Tangled Temptations

Brett still made his way over.

The city neon lights bathed them in a spectrum of colors, making everything seem a bit unreal. Everything seemed to be in a dream.

It's like he had never left, never uttered those hurtful words. It's like he was still her beloved Brett, who would hold her in the dead of night and call her nicknames in the morning, telling her he had to leave earlie

Her lips trembled while she watched him approach. If only this dream could last forever, but her pride wouldn't allow it.

"Orlena." He gently touched her face, full of reluctance.

She avoided it, and gave him a slap on the cheek. The slap wasn't hard, but the sound was deafening, drawing a clear line between them.

Startled by her own action, Orlena was in a daze.

"Mr. Brett, you're so considerate. You even want to make sure your exes are taken care of. But whether I am single or not, it really has nothing to do with you." She forced these words out and then walked to the door.

But no matter how hard she pulled, the door wouldn't open. Frozen in place, she asked with a nasal tone, "What's this about? Aren't you afraid of others seeing and ruining your reputation, Mr. Brett?"

Brett slowly approached her. His hand grasped hers. He was so close, close enough to kiss her soft earlobe if he lowered his head. Countless times during their intimate moments, he loved to tickle her there, making her moan uncontrollably.

But now, he just held her hand, murmuring, "Listen to me. Get married, and live a quiet and peaceful life."

Orlena was stunned.

Peaceful... After this emotional rollercoaster, she didn't know what peace meant anymore.

She was never a mean person. Even when she was fooled, she couldn't say harsh words. She just wanted to escape him, to not see him.

In the end, Brett let her leave.

The footsteps of her faded away. He stood alone, looking at the scenery she once admired.

Donny appeared quietly, whispering, "She's gone home."

Brett grunted in response, lit a cigarette, and then said quietly, "Meetings like today's will likely become rare. Kids throw tantrums, but they eventually understand. Donny, do you think she'll find a good man in a couple of years, have a husband and kids? If she has a daughter, she'll definitely take after her."

Donny's eyes welled up. "Please, don't say that." Perhaps, there was still a chance.

Brett stood there quietly. His handsome face was expressionless. He had too many concerns. If he had been ten years younger, he would have married Orlena as soon as he met her, protecting her from any worries.

After a long pause, he murmured, "Prepare the private jet. We're going back to Brockville."

...

Orlena left the party.

Instead of going home, she went to a shop. She traded the million-dollar haute couture dress she was wearing for a few hundred dollars worth of casual clothes. Then she roamed aimlessly through the streets.

Late night.

A black car slowly passed her by. Coincidentally, the car belonged to Ms. Olea, who was not alone. She had a new boyfriend, and they were preparing to spend the night together.

From afar, she spotted Orlena, and told her driver to stop. The car stopped, and she, swaying her slender waist, got out of the car. She said quite amiably, "Why are you wandering around outside in the middle of the night? Let me to take you home! Otherwise, if Brett finds out, he will blame me for not taking care of you."

Orlena didn't want to listen to whatever Ms. Olea had to say. As she walked away, a young handsome man got out of the car, wrapping his arm around Ms. Olea's waist, asking, "Who's that?"

Orlena turned to look.

Ms. Olea leaned into the man, not hiding anything. Instead, she laughed more flirtatiously. "Why are you so surprised? It's normal for people to have relationships, right? Should I remain single for Brett? Since you came along, he has never touched me. Why shouldn't I have some fun?"

Orlena felt a little shocked.

What did she say? Brett... was not with her? Why did he lie to her?

Ms. Olea saw her confusion and decided to spill the beans. She walked over, straightened out Orlena's clothes, and casually said, "My fling with Brett is ancient history. I knew he wasn't going to marry me when he refused to touch me. If a man won't even touch you, it's clear he's not interested."

Between the two of them, there was no expectation of chastity. No sex meant no love.

"Then why are you telling me this?" Orlena asked, still in shock.

"To help you, you poor thing." Ms. Olea laughed. "Look at your sorry state. It's obvious Brett has been giving you a hard time. I'm doing this out of kindness. If you want to know more, ask Brett himself. Only he knows what he truly wants."

After she finished, she hugged her handsome man, giving him a passionate kiss. The two of them got on the car, all over each other.

As soon as the car started, Orlena stopped it. Ms. Olea and the handsome man were kissing intensely in the back seat and a sudden brake scared them silly. The driver said hesitantly, "Ms. Horigan has stopped the car!"

As he spoke, Orlena had already opened the car door and squeezed herself between Ms. Olea and the handsome man. The atmosphere became extraordinarily awkward.

Ms. Olea's dress had been pulled aside, revealing a large area of her smooth

skin. The man was also quite embarrassed.noveldrama

Orlena said in a tight voice, "Take me to the airport."

Caught in a compromising position, Ms. Olea flushed with embarrassment and anger, "Do I owe you anything!"

Orlena wouldn't leave.

The man laughed, comforting Ms. Olea, "Let's just take her."

Seeing an opportunity to keep Orlena occupied with Brett, he hoped he could win over the famous opera singer, Ms. Olea. With his own plan, he directed the car towards the airport.

Orlena cried the whole way, thinking Brett might have his reasons.

Ms. Olea, annoyed, buttoned up her clothes and rolled her eyes. Her mood was completely ruined by this crybaby.

Late at night, there were naturally no flights. Orlena sat alone in the airport lounge, clutching a ticket for the earliest flight to Brockville the next day.

