Chapter 56 Strange and Boring

Upon hearing this, Yvonne chuckled, "Teasing? Are you being too self-absorbed again?"

"Is it boring for a person like me to be self-absorbed?" Elijah's face moved closer to hers.

She raised her palm to block her lips, her mind not swayed by him.

"Sorry, Mr. Harper, I’m really not in the mood today."

Elijah felt annoyed. He let go of the woman in his arms and said, "Just a joke, don't take it seriously."

"I've long been accustomed to your fickleness. Only a fool would take it seriously!" Yvonne returned to her original seat, laughing nonchalantly.

The atmosphere between the two instantly became subtle.

Yvonne continued translating the remaining documents, while Elijah appeared busy among a pile of thick files. However, his mind was elsewhere.

He thought he could successfully seduce Yvonne just now, but unexpectedly, something went wrong.

In his eyes, this deviation was just a way to play hard to get.

Only a few days ago, he had severed ties with her and said some cruel words. He believed she was still resentful.

"How's the progress of RD's event? Are there high hopes for winning?" Elijah brought up a topic.

"As you said, after putting in effort, there won't be any regrets," Yvonne replied calmly.

"You're playing it cool." Elijah's smile did not reach his eyes. "How's everything at FA Center Company?"

"It's been good. There have been too many changes. I was transferred from the design department to logistics," Yvonne intentionally mentioned it to him.

Elijah was taken aback. "Who put you in the logistics department?"

"How would I know? Thanks to Michael, he transferred me back to the design department the day before yesterday," Yvonne sighed in relief. "You and Michael must have a deep friendship. Otherwise, he wouldn't have helped me."

"Just focus on doing well in the design department. You'll definitely learn something at FA Center Company."

At that moment, Elijah's phone rang.

Without avoiding Yvonne, he directly answered the call.

"Mr. Harper, that woman has been loitering around the company entrance with her child all morning," Arthur said while being cautious. "She asked me to tell you that if you acknowledge her daughter’s ancestry, she’ll stop bothering you."

"Tell that lunatic she's dreaming," Elijah cursed and hung up the phone.

Yvonne listened attentively and guessed that Elijah was dealing with the trouble caused by Charles.

Even someone as wise as Elijah couldn't do anything about having Charles as his biological father, right?

She thought about George and her mother, who abandoned her and went abroad when she was only six years old.

"Have you finished translating?" Elijah asked when he noticed Yvonne had stopped working. "Send me a copy on my phone. I'll take a look, and if everything's fine, I'll send it to our foreign partners."

"How do I send it and where?" Yvonne asked irritably. "Don't you remember you've blocked me from everywhere?"

Elijah furrowed his brows in frustration. "I'll unblock you immediately."

"I don't care!" Yvonne suddenly stood up. "The translations are all on the computer. You can read them if you want. I'm tired, so I’m going to sleep now."

Elijah reached out and pulled Yvonne back toward him.

"Are you giving me the cold shoulder?" His voice sounded in Yvonne's ear, and his warm breath made her heart race.

Yvonne tried to calm her emotions and removed his hand from her arm, distancing herself slightly from him.

"Mr. Harper, you are you, and I am me. Let's not overstep our boundaries."

Before Elijah could react, Yvonne had already returned to her bedroom.

He suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of frustration!

Afraid of waking Joseph, he gently knocked on Yvonne's bedroom door.

Yvonne seemed to not have heard.

"Open the door," he called out softly.

Yvonne still didn't respond.

He opened his phone, removed Yvonne from the blacklist, and dialed her number.

After three attempts, Yvonne reluctantly twisted the doorknob open, yawning, and said, "You lunatic Elijah—"

"You have to appease me." Elijah latched onto her earlobe teasingly.

At first, Yvonne remained coy, but Elijah patiently and slowly whispered sweet nothings in her ear, coaxing her into a state where she couldn't argue back...

After it was over, Yvonne sat on the edge of the bed, smoking a cigarette. She couldn't help but retort, "Once you're done venting, you'll go back to ignoring me."

"Don't be mad. You're feeling uncomfortable, aren't you?" Elijah, sitting on the balcony, had an unusually gentle attitude this time. "Last time, when you were framed, I shouldn't have made such a hasty decision to end our relationship."

"Just telling the truth." Yvonne lazily blew smoke rings. "I've had enough of your inconsistency. We just had our needs met, but from now on, let's go with the flow and not label it as anything. It's too exhausting."

Elijah looked at Yvonne and suddenly felt like he couldn't control this woman anymore.

"I apologize," Elijah said sincerely after a moment of silence.

"I won't accept it," Yvonne stubbornly replied.

Elijah’s pride was shattered by this woman...

"Please leave, I need to get some rest now," Yvonne said.

Being ignored like this by a woman for the first time, Elijah's anger started to rise.

His gaze toward Yvonne grew deeper.

Yvonne flicked the nearly extinguished cigarette in her hand and said, "Don't make me say it a second time."

Elijah left her bedroom, closing the door behind him.

In that moment, he suddenly felt like he was a sex worker providing services for Yvonne, being dismissed once the job was done.

Joseph woke up and was about to knock on Yvonne's door when Elijah stopped him. "Let Auntie get some good sleep; I'll play with you downstairs."

