Patricia had been giving her the cold shoulder from the get-go, and now it was even worse!
Ellinor stared ahead with determined eyes and replied coolly. âSeems like weâre not heading in the same direction.â
Patricia laughed cordially. âEven if weâre not, I can take a detour and give you a lift! We know each other well enough. Itâs no biggie to drop you off!â
âNo need to go out of your way.â
âEllinor, youâre not scared of me, are you?â
Ellinor chuckled lightly, âWhat would I be scared of?â
Patricia still had her best innocent smile on her face, âYouâre afraid Iâll retaliate, arenât you? Ha ha, relax, Ellinor. After what happened last time. even if I wanted to get back at you, I wouldnât do it now, and definitely not in my car! That would just land me in hot water! Iâm not that stupid to shoot myself in the foot!â
Ellinor gave her a sidelong glance, âSo whatâs your game?â
Patricia looked dead serious, âI just want to have a chat with you. Is that okay?â
Even though Ellinor knew Patriciaâs sincerity was all for show, she still got in the car.
She was fed up with Patricia following her around, and she couldnât find a ride anyway!
Once she got in the car, Ellinor let out a tired yawn, âI need to get home, so you might as well drop me off!â
Patricia awkwardly said, âEllinor, I need to drop lunch off to my brother at the office first. Can I take you home after that?â
Ellinor knew it wouldnât be a straight shot; she furrowed her brows and sighed, âFine!â
Patricia patted the lunchbox next to her, grinning like a Cheshire cat, âMy brother loves the food from this place. He always finishes everything when I bring it to him.â
Ellinor didnât even bother to look up; she responded nonchalantly, âOh, really?â
She knew from the start that Patricia wouldnât have anything interesting to say!
Seeing Ellinorâs disinterested look, Patriciaâs smile faded a bit. She was a tad peeved but quickly plastered a brighter smile on her face, âEllinor, Iâve accepted the thing with Theo now! But how did you manage to change my brotherâs attitude towards you? Care to share?â
Ellinor gave a light smile, âIâm curious too, Ms. Howard. Did your brotherâs attitude towards me really change? From my perspective, it doesnât seem like it!â
Patricia frowned slightly, trying to keep her sweet smile, âEllinor, donât play dumb! My brother clearly didnât like you at first, but then he obviously warmed up to you, didnât he?â
Without thinking, Ellinor answered, âYour brother may not have been fond of me initially, but itâs not like he hated me. The reason he ended up disliking me, isnât it because of all the misunderstandings you stirred up? Now that everythingâs cleared up, he obviously realized he was wrong about me, hence his slightly better attitude.â
Patricia smirked slightly, and she couldnât hide her irritation and let out a scoff, âSlightly better? The way my brother treats you now is way over the top! Not normal at all! Ellinor, do you and my brother have a secret or something?â
Patriciaâs probing made Ellinor cautious. Recently, Patricia and her mother Xenia had been investigating her in the countryside. Although she had Chase deal with it, she couldnât be sure they wouldnât accidentally find some leads.
She couldnât let them find out about her blood ties with the Howard family yet. It wouldnât help the investigation into her motherâsâpast! After a few seconds of silence, Ellinor chuckled, âMs. Howard, are you jealous? Your brother, whoâs always doted on you, is showing a bit of affection towards another girl, and you canât handle it?â
Patricia was hit where it hurt. She gritted her teeth secretly; her smile was even brighter as she said, âJealous? Why would I be? My brother has plenty of women around him. Why would I be jealous of them? Can any woman compare to his own sister in his heart? Iâm just baffled; my brother never liked your type before!â
Ellinor smiled subtly, âWhy donât you ask your brother then? Ask him why he changed his attitude towards me. He dotes on you so much, so heâd definitely tell you!â