Chapter 112: Chapter 110: He Loves Her More Than He Imagined (6)
Quentin Grant sat on an empty sofa, and the woman sat down with him, her lovely face wreathed in smiles.
Ethan Ellsworth stood up, boldly sat down next to the beauty, and slung an arm around her shoulder. "Hey beautiful, you’re gorgeous."
The woman smiled faintly. "Thank you for the compliment."
Her bearing was quite dignified, unlike a woman from the nightlife scene.
Ethan Ellsworth leaned in close to her face. "You smell amazing. Can I have a kiss?"
The woman politely refused, "I’m sorry, you can’t."
Ethan Ellsworth looked at Quentin Grant. "How long have you known her? She’s quite a catch."
Before Quentin Grant could answer, the woman spoke up. "You must be President Grant’s friends, right? My name is Charlotte Young. The ’Chang’ in my given name is the character for ’sing’."
Herman Hawthorne waved a waiter over. "Two whiskeys."
He then chuckled lightly. "Charlotte Young, what a unique name. What do you do for a living, Miss Young?"
"I’m still a student at an art school."
Ethan Ellsworth’s interest was suddenly piqued. "Art school? Then you must know who I am, right?"
"Of course. Ethan Ellsworth, the famous and popular actor."
"Whoa, looks like Young Master Grant has a new type now," Ethan Ellsworth said with a knowing smile. "And she’s so wholesome."
He took out his phone and composed a text message: "Traffic Light East Bar. Bring Nora. It’s an emergency! About Young Master Grant. He’s here with a woman, and she’s ridiculously beautiful and gentle—"
The recipient was Chloe Marshall.
When Chloe Marshall received the message, her eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
She had been about to fall asleep but scrambled out of bed and immediately texted Nora Ainsworth: "Nora, Boss Ellsworth is in trouble! At the Traffic Light East Bar. I’ll wait for you at the entrance."
As Ethan Ellsworth’s personal assistant, how could Chloe Marshall not understand his intentions?
A person like him, who thrived on chaos, simply couldn’t stand to see peace and quiet.
’Still, part of Chloe didn’t want Nora to go. After all, she and Quentin Grant had already broken up; wouldn’t it be better if they just stayed out of each other’s lives? But she couldn’t disobey Ethan Ellsworth. She didn’t know if this was the right thing to do, but she hoped the woman with Young Master Grant was just a friend. Besides, if Nora went, it might be a good test to see if she and Quentin still cared about each other.’
’Might as well go along with it.’
It was only after she sent the message that she realized she’d made a mistake. She was supposed to write that Boss Ellsworth *said* there was an emergency, but she’d left out the word "said" and instead wrote that Boss Ellsworth *was* in trouble.
Chloe Marshall, having thrown on a jacket, waited for Nora Ainsworth at the bar’s entrance.
Nora Ainsworth’s hair was a mess, not even combed through, and she’d put her jacket on inside out. She had clearly rushed over.
"Chloe, what happened to Ethan Ellsworth?"
Chloe Marshall looked apologetic. "Nora, I’m so sorry, I messed up the text. Boss Ellsworth sent me a message saying there was a ’major incident’ here, but I forgot to include the ’saying’ part."
Nora Ainsworth breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me! I thought something terrible had happened. Come on, let’s go in. So what’s this ’major incident’?"
Just as she was about to open the door, Chloe Marshall suddenly blocked her way. "Nora, you should go home. I’ll just go in by myself."
Nora Ainsworth froze. "Chloe, what is it? What’s really going on?"
"It’s Young Master Grant... he’s with a woman—"
Nora Ainsworth’s expression was impassive. "It’s probably Catherine Callahan. I already know about her."
"I don’t think it is. Boss Ellsworth knows Catherine Callahan, and he didn’t mention a name in his text. He just said the woman was ’incredibly beautiful and gentle’—" Chloe Marshall said cautiously. "Nora, let’s just go home. I’ll pretend I fell asleep and never heard the text from Boss Ellsworth."
Nora Ainsworth, however, didn’t seem particularly fazed. "We’re already here. We should at least have one drink before heading back, or this whole trip would be for nothing, right? Quentin Grant and I broke up. It’s perfectly normal for him to have a new girlfriend. It’s not a big deal. I’ll have a new boyfriend someday, too. Just relax."
Chloe Marshall turned and hugged her. "Nora, tonight, we’re just two girls out for a drink. Let’s pretend Boss Ellsworth doesn’t exist. Come on, let’s get a drink. We’ll head home right after."
The two of them exchanged a smile and pushed open the door.
The song "Time Boils the Rain" played softly in the background, its faint, sad voice creating an uncrossable distance in the air.
"We promised we’d never be apart, but now I have to ask, was it all just innocent, childish talk—"
That particular lyric rang in Nora Ainsworth’s ears, and her steps faltered.
"Idiot! Nora! Over here!" Ethan Ellsworth waved at them from afar.
Nora Ainsworth looked in his direction and saw him—Quentin—looking right back at her. From across the room, that gaze seared itself into Nora’s heart, because just an instant later, he turned away as if he hadn’t seen her at all.
Chloe Marshall took Nora Ainsworth’s hand. "Nora, come on, let’s go sit at the bar."
Nora Ainsworth nodded. "One drink, then we’re leaving."
They sat side-by-side on the stools at the bar and each ordered a cocktail.
Seeing that the two of them were completely ignoring his calls, Ethan Ellsworth stood up. "My idiot isn’t being obedient."
He strode toward Chloe Marshall and Nora Ainsworth.
"Idiot, didn’t you hear me calling you?"
Chloe Marshall whipped her head around, a smile as brilliant as a blooming flower spreading across her face. "Boss Ellsworth, you’re here too?"
Ethan Ellsworth lowered his voice. "Cut the act. Wasn’t it me who texted you to come here?"
"You texted me?" Chloe Marshall pretended to pull out her phone. "Oh, what do you know? There really is an unread message here."
Ethan Ellsworth was speechless. "So you really didn’t see it. Anyway, everyone’s over there. Want to join us?"
"Boss Ellsworth, Nora and I aren’t going to join you. We’re just going to finish our drinks and go home to sleep."
Ethan Ellsworth grabbed Nora Ainsworth’s hand with one of his and Chloe Marshall’s with the other. "Come on, it’s just friends there. Don’t tell me you two are scared?"
Nora Ainsworth replied, feigning nonchalance, "Chloe, it’s no big deal. Let’s go. Don’t forget, my boyfriend-in-name is over there too."
Chloe Marshall’s face lit up with understanding, and she broke into a wide grin. "Okay, okay! Let’s go, let’s all go together."
It wasn’t a long walk to begin with, and no matter how much you wished you could slow down, you would eventually arrive.
As Nora Ainsworth stood by the sofa, she found that she could, for the moment, erase that part of her memory and act as if they were all meeting for the first time.
Her voice and her demeanor were unbelievably calm.
Chloe Marshall sat on the sofa by Ethan Ellsworth, so Nora Ainsworth naturally sat down next to Herman Hawthorne.
Herman Hawthorne, picking up on his cue, asked her gently, "What are you doing here?"
Nora Ainsworth gave a shy smile. "Chloe and I were just out for a walk and decided to pop in for a drink. I didn’t expect to see you here."
Ethan Ellsworth and Chloe Marshall watched the pair, thinking they looked more and more like a perfect couple. They both just smiled, saying nothing more.
"Is this your girlfriend?" Charlotte Young asked with a beaming smile.
Herman Hawthorne made the introductions. "This is Nora, my girlfriend. This is Charlotte Young, she’s with Young Master Grant."
