Isidore raised an eyebrow and muttered a thank you. Lucienne opened her mouth, as if to say something, but stopped herself. She watched the car drive off, her elegant brows slightly furrowed.
Eloise was worried that Isidore might be acting as a guard at her door again. Although she had left the office, she was reluctant to go back. She wandered around the mall, planning to stay until closing time.
She had forgotten that Isidore had a hundred ways to find her. While enjoying the delicious dishes at a restaurant, Eloise was surprised when a waiter brought over a delicate cake and pointed towards the corner. "That gentleman sent this for you."
Eloise glanced up, and Isidore was sitting in a relaxed posture. A bowl of soup, looking exquisitely refined, was placed before him. He elegantly raised it towards her, smiling as he took a sip.
Heh, how amusing. Did he think he's the charming guy at the bar, sending drinks to strike up a conversation with a pretty girl? Eloise maintained her dignity and told the waiter, "Please return this cake to him and tell him I do not accept any unnecessary gifts." She noticed that after the waiter spoke to him, Isidore kept laughing, and she felt flustered inside.
How could someone be so thick-skinned? She thought of using the same trick she played on Charlie last time to get back at him. Conveniently, there was a nail salon she frequented in the mall. She went inside and signaled the owner to get rid of Isidore, who was following her.
Eloise was a regular, so the owner naturally dared not offend her. He steeled himself and approached, subtly conveying the "no entry for outsiders" message. Isidore, however, didn't rely on his usual aura to pressure the man. His eyes casually swept around the room. Unlike Charlie, he was much more adaptable. He asked the owner, "You offer tattoos here, right?"
The owner froze for a moment. Yes, they did tattoos, but they primarily focused on manicures, and since their clientele mostly consisted of young girls, they never advertised that service. Isidore actually spotted the hidden talent of their shop amidst the scattered few photos displayed on the wall.
It was as if a long drought had met a kindred spirit; the shopkeeper eagerly brought out the tools and asked Isidore what he wished to have tattooed. Isidore rolled up his sleeve, revealing his beautifully toned and smooth wrist. "I want to tattoo one letter: 'E.'" Eloise's body shuddered slightly. The owner was puzzled. "Just 'E'?"
Isidore gave a half-smile, raised his chin toward the right, and said softly, "Yes, the 'E' from her name." Eloise could no longer hold back and said irritably, "It's the letter "E" from the word 'egg'!" As soon as she spoke, even the nail artist sitting across from her shot her a surprised glance.
Eloise realized that since Isidore had been sitting with his back to her, the "her" he referred to was ambiguous. She had rushed out to confirm for herself, making it seem like she had been paying close attention to everything he said. She blushed deeply, feeling so embarrassed that she wanted to die.
The owner was very perceptive and, seeing the smile on Isidore's face deepen, silently mocked him in her heart: "So he came here to show off his affection in a roundabout way."
There was no need for further confirmation. She simply designed the letter "E" into an artistic font and sketched it out. Isidore glanced at it and nodded in quiet approval.
Whether by design or mere coincidence, the time Eloise finished her manicure happened to coincide with the moment Isidore completed his tattoo. The owner was wrapping a bandage around his wrist when he casually asked without turning his head, "Where are you going so late?" Eloise, frustrated from the day's silent grievances, decided to retaliate, "Hunting for men at night!"
Isidore nodded nonchalantly, "I'll take you." Eloise sneered, "Fine." In the car, Isidore held the steering wheel, occasionally shaking his hand. Eloise, wary, wondered what was wrong with him and asked for safety's sake, "What's wrong?"
Isidore wrinkled his nose and muttered briefly, "It hurts." Eloise exclaimed in surprise, "You're afraid of pain too?" He chuckled, "Why shouldn't I be afraid of pain?"
In the dimly lit compartment, the faint, intermittent scars on his neck became barely visible. Eloise stole a quick glance, then swiftly turned her gaze to the window. As the car turned into a dark alley, she could faintly hear music drifting out. She regretted coming. Tomorrow, she had to work, and she longed for the soft, large bed at home.
