Tangled Temptations

At nine in the evening, Eloise finally arrived home.

The warm, golden light spilled from the hall, creating a cozy atmosphere that warmed the heart at a single glance. Linda was playing the piano, with Harvey at her side. Dressed in a classic three-piece suit with his coat discarded, his fitted waistcoat accentuated his lean physique. Upon seeing Eloise, he lightly swirled his glass of red wine and asked, "How was your shopping?"

Eloise set down her purse, sank into the couch, and gently massaged her aching legs.

Linda started to approach. She had initially taken up piano to find her mother, but now, she couldn't abandon it!

Harvey softly held onto her cute curly brown hair, instructing seriously, "Play this piece five more times!"

Linda was speechless. Harvey was too mean! He wasn't like this when he wanted her help to woo his wife!

Linda continued to play the piano, her fingers dancing across the keys!

Eloise was both annoyed and amused. She protested to Harvey, "She's only four. You shouldn't push her so hard!"

Harvey squatted in front of her, massaging her feet, his voice low and gentle, "She has talent! Eloise, I've always wanted to apologize to you, but no amount of apologies can restore your legs to their former state. So, I want Linda to have another option!"

Eloise remained silent, simply gazing at him. She rarely looked at him like this, for she had always avoided developing feelings for him again. After a while, she murmured, "Even so, don't push her too hard! I want Linda to live freely. Besides, with you around, she won't be lacking in the future."

Harvey chuckled, "It's rare that I have some merits in Eloise's eyes."

They changed the topic, and talked about Orlena for a while. Harvey had probably been thinking a lot during the day. As he held her foot, he whispered, "I won't force you or make you do anything because of Orlena. We are different!"

Eloise watched him under the light. Her gaze was a bit softer than usual. It was natural, not deliberately put on to placate him.

Harvey was somewhat moved. His voice husky, "Eloise, do you like me a little?"

Eloise reached out and gently touched his handsome face, "Just a little!" Harvey chuckled lightly.

Just as they were both getting a bit emotional, Linda, slightly annoyed, finished playing the piece five times. She also ran over, demanding that Harvey massage her feet.

Harvey adored her the most. He held the little one in his arms, not only massaging her feet but also her hands.

Finally, Linda wasn't jealous anymore. She lay in his arms, blushing a little.

Eloise patted her little head, telling Harvey, "She really likes you."

Harvey teased her, "You're a grown-up, but still get jealous of a child."

That night, Eloise still slept with Linda.

Harvey didn't bring up the matter of her sleeping in the master bedroom again. He also didn't demand to have sex with her. The fact that she didn't push him away in the cloakroom during the day proved that she didn't reject him that much anymore.

He wasn't in a hurry. This time, he wanted to take it slow with her, to seriously and sincerely fall in love.

Late at night, Orlena stood on the balcony.

Daniel was with Pauline, making this probably the most relaxed night for her in years. She should have been happy, but after everything she had been through, she could no longer return to the carefree Orlena of the past.

Suddenly, a cell phone ringtone sounded from the room. She went to pick it up. It was an unfamiliar number. Without thinking too much, Orlena immediately answered, "Hello!"

The person on the other end didn't speak at first. After a long pause, a hoarse voice finally said, "It's me!"

All of Orlena's blood seemed to freeze. It was Brett. She had never imagined that she would receive a call from him again, especially since their break up had been unpleasant; at least she had left with despair and resentment.

Her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she couldn't say a word. Compared to her, Brett seemed much calmer. He asked quietly, "Your brother said you haven't been home in two years. Is that true?"

Orlena felt as if her throat was blocked. She suppressed her feelings for a long time before she managed to squeeze out, "Mr. Brett, why are you calling? We made it clear that we would cut all ties."

Brett's tone carried a hint of warmth, just like when he used to coax her, "Your brother said you're not doing well."

Orlena closed her eyes slightly, "I'm doing fine now!"

Silence fell between them. After a long while, Brett softly said, "I'm in Peterborough! Can we meet? I'm still at that apartment."

Finally, Orlena exploded, "Meet? Mr. Brett, what do you take me for? Am I a delicacy that you've grown tired of and suddenly remembered? Or one of your many lovers? Am I really that disgraceful?"

Brett's breath hitched. His voice remained calm, "Orlena, I just want to meet and have a meal together."

Orlena restrained herself, her voice soft, "I won't be going!"

She abruptly hung up.

Late at night, she cried alone on the balcony for a long time. She didn't know when she started to like Brett. Perhaps it was when she watched him work in the hospital, or when she saw him smoking alone late at night. Perhaps it was when she saw a man's loneliness...

She was afraid he would blame her brother, so she always followed him carefully, trying to make him happy. As time passed, he allowed her to stay by his side.

He often stayed up late, and sometimes she would fall asleep on the couch in his small office. One night, she woke up to find him covering her with a blanket. Under the incandescent light, his face was extraordinarily attractive. She couldn't help but call him Brett.

Later, they kissed.

Brett was much older than her and a mature man. It was effortless for him to handle a woman. That night, he teased her, but he did not take her.

