Isidore smiled as he scratched her chin, his voice rich and mellow. "Look at you, all claws out, and still say you're not a little kitten?" Eloise's skin crawled with goosebumps. She wanted to say: Bro, we can be ruthless, dangerous, or do anything, but can we not be so stupid and disgusting?
She didn't dare speak, turning her head to avoid Isidore's hand as it tried to pinch her cheek. A discomfort stirred in her heart, and her brows furrowed slightly, giving her an air of resistance. Isidore's face darkened, and he sneered, "What's wrong? Wasn't everything fine last night?"
Bringing up last night again, how strange! Did getting into bed always mean it has to end up like that? Never mind that it started with him pushing things, she did enjoy it, after all! It made it seem as if after a single night's sleep, she was supposed to belong to him. It was completely baffling!
What's more, this morning's experience completely erased any pleasant memories she had of their first night together!
Eloise's face flushed in a mix of embarrassment and anger, her cheeks puffing up like a pufferfish. "What's the matter? I don't have the fancy of acting like an AV actress in front of acquaintances!"
Isidore stared at his hand on the steering wheel for two seconds, then sneered. "Do you feel embarrassed because you put on a bold act in front of Quintus, or because, even if you behave so recklessly beneath other men, he doesn't care?"
Even though the light couldn't pass through his sunglasses, Eloise could still feel the sarcasm in his gaze. For a moment, she was dazed, and in that instant, the harshly handsome face before her blurred, replaced by Isel's softly and gentle smile.
Her large eyes blinked, unconsciously fluttering with a fragile gleam.
Isidore frowned, and almost immediately, his heart softened.
He turned his head, his tone stiff, yet he tried to soften it. "You're young. It's normal to fall for the wrong person, and it's natural to resort to some tricks when you're unwilling to accept it." After a pause, his long fingers curled and tapped, revealing his inner frustration. "You saw it for yourself—he doesn't care about you. Stop deluding yourself."
All the efforts she had made over the years were casually summed up by him as "a lost lamb." Eloise's scalp almost exploded, and her voice, raised in anger, came out sharp and prickly. "Hey, enough already! Why do you always bring up me and Quintus?"
What's his problem? Since their reunion, he's been so sarcastic. Yesterday, to make her admit to seducing Quintus, he practically had a gun to her forehead! He almost scared her to death—why did he have to be like that?
The problem isn't even with Quintus or anyone else. What she was talking about was clearly his domineering and unreasonable behavior, along with his high-handed attitude!
Of course, he is Mr. Kingswell, and that's just his style. Things should be simple—she should just endure and kneel. But instead, he had left an impression of Isel in her mind, making her want to twist his ear and act spoiled, forcing him to admit his mistake!
The earlier inexplicable coldness, followed by silence about the truth of his identity, the cold, detached observation of her as if watching a joke unfold—then last night's pressure, alternating between warmth and harshness. One moment, he was tenderly protective, only to deliver a thunderous blow the next morning, humiliating her in front of Quintus!
Eloise felt like she was about to split in two, the situation a tangled mess of knots in her mind, so chaotic that she couldn't think straight.
Isidore remained silent, the veins on the back of his hand bulging as restrained coldness radiated from his body. The obstacle in his heart had never been overcome from the start, but because she had cooperated so well last night, he had kept his composure.
But after she saw Quintus this morning, her face was one of suppressed anger. Now, what was she going to do? Finally couldn't hold back and argue with him? He had even planned to pretend to have amnesia and ignore her, having already made quite a concession, yet she still refused to behave!
He sneered, "When you were beneath me, you called out his name. Do you think that's enough?" Eloise froze for a moment, then gasped in shock, "When?" Isidore remained silent for a couple of seconds, his tone irritable, "Last time at the hot spring hotel."
No wonder! Eloise pieced together a few things. No wonder he suddenly left that day, and when they met again, he coldly assumed she had feelings for Quintus—never mind that this name had barely ever come up in their interactions before!
What she couldn't understand was how she could be so dedicated, even when drunk, she still remembered to call out the name of her target... Eloise was embarrassed, stammering, "I... that was..."
Isidore let out a sigh, annoyed with himself for speaking too quickly. He had always despised men who were petty and tangled in love affairs. Eloise stammered for a long time, unable to explain herself, and suddenly felt exhausted.
So what if she called out his name? If it made her happy, what was the big deal? It wasn't like she was committing a crime! The situation was already a mess—now, as the second male lead, was he accusing her, the villainess, of liking the male lead?
Hmm?? Ah?? I'm tired, just destroy everything! She didn't want to deal with it anymore. Let's just end this. He can go be with his Lucienne, and the plot can return to its normal course!
She leaned back forcefully against the passenger seat, her face clouded with displeasure. Realizing her attitude wasn't ideal, she hesitated for a moment, then reined it in a little. "Uh... Mr. Kingswell, aren't you supposed to be taking me home? Why are we stopping here?"
Isidore flared up for a moment, not even bothering with a half-hearted excuse. The little girl seemed meek, but she was actually quite gutsy inside! He closed his eyes, and after a moment, his tone softened. "There's an urgent matter in my place. I need to head back tonight."
He hadn't specifically mentioned it before, not wanting to create a clingy atmosphere before parting for a few days. But deep down, he had been holding back his temper, reluctant to leave on bad terms with the young lady, despite the frustration of having to leave.
Now, pretending to be calm was impossible. His jaw tightened. "There's no need for it these days. Don't go fooling around with Quintus again. That's my only request."
Eloise didn't catch the conciliatory tone in his words. Instead, she felt a bit agitated. I'm not your subordinate, so what right do you have to make demands! "Why should I..." She held back her anger and changed her phrasing. "I... I have my personal freedom!"
Isidore's temple twitched, and he gritted his teeth as he said, "Remember what I told you before? Anyone who dares to command me to do something has to pay in 'exchange.' I helped you make a false statement. That's the 'exchange' I'm asking for."
It was fine until he mentioned it. Once he did, Eloise got even angrier—wasn't that "false statement" just overturned by him this morning? Was she some fool who lost everything? She pouted and retorted in a huff, "That... 'exchange'... I already paid it back last night!"
At these words, the muscles at the corner of Isidore's eyes twitched. He hadn't expected her to define their first time like this.
He glared at Eloise darkly, his teeth clenched so tightly that it seemed they could bite through steel. "Exchange? Hmph, with that clumsy, pathetic attempt at seduction, you dare call it an exchange? You should thank me for not giving you the chance to perform in front of Quintus. Otherwise, the next time he sees you, he'd probably be scared enough to stumble back ten meters."
Eloise's face instantly turned bright crimson, her mind short-circuiting. She glared at him for a while, rolling her eyes and muttering under her breath, "Hmph, no matter how clumsy, it's still something I'll do in front of Quintus, what does it have to do with you! If you're so full of pride, don't get too full of yourself!"
