Chapter 196: Chapter 194: Only I Can Bully Her; Others Shouldn’t Even Think About It (8)

Footsteps approached. Nora Ainsworth froze, staring at the pair of shoes in front of her. She looked up and saw Ethan Ellsworth watching her.

"You’re a star now. Don’t let the paparazzi get a picture of you. Come on, let’s head back to the film city together."

Nora stirred, got to her feet, and followed Ethan Ellsworth into his car.

By the time they reached the hotel entrance, it seemed the reporters knew Nora wasn’t there; many were relentlessly hounding the new queen of controversy.

Seeing Nora return in Ethan’s car, a bold reporter asked, "Excuse me, Miss Ainsworth, what were you and Ethan Ellsworth doing in the middle of the night? Were you two—"

Before the reporter could finish, Ethan shut the car door. He slid his hands into his pockets and looked at the man with casual disdain. "When you go out with your mother, does that mean you’re up to something, too? Stop writing illogical garbage all day."

The reporter was left speechless, but he didn’t dare talk back to Ethan, so he simply shut his mouth.

The two of them stepped into the elevator, and Ethan spoke. "Once this series is finished filming, Nora, you should quit acting. The entertainment industry is a cesspool. You can’t handle it. Nora, just go anywhere. It would be better than this."

Nora stared straight ahead. "I’m not going to run. I have to face it sooner or later. What’s there to be afraid of? It’s not like they can actually eat me."

Ethan turned and grabbed her, forcing her to face him. "Tell me, why were you at Temptation tonight?"

"Charlotte Young sent me a message. She said Catherine Callahan was going to set up... him."

"Catherine Callahan setting up Quentin? Are you kidding me? Her, of all people? Is that even possible? It seems more likely that Charlotte Young used you."

"I know. She just wanted me there as a show of power—"

"If you knew, then why did you still go?" Ethan stared at her. "It was because of Quentin, wasn’t it?"

Nora remained silent. When the elevator doors opened, she stepped out and stopped. "He can marry anyone else. Anyone. Just not Catherine Callahan."

"But he’s engaged to Charlotte Young, not her." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Nora turned back. "But Charlotte Young is Catherine Callahan’s pawn. Catherine is ruthless. It wouldn’t be impossible for her to get rid of Charlotte. The only thing to worry about is if Charlotte actually develops feelings for him and breaks free from Catherine’s control."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he considered it. "That’s not entirely impossible. Catherine has always believed that even if she murdered someone, the Grant Family would secretly intervene and clean up her mess. That’s why she’s always acted with such impunity."

Just as he finished speaking, the clear sound of footsteps echoed from the stairwell. Ethan glanced over, pulled Nora into his room, and left the door cracked open a sliver.

People who take the stairs instead of the elevator are usually trying to avoid security cameras.

Sure enough, Ryan walked past the door of 808. Ethan opened his own door wider and watched as Ryan pushed open the door to room 805.

Then another set of footsteps approached. It was the clicking of high heels. He shut his door again, and peeking through the crack, he saw the silhouette of Cecelia Willow pass by.

The two of them had entered the same room, one after the other. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what their relationship was.

Besides, what they had seen from Chloe Marshall’s balcony that one night had already made their affair perfectly clear.

Nora and Ethan exchanged a look. She whispered, "This business is just so filthy."

Ethan replied, "It’s consensual. Let them do as they please."

"I’m going back to my room to get some rest."

Nora hurried over to her own door.

She closed the door, walked further inside, and flicked on the light, only to find Leon Lynch sitting on the edge of her bed.

She jumped in surprise.

"How did you get in? I remember locking the door."

Leon dangled a key from his fingers. "I had a copy made. I thought you were actually staying downtown tonight."

"I didn’t. I just happened to run into Ethan Ellsworth and caught a ride back with him."

Leon pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number. "Bring the late-night meal up."

Then he hung up.

"I don’t eat this late," Nora said. "Eating at night makes you gain weight."

Leon’s brow furrowed. "You have to eat it. This isn’t just a regular late-night meal."

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. He got up, answered it, and returned carrying a steaming bowl of a restorative tonic.

Seeing the ingredients in the bowl, Nora froze.

"This is..."

"It’s all to help with blood loss," Leon said, handing her the bowl. "This kind is restorative, not a stimulant. Drink it all."

Nora’s heart warmed as she accepted the bowl. "Wow, Leon Lynch, my image of you just got about a hundred times better. From now on, you might as well just change your name to ’Mr. Sweetheart’."

He scoffed. "So what was your image of me before? Short and pathetic?"

"Not that, no. Just... not quite so tall and heroic."

He sat down beside her. "Speaking of tall, I’m six feet, so I’m plenty tall. As for ’heroic’...? Well, you haven’t even tried me out yet."

Nora gave him a light shove. "Oh, get out of here. I give you a couple of compliments and it goes straight to your head."

"Mm. From now on, one bowl a day, each with different ingredients. You look very pale."

The restorative congee at her lips was fragrant and sweet. "Leon Lynch, I have to say, you’re incredibly thoughtful. I wouldn’t have even thought to buy this for myself, but you thought of it for me."

"You never take proper care of yourself. Finish it and get some sleep. I’m heading back to my room now."

"Okay."

’She held the bowl, the fragrant aroma filling her senses. I’ve always felt indebted to him, and the kinder he was to me, the more that feeling grew.’

’I desperately wanted to tell him that I hoped he would find a woman who truly loved him and get married. But I was afraid that, in a fit of pique, he might just grab any random woman and make a mess of his life. That wasn’t what I wanted for him.’

’What should I do?’

’What’s the right thing to do?’

Lying in bed, she opened her laptop. The online backlash was far more intense than she’d imagined. On her social media page, there were hundreds of thousands of hateful comments.

People were cursing her out in every way imaginable, saying the most awful things.

Every online forum and message board was talking about her. It seemed the name "Nora Ainsworth" had become synonymous with everything people loved to hate.

’So this is what it feels like to be famous for being infamous.’

’Probably after this series is done filming, even if I don’t quit, no one will want to hire me anyway.’

’This was his first move. So,’ she worried, ’what’s his second?’

’As long as he comes after me, I can take it. As long as he doesn’t target the people I care about, I’ll be fine.’

’But I’m terrified he’ll go after the people who care about me. If that happens, how could I possibly not be crushed?’

She searched for the name "Quentin Grant," and his profile immediately appeared. There was only one photo that was a close-up of his face. Staring at it, Nora’s hand unconsciously reached out, her fingers gently touching the screen. She left her hand there for a long, long time.

Halfway through the drive, Quentin Grant pulled the car over. He turned to look at Charlotte Young. "Back in the private room... were you the one who tripped her?"

Charlotte stammered, "I... I didn’t mean to."

"So you did do it on purpose. Don’t think I didn’t see it. Let me tell you something, Charlotte. In this entire world, I’m the only one who gets to bully her. No one else should even dream of it. Now, get out of the car!"

Shuddering, Charlotte grabbed her bag and got out. As she watched the car drive away, her eyes fixed on the license plate.