Chapter 7 An Inexplicable Kiss
After a brief pause, Ellie realized she hadn’t misunderstood.
Kaiden was actually planning to drop her off on this overpass!
“Kaiden, are you really making me leave after you kissed me?” she huffed.
Could he be grappling with a split personality?
“Just leave.”
His icy glance seemed to warn her that if she didn’t exit, he might force her out.
Ellie was convinced he was capable of such discourtesy!
“Kaiden, this is madness!”
He was being completely unreasonable!
She regretted not slapping him just moments ago!
Reluctantly, Ellie exited the car, unwilling to share any more space with him.Well, considering what she had done to him in front of Erick, she decided not to hold it against him for having kissed her inexplicably.
They were adults; such games weren’t beyond them.
Ellie didn’t delude herself into thinking Kaiden’s kiss was born of affection.
His motives were 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 dispel the odd heat 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 clarify it in his mind.
He had acted on impulse, thinking the allure of that moment was merely 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 his somber expression. As Bruce’s gaze swept over Kaiden’s face for the third time, he was noticed.
“Go ahead. Say it.”
Bruce carefully broached the subject. “Mr. Thorpe, is it… really okay to leave Miss Gordon alone on the roadside?”
He was in the dark about what transpired behind the raised partition and assumed Kaiden had ejected Ellie without cause.
Kaiden’s frosty gaze landed on Bruce, his voice sharp. “Would you prefer to join her outside?”
Bruce shuddered, quickly declining. “Mr. Thorpe, I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking!”
Yet, Bruce couldn’t help but recall how Kaiden didn’t resist 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 accused her without preamble.
Clearly, Demi had twisted the tale for Litzy.
“I’ve repaid those twenty years by marrying Kaiden. Besides, she meddled with my affairs first!” Ellie replied in a cold tone.
“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 if 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-in-law, 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 been lately?” Ellie asked, her eyes brimming with tears as she hugged Cecelia.
“Fine! Everything is fine!” Cecelia reassured her, while gripping her hand. “And your husband, is he treating you well?”
“Yeah.” Ellie lied effortlessly.
Cecelia posed a few more queries, each 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 to lie down, concern etched on her face. “Grandma… would you consider living with me so that I could take good care of you?” Ellie asked, her voice tinged with hope and worry.
Cecelia paused, and 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 she lacked 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 a wishful thought.
Ellie’s smile froze momentarily. Then she quickly diverted the topic. “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 Kaiden halting abruptly and voiced his confusion.
Kaiden remained silent, his attention fixed on a woman a short distance away.
She was clad 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.
