SWNOVELS His Ex wife is a billionaire Chapter 713
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 l*ps. 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.”
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.”
Elvis‘ l*ps curled, his demeanor rakish, “I know exactly what you are. The fact that I brought you here means I don’t care.”
“But I do!” Elsie’s emotions burst forth, shaking as she spoke out.
Elvis paused, his l*ps pressing together.
Realizing her outburst, Elsie struggled to regain her composure, her eyes red–rimmed with restraint, “If Mr. Waverley is concerned about me, and appreciates that I helped you and Ms. Ashbourne once, then please don’t ask for this tonight. Consider it my repayment.”
In her tarnished world, Elvis was the best person she had ever met. Because she genuinely cared for him, she didn’t want her life, in ruins, to taint his in any way.
She wanted their relationship to remain untouched, pure.
Elvis saw Elsie determined to leave, his breath hitching, his grip on her waist tightened, veins standing out on his hand, and his tone softened with a coaxing edge.
“Never mind the shower; it’s late. Stay the night, will you?”
Elsie was indeed exhausted. Plus, she reasoned, if she rushed back to the Velvet Haven now, it would only raise Avery’s suspicions. If she stayed the night, she’d have an excuse for her return.
So they slept there, together, but Elsie in the plush king–size bed, Ethan rigid on the couch.
In truth, he had no intention of touching her. They were the same when they slept as when they arrived. Elsie’s heels neatly placed by the bed, her delicate b*dy curled up within the cocoon of the comforter.
An awkward silence filled the air.
Elsie wanted to stay awake until dawn, yet somehow, sleep claimed her. Elvis, however, lay staring at the ceiling, sleep nowhere in sight.
Only when he heard her even breathing did he rise silently and kneel beside the bed, his deep gaze fixed on her peacefully sleeping face.
After a moment, he murmured, “You’re not like her.”
Elsie seemed to hear him, her lashes fluttering, the corners of her eyes glistening with moisture. Elvis‘ adam’s apple bobbed, aching to wipe away that single tear.
But in the end, he withdrew his hand, his proud and somber silhouette moving towards the balcony.
Early in the next morning, when Elsie’s bleary eyes opened, Elvis was gone. She sat up from the warmth of the bed, her expression suddenly frozen.
Elvis‘ black overcoat lay neatly over her blanket, obviously left for her.
Last time, he remembered her upset stomach and left her stomach medicine. This time, knowing she had left in a hurry and was underdressed, he left his coat for her.
“Still so caring. The woman who marries you is going to be the luckiest,” Elsie chuckled softly, her trembling fingers caressing the fabric of the coat.
She got out of bed, intending to get some fresh air on the balcony, but the moment she slid the glass door open, her heart pounded fiercely.
ค
Chapter 713
The ground littered with cigarette butts revealed one thing – the man had spent the night sleepless.
The previous night, Harvey and his men had trailed Elvis‘ car. Not only did they lose him, but in a show of reckless driving, Elvis had maneuvered so skillfully that Harvey’s luxury car ended up totaled.
Mr. Chambers ordered Ms. Archer to be brought back, and, not daring to slack, Harvey searched everywhere. But whether Elvis used a false identity at the hotel or not, they couldn’t find out, and Harvey had to return empty–handed.
That night, Avery’s room was a mess.
Harvey didn’t quite understand. Usually, Mr. Chambers saw Elsie as nothing more than a tool, without a shred of true affection, yet now his reaction was intense, as if he cared deeply for Ms. Archer.
In the chilling atmosphere in the Velvet Haven, Elsie returned calm and composed through the front door.
Before Avery, her lovely face was unadorned, naturally radiant like unpolished jade, reminding him of the time before she became “Evadne“, his gaze darkening for moment. His brooding eyes soon landed on the black overcoat she was wearing.
“Elvis left it for
e.”
Elsie admitted openly,
“It’s just a
- at. If it
“Do
a
in need me to take it off so you can burn it?”
I was given to you
wear it. I’m not that petty.”
Avery leaned back on the couch, his elbow on the armrest, a fist resting by his head, eyeing her mockingly, “Did you two do it?” Elsie smiled ambiguously, shaking her head, “No. Elvis is not an ordinary man; he’s not that easy to seduce. Ha, no, he’s hooked.” Avery laughed coldly, full of scorn, “Being a man myself, I see right through him. By leaving you that overcoat, he’s already taken by you.”
Elsie felt her heart race, her hands clenched tight inside the coat pockets.
“Elsie, you’re doing well. Keep it up. Make him care for you, become obsessed, unable to let go. And then, kill him with your own hands.”