Chapter 12

“Things like this are obviously not suitable from the get-go!” Selena Thorne frowned and retorted firmly. “We belong to completely different worlds. Forcing us together will only result in harm for both of us.”

Eloise Rhodes raised an eyebrow, her tone slightly puzzled. “Oh? Then tell me, what exactly isn’t suitable? I’d really like to hear what makes us incompatible.”

Selena Thorp took a deep breath and listed her reasons one by one: “First, I don’t like men who are promiscuous. And as we all know, you never seem to lack women in your life. Second, you’re too tall. Standing next to you makes me feel uncomfortable. Third, you’re too talented and excellent for me. I’m not good enough for you. Fourth, your family is extremely wealthy. The gap between our financial situations is too big. There’s no way we could have anything in common to talk about…”

“Stop!” Eloise Rhodes quickly interrupted her, her face full of exasperation. “What kind of reasons are those?”

Playful? That was in the past. If he really wants to be with her, it wouldn’t hurt for him to behave more responsibly. Too tall? That’s actually a virtue. Countless men envy his physique. Too talented, too wealthy? Those are even better qualities. He can provide her with a better life. What’s wrong with that?

“First, being promiscuous is something from the past. I can change that. Second, height isn’t a problem—their height. I can bend down to accommodate you. Third, only a talented man can ensure his woman leads a good life. Fourth, whether there’s more or less money, it’s meant to be spent. There’s no need to worry too much about it.” Eloise Rhodes countered each point carefully, with such seriousness that she herself didn’t realize she was actually arguing earnestly with Selina Thorpe.

After hearing his words, Selina Thorpe remained unmoved. But she also knew that constantly refusing like this wasn’t a solution. People like Eloise Rhodes became more persistent the less they got what they wanted. If she kept refusing, he would only keep pestering her, making things worse in the end.

Rather than doing this, it’s better to agree to his demands for now. Once the novelty wears off, he’ll naturally let go. Then, she can leave when the time comes, avoiding a lot of trouble.

“Alright, I agree to be your girlfriend.” Selina Thorpe spoke in a flat tone, with no trace of joy on her face, as though she was making a completely insignificant decision.

Eloise Rhodes wore a smug smile on her face. She raised her eyebrows confidently and said, “I knew you’d eventually agree.”

Sure enough, all women are the same. No matter how aloof they pretend to be on the surface, in the end, they’re still moved by his charm and wealth. Those so-called “incompatibilities” are just ways for them to make themselves seem more important.

“But!” Selina Thorpe suddenly changed her tone, becoming serious. Her cheeks turned slightly red, but she spoke firmly, “I have one condition. You must agree to it. Otherwise, I’ll cancel our deal right away.”

“What do you mean?” Eloise Rhodes paused for a moment, curious. He thought that Selina Thorpe would ask for things like a house or a car. He could give her those, of course.

“You can’t make any sexual demands on me,” Selena Thorp said, head bowed. Her voice was barely audible, like that of a mosquito, yet it reached Eloise Rhodes’s ears clearly.

She knew that society had changed from before. Nowadays, many people have sex right after getting together. But she didn’t want to do that. She wanted to stick to her principles. Even if it meant pretending to be his girlfriend, she refused to go against her own beliefs.

Upon hearing this, Eloise Rhodes was initially stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh. Of all the women he’d been with, every single one rushed to bed with him from the very first meeting, eager to keep him by their side at all costs. But Selina Thorpe actually made such a demand as a condition for becoming his girlfriend.

But he didn’t really care about it. Right now, the most important thing was to keep Selina Thorpe under control, take her to meet Li Daqi and Lenn Gibson, and win the bet. Once he won the bet, he’d get rid of her immediately. After all, that condition was just a temporary compromise.

“Okay, I promise you. I’ll respect your wishes,” said Eloise Rhodes, smiling, though her tone was somewhat perfunctory. Her eyes secretly sized up Selina Thorpe’s figure. Once again, she shook her head inwardly—the figure was quite average. No wonder she made such a request.

“Then now, can you take me home?” Selina Thorpe looked up, her eyes filled with anticipation. She just wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

“Why the hurry?” Eloise Rhodes started the car, speaking in a relaxed tone. “Let’s go have dinner first. After that, we can go for a walk, and then I’ll drive you home.”

He held the steering wheel in his hands. After all, it was up to him to decide where to go. Selena Thorne rolled her eyes helplessly, resigned to sitting there. She silently prayed that this meal would end soon.

A few hours later, Selena Thorne returned to her rented apartment, exhausted. She collapsed on the sofa, too tired to move. From the moment she got into Eloise Rhodes’s car, nothing had been decided by her own choice.

She clearly said she wanted to go home and rest, as she had to work the next day. But Eloise Rhodes insisted on taking her to that ridiculously expensive five-star hotel for dinner. She admitted that, when she was alone, she would never spend money like that. Even for hospital-related dinners, she rarely went to places like that.

Moreover, she really couldn’t see what was so special about those so-called “delicacies from mountains and seas”. Everything she ate today had an overly strong taste of monosodium glutamate and flavorings. It was definitely not as good as a simple bowl of noodles she could cook at home.

After dinner, she said she wanted to go home and rest. But Eloise Rhodes, under the pretext that “they had just started dating and should spend more time getting to know each other,” dragged her along to the shopping mall. All the stores they visited were world-class brands, selling either women’s clothing or jewelry.

At every store, the waiters were overly enthusiastic. It seemed like they all knew Elodie Rhodes very well. Moreover, everyone looked at her with a hint of envy, as if she were some incredibly lucky person to have Elodie Rhodes’s favor.

