Chapter 6

Eloise Rhodes stared at Selena Thorpe’s cold face, then glanced at her friends who were watching the scene nearby. Her smile grew deeper, and her tone carried both self-mockery and a hint of arrogance. “It seems I, as her host, have failed to properly entertain my aunt’s guest. I’ve neglected Miss Selena Thorpe. How unfortunate. Would you please sit down and chat with me?”

As soon as he finished speaking, without giving Selena Thorne a chance to refuse, he pulled a chair over and sat down beside her. His demeanor was casual, yet there was an air of authority that made refusal impossible.

Selena Thorne subconsciously turned her face away, feeling reluctant. She wanted to say no, but this was the Roz family’s territory. As a guest, she had no right to refuse her host. She could only sit there reluctantly, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Adrian Thorpe quickly stepped forward, wearing a charming smile on his face. He said, “Young Master Xuan, why didn’t you go dancing? It’s such a great atmosphere—would be a shame not to dance at all.”

Eloise Rhodes raised her eyes, her almond-shaped pupils slightly narrowed as she gave her a smile-like glance. The greed and scheming in this woman’s eyes were impossible to hide. She was indeed more cunning and interesting than Selina Thorpe. But unfortunately, his current target was Selina Thorpe. Once he dealt with her, if he still felt like it, he might as well spend some time with her.

“Who are you?” he asked, pretending to be confused, his tone somewhat distant, as if he didn’t recognize her at all.

“My name is Adrian Thorne. I’m Selina’s sister.” Under Eloise Rhodes’s intense gaze, even Adrian Thorne, who considered himself quite good at seducing men, couldn’t help but blush, with his heart beating faster.

“It turns out both of you are Miss Lu. Nice to meet you.” Eloise Rhodes raised her glass, gave Adrian Thorpe a slight nod, then took a small sip. Her tone remained calm as always.

Just then, Chen Jialing walked over with a swaying figure, sat down next to Erodi Rhodes, and cuddled closely against him. Her gaze, however, was full of disdain as she glanced at Selina Thorpe. With a hint of provocation in her voice, she said, “Xuan, why don’t you introduce these two to me?”

She did it on purpose, to assert her dominance and make Selena Thorne back down.

Selena Thorp felt uncomfortable under her gaze, and a hint of anger arose in her heart. She had nothing to do with Eloise Rhodes, yet this woman stared at her with such hostility. It was completely unreasonable.

“Miss, you’d better pay attention to your own boyfriend. Don’t waste your gaze on me.” Selena Thorne glared back at her rudely, her eyes fixed on the arms entwined around each other. Her tone was cold and distanced.

“We’re just ordinary friends, don’t get me wrong,” said Eloise Rhodes. Meanwhile, she quietly pushed Chen Jialing away and changed her seat, deliberately putting distance between them. Chen Jialing was left sitting there awkwardly on her own.

Having been in the entertainment industry for so long, Chen Jialing was quite skilled at handling social situations. She quickly covered up her embarrassment and changed the subject with a smile: “I wonder, ladies, which wealthy families do you come from? I’ve never heard of any wealthy families with the surname Lu in City A.”

Her words seemed like a question on the surface, but were actually meant to belittle her—a woman with no background or status, how dare she get that close to Elodie Rhodes?

“We’re dragons…” Adrian Thorp was about to say that they knew Maddix Rhodes, but Selina Thorp interrupted him.

“My family is just an ordinary one. My parents work in farming in the countryside. We don’t have any connections to wealthy families.” Selina Thorpe calmly met Chen Jialing’s scornful gaze, without any sense of inferiority. Her tone was steady, though slightly sharp. “If Miss Chen thinks that standing with us is beneath her status, then please go somewhere else. There’s no need for you to put yourself in this awkward situation.”

Chen Jialing was so choked that she couldn’t speak. Her face turned pale and red in turn. Who would have thought that this seemingly ordinary woman could be so sharp-tongued?

Just then, melodious dance music filled the air, breaking the awkward silence. Eloise Rhodes reached out, her gaze firm as she looked at Selina Thorpe. “Miss Lu, may I ask you for a dance?”

“I…” Selina Thorpe was about to refuse, but Eloise Rhodes grabbed her hand.

“Let’s go, don’t refuse me.” Eloise Rhodes spoke in an imperious tone that couldn’t be ignored. He wasn’t stupid enough to let her rejection, like those ordinary men, become a laughingstock among his friends.

“Xuan!” Chen Jialing stared angrily at Eloise Rhodes as she led Selina Thorpe away. Her nails dug into her flesh from sheer frustration. Jealousy and unease grew stronger by the moment. She knew Eloise Rhodes all too well. Even if she was just trying to tease Selina Thorpe, what if she actually developed feelings for her instead? Then Chen Jialing would have no chance at all.

