?Chapter 7:


    After a brief pause, Ellie realized she hadn’t misunderstood. Kaiden was actually nning to drop her off on this overpass!


    “Kaiden, are you really making me leave after you kissed me?” She huffed.


    Could he be struggling with a split personality?


    “Just leave.”


    His icy re seemed to warn her that if she didn’t exit, he might force her out. Ellie was certain he was capable of such discourtesy.


    “Kaiden, this is madness!” She eximed.


    He was beingpletely unreasonable. She regretted not pping him just moments ago.


    Reluctantly, Ellie exited the car, unwilling to share any more space with him. Considering what she had done to him in front of Erick, she decided not to hold the unexpected kiss against him.


    They were adults; such games weren’t beyond them. Ellie didn’t delude herself into thinking Kaiden’s kiss had been born of affection. His motives remained a mystery.


    Inside the car, a heavy silence hung in the air. Kaiden massaged his forehead and rolled down the window, letting in the fresh air to ease the odd heat rising within him and the dryness in his throat. His whims often guided him.


    In that fleeting moment before kissing Ellie, he had wanted to recapture the sensation of her kiss, to understand it more clearly. He had acted on impulse, convinced the allure of that moment was just a figment of his imagination. But it was real.


    Perhaps it was her rebellious spirit, barely concealed beneath her obedience, that intrigued him. Disliking the loss of emotional control, he had unhesitatingly ordered her out of the car.


    Through the rearview mirror, Bruce saw Kaiden’s somber expression. As Bruce’s gaze swept over Kaiden’s face for the third time, Kaiden noticed.


    “Go ahead. Say it.”


    Bruce carefully broached the subject. “Mr. Thorpe, is it… really okay to leave Miss Gordon alone on the roadside?”


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    Bruce was in the dark about what had transpired behind the raised partition and assumed Kaiden had ejected Ellie without reason.


    Kaiden’s frosty gazended on Bruce, his voice sharp. “Would you prefer to join her outside?”


    Bruce shuddered and quickly declined. “Mr. Thorpe, I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking!”


    Yet, Bruce couldn’t help but recall how Kaiden hadn’t resisted Ellie’s kiss. It had seemed like a miracle, only to be revealed as a fleeting illusion.


    As Ellie made her way back to Moon Manor, she received a call from Litzy Gordon, Demi’s mother.


    “Ellie, after all we’ve done for you, you repay us by mistreating my daughter!” Litzy used her without preamble.


    Clearly, Demi had twisted the story for Litzy.


    “I’ve repaid those twenty years by marrying Kaiden. Besides, she meddled with my affairs first!” Ellie replied coldly.


    “Demi’s heart is pure. If you hadn’t provoked her, she wouldn’t have meddled with your affairs. Remember, Ellie, you owe her.”


    Ellie felt a sense of relief, having long given up on expecting any empathy from them.


    “Ellie, if this happens again, I’ll make Cecelia suffer!” Litzy hissed.


    Ellie felt as though a cold wind had blown through her heart. She closed her eyes tightly.


    Litzy’s threat reminded her of the visitation rights she had been granted to see Cecelia, a privilege she hadn’t yet used since her marriage to Kaiden.


    Ellie promptly caught a taxi to the nursing home.


    Cecelia resided in a neglected nursing home, far from ideal. Litzy mistreated Cecelia, her mother-inw, while Houston Gordon, Cecelia’s son and Litzy’s husband, prioritized profit over family, often ignoring the abuse.


    “Ellie!” Cecelia, in her seventies, greeted her with surprise.


    “Grandma, how have you beentely?” Ellie asked, her eyes brimming with tears as she hugged Cecelia.


    “Fine! Everything is fine!” Cecelia reassured her, gripping her hand. “And your husband, is he treating you well?”


    “Yeah,” Ellie lied effortlessly.


    Cecelia asked a few more questions, each one met with reassuring responses, leaving her smiling contentedly.


    “I was worried about you adjusting to the Thorpe family, but everything is okay now. Just focus on living well. Ahem!”


    Cecelia’s words were interrupted by a violent cough, her frail body trembling. Ellie quickly helped her lie down, concern etched on her face.


    “Grandma… would you consider living with me so I can take good care of you?” Ellie asked, her voice tinged with hope and worry.


    Cecelia paused, then gently shook her head. “I’m already in a care facility. Besides, your uncle is still around. It doesn’t seem right for a granddaughter to take on this responsibility.”


    Ellie’s eyes fell in disappointment, but she wasn’t surprised. She wasn’t Cecelia’s direct kin, and shecked the authority to take her away. Determined, she resolved to find a way to improve Cecelia’s living conditions and not let the Gordon family use her as leverage.


    “Ellie, I might not have much time left. I’d love to see you and Kaiden bless me with a great-grandchild,” Cecelia expressed wistfully.


    Ellie’s smile froze momentarily, then she quickly changed the subject. “Grandma, don’t say such things. You’ll live a long, healthy life!”


    The idea of a great-grandchild… was something Cecelia would never see.


    The following day, as darkness enveloped the city, Ellie prepared for her meeting with Baylee, dressing in low-key clothing before heading to Rich Bar.


    Rich Bar was a renowned, exclusive club in Critport, frequented by the wealthy elite. Membership at the Rich Bar was a symbol of status and wealth.


    Ellie made her way to a private room upstairs, unaware of two figures lurking nearby.


    “Mr. Thorpe, what’s the matter?” Bruce observed as Kaiden stopped abruptly, voicing his confusion.


    Kaiden remained silent, his attention fixed on a woman a short distance away.


    She was d in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, a baseball cap concealing most of her face, leaving only her fair chin and full, rosy lips visible. Her slender, elegant figure was striking even in silhouette. Even without seeing her face, Kaiden knew it was Ellie.


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