Chapter 11

The train came to a slow stop at the station. Passengers began to get off one after another. But Selina Thorpe remained seated, motionless. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to get off—the person standing at the exit was someone she absolutely didn’t want to see.

Eloise Rhodes was dressed in a custom-made suit. With her upright posture, she stood out among the crowd. She had her hands in her pockets, her gaze fixed on the car door. There was a slight, almost mocking smile on her lips. Clearly, she had been waiting for a long time.

“Miss, we’ve arrived at the station. It’s time to get off.” The driver thought she might be asleep or still suffering from motion sickness, so he kindly reminded her.

Selena Thorne’s cheeks turned red instantly. Her gaze was evasive, and her voice sounded a little guilty. “Master, I… I’m a little carsick. Could I sit in the car for a little longer?”

She doesn’t lie very often. When she does, she blanches and can’t even meet the other person’s eyes.

The driver glanced at her flushed cheeks, then at the exit of the station, where the handsome man who had been staring at her stood. He immediately understood what was going on. With a smile and a hint of exasperation, he said, “Miss, if everyone acted like you, refusing to get off the bus when we reach the station, how would we drivers ever get home?”

As he spoke, he made a “please” gesture, his tone slightly teasing. He was an experienced person, and it was obvious that the man outside was there to pick up this young lady. Perhaps there was some minor disagreement between the couple.

Selena Thorne had no choice but to force herself to open the car door and get out. She kept her head down, hoping to sneak away among the crowd. But after taking just a couple of steps, a tall figure blocked her path.

“Excuse me, could you move aside?” Selena Thorpe’s voice was cold. She didn’t even look up, wanting to get away from there as quickly as possible.

She had deliberately avoided his gaze. Why then was he still blocking her path? She didn’t want to delude herself into thinking that he was there to pick her up. There was nothing between them, and nothing should ever be between them.

Eloise Rhodes tilted her body slightly, still standing in front of her. Her tone was somewhat domineering, yet there was also a hint of tenderness that was hard to detect: “I’m here to take you home.”

He deliberately took a step back, giving her some space, but he still didn’t move out of her way. He couldn’t let her get away. There wasn’t much time left, and he couldn’t afford to waste it.

Selena Thorne helplessly raised her head and looked at Eloise Rhodes, her tone filled with impatience. “Rhodes, we’re not very close. To be honest, we can’t even be called friends. I can’t afford to have you come pick me up in person. Please step aside.”

Eloise Rhodes smiled, her lips curving into a lovely arc. Her tone was firm and determined: “Didn’t I say it already? I’m going to pursue you.”

“I didn’t…” Selena Thorne’s voice rose involuntarily, drawing the attention of passersby around them. Everyone stopped in their tracks and started pointing at them, assuming they were a couple having a argument.

Selena Thorne’s cheeks turned even redder. She felt both embarrassed and angry, and all she wanted to do was hide somewhere.

“I know you didn’t agree.” Eloise Rhodes still smiled, her tone slightly indulgent. “If you had agreed, I wouldn’t have to wait for you here, nor would I have to say the word ‘court’ at all.”

In his heart, however, he thought disdainfully: This woman really knows how to act. She clearly wants to marry a wealthy man, yet she puts on an air of aloofness. Once she agrees, I’ll see how I deal with her.

“Sorry, I’m in a hurry. Please step aside.” Selina Thorpe took a deep breath, trying to suppress her anger, and tried to go past him.

But Eloise Rhodes was faster. She grabbed her wrist in one motion. His hands were long and strong. Selina Thorpe struggled for a moment, but couldn’t break free.

“I’ll take you there.” Eloise Rhodes’s tone made refusal impossible.

“No need to bother. I’ll call a taxi myself,” said Selena Thorp through gritted teeth, her eyes filled with resistance.

“My car is right outside. It’s very convenient and won’t cause any trouble.” Eloise Rhodes’s tone remained gentle, but the grip on her hand didn’t loosen at all.

“I said, no need to bother!”

“No trouble at all.”

The two of them stood there, locked in a stalemate, for several minutes. More and more people gathered around, their murmurs growing louder. Selena Thorp was both embarrassed and anxious. Add to that the hot weather, and beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.

In the end, she had no choice but to compromise. She knew that if things continued like this, more people would gather around, and the situation would only become more awkward.

A few minutes later, Selena Thorne sat in the passenger seat of Eloise Rhodes’s car, looking unhappy. She had no idea how she had agreed to this. After all, she had clearly said that she would never have anything to do with Eloise Rhodes.

Eloise Rhodes watched her annoyed expression, a hint of laughter in her eyes. She started the car and said casually, “Let’s go for a little drive. By the time we’re back, it’ll be dinner time. Let’s eat first.”

He talked on his own, completely ignoring Selena Thorp’s opinion. In his mind, since Selena Thorp had agreed to ride in his car, it meant she was willing to go along with his plans. All that was left for him to do was arrange everything else.