Eloise Rhodes was also very generous. Whenever she saw a piece of clothing or jewelry that she thought would suit her, she would ask the waiter to wrap it up. But every time, Selina Thorpe refused, saying, “I don’t like anything. There’s no need to buy anything.”

Over the course of the evening, they managed to visit almost all the famous brands in City A. In the end, however, they didn’t buy anything. Although Eloise Rhodes was a little dissatisfied, she didn’t push her further. He thought that Selina Thorpe was just acting coyly, and that in a few days, she would surely ask him for something on her own.

“Sis, why did you come back so late?” It hadn’t been long since Selina Thorpe had gone to bed when Adrian Thorpe stepped out of the room. His gaze was evasive, and his tone sounded somewhat guilty.

She knew full well that Selina Thorpe’s new number was something she had obtained from Eloise Rhodes in exchange for the promise of being able to work at Rhodes’s company. Although she would only be a secretary assistant, not Eloise Rhodes’s personal secretary, she believed that by getting a job at Rhodes’s company, she would have more opportunities to be around Eloise Rhodes. One day, she might be able to win Eloise Rhodes over for herself. And even if she couldn’t win Eloise Rhodes, Li Daqi and Lenn Gibson, who worked with Eloise Rhodes, were also decent candidates.

Selena Thorp rubbed her sore shoulders, her voice tired. “Let’s not talk about that. Adrian, have you found a job yet?”

She’ve always been very concerned about Adrian Thorpe’s work situation. No matter how tired she was, she wouldn’t forget to ask about it. She believed that if someone stopped working for too long, they’d become lazy. Even if she eventually married a wealthy man and had her own job and social circle, she’d feel more confident that way.

When work came up, Adrian Thorpe immediately perked up. His tone was tinged with pride and a hint of reluctance: “I’ve found a job. I’ll be starting at Rhodes tomorrow. But it’s just a secretary assistant position, not a full-fledged secretary role.”

She deliberately concealed the fact that she had gotten this job by using Selena Thorpe’s number. She even came up with a story to explain it, waiting for Selena Thorpe to ask about it.

“Oh, that’s great, really…” Selena Thorpe hadn’t finished speaking when she suddenly realized what she’d said. She jumped up from the sofa, completely forgetting her exhaustion. Her eyes were filled with surprise. “What? You’re going to work in Rhodes?”

“Yeah, what’s with that?” Adrian Thorpe pretended to be puzzled as he looked at her. He nodded firmly. “When I graduated, I went for an interview at Rhodes. Unfortunately, my scores weren’t good enough, so I wasn’t accepted. Now that they’re hiring again, I certainly won’t miss this opportunity.”

She recited the lines she had prepared in advance, word for word. She tried to keep her gaze natural, avoiding any signs of hesitation, for fear that Selena Thorp might notice her mistakes.

Selena Thorp frowned, her eyes filled with doubt. She asked tentatively, “No, I think you’re actually Eloise Rhodes’s secretary, right?”

She always thought it was too much of a coincidence. Just as she started having problems with Elodie Rhodes, Adrian Thorpe got a job at Rhodes’ company. Moreover, Rhodes was known to be very picky when hiring. For positions like secretary assistants, she usually hired recent graduates straight from school. She’d never heard of Rhodes hiring from the general workforce.

“No, no.” Adrian Thorpe quickly waved his hand, his tone tinged with regret. “I want to be a secretary assistant to the human resources manager. If only I could be Eloise Rhodes’s secretary assistant instead… That way, I’d be able to see her more often.”

She said that on purpose, to dispel Selena Thorp’s suspicions. At the same time, it showed her fondness for Eloise Rhodes. This way, Selena Thorp would think that she simply wanted to get closer to Eloise Rhodes, with no ulterior motives.

Selena Thorne’s gaze remained somewhat skeptical as she spoke slowly, in a calm tone, “Adrian, have any people asked you for my new number these past couple of days?”

She didn’t want to doubt her sister, but everything seemed too coincidental. Few people knew her new number. Eloise Rhodes must have been told where to find it. And Adrian Thorpe happened to be going to Rhodes’s place of work. All this made her suspicious.

In Adrian Thorne’s heart, something skipped a beat, and he immediately became nervous. But on his face, he pretended to be confused. He shook his head and said, “No, Second Sister. Why would you ask that?”

“Didn’t you just ask me why I got back so late?” Selina Thorpe leaned back on the sofa, staring intently at Adrian Thorpe’s face and observing his expression. “I spent the entire evening with Eloise Rhodes. Just before I got off the bus, he called me, using the new number I had just gotten. So, I’m wondering if you told him.”

Adrian Thorpe’s heartbeat quickened instantly, and cold sweat broke out on her palms. She couldn’t allow any signs of nervousness to show on her face, so she quickly explained, “Perhaps… perhaps when I was looking for a job, I entered your contact information in the application. Eloise Rhodes and the others must have seen your number from the company’s recruitment details.”

In her desperation, she came up with an excuse, trying to make her tone sound as natural as possible. But she didn’t realize that the panic in her eyes had already been noticed by Selina Thorpe.

Selena Thorp didn’t press further. She simply nodded, her tone calm: “Maybe. Hopefully, I’m overthinking it.”

But deep down, she was even more certain that it must have been Adrian Thorpe who told Eloise Rhodes her new number. Yet, she couldn’t understand why Adrian Thorpe would do such a thing. Was it simply to please Eloise Rhodes, or was there some other motive behind it?

What seemed like a reluctant compromise, a hidden act of betrayal, and Eloise Rhodes’s initial wager all intertwined, making this already complicated “courtship” even more confusing. Selina Thorpe had no idea that agreeing to become Eloise Rhodes’s girlfriend would plunge her into a whole host of troubles.