Filed To Story: The Scarlet Vengeance: Justice of a Framed Beauty Novel (Grace & Jason)
“What? You have something else to say to me? I thought we’ve already said everything that needed to be said,” she said.
Lornell began, “Do you really think your choice is the right one?”
“Right or wrong, what matters is, I’ve made my choice,” Harley said.
“Are you doing this to get back at me?” he abruptly asked.
“What?” Harley was taken aback, looking at the other person with a puzzled expression.
“So, you sought out Calvert to provoke me after we broke off our engagement, didn’t you? Is it because I didn’t value your feelings and was indifferent to you back then? You wanted me to regret my indifference, to see what my true feelings for you were, right?” Lornell stepped forward, standing in front of Harley.
“Alright, I admit it, I love you, Harley, I love you. I went abroad to completely let you go, but after two years, I found that I simply can’t. These past two years, you’ve constantly been on my mind, driving me almost insane!”
He was completely honest with her.
When he found out she was officially dating Calvert, he was in a daze, as if he had lost something very precious.
And yet, a voice inside him was urging him to act quickly, or else he might live a life filled with regret!
He’s had enough of the regrets of these past two years!
He didn’t want to feel regret anymore. He wanted to firmly grasp what once belonged to him.
Harley looked at Lornell in front of him with surprise, as if he was looking at a stranger.
She never expected Lornell to say something like that.
“Harley, can we start over? Since you liked me for so many years, you’re bound to fall for me again. As for Calvert, he’s just a fleeting passerby in your life. Besides, do you really think he befriended you without any ulterior motives? Even if he didn’t have any at first, he developed them later. Otherwise, how could he possibly thrive so well in this circle?” Lornell said.
Harley took a deep breath, ready to speak, when suddenly she heard a noise at the door. Then, she heard someone say, “Oh, Mr. Elledge, why are you standing by the door and not going in?”
Harley shivered. Is Calvert just outside?
But when she rushed out of the room, she didn’t see Calvert outside. It was as if he had never been there at all.
Harley was in a rush to find Calvert.
She had barely taken a step when Lornell grabbed her. “Don’t you think it’s better if he heard our conversation just now? He was only a tool to begin with, and he has already completed his task.”
“Who said he’s just a tool!” Harley looked at Lornell and said, “I never intended to use him to provoke you or anything. I never thought about starting over with you. For me, what’s in the past is in the past. Lornell, I did really like you in the past, and I wanted to spend my life with you. But now, the person I like is Calvert. It’s because I like him that I decided to date him!”
Lornell’s face turned sour, “Are you really going with him?”
“Yes!” she said.
“Even if he’s not worthy of you?”
“Doesn’t match me? Are you talking about family background? If we put that aside and just consider me as an individual, then what makes him unworthy? Moreover, in my eyes, he’s more ambitious, more hardworking, and better at seizing the opportunities that fate offers. He’s someone who’s willing to change his destiny!” Harley said.
So, that’s why she was attracted to Calvert, huh!
“Lornell, don’t waste any feelings on me. I wish you can find someone who truly loves you!” After saying this, Harley left without looking back.
Lornell gave a bitter smile, feeling as if his heart had sunk into an unfathomable abyss.
Can he really find the person he loves again?
Or perhaps, is it possible to never fall in love with anyone else for the rest of one’s life?
Calvert felt like everything was just a dream.
It was so sweet before, but now, all he desperately wants is to escape from it all!
Is it really as Lornell said, that he’s just a tool to stir up emotions?
If that’s true, then he…
It felt like in an instant, everything had turned gloomy!
“Son, I’ve been waiting for you!” Just as Calvert returned to his apartment, he was unexpectedly greeted at the door by his gambling-addict father.
His face suddenly changed, “How did you end up here?”
“Of course, I came to see you!” Lornell’s father said, “You’re doing well for yourself now. I saw the news report, you’re dating that girl from the Hart family. If you can marry her in the future, the entire Hart family will practically be ours!”
Right now, Lornell’s father has already instinctively started to consider the Hart family as his own property!
Calvert looked at his father with disgust, “What on earth are you talking about!”
“Alright, alright, let’s just say I’m talking nonsense. I’m a bit strapped for cash lately, and you seem to be doing pretty well. How about helping me out with a million or two?”
Lornell’s father talked about a couple of million as if it was pocket change, something he could easily whip out.
“I won’t give it to you!” Calvert immediately refused.
Even if he had the money, he wouldn’t give it to his father. He knew all too well that his father would just gamble it away. It would be like throwing money into a bottomless pit, and his father would just keep asking for more in the future!
“You’re not giving? You, a big star, making so much money, and you can’t even spare a bit for your own father, do you even have a conscience!” Lornell’s father cursed.
“You better leave now, or I’ll call the cops!” Calvert warned.
“Call the police? Are you planning to make a spectacle of us, father and son, for everyone to see? Aren’t you afraid that the Hart family will find it embarrassing and forbid you from seeing Harley?” said Lornell’s father.
Calvert’s face changed instantly. His father’s words had hit right where he feared.
“So, you see, giving me money benefits you too, doesn’t it? You can continue your relationship with the young lady from the Hart family, and I can live a decent life. Plus, you can rest assured, I will never show up in front of your Miss Hart. However, if you two get married in the future, you’ll have to share a piece of the Hart family’s wealth with me. After all, it’s only fair considering I’ve raised you all these years!” At this moment, Lornell’s father was speaking confidently, as if the Hart family’s fortune was already in his pocket.
