The gray sky seemed to have been torn open, releasing a torrential downpour. Elaine stumbled out of Aaron Group, lost in thought. The sky flashed with lightning and thunder rumbled, echoing the thunderclap that had just exploded in her mind. It wasn't Aaron, it wasn't him, it couldn't be...She suddenly wanted to laugh, and as she laughed, tears streamed down her face. As she walked, she wiped away the tears, her lips curling into a wider smile. She felt like a fool, crying and laughing like this!"Wait!" Aaron chased after her. The rain was pouring heavily, and that foolish woman had dashed into the rain without an umbrella. He had never encountered such a stubborn woman!The rain was too heavy, and Elaine didn't hear anyone calling after her. She wiped the rain from her eyes and hastened her steps toward her car. She needed to calm down and think things through. Her shoulder was suddenly grabbed."Get over here!"Elaine didn't even have a chance to turn around before she was yanked
"Aaron, who's in the car?" Sarah had arrived by the car and was peeking inside.Upon hearing her deliberately soft voice, Elaine's muddled thoughts suddenly became clear. If Aaron was innocent, then who could have bribed Dr. Wilson? Could it be...She clenched her clothes tightly, then abruptly turned her head and stared at Sarah through the car window. Her mind cleared up in an instant. Aside from Aaron, who else wouldn't want Sarah dead? The answer was glaringly obvious, wasn't it?The car door was suddenly pulled open. Upon seeing Elaine, the smile on Sarah's face froze. "Miss Smith, what are you doing here?"Elaine didn't speak. She stared at Sarah with a dark expression. Sarah felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze and reached out to grab Aaron's arm, saying, "Aaron, she...""It's fine," Aaron casually interjected, showing no intention of explaining further.Restless, Sarah shook his arm, her brows furrowed. She put on the demeanor of a hostess and said, "Aaron and I have th
Elaine waited in the cafe for a good half an hour before Sarah, donning high heels, finally arrived with a slow, swaying walk. "I made you wait for so long, just had dinner with Aaron, took a few extra minutes," she said casually.Taking a sip of her coffee, the bitter taste spread through Elaine's lips and teeth, wrinkling her brow slightly. She was about to hear the provoking tone of the woman's voice again."Come on, what do you want?" Sarah challenged.What did she want? Elaine chuckled inwardly, placing the coffee cup down and looking at her with indifference. She smiled softly, "I don't understand what you're saying.""You don't need to play dumb with me. Don't think I can't see through your intentions," Sarah snapped."Since you've already figured it out, why bother asking me?" Compared to Sarah's furious state, Elaine was remarkably calm and composed. Her eyes were captivating, a gentle smile lingering on her lips, exuding grace and elegance.Sarah couldn't hold her composure
As her words fell, the previously ambiguous atmosphere in the car froze instantly. Since she had already put it all out there, Elaine had no intention of arguing further. She gazed at him, her eyes fixed.Feeling her gaze, Aaron squinted slightly. His right hand moved to the back of her neck, his fingers playing with her long hair. "So, how do you plan to seduce me?"Elaine looked at him in astonishment. "Are you serious?""What do you think?" he evaded her question, lightly tapping the steering wheel. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, a smirk playing on his lips that was hard to read.Elaine's mind was in chaos. She did intend to snatch Aaron away, that was true. But she needed to figure out how she would actually do it. What should she do now?Suddenly, Aaron withdrew his hand. "Don't say things you can't follow through on. I don't need you tarnishing my reputation!""Who said I can't?" Elaine retorted.After a few seconds of silence, Aaron burst into hearty laughter. El
The car came to a stop, and Aaron gentlemanly walked around to her side and opened the car door. Elaine smiled and got out, and in the corner of her eye, she noticed flashing lights behind the bushes. She quickly stepped forward, blocking Aaron's line of sight."Are you sure there's food at home?" She looked up at him.Aaron smiled, "I'm sure."Elaine smiled back, and with light steps, she headed inside. Aaron followed behind, watching her graceful figure. He couldn't help but smile, feeling quite content."Oh!" Elaine missed a step on the staircase and stumbled.Aaron's eyes tightened, and he quickly reached out to catch her. They both fell to the ground – Aaron landing solidly on the grass while Elaine ended up on top of him. His hands were on her slender waist, and the position appeared quite ambiguous.Sniffing the faint fragrance that seemed to emanate from her, Aaron lost himself for a moment. Unbeknownst to him, he didn't notice the subtle curl of Elaine's lips. Yes, she had do
Elaine soaked in the bathtub for a couple of hours, finally feeling like she had washed away the stench. She stepped out of the bathroom, towel-drying her hair, and said, "Renee, thank you for letting me stay."Renee turned around and glanced at her. "Is the smell gone?""Yeah, I don't smell it anymore," Elaine nodded, hanging the towel on a hook. She picked up a glass of water from the nearby table and took a sip, not displaying any signs of anger.Seeing her composed demeanor, Renee asked, "Do you know who was behind this?""Who else could it be?" Elaine smiled. "It's that patient from the Garcia family."Just as she mentioned her, Elaine's phone received a text message. As expected, it was a provocative message from Sarah, admitting to orchestrating the egg-throwing incident.Elaine chuckled and casually set her phone aside. Feeling proud, are you? The higher you fly, the harder you fall!"Renee, the registration is done, but do you really think I'm good enough for this?" she asked
On that evening, under Bowie's authoritative intervention, Renee settled down at the Smith residence. The two of them sharing a room was certainly more intimate than being separated as they were before.Elaine sincerely hoped that the relationship between the two could improve. After all, her opinions didn't hold much weight in this matter. After dinner, she returned to her room early. Before long, she received a call from the competition organizers, informing her to report at 10 AM the next morning for the announcement of the rules for the second round.The scene was much grander than Elaine had imagined. The briefing hall was filled with participants who had advanced to the second round. On the stage, seven seats were arranged, each with the nameplates of the judges. The staff was bustling around, making final preparations.Elaine glanced around and estimated that there were around fifty participants. It seemed that no one really knew each other. Some were playing with their phones,
Elaine's heart felt suffocated. She walked quickly to the parking lot, desperate to leave the place. But as she was about to open the car door, someone called out to her, "Miss Smith."She turned back at the sound of the voice and saw Nahum standing a few meters away, looking at her with a hint of something he wanted to say."Mr. Scott," as a courtesy, Elaine responded to him.Nahum smiled and approached, a bit hesitant in his tone, "I wonder if Miss Smith has some time. I have something I'd like to discuss."Elaine couldn't immediately fathom what he was talking about. However, considering he was Renee's senior and had helped her, she naturally had no reason to refuse. It was also time for lunch. She said, "How about this? I'll treat you to a meal, and we can chat while eating."The location was Elaine's choice, a Chinese restaurant. They found a window seat and sat down. After Elaine placed her order and asked for two bottles of cola due to her thirst, she waited for him to speak.N