Tangled Temptations

Harvey suddenly had a realization. What Eloise was trying to preserve, above all else, was her two children, not him.

This discovery made him feel a little uncomfortable. He looked down at her tender face as if seeing another version of himself reflected in her features- A version of himself with all his memories intact.

He didn't compromise with Eloise, but the next day, he found himself driving back to the Horigan Mansion.

The evening was setting in, casting a gloomy hue on the world.

Instead of heading inside immediately, Harvey leaned against his car, lighting up a cigarette and taking slow drags. The smoke rose, blurring his face.

The Horigan Mansion was full of children, and the sound of their laughter and chatter echoed through the halls. It was lively, but to Harvey, it felt foreign.

After finishing his cigarette, he walked into the living room. There was a new child

in the room, a little boy who was undeniably handsome. The boy was sitting on the sofa, looking a tad detached, with toys scattered around him.

Just as Harvey was about to ask about him, Eloise came over with a tray of freshly baked cookies. She knelt down in front of the boy and said gently, "Luca, these are just out of the oven. Give them a try!"

The boy, with a slightly awkward expression, grabbed a few.

"Do you like them?" Eloise asked, patting his head.

"They're good!"

Linda approached, snuggling up to Luca. "Luca, Mom added lots of milk to these cookies! Will you come over again tomorrow?"

The boy's face turned a little red as he nodded.

Harvey frowned. No matter how he looked at it, Luca seemed like a little groom being raised by the Horigan family!

Linda's little groom!

He felt he had to talk to Eloise about this. Once the children were finally asleep, Harvey knocked on Eloise's door. "May I come in? I need to talk to you about Linda."

Eloise was always willing to discuss their children. She glanced down at Linda sleeping in her arms and whispered, "I'll come to your room in a bit."

A moment later, she pushed open the door to his bedroom. The room was dimly lit, creating a somewhat enchanting atmosphere.

Harvey had already taken a shower, now wearing a simple white bathrobe. His well-formed body made even this casual attire look good. As Eloise sized him up, he did the same to her. He smirked, "You're dressed so conservatively. Are you afraid I'll make a move?"

Ignoring his comment, Eloise sat down on the sofa opposite him and asked softly, "What about Linda did you want to discuss?"

Harvey cut straight to the chase. "Who is Luca to the Horigan family? Who is he to Linda? If I'm not mistaken, is he AB-negative?"

Eloise gave a faint smile. "You've figured it out!"

The air grew thick.

Harvey watched Eloise. She was dressed in a soft pink sweater dress, appearing soft and gentle, but the actions she had taken were anything but.

Harvey didn't want to wake his parents, so he kept his voice low, but stern. "He's a living, breathing person! Not an object for you to trade! Eloise... how much did you pay to settle with his parents?"

Eloise gave a small smile. He was accusing Eloise, accusing her of being immoral. Eloise wouldn't take the fall for this.

Even though it was late at night, she made a call to her assistant, saying gently, "Ms. Natalia, could you go to the office and get file number 1 from my safe. Yes, bring it to the manor."

Having given her instructions, Eloise hung up. Harvey furrowed his brows.

An hour later, Natalia arrived with the file and left once she had handed it over. Eloise took the file and handed it to Harvey. "You'll find your answers in here."

Upon opening the file, Harvey was taken aback. He was a legal professional, but he had never imagined he would do something so outrageous.

It was him!

He was the one who had injected 200 million into Luca's father's company!

He was the one who had played golf with Luca's father!

He was the one who had decided that Luca should accompany Linda as she grew

up!

From start to finish, it was him... or another version of himself!

He lifted his gaze to look at Eloise.

She stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, silent. After a long moment, she murmured, "Harvey, as much as I don't want to admit it, you and him... you're two different people."

During those three years, Harvey had taken care of Linda all by himself. His love for Linda ran deep, and he was willing to sacrifice everything.noveldrama

But the man in front of her now was logical and calm. He wasn't the same Harvey from before.

Eloise wasn't giving up; she was just... saddened.

She stood in the darkness, her silhouette emanating loneliness.

Harvey's lips moved slightly. He could have defended himself in a hundred different ways, but he couldn't find the words because Eloise looked so desolate. Was she missing... another version of him?

Snow began to fall outside the window.

The room was warm thanks to the heating, but a thin layer of fog had formed on the window. Eloise reached out with her slender fingers, lightly tracing patterns on the fogged-up glass, her voice raspy. "Harvey, you turned me into someone like you, but then you left me behind..."

