Tangled Temptations

Hearing the words, Harvey let out a soft chuckle. "Do you think Eloise fancies you?" he asked in return.

Jacob was silent. He played the field, yet he'd found himself enamored with a married woman. He toyed with emotions but was at a loss on how to disentangle

his own.

Sitting in his car, he fished out a cigarette and stared blankly at the falling snow outside, a tightness in his chest. After a while, Harvey spoke gently, "Jacob, if it's causing you this much trouble, you don't have to get involved with Ravenna's stuff."

Jacob's throat bobbed. He forced out the words, rough and strained, "It's alright." Harvey didn't say anything more and hung up. This was a conversation between men, and he believed Jacob wasn't that weak and couldn't handle a little emotional turmoil. Besides, this sort of problem shouldn't even exist.

Meanwhile, Jacob tossed his phone aside, his fingers trembling slightly as he lit his cigarette.

Strange. When talking to Harvey, he felt calm, devoid of any petty jealousy. It was Landon he envied, because, like him, Landon couldn't have her, yet he held a place in her heart.

Jacob finished his cigarette. He dialed a well-known model he knew. After a brief chat, he drove to her apartment. The door barely closed behind them before they were stumbling into a passionate kiss.

This, he thought, was his life. Eloise was not someone he should get involved with, not even a sliver of sentiment.

After the fling, he leaned against the headboard and lit another cigarette. His phone buzzed-it was Ravenna.

Jacob found her annoying, and he knew she wanted more than just a fling. She aimed to marry into the Velonas, a prominent family.

He scoffed as he saw the incoming call. Did she think the Velonas were so grand?

After a moment, he answered the call. Ravenna's voice was soft and ingratiating, "Jacob, are you home? I made some late-night snacks, and I'm downstairs. If it's not too much trouble, could you come down and grab some?"

Late-night snacks? Jacob exhaled smoke, his response blunt, "I'm in someone else's bed."

Ravenna was taken aback. She hadn't expected Jacob to deny her even that small dignity. Trying not to sour their arrangement, Jacob's tone softened a bit. "Let's talk tomorrow." With that, he hung up.

After the call, his expression darkened. He was reminded of his collaboration with Eloise.

Jacob's mother had been deceived by a certain Velona scoundrel, only to find out after five years that he had a wife. That man never considered letting them live in the light. Now, that man's short-lived son was gone, and he begged Jacob to take over the family business, but still wouldn't acknowledge Jacob's mother, even though his wife had been dead for years.

Thanks to Tiara's introduction, Jacob had the chance to work with Eloise. What he couldn't secure for his mother, Eloise could.

Jacob knew that business was just business, and unnecessary feelings were against the rules, but he couldn't help himself. Maybe he'd never seen a woman as pure as Eloise in his chaotic world.

With that thought, he finished his cigarette and started getting dressed.

The model emerged from the bath, wrapped in a towel, looking alluring. Seeing him ready to leave, she wrapped her arms around him in discontent. "Leaving at this hour?"

Jacob pushed her away. He buckled his belt with swift precision and pinched her cheek with a wicked grin. "Got another girl." With that, he grabbed his keys and left.

The woman cursed behind him, "Jacob, you bastard."

As he changed his shoes at the door, Jacob heard her. A cold smile curled his lips. Of course, he was a bastard. With his background, hanging around shady places since he was 15, being anything but a bastard would be abnormal.

Jacob drove back to his place. A red sports car was parked downstairs. Ravenna was inside, scrolling through her phone.

Jacob pulled up beside her and wound down the window, casually resting his elbow. "Still waiting for me?"

Ravenna's eyes lit up. She gazed at Jacob, his face showing that lazy, sated look she knew came from a man who'd been satisfied by a woman. She felt a pang of jealousy and said with a hint of annoyance, "I was just about to leave."

She started her car, partly to test her standing with him.noveldrama

Jacob leaned in, turned off her engine, and stared at her with deep eyes. "Not happy? It's not like you didn't know what kind of man I am."

Ravenna froze. When Jacob spoke like that, he reminded her of Max. Before she knew it, she was wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

Ravenna was dirty, and Jacob knew that. But over the years, he'd seen all sorts of women. It wasn't that he didn't mind; he simply didn't care. So he kissed her back and slid into the passenger seat.

Minutes later, the sports car started rocking rhythmically.

The window wasn't quite shut, and through that sliver, one could see Ravenna's seductive allure and hear Jacob's husky breaths from inside.

Afterward, Ravenna lay in his arms. Her slender fingers traced his chest as she whispered softly, "Jacob, let's be together."

Jacob didn't respond; he reached for his pack of cigarettes, took one out, and lit it without looking at her.

Ravenna caressed his body, unable to let go. Maybe she loved this kind of bad boy.

She told him, "It's not just your background I'm after, Jacob. I'm sincere." She even promised to boost his image, to make his father see him in a new light.

Jacob listened, slowly blowing smoke rings. He was an expert at handling women -neither committing nor rejecting. The more distant he seemed, the more they laid everything at his feet.

Finally, he left her with one ambiguous line. "We'll see. As long as the funding comes through."

Ravenna stroked his handsome

face, her voice hoarse with emotion.

"I have a few million at my disposal. If the tips about the upcoming race are accurate, I'll put in a lot. I'm not worried about raising the funds."

Jacob gave a nonchalant smile.

Ravenna knew that to a man of his stature, such a sum was trivial. She wasn't keen on spending it all on

him, but

one must invest to reap

rewards. Now, she truly wanted to

settle down with him.

She thought of Veronica, of Eloise. Perhaps, she'd have to get on good terms with

them to marry into the Velonas.

...

On the other side, Harvey hung up

the phone. He watched the phone

for a few silent seconds, and then

the sound of a car rolling up the driveway signaled that Eloise was back with the kids.

He glanced at the housekeeper. With a nod, she assured him, "I won't mention a thing to the missus."

Harvey let out a faint chuckle and stepped out to greet his family.

In the dead of winter, the weather was biting cold, but he braved it in just a sweater, waiting to open the car door as soon as the vehicle came to a stop. Eloise stepped out and instinctively chided, "You're hardly dressed."

Harvey's gaze was intense. His fingers grazed her cheek, warm to the touch. Eloise's face flushed as she whispered, "Not in front of the children, please." Harvey smiled again, leaned into the car to lift Linda out, and kissed her tender cheek, asking, “Linda, does Daddy need to behave?"

Linda nestled comfortably against Harvey's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice crisp, "Mommy seems happy."

Eloise's cheeks turned even hotter. She hurried along, holding Luca's hand, while Harvey called out teasingly from behind, "Watch out for the little one."

She ignored him.

Harvey, carrying Linda, followed at a leisurely pace. In her soft voice, Linda said,

"We saw Uncle Landon at dinner today."

Harvey's eyes narrowed slightly. He asked calmly, "Who else was there?"

"Uncle Dwight and Blake, and there was a stranger who looked kind of flirty." Harvey didn't probe further.

Inside the foyer, Eloise had already shed her coat. She called for Linda to practice the piano. Linda clearly wanted to skimp on practice.

Eloise was tender-hearted; she disliked pushing the kids, but it was Harvey who tapped Luca's head gently and asked, "Isn't a girl who plays piano exceptionally graceful?"

"Yes," Luca responded with earnest precision.

Linda immediately raced to the piano and sat up straight. Eloise was rather speechless.

After a bath that evening, she sat at her vanity, applying her skincare routine.

Post-soak, her skin was supple, and Harvey had a penchant for caressing it every night, whether or not they made love. He leaned in close, inhaling softly at her

neck.