Harvey had chosen this specific day to show up, but she didn't question him. She simply whispered, "Please. No more talking..."

Gently, she set down a small daisy and quietly walked away.

The rest of Eloise's day was filled with melancholy. When she had given birth to Linda, she had suffered from severe postpartum depression. It took her a year of medication to fully recover. Today's visit to the cemetery had, undoubtedly, dampened her spirits.

By noon, Veronica had invited her out for a coffee. Eloise thought about it for a moment and then agreed. She met Veronica at their usual spot, a quaint little coffee shop they visited frequently.

Veronica was already there, waiting. As Eloise walked in, Veronica quickly waved and called out, "Over here!"

Eloise took a seat and eyed Veronica's pristine white business suit. "Looking good." She commented, "Your business seems to be doing well."

Veronica sighed, "I'm just riding on Riley's coattails. You know me, I don't have much going for me. I'm just holding down a cushy job in the company and keeping an eye on Riley, making sure he doesn't mess things up."

Eloise chuckled, "Riley seems to have mellowed out."

Veronica ran her fingers through her hair, "I need to keep busy. It's too boring staying at home all day."

Eloise didn't press further. It wasn't her place to pry into other people's private lives. She quietly sipped her coffee.

Veronica, having been her friend for many years, knew something was off, "You look like you've been entangled with Harvey again. You don't look well at all!"