Chapter 345: Driven to Denial

“I need to ask you something!” Easton’s tone suddenly turned serious, compelling Ellis to instantly turn off her phone screen and face him.

“What is it?” She couldn’t think of any serious matter Easton could have with her, so her voice was laced with impatience.

“Did you also think I cheated with Victoria?” Easton asked bluntly, his gaze fixed intently on her, not missing any of her reactions.

Ellis raised her eyebrows in surprise. Also think? His choice of words was amusing! It was obvious he had cheated with Victoria! Anyone with eyes could see the deep connection he had with Victoria, how he treated her better than he had ever treated Ellis. What gave him the audacity to ask me such a question today?

“Did you really corner me just to ask this trivial question?” Arguing with Easton on the street, or getting entangled in a dispute, would likely draw unwanted attention from passersby. She didn’t want to make a spectacle of herself, so she tried to respond calmly.

“To me, it’s not trivial at all. This is about my reputation and…” Easton seemed engulfed by a tangled mess, only Ellis could pull him out, “…I don’t like being misunderstood.”

Ellis couldn’t understand why Easton was fretting over something so pointless, but his ability to lie with a straight face was impressive, denying any affair with Victoria as if everyone else was blind to their flirtation. After silently mocking him in her mind, Ellis shot him a look of disdain. “How boring!”

With that, she tried to walk away, but suddenly, it felt like vines had wrapped around her right wrist, stopping her in her tracks. Easton’s warmth spread from his touch, and Ellis, uncomfortable with his contact, vigorously shook her hand, demanding, “Easton, let go of me!”

“Just a few minutes of your time.” It had been days since she had last left her house, and this was already pushing Easton’s limits. He needed to clear things up today, or his head might just explode.

As Easton finished speaking, Ellis felt her body involuntarily moving. Caught off guard, she didn’t have time to react. Forced into Easton’s car, she finally came to her senses and looked at Easton, who was now sitting in the driver’s seat. Her upbringing restrained her from unleashing a torrent of curses, and instead she asked,

“Answer my earlier question. I need an answer.” Easton’s tone was defiant, subtly conveying how important this was to him.

Ellis, trying to open the car door and turning away from him in disgust, muttered, “You’re really annoying!”

“Why won’t you just answer me directly?” To prevent her from leaving as soon as she got in, Easton had already locked the doors. “Stop, you can’t open it.”

Fueled by anger, Ellis leaned toward Easton and hit his shoulder. Then, she found the lock button and tried to unlock the door. Easton, as if challenging her, covered her hand with his larger one and moved it away from the lock.

Frustrated by Easton, Ellis glared at him and snapped, “Don’t you know whether you cheated on Victoria or not? Stop playing dumb with me!”

Initially unsure if Ellis also misunderstood him having an affair with Victoria, the latter part of her statement left Easton feeling as if something was pulling at him, draining his strength.

“I don’t know! I never cheated on Victoria from start to finish!” he asserted.

“Pathetic liar, that’s what you are!” Unable to shake his hand off, Ellis resorted to pinching the back of his hand, hoping the pain would make him let go. Little did she know, the slight pain she inflicted was nothing compared to the turmoil Easton was feeling. His focus entirely on her, seeing her dislike his touch, he reluctantly let go of her hand.

“So, you’ve always thought I cheated with Victoria?” His lips tightened slightly, his emotions complex and hard to discern. “I didn’t cheat!” Others might misunderstand him, but she should not. His exasperating insistence on clarifying a non-existent affair led Ellis to disbelieve him completely. People said whatever they wanted, and no matter how sincere, words did not necessarily reflect truth or correctness. People could lie.

Does he really believe he can brush off an affair with a few casual remarks and take me for a fool? Does he think I didn’t notice the way he was with Victoria?

With an expressionless face, she said, “Oh, I see.” Since he wanted to play his little games of deception, she decided to play along to disengage smoothly from his grasp, humor him for a bit longer. Why not?

“You don’t believe me, do you?” Easton could clearly hear the thick layer of feigned interest in her voice, and his emotions suddenly intensified, his chest heaving as he stared directly at her and grabbed her wrist again.