Tangled Temptations

In the quiet town of Brockville, a shiny black SUV pulled up at the entrance of the grand Noland Manor.

The vehicle came to a graceful halt.

A tall figure stepped out, and the servants greeted him respectfully, "Good day, Mr. Harvey!"

Harvey frowned, "Where is Mr. Brett?"

The servant, noticing his displeasure, didn't know how to respond. Just then, Brett appeared. Seeing Harvey, he asked nonchalantly, "What brings you here so early?"

Harvey flashed a toothy grin. He chuckled coldly, "Of course, to see my dear Uncle!"

Brett glanced at his watch, "Unfortunately, I have a meeting soon. My driver's waiting!"

Harvey blocked his path, his smile not reaching his eyes, "A little delay won't hurt you. Finish the talk then you can go!"

Brett frowned.

Harvey lit a cigarette, took a few slow puffs, then extinguished it, saying softly, "I want to talk about Orlena!"

Brett gave a signal, and his secretary retreated, taking all the servants with him. Once they were alone, Brett lit his own cigarette. He stood in the breeze, the smoke swirling around his handsome face, sometimes clear, sometimes obscured. After a while, he asked in a low voice, "How is she doing?"

Harvey laughed coldly, "How? A girl of 31, not married or coming home, living alone in a rundown apartment. Mr. Brett, how do you think she's doing?"

Brett's slender fingers, holding the cigarette, trembled slightly. Despite his high position, he always maintained his composure. But hearing about her after more than two years, he couldn't keep his emotions in check. He suspected Harvey knew something.

Brett's voice became huskier, "Why doesn't she come home?"

Harvey stared at him fiercely, his eyes full of rage. Yes, he was here to settle accounts with Brett! But he had no intention of revealing the existence of Daniel. Orlena, the heiress of the Horigan family and his sister, had no reason to use a child to manipulate a man.

He stared at Brett, asking slowly, "How long were you sleeping with her?"

Brett's eyes twitched. The secret of three years was finally out. He took a deep drag on his cigarette, took a moment to compose himself, then admitted, "Around six months! It started when Eloise was in the hospital, then it was off and on for another half year."

Harvey thought back. During that latter half-year, Eloise had gone abroad, and Brett always seemed to have business in Peterborough. So that was it. Harvey laughed coldly, "Before Mr. Brett did such a thing, did you ever consider your age and Orlena's age? And the fact that our families are connected by marriage! You can disregard all this because sleeping with her isn't illegal, but search your conscience, Mr. Brett, out of all the times you slept with her, was there ever a time when you wanted to marry her? Was there ever a time when it wasn't about satisfying your own lust?"

Brett was silent. He had no counterargument.

Harvey put out his cigarette, took off his coat, and began to roll up his sleeves. He sneered, "Can't answer, can you?"

Brett frowned, "Are you going to fight me?"

Harvey laughed even harder, "Do you have a problem with that? Let me tell you, as Orlena's brother, I'm not as naive and timid as her. Now, I want to ask you, what are you planning to do?"

Brett was always decisive. He and Orlena had no chance to be together in the past, and now, after more than two years apart, there was even less reason to pull her back into his complicated life. He extinguished his cigarette, and said calmly, "There's no future for us!"

Without another word, Harvey swung a punch at him, showing no mercy. Brett took the blow, his cheek quickly bruising. Harvey's knuckles were swollen from the impact, but he threw another punch.

At this point, Donny, who had been hiding nearby, hurried forward to intervene, "Mr. Horigan, calm down! You and Mr. Brett are family. Let's talk it out!"

Harvey pushed him aside and started fighting with Brett again. He yelled, "You bastard! My sister is 16 years younger than you! How could you do this?"

Brett retorted, "How are you any better? Do you want me to recount what you did to Eloise? Clean up your own mess first!"

They exchanged punches and kicks, neither holding back!