The little one had always been afraid of Elijah and didn't want to be alone with him. He looked away, avoiding eye contact, and said, "Let's go downstairs together when she wakes up."

Elijah, who had a pile of unfinished work on his mind, went back to his own bedroom.

When Yvonne pushed the door open, she saw Joseph sitting on the couch, pitifully resting his chin on his hands, waiting for her.

"Put on your coat; I'll take you to the outdoor hot springs!" Yvonne felt refreshed after a nap.

"Okay, okay! Auntie, it's snowing outside, so it'll be more fun to soak in the hot springs!" Joseph grabbed his down jacket and hurried downstairs.

Yvonne followed closely behind.

"You make others wear their coats but forget about yourself," Elijah's voice came from behind Yvonne.

She turned around at the staircase, and Elijah threw the down jacket in his hand toward her.

She caught it and looked at Elijah. "Thanks, Mr. Harper."

It was snowing outside, and the ground was covered with a layer of snow.

Joseph pulled her into a hot spring, with pink petals floating on the surface and mist enveloping the air. It looked quite artistic at first glance.

Considering there were not many people who soaked in the outdoor hot springs, coupled with the snowfall, only Yvonne and Joseph's laughter echoed in the spacious courtyard.

It was already dark by five o'clock.

Yvonne and Joseph huddled their bodies in the hot spring, only leaving their heads uncovered.

There was a crowd not far away, and soon, the sky was filled with colorful fireworks.

In clusters, they bloomed briefly but beautifully.

"Auntie, look, they're setting off fireworks!" Joseph was excited, almost jumping out of the water.

It was the first time Yvonne felt the charm of fireworks up close, so she quickly took out her phone to take pictures.

Suddenly, Elijah's tall figure appeared in her phone screen.

"I called you, but you didn't answer. I had to search every pool in the courtyard to find you," Elijah complained as he joined them in the water.

Yvonne noticed he was wearing the down jacket she had bought.

Feeling validated, she smiled slightly, and her fondness for Elijah increased a bit.

"Although fireworks are brief, they are still beautiful," Elijah glanced at the fireworks in the sky, wearing a disgusted look on his face.

"Shhh, don’t talk! Wait until I finish recording the video!"

Yvonne gestured for him to move away. He walked directly to Yvonne's side and immersed his body in the hot water, his arm quietly wrapping around her waist.

Joseph lay in the swimming ring, his gaze fixed on the sky.

Yvonne's full attention was on the screen of her phone. Brilliant fireworks burst into the air one after another before returning to silence.

"Beautiful!" Yvonne turned off her phone and put it into a waterproof pouch. Suddenly, she realized that Elijah's hand was placed where it shouldn't be.

In front of Joseph, she didn't expose Elijah, but she purposely cleared her throat.

"What's wrong? Is your throat uncomfortable?" Elijah pretended not to know, lightly pinching her waist.

She glared at Elijah, but before she could speak, Joseph approached with concern, asking, "Auntie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Joseph." Yvonne smiled awkwardly. "It's already dark outside, let's go indoors after a little more soaking."

"Auntie, dad, I'm going to the next pool for a fish spa!" The peach blossom pool they were in connected to a children's pool. Joseph swam over while holding the swimming ring.

Yvonne was about to follow him when Elijah pulled her back.

"He finally left, and you're still avoiding me!" Elijah pressed her against the pool wall, his hands firmly holding her body.

"You should treat your son better!" Yvonne retorted softly.

His eyes grew deeper, and his lips suddenly descended, very gently, very tenderly.

At that moment, Yvonne's mind went blank. She reached out and hooked her hand around Elijah's neck, murmuring uncontrollably.

The sound of Joseph calling them over came from the next pool. Elijah was still unsatisfied but had to let her go.

The two locked eyes, burning with passion.

Water splashed onto her eyebrows and eyes, and her already cherry-red lips and pure facial features became even more captivating.

The sheer chiffon jacket clung tightly to her body, accentuating her curves and making her red swimsuit look even sexier.

"Yvonne, from now on, let's forget about all the unpleasantness." Elijah's eyes smoldered as he reached out to embrace her, but she evaded him.

"No! Let's pretend we don't know each other and leave everything here," she said with a sarcastic laugh. "Break up, patch up, it's all so boring."

"What would make it interesting then?" Elijah was about to speak when his phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number.

He put it on speakerphone, and a gentle female voice sounded. "Mr. Harper, I'm Sophia—"

"I don't want to hear about your matters." Elijah's face suddenly changed, and he hung up.

The three of them soaked for another twenty minutes before returning indoors.

Elijah's phone kept ringing. He answered twice, each time avoiding Yvonne and Joseph.

The waiter brought their dinner, but Joseph was too tired and only took a few bites before going to sleep in his room.

"I'm going downstairs to meet someone. Take your time eating." Elijah grabbed his down coat and headed downstairs.

Since receiving Sophia's call, Elijah's mood had been sour. Yvonne couldn't help but feel worried.

She was very curious about whom Elijah was going to meet, so she followed closely behind.

Finally, at a pavilion, Yvonne caught sight of Elijah.

He was standing opposite a tall woman.