Tangled Temptations

The next morning, Darrien was discharged from the hospital.

Eloise was packing his stuff with a slight stoop in her posture. The slender curve of her waist, the enticing bend of her spine was all so fascinating He still remembered the touch of it.

The nanny had taken the kids out, leaving only the two of them in the room. Harvey had something to say to Eloise. He gently placed his hand on her slight shoulder, and quietly asked, "Eloise, if I regain my memory, do we still have a chance?"

After he finished, Eloise's body froze noticeably. She couldn't answer this question.

If she said yes, it would undoubtedly give him hope. If she said no, it would be against her feelings.

Her long silence told Harvey the answer. His hand slightly caressed her shoulder, and he casually said, "I'll go and sort out the discharge papers."

Harvey left. Eloise looked at the items in her hand, seeming lost for a while.

Once back at the villa, Darrien recovered well.

In the following month, Eloise spent a great deal of time taking care of the baby. Gerald and Natalia would often bring over work documents. Harvey visited often and would sometimes run into Gerald. He could see that Gerald was infatuated with Eloise.

Perhaps it was male pride at play, but Harvey never questioned it. He just frequently came to visit Linda and Darrien.

He visited so frequently, even more than before their divorce. Eloise didn't object to him seeing the kids, but she didn't give him any opportunities.

He'd often bring her small gifts. They were from a business trip, or just something he thought she'd like. Eloise placed them all in a drawer.

One day, after discussing business with Gerald, Eloise saw him out.

When she returned to the house, Harvey was still there, casually flipping through a business magazine on the couch, as relaxed as if he were in his own home.

Eloise silently watched him for a few seconds. Then, she sat down on the couch opposite him, and calmly asked, "Don't you have your own private life? Why do you come here every day?"

She didn't object to him spending time with the kids, but she knew this wasn't normal. Harvey clearly didn't consider himself a stranger.

After she asked, Harvey put down the magazine he was holding. His dark eyes stared at her for a while before he casually asked, "Why do you ask? Do you want a private life?"

Eloise didn't avoid the question. "We're divorced. We should both have our own lives."

She was so frank, and he couldn't lash out.

Eventually, as it was late, he left.

Eloise was somewhat tired. Late in the night, she slowly went upstairs.

She was divorced from Harvey, but he was omnipresent because of their two children. He still pervaded her life, but it was different from before.

At least there wouldn't be any messy incidents to trouble her anymore.

Eloise entered the master bedroom, undressed, and prepared to take a bath. She discovered a single champagne rose on her pillow. This was Harvey's habit. He would often pick a flower during his morning run and put it on her pillow so she would see it when she woke up. The dew on it always reminded her of their intimate times the night before.

Eloise picked up the rose, her heart aching. He clearly didn't remember, so what was the point of doing this?

...

Everest Technologies.

Now that the company's business was stable, Eloise was quite relaxed. She'd even set up an indoor golf course on the top floor. When Eloise was free, she'd swing a few times.

During a break, Natalia came over and whispered, "Ms. Ruby wants to meet you, will you see her?"

The famous actress Ruby?

Eloise took a sip of water and smiled lightly. "I thought she never wanted to see me again."

Natalia smiled. "She's made it this far, she's definitely smarter and more flexible than those minor celebrities."

Eloise nodded. "Let her in."

Shortly after, Ruby arrived. She didn't bring her agent and even brought a small box of cupcakes.

Eloise saw the cupcakes in her hand and smiled lightly. "I don't invest in film and television, Ms. Ruby. Have you mistaken your interests?"noveldrama

Ruby was very understanding and particularly humble today. She placed an envelope on the table. "There are five premiere tickets inside. If you are free, Ms. Laurent, please come and support me."

Eloise didn't refuse directly. She stood up to walk towards the mini golf course, and Ruby followed suit after a moment of hesitation.

After Eloise swinging a few times, Ruby exclaimed, "Ms. Laurent, you're really good at this."

Playing with the white golf club, Eloise smiled. "The first time I played golf was with Harvey."

Ruby was slightly embarrassed.

Eloise seemingly carelessly made another swing, saying, "You want to be the ambassador for that high-end project in the South, right?"

Ruby was a bit flushed.

After swinging the club, Eloise chuckled. "It depends on how well you do. If the box office is good, we can talk."

Ruby didn't expect Eloise to be so easygoing and was momentarily stunned.

Eloise made a three-stroke hole. She said thoughtfully, "There aren't many people who truly annoy me. Ms. Ruby, you're not one of them."

Eloise agreed to Ruby's request. Unexpectedly, Harvey found out about it and specifically called. "Ms. Laurent, are you being so generous?"

Eloise was annoyed when she heard this. She deliberately retorted, "Ruby is rich and famous, and she won't do anything desperate. Why shouldn't I cooperate with her?"

Harvey's voice was low. "Eloise, this makes me feel like you don't care about me." He had nothing to do with Ruby, but there had been rumors. Eloise was now acting completely indifferent and was even going to attend Ruby's premiere... Eloise was silent for a while before speaking, "Harvey, I've told you, we should both have our own private lives. What I want is simple, a normal life and the safety of our children. I found that without you, I can easily have these."

After she finished, Harvey was silent for a long time. In the end, he hung up the phone.

Eloise wasn't feeling too great either. In fact, she had her eyes set on Ruby for that high-end project a long time ago. As she said, Ruby needed to prove her market value in order to get this endorsement.

Because of this, Eloise and Harvey parted on bad terms. For a week, he came to visit the children twice, but both times, they managed to avoid each other.

On Saturday, Eloise took the two little ones to the Horigan Mansion.

Brett dropped by the night before, expressing his desire to see the kids. Parker suggested that it was a perfect opportunity to have a family dinner.

Eloise had just gotten home.

Pauline whisked away Linda for some playtime and Parker happily cradled Darrien.

Eloise headed upstairs and bumped into Brett in the upper-floor hallway. It was pretty clear that Brett had spent the night here. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, and the hem was not tucked into his belt. He looked positively post-coital. Eloise glanced behind him, at the door to Orlena's room. She then returned her gaze to Brett. "Uncle Brett, you and Orlena back together?"

Brett's expression was a bit awkward.

They were not back together. When Orlena returned last night, she had secluded herself in her room, sobbing. It was the kind of behavior that hinted at heartbreak, and he had gone over to comfort her.

Then one thing led to another...

Thinking about it, Brett hadn't been with a woman in quite a while, and he and Orlena had a history. It was inevitable.

Eloise was about to comment when Orlena swung open her door and threw a man's coat out, cursing through her tears, "You old bastard."

Brett stood there, a bitter smile on his face.

Orlena quickly noticed Eloise. Even though she was two years older than Eloise,

she was somewhat afraid of her. Her voice softened, and with red-rimmed eyes, she greeted, "Eloise."