“I want to go home,” Selena Thorne said immediately, her tone cold. “I never said I wanted to go shopping with you, and certainly never said I wanted to have dinner with you.”

“You still need to eat when you get home.” Eloise Rhodes smiled, holding the steering wheel in her hands. Of course, it was up to him to decide where to go. “I know a five-star hotel with great food. I’ll take you there to try it.”

Selena Thorne was so angry that she could’ve spat blood. Her tone became rude and uncensored: “Rhodes, I don’t think your time should be wasted on someone like me. If you really want to pursue someone, go after those famous actresses and wealthy socialites. They’re worthy of you. You’d be better off with them.”

“Qingqing, I’ve said this many times already.” Eloise Rhodes turned her head slightly and glanced at her, her tone somewhat condescending. “Call me Xuan or Eloise. Stop calling me ‘Rhodes Rhodes’ all the time. It’s too formal and can lead to misunderstandings.”

Misunderstanding? Selena Thorne sneered inwardly. Someone like him, who harasses her without any reason and touches her hand in inappropriate situations—that’s what I call a misunderstanding.

“Dragon…”

“I prefer it when you call me Xuan,” Elliott Rhodes interrupted her, focusing on driving. From the corner of his eye, he occasionally glanced at her annoyed expression.

He found that Selena Thorpe, when angry, was unexpectedly attractive. In the past, all the women around him obeyed him without question. No one ever dared to get angry in his presence, let alone refuse him repeatedly like Selena Thorpe did.

This sense of freshness made him increasingly interested in the game. He even forgot that his initial goal was simply to win the bet.

“Eloise Rhodes, what do you actually want?” Selina Thorpe finally couldn’t take it anymore and exploded. “I’ve refused you clearly many times. Why won’t you just leave me alone?”

“I told you, I want to pursue you.” Eloise Rhodes stopped the car, turned her head to look at her, with an expression that said, “You really can’t remember, can you?” “I, Eloise Rhodes, have never pursued a woman with such seriousness before. You should feel honored.”

In his heart, he was encouraging himself: To win, he must persevere and never give up. He simply didn’t believe that Serena Thorp could keep rejecting him forever.

Selena Thorne stared at him, her eyes filled with anger. She gritted her teeth and asked, “What do you see in me that makes you want to pursue me?”

She had already made up her mind: no matter what Eloise Rhodes said, she would immediately change her behavior, so as to completely dissuade him from pursuing her. Then, she would politely let him go and go after those women who liked to be pursued by him.

Eloise Rhodes looked at her and, without much thought, said casually, “Every single point is worth it. It’s just a shame we met too late, wasting so much time.”

He would never have said such words under normal circumstances. But to Selina Thorpe, they came out naturally. After saying them, he was momentarily stunned. Somehow, he felt that he hadn’t said anything wrong.

Selena Thorne was completely defeated. She realized that unless she agreed to become Eloise Rhodes’s girlfriend, he would never let her go.

But she really didn’t want to have too much to do with Elliott Rhodes. He was too good-looking, wealthy, and confident. She didn’t think she could control herself around him. Nor did she believe she’d be able to stay unhurt or not feel sad when they broke up, let alone forget him completely.

In the hospital, she saw too many women who cried, bled, and even had abortions because of Elodie Rhodes. She didn’t want to become like them either.

Eloise Rhodes watched as Selena Thorpe fell into thought. Her expression changed constantly, and the smile on her lips grew deeper. He really wanted to keep watching her expressive face for a little longer. But after several minutes of this standoff, he didn’t want to end up as the pitiful person who was ignored.

“Right? Being my girlfriend has many advantages.” Eloise Rhodes said, her tone somewhat tempting. “I can give you everything you want: a house, a car, designer bags. Whatever you desire, I can provide it for you.”

Selena Thorne snapped out of her thoughts. After a fierce inner struggle, all her common sense told her that she couldn’t get too close to Eloise Rhodes.

“We really aren’t compatible,” she said firmly, refusing once again.

Eloise Rhodes’s smile froze for a moment as she looked at him in surprise. He thought that women used such tactics, refusing once or twice, just to make him pay more attention to them. But this was already the third time that Selina Thorpe had seriously told him that they weren’t compatible.

He even began to suspect that maybe someone had told Selina Thorpe about his bet with Li Daqi and Lenn Gibson. That’s why she deliberately rejected him, wanting to see him embarrassed.

Eloise Rhodes suppressed the urge to give up and spoke slowly, her face once again wearing a smile. “If you haven’t tried it, how can you know it’s not right for you? Please give me a chance, and also give yourself a chance, okay?”

In his mind, he kept telling himself: To win, I must persevere. I can’t lose to Serena Sopp, and certainly not to those bastards. But he didn’t realize that there was now a hint of pleading in his tone, something that wasn’t there before—no longer just indifference and arrogance.