Tangled Temptations novel Chapter 385

Harvey had left for the office that afternoon. It was a chilly day, and Eloise, preferring the warmth of indoors, hadn't ventured out. Instead, she made a call and summoned someone over.

Tiara.

Driving up to the mansion, Tiara barely stepped out of her car when a smiling servant greeted her with, "Mrs. Horigan is in the study on the second floor. Please, Ms. Tiara, she's expecting you."

With a nod, Tiara followed the servant's lead, climbing the grand staircase. Her feelings about the opulent mansion were entirely different from before.

...

Reaching the second floor, the servant knocked on the door. "Mrs. Horigan, Ms. Tiara is here."

Eloise's soft voice responded, "Let her in."

As the servant opened the door, Tiara's gaze fell upon the vintage-styled study with its floor-to-ceiling windows and a set of hunter-green leather sofas that screamed luxury.

Dressed in a floral maxi dress with her caramel locks cascading down her waist, Eloise exuded a lazy charm and seductive maturity that spoke of a man's affection—Harvey's, Tiara thought. But now, she dared not entertain any improper thoughts.

While Tiara took in Eloise's appearance, Eloise lifted her eyes and welcomed her with a faint smile, "Come in, have a seat!"

Tiara sat across from Eloise, her posture a bit stiff.

Eloise tilted her head and instructed the servant, "Brew a coffee for Ms. Tiara, please."

Nursing her coffee, Tiara still felt uneasy. She needed a favor from Eloise. She had come from Ravenna's camp, and Ravenna, holding a grudge, made life difficult at every turn. "Ravenna sure knows how to schmooze. She's got some big shots on her side now, making my life miserable. I nearly couldn't get out of a dinner party last time," Tiara said, the words tumbling out amidst her nerves. She could have just played along, but since signing with Eloise, she didn't want to do those things anymore. She wanted a clean slate.

Eloise looked out the window, where snow had started to fall gently. She traced her finger on the glass, musing, "We've had a lot of snow this year."

Tiara was puzzled by the change in topic.

Eloise's gaze was serene, betraying none of her thoughts. Her voice grew even softer, "You may be signed to me now, but that doesn't mean you can't play nice with Ravenna."

Tiara didn't quite understand.

Eloise pulled out two tickets from a book and smiled. "Next week's Formula 1 race. I hear the drivers are quite young and handsome. Ms. Ravenna might enjoy that."

Tiara began to see Eloise's point.

Eloise, however, preferred to keep her counsel, asking in a soft voice, "Would you be willing to help me with this?"

After a few seconds of thought, Tiara nodded firmly. Eloise beckoned her closer and whispered a plan that took Tiara by surprise. Eloise, seemingly gentle and vulnerable, was playing a deep game. Tiara believed it was only a matter of time before Ravenna, the toxic figure of the circle, would fall.

...

Tiara stayed a moment longer. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway was followed by children's laughter.

Soon, Linda and Luca scampered up the stairs. Linda rushed to the nursery to wake up the sweetly sleeping Darrien, chilling his little hands and cooing, "Time to wake up, Darrien!"

Darrien's cry filled the room at the abrupt awakening.

Linda kissed his cheek, then eagerly reached to hold him. Luca frowned, checking Darrien's diaper before efficiently changing it and wiping him down with a wet wipe. "He's not a doll, Linda. Be gentle," he advised, showing her how to change a diaper.

"Got it?" he asked.

Resting her cherubic face in her hands, Linda grinned, "You're here to help, right, Luca?"

He glanced at Linda and then quickly looked away.

With Darrien now comfortably in a fresh diaper, Linda and Luca brought him to Eloise. "Mama, Darrien's hungry," Linda said in her sweetest voice.

Eloise knew her daughter's antics all too well, but without a word, she prepared a bottle of milk and fed Darrien.

Luca read quietly on the side, and Linda, unable to resist, joined him. The scene was so peacefully beautiful that Tiara felt a twinge of envy.

As she left the mansion, Tiara thought about how Eloise, despite her youth, was tied down by her children. Then again, with wealth, leisure, and a loving husband, this was Eloise's own choosing.

...

A few days later, Tiara encountered Ravenna at a social gathering.

With a few words, Ravenna had Tiara inebriated. Tiara's agent, intimidated by the heavy-set man beside Ravenna, couldn’t voiced their anger and escorted Tiara to the restroom.

The misery of retching followed.

Ravenna's reflection appeared in the mirror, leisurely applying lipstick with a slight smirk. "Not pleasant, is it, Tiara? I truly wanted to help you, but you chose Eloise over me."

Tiara turned on the faucet, splashing water over her face to sober up. Once she felt a bit better, she rasped, "But what did you ask me to do? Harvey's not a man I can control!"

Ravenna just laughed softly, leaning against the wall and lighting a slim cigarette, her demeanor exuding allure and confidence. She thought of Harvey, a man who rarely mingled with women as if made solely for Eloise.

Ravenna had never encountered such a man.