Chapter 18 Desperate for men?

"Why are you telling me this?" Aaron's tone was icy, his voice raspy and tired from smoking.

Unperturbed, Ashton Evans shivered but rashly pressed on, "Isn't she the reason you had me do that thing last night?"

"It was for The Quinn family."

He couldn't believe it. "Listen", he said, "it's like she's out there playing the field. How can you not be smitten with a cousin who's drop-dead gorgeous and not even related by blood? Don't tell me you're taken already, and I'm the last to know..."

"You're overthinking it," the man interrupted aloof.

His secret relationship with Eleanor over the past two years was something only Wesley knew about.

He didn't want to elaborate, "I've got overtime tonight. If you're that bored, go get yourself an acupuncture session, maybe prescribe yourself something for that mouth of yours too—it needs some fixing."

"Hey..." Ashton sensed he'd hit a nerve and quickly changed the subject, "But speaking of mysteries, how did that guy just drop dead out of the blue? I checked, and he did have a congenital condition, but isn't it a little too convenient? I hadn't even laid a finger on him and he just croaked."

"Wesley’s on it."

Ashton barely processed the response before the call ended. He rolled his eyes in frustration. Aaron was such a hothead. Was he that upset over a little speculation?

Wesley came in, holding a takeout box from the hotel.

Aaron often forgot to eat when working late, and this night was no exception. His grandfather, aware of the joke that nine out of ten CEOs suffer from stomach ailments, had urged Wesley time and again to take good care of him.

"Aaron, take a break."

Wesley set the meal on the coffee table, and just as he laid down the chopsticks, Aaron stubbed out his cigarette and reached for his overcoat. "I'm not hungry."

There was something in Aaron's voice—gruffer than usual, as though he was harboring a storm of emotion, perhaps agitated from the smoke.

...

Eleanor stepped out of the car and politely declined Edward's company, "I won't keep you any longer, you probably need to get back. Thanks for the ride."

Edward, ever the gentleman, simply nodded in acknowledgement.

But just as she took a couple of steps, he called out, "Eleanor."

"Yes?" She turned around.

Edward looked at her warmly. "Actually, this wasn't our first meeting. You were sitting next to me at Grayson's game the other day."

Eleanor was taken aback.

The cool autumn breeze played with a strand of her hair, highlighting her stunning features under the streetlight—she was like a vibrant bubble too delicate to grasp.

Suddenly recalling an embarrassing moment, her cheeks flushed crimson. "Did I... pinch you?"

It had been the match point of the game. The score had been tied withvictory beinga mere strike away. In her tension, she had unwittingly gripped her own leg—perhaps his as well.
She couldn't feel the pain, and thus the calming effect she was hoping for didn't materialize. In the moment, her mind must have been a mushy mess. She thought she was just numb from nervousness, so she pinched harder, until someone beside her caught their breath.

At that time, Edward had been wearing a mask, and Eleanor had failed to recognize him. She just remembered him giving her a glance and murmuring, “It's okay.”

"You've got quite the grip," Edward said, the corner of his mouth twitching with a smile.

That made Eleanor's embarrassment deepen, her face now a solid shade of crimson.

This Edward was such a typical guy.

While she stood there, wishing she could burrow a cozy three-bedroom into the ground with her toes, Edward got out of the car.

"Grayson told me you're single, so here I am."

Eleanor was at a loss for words.

Edward chuckled, easing the tension: “Don't stress yourself into another bruise. I don’t mean anything by it. I'm just asking for a chance to pursue you. What do you say?”

Truth be told, Edward was handsome – tanned, tall, and fit. Just by observing his clothes, one could tell he was a gentleman with manners, and the allure of an Olympic champion to boot. There were plenty of girls who would leap at the chance to date him.

But Eleanor knew her own heart. Edward was too good for her, and she couldn't bear the thought of holding him back.

“Ed...” she stammered, unsure of what to call him. She paused just as she was about to speak when suddenly, a car horn sounded in the distance.

It wasn't a frantic, continuous blaring but a single, polite honk like a gentle reminder.

An ordinary occurrence, yet something inside her panicked. She turned toward the source of the sound.

Seeing a familiar string of license plate numbers made her freeze.

"What's wrong?" Edward noticed her sudden change in demeanor.

She shook her head and quickly regained her composure, worried that Aaron might give Edward a hard time. "I'm just... I'm tired and want to head back to rest."

Edward didn't press her. "Sure thing, rest up."

She watched Edward's car drive away from the residential area and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Turning to head towards the stairwell, her shadow was firmly cast on the wall by car headlights from behind.

Eleanor felt rooted to the spot, her legs heavy as lead.

Then the sound of a car window rolling down reached her ears.

"Do you need a man that badly?"

She took a deep breath, stifling the surge of humiliation.

"One Peter isn't enough for you, so you go off to a matchmaking event? Are you really that brave? Or is it because he's an Olympic champ that you're ready to hand yourself over?"

"My personal life is none of your business, Mr. Quinn," Eleanor managed through clenched teeth.
"You think you could've stayed afloat here in Nan City, or even got a foothold with the Quinns without me cleaning up your mess?" he challenged.

Eleanor countered quickly, "Right, you've got a point, Aaron. There's an old saying, 'don't kick the dog without considering its owner', and I'm thankful for your 'compassion'."

Aaron's expression darkened.

She turned to him, a reckless grin on her face.

"Who I befriend is my business, Aaron. As the Quinn family patriarch, you get a say, but overstepping bounds--could it be that you can't handle the game?"

His cold gaze narrowed, a dangerous aura radiating from him. "Game?"

In her mind, Eleanor thought, isn't it all just a way of twisting the knife?

She could play that game too.

But the blade would cut her heart as well.

Biting back her pain, she said firmly, "From now on, I'd appreciate it if you stayed out of my personal affairs, as they're none of your concern."

With that, she turned and walked into the building's corridor.

She knew her words might seem audacious, but she truly had no desire to be entangled with Aaron any longer.

She didn't want to be a part of someone else's love life, especially not Aaron's.

Her affection for him was so sincere; she longed for something pure and wholly hers, not this secret, shameful thing.

Back at home, Eleanor took a shower to clear her head, to stop thinking about Aaron.

After she emerged from the bathroom, she saw through the window that Aaron's car had driven away.

She felt an empty twinge in her chest.

But maybe that was for the best.

Before bed, she checked her Facebook and noticed a friend request notification.

Clicking on it revealed a profile picture of a cartoon dog.

[I'm Edward, let's be friends.]】

Eleanor considered it for a moment, then accepted the request.