Adrian Thorpe watched the two of them leave. Although he was disappointed that Eloti Rhodes hadn’t invited him, seeing Chen Jialing so furious made him secretly rejoice. To be able to make such a proud woman angry was, after all, a good thing.

In the dance floor, Selena Thorp tried hard to pull her hand away, her face showing obvious discomfort. “I’m sorry, I really can’t dance. You’d be better off finding someone else to dance with.”

Throughout her life, she had never been this close to the opposite sex. Eloise Rhodes’s touch made her heart race and left her feeling extremely uncomfortable.

“I can teach you,” Eloise Rhodes said, raising an eyebrow with a playful flicker in her eyes. He had to admit that Selina Thorpe was far more cunning than any woman he’d ever met. Although she clearly wanted to marry a wealthy man, when he approached her, she didn’t pounce on him like a hungry wolf. Instead, she remained distantly polite, using tactics of retreat to make him crave her even more.

“I don’t like dancing. Please let go of me.” Selena Thorne’s tone remained firm, her eyes showing a hint of resistance.

“So straightforward, but I like it.” Eloise Rhodes chuckled. Ignoring her resistance, he placed his hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him. Then he led her into the center of the dance floor. “Don’t worry, just follow my steps.”

After taking just a couple of steps, Eloise Rhodes couldn’t help but frown. His toes must have been crushed by that woman! She claimed she couldn’t dance, but why did it seem like she did it on purpose? Then again, what woman these days really can’t dance? Saying they can’t dance is just an excuse to reject men.

“I’m sorry, I really can’t do this. You’d better find someone else.” Selina Thorpe’s cheeks were red, and her heart beat faster and faster. She could clearly smell the faint scent of cedar on Eloise Rhodes’s body, mixed with the rich aroma of red wine. It made her feel dizzy.

She had to admit that Eloise Rhodes was truly outstanding—a handsome, wealthy man with a captivating presence. He was the ideal man for many women. But she knew better: this man was too dangerous. He was like a thorny rose—seemingly attractive, but actually capable of causing deep wounds. In her heart, she marked Eloise Rhodes with countless “danger” signs, reminding herself to stay away from him at all costs.

“Let’s just perform this last song.” Eloise Rhodes played the retreat as a strategy, her tone somewhat pleading. But inwardly, she was determined—not to let go, no matter how much it hurt. “Once the music ends, the party’s over. Please do me this favor, okay?”

Selena Thorne saw the determination in his eyes, then glanced at the bustling crowd around them. In the end, her heart softened. She took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, just this one song.”

Fortunately, until the music ended, Selina Thorne didn’t step on Eloise Rhodes’s foot again. When the song finished, Eloise Rhodes released her waist and, looking at Selina’s flushed cheeks, her teasing gaze grew even stronger.

He thought he’d win this game easily, but now he realizes that Selina Thorpe is far more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

After the party, Eloise Rhodes offered to drive Serena Thorpe and her sister home. A limited-edition Lotus sports car was parked downstairs from the apartment they had rented. Serena Thorpe unbuckled her seatbelt and said politely, “Thank you, Rhodes, for driving us home.”

“If you really want to thank me, please invite me upstairs for a glass of water.” Eloise Rhodes flashed a smile she believed would charm any woman. Her tone was suggestive—this was his usual tactic. Once a woman agreed to let him go upstairs, everything else fell into place naturally.

“Sure!”

“It’s not very convenient.”

Adrian Thorp and Selina Thorp’s voices rang out at the same time, one excited, the other resistant.

Eloise Rhodes was stunned, then burst into laughter. In his twenty-eight years of life, this was the first time he’d offered to go to a woman’s house to drink water, only to be rejected. This Selina Thorpe really exceeded his expectations.

“Second sister, Young Master Xuan brought us back. It wouldn’t be too much to ask him to come up and have a drink of water, would it?” Adrian Thorpe grabbed Selina Thorpe’s arm, his tone filled with urgency. He looked at her with a disappointed expression.

Even an idiot can see that Eloise Rhodes is interested in the second sister. But why isn’t the second sister smart enough to realize it? This is a great opportunity that won’t come again if missed!

Selena Thorne glanced at Eloise Rhodes, then at her own sister. In the end, she relented. If it was just a glass of water, there was really no reason to refuse. “Then wait a moment.”

After saying that, she pushed open the car door and quickly entered the convenience store next door. Eloise Rhodes and Adrian Thorpe sat in the car, looking at each other, not knowing what she was going to do.