She could have gone home first, but she couldn't bear. All she wanted to do was

to sit here and wait. She thought about calling Brett, but she feared he wouldn't pick up.

In the distance, a group of people was passing by.

Several people were surrounding a strikingly handsome man, heading towards the gate. The man glanced over and noticed a young girl sitting alone in the empty lounge. Her silhouette was filled with sorrow.

From behind, she looked a lot like Orlena. But why would Orlena be here? She must have been crying again tonight...

Brett stood there, watching quietly for a while, until Donny reminded him, "Mr. Brett, your private jet is about to take off."

Only then did Brett avert his gaze and walked briskly into the gate.

Upon returning to Brockville, he hastily held a meeting and worked all morning. At noon, he finally had time to go home.

Around lunchtime, the house was bustling with servants preparing a meal. It turned out guests from Peterborough were visiting, and Brett's mother was overjoyed, even bringing out her homegrown vegetables.

Guests from Peterborough...

Brett thought it might be Michelle, so he lit a cigarette and walked towards the kitchen to greet her, but as he pushed aside the vines of the corridor, he froze in his tracks. His girl, Orlena, was sitting with his mother on a stone bench, laughing and chatting as they picked beans.

The scene overlapped with the happy times of the past. It brought tears to Brett's eyes.

He was at a loss for words, staring straight at them, noticing that she was wearing

the same clothes he saw at the airport last night. It turned out that the person at the airport was really her.

Silly girl. She had waited at the airport all night.

Brett felt a profound sadness, but he remained composed, slowly smoking his cigarette, and said with a smile, "Orlena's here, keeping Mom company?" Orlena looked up at him. Her eyes were soft and gentle. Brett also looked at her quietly for a long time, and then sat down.

Tracey, Brett's mother, playfully chided him, "I ran into her on the street, so I brought her home. It's so cold out, and a young girl was wandering around early in the morning without luggage. How could I not take her home and take care of

her? You're just as cold-hearted as your father.”

After enduring his mother's scolding, Brett didn't get angry. He just looked at

Orlena, and after a while, he slowly said, "Stay in the old room. I'll take her there."

He took Orlena by the hand and led her away.

As they left, his mother watched them go, sighing softly.

...

In the eastern bedroom, no servant dared to enter without Brett's permission. Brett pushed open the bedroom door and ushered her in.

Once the door was closed, he pinned her against it. His voice was stern and dark. "Why did you come here? After dinner, you'll go back to Peterborough. I'll have Donny book your ticket."

"I won't go." she said. Her back was against the door, and her eyes were welling

up with tears.

Brett took out his phone and dialed Donny, "Book a ticket for Orlena, this afternoon, as soon as possible..."

Before he could finish, his phone was knocked out of his hand. Brett's gaze hardened. "You have to leave."

She had never seen him like this before, and she was scared, but she mustered

up the courage to say, "I'm not leaving. Ms. Olea told me everything. You never slept with her."

Brett stared at her intently. After a long while, he gave a soft laugh. "You believe the words of an actress?"

She was shaking uncontrollably, because she had never argued with anyone before. But she had to clear things up today. He couldn't fool her.

Brett stubbed out his cigarette, and then roughly grabbed her shoulders. "Do you want to hear the truth?"

Orlena's lips trembled, and she was on the verge of tears.

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A strand of hair fell in front of Brett's forehead, revealing a side of him she had never seen before. It was of despair and unfathomable depth. He looked into her eyes and said softly,

"The truth is something a little girl like you can't handle. If you really

want to hear it, then I'll tell you. Before you, there wasn't just Ms. Olea. There was also Ms. Morgan, Ms. Simmons... all of them were discreet and understanding. A naive girl like you, who doesn't want my

status or money, but just likes me for who I am, is quite refreshing to me." "By the way, you haven't forgotten our first night, have you? In the hospital... Think about it, at that time Eloise was in such a big trouble, and Linda' fate was uncertain. I was under so much pressure. You came

to me in the middle of the night. How could I resist? After six months... I got tired of playing with

you. Is that okay? You're saying I didn't hook up with Ms. Olea. That's right. I didn't, because I got tired of her too..."

Brett started unbuttoning her shirt. His voice was filled with despair.

"Did you come all this way because you wanted me to sleep with you? Are you that desperate for a man? I'll satisfy you once. Then you must pick up your clothes, put them on, and get out of here immediately. I don't want to play with a

naive little girl anymore. Do you understand?"

...

He ripped open her buttons, playing with her body in a humiliating way. She

slapped him across his gentlemanly face. Orlena began to cry. "Brett, admit it, you

like me."

Brett laughed coldly, holding her to the bed, and began to kiss her. "Of course a man will say he likes a woman when he wants to sleep with

her. If Ddidn't say I liked you, how would you have willingly thrown yourself into my arms, and how

would you have called me Brett so passionately? You're so naive. It's just sex between adults. Only someone like you would take it

seriously."

As his finger entered her, she cried. There were also tears in the corners of Brett's

eyes, but he continued to say cruel words, "I've seen many girls like you. I was

just looking for something new. Do you really think, after sleeping together a few times, that I have to take responsibility for you?" Orlena began to cry... "Stop talking... I don't want to hear it."

She pushed him away, not allowing him to continue, but Brett reached into the

bedside table and took out a box of condoms, clearly intending to go all the way.

She couldn't take it anymore, and slapped him across the face. After hitting him, she buried her head in the covers, crying heartbrokenly.

Brett felt a mixed feeling. He lay down listlessly next to her, covering his eyes with

his hand...