The servants watched from a distance, knowing that Harvey and Mr. Brett were fighting, but they had no idea why. Donny, being the smarter one, ran inside to get reinforcements, bringing back Tracey.

Tracey rushed over. Upon arriving, she saw her son and grandson-in-law in a heated fight, both sporting injuries. "Stop!" Tracey yelled.

Brett stopped first, stepping back and saying to Harvey, "We'll talk later, I have a meeting to attend!"

Harvey wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, taunting, "In this state, how can you attend a meeting? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at, tarnishing your perfect image?"noveldrama

Tracey stood between them, scolding her son, "How old are you, Brett? And how old is Harvey? You're usually so composed. How could you fight with him? And in front of the servants, how will you maintain your authority?"

She was clearly biased.

Brett cursed Harvey under his breath, but to his mother, he said gently, "It's about Eloise, Mom. Please, stay out of this!"

Tracey disagreed, "Aren't they a happy couple now?"

Brett touched his nose.

Harvey helped the old lady sit down. He was her favorite, so he quickly revealed Brett's secret, "He and my sister were in a relationship for more than half a year!"

Brett remained silent.

Tracey was shocked. She grabbed her cane and started waving it at her son, scolding him, "Tell me, is it true? You always put on airs around Harvey, but today you're all quiet. So it's true, you've done something shameful. I'll beat you to death today to apologize to his parents!"

She hit him hard.

Brett took several blows to the back, the pain burning. He was always respectful, not daring to upset the old lady further, so he knelt down immediately, "It's my fault. I couldn't control myself! But she and I aren't a good match."

Tracey paused, evidently surprised. She hadn't expected her son to be so candid. She remained silent for a while before murmuring, "Once is a mistake, but you've been dating her for half a year. How do you explain that? Brett, you know how charming and attractive you are. It's easy for a girl to fall for you, but you can't just discard her when you're done. What about her future?”

She was deeply disappointed and rose to leave. Harvey quickly helped her up. The old woman looked at him and whispered, "I'll personally go to Peterborough to apologize to your parents and to that girl! Brett was in the wrong. I'll make it up to your family."

Harvey had come filled with anger. But now, he felt a softness in his heart, stepping forward to say, "I also have my impulsive moments."

Tracey shook her head, "You're defending your sister. What's wrong with that!"

Harvey spoke softly, "I'm not demanding anything, I just want Brett to make his intentions clear. If he's not interested in Orlena, then I'll arrange for her to meet other men."

Brett flinched at his words. The idea of Orlena meeting other men, it was like a boulder thrown into his calm heart, causing ripples of unease.

Harvey regained his composure, standing before Brett and stating plainly, "She hasn't said anything, but I can tell she really likes you, and she's deeply hurt! If you were to see her now, you might not recognize her. Brett, Orlena has been pampered in the Horigan family all her life. She's never had to lift a finger, yet she..."

Harvey's voice choked. After a moment to compose himself, he said softly, "If you don't want her, don't bother her again!"

All sorts of emotions surged in Brett's heart.. He had once deeply cared for that innocent girl. Their breakup was due to their incompatibility. Now that the past was resurfacing, he did want to see her again, but what then? They had reached a dead end years ago. Brett finally said softly, "I let her down! Tell her whatever compensation she wants, she can have."

Harvey looked at him, his gaze deep. He gave a faint smile, "We don't need any compensation. All I wanted was a clear answer from you. Now that you say you two are not a good match, I can rest easy! I'll tell my silly sister to forget about you, and to go meet other men. She may not meet someone like you again, but finding someone who truly cares for her isn't hard!"

With that, Harvey turned and left.

Brett stood there, his expression somewhat dazed. Donny thought for a moment, then said softly, "Mr. Brett, you should get ready. There's a meeting soon!"

Brett just stood there, still not responding. After what seemed like ages, he suddenly blurted out angrily, "What meeting?! I don't even have the freedom to love a woman. What's the point of a meeting?"