Chapter 297: Chapter 294: Just Because You’re My Woman (7)
"Ellsworth, President Harding wants you to start preparing for the concert tour stop in Harrowin this August. You have a little over seven months, and he requires you to be in peak condition for it," his manager informed him.
"So the main work for this year is one TV series, one movie, and the concert tour, right?"
"Yes, that’s the main work for this year."
Ethan Ellsworth rubbed his temples. "I got it. At least this month won’t be that busy."
"Then take the chance to relax. I’ll head out first."
His gaze shifted, habitually turning to the small desk not far away. But to his disappointment, the woman he hoped to see was no longer there.
"You. Starting tomorrow, put your hair up."
Alice touched her hair. "Does it look better put up?"
Ethan Ellsworth looked down, flipping through his schedule. His words dashed her hopes. "It’s because wearing your hair down doesn’t suit you."
Alice was immediately crestfallen. She had seen what Chloe Marshall looked like with her hair down and couldn’t help but think, ’Is it because of her?’
Though suspicious, she didn’t dare ask him directly, afraid that if she did and he got annoyed, she would lose the opportunity she had worked so hard to get.
When he returned home that night, Ethan Ellsworth went to bed early.
「In his dream.」
He woke up in bed to a noise from the living room. Getting out of bed to check, he stood at the bedroom doorway and saw the kitchen light was on. He walked over, his heart swelling with joyful surprise.
She was wearing an apron and holding a soup spoon to her lips, as if testing to see if what she was cooking was ready.
"You idiot."
Chloe Marshall smiled over her shoulder. "Boss Ellsworth, you’re awake! I made you breakfast, and it’s all your favorites. Hurry and go wash your hands."
He stepped forward and swept her into a hug, his eyes turning red. "Where did you go?" he choked out. "Why did it take you so long to come back? I missed you so much."
Her cheeks were pink as she said with a bright smile, "Where else could I have gone? I’m right here by your side, Boss Ellsworth. Don’t cry."
She gently wiped his tears away. Their eyes met. He lowered his head and kissed her, lifting her onto the kitchen counter as their lips tangled together.
"Alright, the food’s ready. I need to turn off the stove."
She hopped down, deftly turned off the heat, and lifted the pot’s lid. Leaning in for a sniff, she said to him, "Boss Ellsworth, my cooking smells amazing, right? Doesn’t it make you hungry instantly? Now go wash up."
She pushed him towards the kitchen doorway.
He looked back and watched her as she stood there, wiping her hands on her apron and ladling soup.
They ate together, and after they finished, they played rock-paper-scissors. The loser had to wash the dishes.
The entire room filled with joyous laughter.
With nothing to do after their meal, they tumbled onto the large, soft bed, cuddling intimately. The bed became a battlefield for two.
The dream was so long, so vivid. Even now, he could still recall her ragged breaths, her soft lips, her intoxicating body.
The scene was all too beautiful.
And that was why, when he opened his eyes, his face was wet with tears.
The scene from his dream lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.
He slowly sat up and realized it was already broad daylight.
Just then, footsteps sounded from the living room.
Ethan Ellsworth threw off the covers and ran to the doorway, his eyes landing on the steaming breakfast on the dining table.
His heart pounded erratically, its rhythm accelerating.
He walked step by step to the kitchen doorway. It was the scene from his dream.
A woman with her hair down had her back to him as she turned off the stove.
Ethan Ellsworth stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.
"You idiot."
Alice’s eyes widened. She stood there, unmoving.
Her whole body tensed up.
Time stood still for a minute. He slowly let her go and turned her around, only then realizing it was Alice.
The initial joy on his face froze, replaced instantly by an icy expression.
His eyes flashed not just with disappointment, but with cold indifference. "I told you yesterday not to wear your hair down. Did my words go in one ear and out the other? And who gave you permission to use my spare key to get into my home?!"
"Your manager told me to come and make breakfast for you. She said you don’t normally eat a proper breakfast, and it’s bad for your stomach," she explained.
He spun around and stormed out of the kitchen.
He returned to his bedroom, got dressed, and left immediately, leaving the breakfast on the dining table untouched.
Alice hurriedly tore off the apron and chased after him.
"Won’t you eat something before you go?"
He didn’t answer her, simply opening the car door and getting inside. Seeing that he clearly had no intention of eating what she’d made, Alice had no choice but to quickly open the rear door and get in as well. A bitter feeling washed over her; she had been busy all morning, and it had all been for nothing.p>
Ethan Ellsworth’s expression was grim. The more beautiful the dream, the more miserable reality felt.
"Don’t come to my home again. Just wait for me at the office."
She asked awkwardly, "Okay. It’s just... when Chloe was around, were the same rules in place for her?"
The car screeched to a sudden halt, startling her.
"Get out. Take a cab."
"What? But we’re really far from the office."
"Get out!" His voice was as cold as the dead of winter.
Alice flinched, opened the door, and got out.
Watching him drive away, Alice stomped her foot in resentment. ’All I did was mention Chloe Marshall’s name, and he takes it out on me!’p>
She knew how important Chloe Marshall was to him; that’s precisely why she had asked the question.
But she didn’t know that the name ’Chloe Marshall’ was buried in the deepest corner of his heart, a painful wound that only he was allowed to touch.
After parking in the company’s underground garage, Ethan Ellsworth leaned back against his seat. He lost control for a moment, tilting his head back and weeping. Never before had there been a woman whose very name could reduce him to tears.
His heart was filled with a piercing ache, a kind of suffering that no one could ever replace.
Carol Young hadn’t spoken a word to Mrs. Young since their last incident.
But despite this, Marlon Marshall had stopped coming around.
Now that her money was running out, Carol Young felt she had no choice but to find him.
Early in the morning, she took a cab to Marlon Marshall’s address. After confirming she was at the right place, she went inside.
She knocked, and the door was opened by Mrs. Marshall.
"Excuse me, is Marlon Marshall home?"
Mrs. Marshall looked her up and down. "My son hasn’t been back these past few days. You should call him."
"I’ve been calling him for the past few days, but his phone is always off."
"Then I don’t know. I’m looking for him, too." With that, Mrs. Marshall shut the door.
The door was shut in her face.
Carol Young wondered, ’Is Marlon Marshall avoiding me?’
But whether he was or not, she had to find him.
So, she went to all the places he used to frequent—teahouses, coffee shops, dance halls, and even a club called Quivering Lips—but he was nowhere to be found.
After thinking for a moment, Carol Young went to the casino.
The casino was quiet during the day.
She had to ask many people before she finally found him.
He was currently upstairs in the casino, sound asleep.