The man in front of her wasn't the Harvey she knew. Their souls just couldn't connect.

Even when they were in bed together, engaging in sexual acts, she always felt a void. Something was different.

Seeing Eloise like this was enough to make any man's heart flutter. Harvey slowly walked over, wrapping his arms around her slender body from behind. He pressed his face against her ear and asked in a low voice, "Was he really that great? What made him so special, hm?"

Harvey knew he wouldn't be the old him, but he felt a tad jealous.

He thought about how Eloise might have once been in bed with another version of himself, completely letting go.

Her flushed cheeks, her intoxicating voice, all because of another man! It made him incredibly uneasy.

Eloise turned her head slightly. "Do you want to know?"

Harvey hummed in response, then started kissing her, from her cheek to her ear, then down to her neck. His kisses were like a form of worship.

Eloise turned to face him, reciprocating his kiss. After a long while, she leaned against his warm neck and whispered, "If you want to see, I'll show you."

As the night grew deeper, Eloise left. She left a tape for Harvey, asking him to watch it on his own.

In the dark grey-toned bedroom, Harvey, clad in nothing but a robe, leaned back on his king-sized bed, idly flicking on the remote control.

In a split second, he was gripped by the scene unfolding on the screen. It was his

last sexual encounter with Eloise; he was seated in his study, while Eloise attended to him with utmost dedication... She was pregnant then, about four months along.

Harvey watched intently. In the video, his long legs were stretching and flexing on the bed sheets.

His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest. He saw another version of himself, tenderly pulling at Eloise's long hair and kissing her. "Eloise, that's enough! Enough!"

He watched them, their hearts breaking in a passionate kiss.

The blue light flickered in the dim bedroom.

That brief ten minutes, Harvey had watched countless times...

In the morning, Harvey's mood was noticeably different. As he descended the

stairs, he immediately asked a servant about Eloise.

The servant replied with a smile, "She left early this morning. I believe she went to the airport to pick someone up."

Harvey was somewhat disappointed. He sat down, quietly drinking his coffee, but his mind was filled with Eloise's melancholy from the previous night and their sexual moments captured in the video.

He couldn't believe that Eloise would willingly do such things for a man. Over the past six months, they had made love several times, and he felt that he was thoroughly satisfied each time. Yet, after watching the video, he realized that Eloise had never fully let go around him. Not even once!

Perhaps it was a man's desire to conquer a woman, but he couldn't wait to have her. He wanted to see her succumb, to see her lost in passion. However, after a night of seduction, she was gone by the crack of dawn. Both physically and emotionally, Harvey was left frustrated.

Work was busy. He wasn't a young man anymore, who could abandon all his duties to chase after his wife, but the woman's actions still left him feeling frustrated.

Around noon, he made a call to Eloise.

Eloise answered. After last night, their relationship had certainly changed, especially since Harvey was quite shaken up. He leaned back in his chair, his slender fingers loosening his tie. His voice was softer than usual. "There's a play tonight. I heard from Orlena that it features an actor you like. Shall we go watch

it?"

Everest Technologies.

Eloise stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window, watching the snowfall outside. She knew that Harvey was pursuing her and judging from her understanding of him; he was probably provoked by the video.

He definitely wanted more.

He wanted it, but Eloise wasn't ready to give in, at least not now.

Her delicate fingers traced the cold glass, and her lips curved into a smile. "Can't

you find a date to watch a play with?"

Her words were slightly flirtatious, enough to stir any man's interest. Harvey chuckled, surprisingly candid in his response. "Let's go watch the play, and spend the night at a hotel. We can enjoy the snowy scenery with some wine."

Eloise smiled lightly. What he wanted to enjoy, was probably her body. Her voice was sweet as honey. "Your proposal is quite tempting, but... I have a business banquet to attend tonight."

She was lying. She figured he probably knew, but a man in pursuit of a woman had plenty of patience.

As expected, Harvey didn't get angry. He spoke softly, "What about the afternoon, do you have time to meet then?"

Eloise watched the falling snow, and her smile was fading a little. He was quite determined.

However, she agreed, "I'll be at the gym in the office at 4:30. I'll have an hour to spare."

At the gym...

Harvey felt slightly disappointed, but it was better than nothing.

Eloise hung up. She recalled a Facebook message from Denise an hour ago. Attorney Horigan had fired Monika.