Before Calvert could even retort, he heard a familiar voice say, “Well, aren’t you quite the mastermind!”
Calvert’s body suddenly stiffened. This voice… it was Harley!
He turned his neck stiffly, looking in the direction the sound came from.
The moment Harley’s voice echoed in his ears, Calvert’s pupils abruptly contracted, as if the entire world had suddenly dimmed.
When did she come?
How much of that conversation did she just hear?
Would she misunderstand him? Misunderstand that he’s with her just for the Hart family’s wealth?
The mere thought of being misunderstood by her made Calvert’s body tremble even more intensely.
“Harley, I…” He opened his mouth, but couldn’t say a word.
Harley stepped forward, looking straight into Lornell’s father’s eyes, “Even if I were with Calvert, you wouldn’t get a penny, let alone a share of the pie. If you have any shred of decency left, you’d better leave right now, or I’ll call the police and accuse you of having ill intentions! When that time comes, you might end up spending a few years in jail!”
“You–” Lornell’s father’s face suddenly turned pale.
He had already experienced Harley’s tactics before. He was once confined to a hospital by Harley, under the guise of getting him treated and recuperating. But during that time, he couldn’t leave the hospital at all, it was practically like being imprisoned!
“I… I am Calvert’s father after all. What’s wrong with a father asking his son for some money?” Lornell’s father argued. After all, he came today to ask for money. Naturally, he wasn’t willing to leave without getting any.
“What’s the point of giving you money, to gamble? That’s like throwing money into a bottomless pit,” Harley said. “You don’t need to come to Calvert for money anymore, he won’t fund your gambling. When you really reach 60 and can’t work, needing alimony, he’ll pay exactly what the law requires for support!”
Upon hearing this, Lornell’s father snapped angrily, “This is between me and my son, it’s none of your business! Even if you are the Miss of the Hart family, you have no right to interfere!”
“He’s my boyfriend, of course I have to care about his business!” Harley said, turning to glance at Calvert, “What about you, are you going to give him money?”
“No, I’m listening to you!” Calvert asserted confidently.
Lornell’s father’s face grew increasingly grim, glaring at Calvert, “So you’re just going to listen to this woman? Now that you have money, you’re just going to kick your own father to the curb? If I tell the media, do you think you can still get by? When that time comes, you’ll have nothing left!”
Lornell’s father had a look of desperation, like a fish caught in a torn net.
Harley said nonchalantly, “Is that so? Well, we’ll see who ends up with nothing in the end.”
Lornell’s father was taken aback, then it suddenly dawned on him – the person in front of him was a big princess of the entertainment industry!
If she wants to protect someone in the entertainment industry, she can definitely do it!
“Aren’t you leaving yet? Or do you need my bodyguard to ‘escort’ you out?” Harley said.
Lornell’s father was taken aback, immediately looking around as if he was deeply afraid that the Hart family’s bodyguards would suddenly appear.
“Hmm?” Harley’s nasal voice deepened, his hand about to lift, causing Lornell’s father to hurriedly step back.
“Hmph, just you wait!” said Lornell’s father, before turning around and leaving.
Harley turned to look at a pale-faced Calvert. His eyes were clouded with a misty haze, his complexion as white as paper. Despite his towering stature, he seemed incredibly fragile at that moment. Harley pursed his lips, “Let’s go into your house first.”
We’re already at his doorstep, it would be better to go in and have a chat.
Calvert bit his lip and nodded.
The two entered the apartment, and Harley, familiar with the place, headed straight to the kitchen. He took some milk out of the fridge, poured it into a cup, and then put it in the microwave to heat up. In no time, she handed a warm cup of milk to Calvert.
“Have a drink first,” she suggested, sensing that Calvert needed to calm his emotions at the moment.
“Tha…thanks.” Calvert took the cup but didn’t drink. He just held it, staring at the milk inside.
“Why don’t you…” Harley’s voice suddenly paused, noticing the slight tremble of the cup in Calvert’s hand.
It’s probably because his hand was shaking, which made the cup tremble.
“What’s going on? Why is your hand shaking so much?” Harley grabbed Calvert’s hand.
“I…” He looked up at her. Yes, his hands were shaking badly. Because at this moment, he was scared. Scared that she would misunderstand him, and scared that he was just a prop to stir up Cornell’s emotions, just as Lornell had said.
“Are you worried that I might misunderstand you?” She took the initiative to speak, as if she had guessed his thoughts. He bit his lip, and after a while, his voice hoarse, he said, “I didn’t scheme against my father for the Hart family’s wealth, I…”
“I know!” Harley said, “If you were really scheming, do you think I’d still be going into your house and making you hot milk?”
He was taken aback as her hand gently rested on the back of his. “So, you don’t need to worry about anything. I haven’t misunderstood. I know very well, you love me!” His nose tingled, realizing that she was fully aware of his feelings for her.
“Also, I’m not sure how much of my conversation with Lornell you overheard, but I came after you to tell you that you’re the one I like, the one I love now. When I broke off the engagement, I never intended to get back together with Lornell.
In her view, once a relationship is over, it’s over!
If she could do it all over again, she would be constantly paranoid, worrying that the day he loses interest in her, he would revert back to his previous level of indifference. And she, she didn’t want to go through all that again.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.