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Chapter 134
Chase said, “Damn it, after all I’ve done for you, and you won’t even lend me a cent? I will pay you back!”
“Mr. Guerra, please don’t make this difficult for me. Your father called each of us, telling us not to have any contact with you, and that we can’t lend you a penny. If anyone tries to help you, we’ll be the ones in trouble.”
“You ungrateful jerk, don’t ever expect any favors from me again! Get lost, all of you!”
Furious, Chase threw his phone to the ground and sat on the curb, his head in his hands, overwhelmed with frustration.
Just then, a hand gently tapped his shoulder.
Chase was in such a foul mood that he shrugged off the hand violently, only to hurt himself in the process.
“Who the hell is it? Leave me alone,” Chase shouted.
When he looked up, he saw Ella.
“What are you doing here?” Chase asked.
Ella said, “Do you want to grab a bite to eat with me?”
“No.” His face turned red, and he awkwardly looked away.
“Why not? You’re clearly hungry. Oh, now I remember hearing about your grand claim. Whenever a woman dines with you, no matter her age, she never has to pay. How could you allow a lady to pick up the tab?”
Chase’s neck turned bright red as regret consumed him.
“Come on, I’m starving. I want to eat, and you can just watch.”
She forcibly dragged Chase to a nice restaurant and ordered pasta for him.
Chase’s eyes dimmed the moment the food arrived.
As the pasta was served, he swallowed hard, clearly hungry, but his pride wouldn’t let him say anything.
Ella took a few bites and then put down her knife and fork.
“I can’t finish it. Do you want it?” Ella asked.
“You’re offering me leftovers?” His eyes widened in indignation.
“Mr. Guerra, please do me a favor and finish it. I can’t eat too much or I’ll gain weight, but it would be such a waste to leave it. Please help me out,” she pleaded, almost coquettishly.
Chase took a long look at her, his gaze lingering on her waist.
“You do seem to have gained a bit of weight.”
Ella was speechless and thought, ‘Fine, starve then.‘
“Well, I suppose I can do you this favor.” Chase acted like he was doing her a huge favor.
As he devoured the pasta, he ate so fast that not a drop of soup remained.
Still, he wasn’t quite satisfied. Ella ordered another serving of pasta.
“I’m done,” Chase said.
“Come on, don’t stand on ceremony. Just pretend I’m not a woman, and think of it as a friend treating you to a meal. I won’t tell others, I promise. If you still feel guilty, you can pay me back later or treat me next time.”
Chase felt a lump in his throat.
He’d dated so many women, but none of them were like Ella.
This time, he didn’t put up a fight and ate the second serving of pasta, finally feeling content.
Ella asked, “Do you have a place to stay?”
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Chapter 134
Chase shook his head.
“A way to get around?”
He shook his head again.
“Seems like your dad isn’t messing around. Here’s some cash and car keys. Go get yourself a room.”
“Aren’t you afraid of retaliation from my father?”
“As long as I didn’t take that contract, and considering I didn’t demand any penalties, your dad will give me some leeway. He won’t go too far.”
Anyone else would have faced Kevin’s wrath without hesitation, but Ella had the upper hand. Kevin was already in the wrong, and since she had spared him, Kevin wouldn’t strike back, knowing it would make him look bad.
Chase said, “Ella, can you come with me to get a haircut? This hairstyle is just too awful.”
It was so bad he couldn’t even look at himself.
He used to have a stylish ponytail, oozing with a carefree charm. Now, it looked messy.
Ella took him to a salon, and Chase had only one request. It had to be stylish.
When he walked down the street, he wanted to be the biggest showstopper.
This left the barber stumped, and after some time, all he could manage was a simple buzz cut.
Chase exploded with anger. “Do you even know how to cut hair? How am I supposed to attract women like this?”
“Mr. Guerra, your hair was cut so close to the scalp that there was nothing left to style. I had no choice but to give you a buzz cut. Just wait for it to grow back.”
Chase shouted, “I’m going to kill you.”
Ella, who had fallen asleep on a nearby chair, was awakened by Chase’s loud complaints. She groggily opened her eyes and took a look.
Then she said lazily, “I think it looks good.”
She thought he looked much better than before, giving him a more rugged, masculine charm.
Then she adjusted her position and went back to sleep.
Chase’s temper was instantly soothed.
He let go of the barber’s collar and carefully approached her, crouching down to look at her.
Chase thought, ‘Her skin is so fair, and her eyelashes are long.”
As he got closer, he caught a faint scent from her, a fragrance he couldn’t quite place but found incredibly alluring.
Chase felt that Ella was more beautiful than any woman he had ever dated.
Chase said, “You probably don’t remember, but a few years ago at a party, I tried to chat you up, but you didn’t even look at me. Back then, I wasn’t into fooling around yet, and you gave me quite the cold shoulder. Later, I tried to find that feeling again with other women, but it was never the
same.
“Do you know how excited I was when you came looking for me? If you hadn’t rejected me back then, and we had a passionate romance, you’d be Mrs. Guerra now, not struggling like this…”
He was interrupted by Ella, who suddenly spoke up, “We’d have a fling and then break up soon after. You’d still be a playboy, and I’d be just another woman you discarded. We’d go our separate ways, and even if I faced hard times, I wouldn’t come to you for help.”
“You… You’re awake?”
“Because you’re too loud,” Ella sighed and rubbed her ears.
“So you heard everything?” Chase’s face turned crimson with embarrassment.
He wished he could disappear into the ground.
Ella stretched and yawned.
“Chase, there’s no chance for us. You’re not my type, and I can’t change your playboy ways. Whether it’s now or in the past, we’d always end up
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apart. You’re feeling this way now because people always fantasize about paths they didn’t take, over–romanticizing what could have been.
“Chase, I appreciate you getting the contract, but you didn’t do it for me. You did it for your pride, because you couldn’t stand the thought of breaking a promise and losing face. Still, I’m deeply grateful. Stop fighting with your father and go back to the Guerra family. Winning small battles with underhanded tactics might feel like a victory, but it’s hollow. When you’re no longer afraid of your father cutting you off, that’s when you’ll truly be ready to stand on your own.”
With that, she turned to leave.
Chase stared at her in a daze and said, “Ella, you weren’t like this before.”
She used to hide behind others, living a sheltered life.
But now, it seemed like she had been through so much, speaking words of wisdom that he had never expected.
“People have to grow up eventually.” She waved goodbye with a smile and walked away.
But she didn’t like growing up at all. If she could, she wanted to be protected forever, avoiding the harsh realities of the world.
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