But now that she was here, she couldn't just leave in shame, allowing Isidore to laugh at her. She lifted her foot, but the security at the door stepped forward to stop her. "Sorry, miss, we only accept members here." Isidore, having made a call to someone, draped his arm around her shoulder and walked in. This time, no one tried to stop them.
Eloise asked, "Do you come here often?" He replied indifferently, "No." "That's not what it is!" A surge of unnamed anger rose within her. Eloise shook off his hand and walked to the bar to sit down. Isidore sat two or three people away from her.
Before long, someone approached to strike up a conversation. He seemed to be a clean-cut young man from a wealthy family, but Eloise had no desire to entertain him. However, driven by some strange psychological impulse, she agreed to go with him to their table. Isidore's piercing gaze followed her every step.
The group at the table consisted of three men and two women, none of whom were in a relationship. After Eloise sat down, she didn't speak to anyone, retreating like a turtle into the corner of the sofa, absorbed in her phone. She truly didn't care for this atmosphere. Meanwhile, the two girls were on the lookout for handsome men and had long since set their sights on Isidore, though they dared not approach him.
"Hey, hey, that handsome guy seems to be looking our way!"
"Really! He must be looking at you!"
The girls, startled, pushed each other. "He's looking at you! Go ask him if he wants to come over and hang out!"
"You coward, why don't you go!"
After much discussion, swayed by the allure of his looks and emboldened by the glances Isidore occasionally cast in their direction, the two girls cheered each other on, overcoming their shyness and deciding to approach him together to invite him to join their table. Eloise closed her eyes in despair for a moment, only to see Isidore nodding courteously at the two girls. The girls, thrilled, almost jumped up in excitement.
Hmph! Of course, he wouldn't refuse! After Isidore sat down, Eloise didn't look at him once. She deliberately tried to focus on chatting with the young heir.
But the two girls' voices were so loud that their presence became impossible to ignore. Eloise twisted her neck into an awkward angle, still able to see Isidore casually remove his bandage. The two girls leaned in, curiously inspecting his arm. "Such a beautiful design," one of them remarked. "What letter is this?"
Isidore answered softly, "E."
The girls nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite, "The 'E' for?" Isidore gave a baffling answer, "The 'E' from Eloise." Eloise, who had just been asked her name by the young heir half a minute ago, was speechless. She had planned to tell him earlier, but now, no matter what, she refused to say anything.
Due to her various indifferent reactions, this "hunt for men," which had cost her precious sleep, ultimately ended in failure. Eloise was tired and no longer bothered with the independence issue of whether to take a taxi or ride with Isidore. She simply sat in the passenger seat and fell asleep.
After a day of relentless persistence from him, following her wherever she went, she felt like a worker reluctantly surrendering to the warmth of a cozy in chilly winter, finally giving in to exhaustion.
Yet, her mind was restless, and even in her sleep, she could find no peace. When a familiar scent approached, she woke up with a start, reflexively slapping out. Isidore turned his face aside from the blow. "Click." It turned out he was just trying to unbuckle her seatbelt.
It's over, She was going to die! Eloise pushed open the car door and ran frantically ahead. The sound of footsteps grew louder behind her, and her wrist was suddenly seized. "Eloise!" He stepped forward, pulling her into his arms, calling her name over and over. Eloise couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't push him away, and in a burst of impulsive words, she snapped, "Stop clinging to me! I won't agree to marry you. It's never going to happen!"
Isidore gritted his teeth. "That's your delusion. You haven't thought it through! You can only marry me, and you'll live a good life!" Eloise broke down. "How can you be so thick-skinned?" She recalled everything from the day, her voice trembling. "What happened to your pride? Is there truly no one in this world you care about?"
Her words seemed to strike a nerve in Isidore. His expression softened, no longer so intense. After a moment of silence, he gazed at her with deep, steady eyes. "There is. It's you." Eloise's heart stopped for a moment, then she turned and fled in panic.
