His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 713

"I came to check on you because I thought you might be in trouble."

"Me, in trouble? I'm fine, really. And from now on, stop doing things like this, okay?"

Elsie couldn't bring herself to look up, her ears moving sightly, her smooth skin tingling as if electrified, goosebumps rising on it, "If you're bored and looking for trouble, Mr. Waverley, go find it somewhere else. I don't want to see you at the Velvet Haven again. No, what I mean is I hope after tonight, I'll never see you again."

The intensity in Elvis' gaze deepened as his tongue brushed against the teeth, "Heh, you can't control me."

Elsie's heart squeezed tight; she bit her lips. She knew he was smart enough to understand the subtext of her words. But why was he so stubborn, so unwilling to play along?

Those Ashbourne folks are all so difficult to deal with!

Elvis' enigmatic eyes scanned over her flushed face. Usually, she was the femme fatale who turned heads in the sultriest of places, but in front of him, she alternated between a coquettish kitten and a pitiful, tearful bunny.

Even with a face so similar to his little sister's, he still found her to be a stunning chameleon, a woman who gave off a different vibe every time they met.

No wonder Avery had invested so much in her. No man could likely resist. Too bad, Elvis was an iron wall they couldn't dent.

In his line of work, the golden rule was to keep things light-hearted and unemotional.

"Tonight, Matthew got pinched. The operation went down so clean because you dropped the dime in time."

Elvis reset his emotions, his voice laced with a casual indifference, "I was thinking, with Matthew out of the picture, Avery might suspect you next, and might go after you hard. After all, he had planned to use that to blackmail Matthew, to get his hands on some leverage. Now his plans are shot to hell. Ha, that son of a gun must be so mad he could crap right where he stands, huh?"

Elsie was speechless.

The atmosphere had been dangerous and charged, and now Elvis was being his usual off-beat self.

"I still hold a place in Mr. Chambers' heart. As long as there's no solid proof, he won't lay a finger on me."

Suddenly, Elsie let out a charming smile, though the pain in her heart was inescapable, "Even if he had proof, he wouldn't touch me. After all, ten years with a dog builds affection, let alone with a person, and a woman with Ms. Ashbourne's face at that. So, you don't need to waste your concern on me anymore. Last time was the first and the last. We shouldn't meet again from now on, and you won't get any more advantages from me. Our partnership is over."

Her words were a clean break, each one a push away. But when she firmly said "over", Elvis felt a twinge in his chest. Not only did he remember the task Evadne had given him to win her over, but there was also a sense of unwillingness.

The game was her doing, but he had to be the one to call it quits!

Elsie felt a weight on her shoulder as Elvis spun her around to face him.

With his arms braced against the counter, he trapped her underneath him, his handsome and sharp features enlarging in her trembling gaze. His unspoken aggression threatened to breach the fortress of her heart.

His hand played with her chin, seemingly casual but captivating. Their breaths mingled, their gazes tangled.

Her eyes became unfocused, his gaze shimmered with intent.

"What if there was a chance for you to completely break away from Avery's control, to walk a path in the light? Would you leave him?" His eyes darkened, his voice husky.

Elsie's heart pounded beneath her delicate skin. After a few seconds, her eyes danced with seduction, her slender fingers teasing the open collar of his black shirt, "No. Even if I'm rotten, I'll rot with Avery. The Velvet Haven is where I belong, the dark haven for a bat like me. I don't need another choice."

She needed to keep her distance, while there was still a chance to regret.

"What if I was the one asking you to leave with me? To a place where Avery's reach couldn't find us, would you come with me?" Elvis gazed at her deeply, more earnest than ever.

"No."

Elsie's response came without hesitation, her smile a blend of light and tears, "In life, I belong to Mr. Chambers; in death, I'll haunt him."

Elvis stood up straighter, his eyes cooling as he undid another button on his shirt, "I understand where your heart lies. So let's get down to business."

"What business?" Elsie couldn't keep up with the man's leaps in logic.

"Middle of the night, hotel room, just us two, what do you think we can do, play poker?"

Elvis' teasing gaze was wickedly cold, devoid of the tenderness she was smitten with, "Your turn to shower first, or mine? Or shall we shower together?"

Elsie closed her eyes, shaking her head, "I'm leaving now. I won't disturb your rest."

As she tried to walk away, Elvis effortlessly pulled her back into his mocking line of sight.

"What's wrong, throwing a tantrum? How are we going to sleep together without a shower?"

"Throwing a tantrum, as if I could afford such a luxury."

Elsie's eyes were sultry, but her voice carried a bitter edge, "Mr. Waverley, you're so high and mighty. Do you really want to sleep with a woman like me? No matter how many showers I take, the dirt is still there; it'll never come off."