It was the first time she realized that a man's skills could be so good. For the next few days, she avoided him. She was too embarrassed to see him.

He didn't look for her again.

The night they had to send Linda away, Brett got drunk. She was worried and went to check on him. Drunk Brett was very attractive. She couldn't help but kiss him, and then, they made love.

On that narrow couch, she kept calling him Brett, sinking deeper and deeper beneath him. At that time, she didn't even know how much she liked him, only that everything about him was very attractive to her.

She thought it would be only one night between them. But then, he started making frequent business trips to Peterborough. He purchased a posh penthouse there. It was beautifully furnished, and he'd always invite her over whenever he was in town.

Their time in that penthouse was filled with sweet romance. He would cook for her, and after dinner, they would indulge each other.

During that time, she was bewitched, hopelessly entangled in his captivating allure. He never mentioned marriage, or talked about their future, but she found herself unable to resist the pull of his charm, and eventually found herself in Brockville, looking for him.

After that visit, she knew that they could never be. Both of them were single, yet all he could offer her was the stolen sweetness within that penthouse. She was never allowed to make their relationship public.

*

Brett sat in his car, and parked outside the penthouse. He made the call there.

He shouldn't have come, but he couldn't resist the temptation of seeing her, even going so far as to keep it a secret from his personal assistant.

She refused to see him. Despite her refusal, Brett went up, opened the door to the penthouse which had already been cleaned and prepared for his arrival. Everything was as before, except one thing was missing. Brett, a man who had spent his life calculating every move, was rarely filled with such a sense of loss, or such a desire to see someone.

He sat in the penthouse living room, all night long. He thought about their past passion and how she would call out his name, with such innocence. No woman around him had ever been as naive.

His world was too dangerous for her. She couldn't protect herself, and he would be constantly distracted trying to protect her. So, after that incident, her heart became cold and desolate, and even he felt they were ill-suited for each other. They had been apart for over two years, he thought he had forgotten her, but then Harvey shattered that illusion.

Turns out, he hadn't moved on.

At the break of dawn, the first ray of sunlight pierced into the penthouse. Brett got

up to make breakfast, just like he used to. He then instinctively walked to the bedroom, expecting to wake her up for breakfast like he always did. She loved junk food and was easy to please.

But the bedroom was empty. Her sweet scent no longer lingered in the sheets. Brett slowly left the bedroom, eating breakfast alone.

Donny called him, informing him about a meeting at ten. Indifferently, Brett said, "Push it to tomorrow, will you? I'm in Peterborough. I want to go see Eloise and Linda."

Donny understood, sighing softly. If Mr. Brett had ever wronged anyone, it was only Orlena.

Indeed, Brett did go to see Eloise. He bought Linda's favorite toys, and went over early. Thank god that Harvey was out on a business trip and they didn't bump into each other. But Eloise knew what was going on, and their meeting was somewhat awkward.

Seeing Brett playing with Linda, his face full of love, Eloise couldn't help but think of Daniel. She asked softly, "Uncle, have you ever thought about settling down?"

Smiling, Brett replied, "Why, are you playing matchmaker for me?" Eloise didn't answer, quietly making coffee instead. After a while, she finally whispered, "I just noticed that you seem to really love kids."

Brett picked up Linda and kissed her, "Linda is enough for me."

Linda snuggled up to him, her small hands cupping his handsome face, "Daniel is

also handsome, just like Linda. He has brown hair and rosy skin."

Brett frowned, "Who's Daniel?"

Eloise placed the coffee on the table and took Linda from him, "He's a little boy

from the Horigan family."

She wasn't lying. Brett didn't give it much thought; he just forced a smile. He had come, after all, to know about Orlena's situation. But Eloise was tight-lipped, not revealing anything. Brett found her to be quite cunning.

Eloise handed Linda her phone to keep her occupied. Linda looked at Brett, then at her mom. Eloise gave her a gentle smile, and Linda immediately understood. Her small, chubby fingers typed away at the phone: [Auntie, I miss you! Mom isn't feeling well. Can you send me to school?]

After she was done, Linda left the phone on the couch. Brett disapproved, "It's not good for such a young child to play with a phone."

Eloise checked the phone calmly, then smiled, "She does her kindergarten homework on her own. Harvey insists on teaching her to be independent." Only then did Brett let it go.

He stayed for a while longer, but he was not in the best of moods and decided to

leave.

Eloise offered him a cup of coffee. Hearing a car pull up in the courtyard, she said,

"I won't keep you any longer. I'll bring Linda to visit grandma in Brockville some other time."

Brett gently patted her head and turned to leave.

As Eloise walked him to the door, a white Bentley slowly pulled up to the driveway.

Orlena got out from the back seat, smiling as she said, "Eloise, Linda told me you were feeling unwell."noveldrama

She suddenly stopped, her gaze fixed on the man standing in front of her. Brett

was equally stunned. He hadn't expected to see her here. His gaze was intense, and he was slightly taken aback.

Orlena, she was not the same as before!