Love's Tangled Web (Alex and Ellie)

Late at night, in a private suite at the Earl Hotel, Alex was extremely drunk. He couldn't explain why he had acted so impulsively and rushed to the airport. Watching the plane take off right in front of him, it felt like a part of his heart had been hollowed out, leaving him both aching and anxious.

"Haley's calling me to reach you now Layton noticed the array of empty bottles in front of Alex and quickly gathered up the last two, putting them

Alex lay on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling, feeling so exhausted he couldn't even muster the strength to speak.

Layton sat on the coffee table. looking down at Alex Theard you chased Ellie to the airpor

As Alex stared blankly as if possessed, Layton frowned. "Ellie's doing just fine at the hospital and her part-time jobs are going well too. Why does she suddenly want to go abroad?

Alex closed his eyes gently.

"If you don't want to talk, then just rest. I'll retum Haley's call for you," Layton said as he left, taking all the alcohol out of the room.

The door closed, and the room was silent again. Alex lay on the couch with his eyes shut, his eyelashes fluttering. He thought, "Why did she suddenly want to leave? Because I pushed her too far.

'Based on the dates on those comics, she's been secretly in love with me for seven years. And yet. I never had a clue.

'I forced her to help me pursue Aaron's girlfriend, pushed her to face me at home, made her accept the gifts Haley didn't want, and let her watch the happiness between me and Haley. She had enough and chose to escape from the city I'm in The next afternoon. Alex received a call from Whimney to go to the station and deliver the medical booklet in Aarons.

"Why are you the one bringing this?" Aaron asked, a bit surprised to see Alex

Alex tossed the medical booklet to Aaron. "Why did you let her travel alone!

By the roadside near the station entrance, Aaron and Alex Liced each other. Aaron put may the indical booklet and turned to walk into the station. After several clashes, he didn't want to talk to Alex anyone, especially with Haley seated in Alex's car "Aaron, if you can't take care of her give her back to me, Alex shouted. He suddenly lost control and grabbed Aaron's shoulder from behind

Aaron turned and pushed Alex away, meeting Alex's angry eyes with a calm tone. "This is her own choice. Neither of us has the right to interfere

Alex let out a heavy, stresstic sport. "Aaron, that's just your excuse for being incompetent." Taking a step forward, Ales suddenly grabbed Aaron by

the collar.

He said through his teeth. "You're incapable, yet you're dating someone from a wealthy family like Haley, You're helpless, yet you brought Ellie back to serve you guys. Aaron, you're just a selfish man.

Aaron looked at Alex, who was repeatedly on the brink of losing his temper, and asked slowly. "Tiven if I could give her back to you, in what role would you take care of her?"

Alex's expression went stiff, and Aaron brushed past him as he walked away. Aaron didn't say much more; he knew Alex understood what he meant.

turns out Elle left the country yesterday Haley sat in the car and overheard the conversation between the two. Watching Alex standing there with a dark expression as he looked at Aaron, she thought about Alex's unusual behavior from the day before. Ever since Alex started pursuing her, he had never missed a call or delayed responding to a text. But last night, he had turned his phone off

When she went to find him this morning, his room had been filled with the smell of cigaretes, and empty wine bottles had been scattered all over the coffee table

He can't stand Ellie leaving. He is feeling miserable. For Ellie's sake, he actually turned his phone off to avoid me and drank away his pain: Haley thought binerly.

She struggled to keep her feelings in check, got out of the car, and stood beside Alex, following his gaze as Aaron walked away Then, she pulled Alex back into the car.noveldrama

Alex got in the car and lit up a cigarette, not rushing to leave, Haley hesitated before saying, "I know you've created Ellie sakter. But Aaron is her real brother. Even if your family brought her up, if she insists on going back to the Thompson family, you can't stop her These hair

1:20 PM & d

From her current angle, she noticed Alex's features were even more strikingly handsome. Aaron was very attractive too, but he lacked the chiseled and aggressive look that Alex possessed.

Haley found the more time she spent with Alex, the more she understood that his charm was irresistible. His appearance, along with his unmatched starus, made all other men seem dull in comparison. She stared at him, her gaze growing increasingly infatuated. She had already said yes to Alex's proposal, and now he was busy sorting out their new home. In just a few days, they would be moving in together, and their families were preparing for their engagement.

Haley believed whether it was Alex's questionable intentions toward Ellie or Ellie's affection for Alex, it would all soon be hory

As Alex rested one arm on the car window without speaking Haley hesitantly started, "A friend gave me a nice bottle of wine a few days ago. How

you come over to my place tonight and we open it?"

about

"I have plans tonight. Let's do it another day" Alex flicked away the cigarette but and stared the car. 70 drop you off at your place first

They were both adults. The hidden meaning behind Haky's invitation was clear. Alex's blunt response made things even more straightforward.

It was rare for Haley to put her pride aude and take the mitiative, so being turned down directly by Alex left her visibly upset,

Late at night, in the Encounter Bar on Old Alley. Whitney watched Alex from afar as he sat alone in a booth on the first floor-he had been drinking for over two hour. She went over and sat across from him. "Tonight, the drinks are on me," she said. Alex lifted his eyes to glance at Whitney, then kept on drinking.

Whitney leaned over and placed her palm on top of Alex's glass, saying. "Drinking like this is so boring. How about 1 tell you a story to make it more Interesting

Without waiting for Alex's response, Whisney started a story. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl living in the countryside. Her family wasn't wealthy, but her parents and brother loved her very much."

Seeing that Alex stopped drinking, Whitney continued. The little girl's grandpa was a retired soldier, her dad was a veteran too, and even her uncle died serving the country. She and her brother were very honest and kind, inheriting all the great qualities of their family.

"One summer, the little girl bravely saved a boy but accidentally fell into a chemical plant's waste pond. Her dad jumped in to save her, she was rescued, but he lost a leg and his hangs were infected by the polluted water, so he had to be on medication for the rest of his life.

"From that day on, she never smiled again. Fortunately, one of her grandfather's kind wartime friends adapted her and paid for her and her brother's college education. The girl's parents had nothing to offer in return, so they expressed their gratitude by bowing to their benefactor

Whitney looked at Alex and suddenly laughed. "But who would have thought that this little girl would fall for the young beir in her foster family? Her feelings only grew stronger over the years, and it scared her.

"So, she fled to another city. But after graduating from college, she had no connections or resource and couldn't find a job. To survive, she had to retum here. But what about the heir she liked"

Whitney paused and didn't continue the story. She looked at Alex. "That day I noticed something range about her, I asked her and she told me that you were going to propose to the girl you like. Her phone kept ringing, but her hands just kept shaking.

"I asked Ellie what she wanted to do the most right now. She said, "Find a place where there's no one around and have a good cry"

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