Chapter 238

Eliana’s thoughts suddenly went blank, and she unconsciously pushed Eli aside.

She turned around to see Maurice, who was looking downcast.

“The timing of my arrival seems to be out of whack.”

Maurice scowled as he struggled to hold back the rising rage that was welling up inside him. His words

had wry cynicism to them.

“There’s more to it than what you see…” Eliana felt compelled to clarify.

Without giving her the opportunity to explain, Maurice turned and walked away.

Eli felt it was insufficient, so he added, “Mr. Moran, goodbye.”

“Eli, you were deliberate in your actions. In addition, you simply lied to me.”

Eliana scowled at Eli with her eyes wide open as she raised her head. She hoped she could savage

him with her teeth.

Eli quickly surrendered by raising his hands. “Let go of your resentment. To be honest, I’d want to know

more about you and Maurice’s connection.”

“What conclusion have you gotten to?” Eliana scoffed.

“I’ve finally figured it out. The CEO of the Moran Group seems to have a one-sided crush on you.”

Knowing that Maurice’s affection for Eliana was unrequited, Eli felt a tinge of excitement.

“Shut up already.”

Eliana exhibited irritability and guilt.

She had no connection to Maurice. Why did she act as though she had been found cheating with

another man?

When Eliana noticed the bag on the couch, she realized she hadn’t returned Maurice’s clothing.

“Please don’t bother me anymore. I’ve nearly completely forgotten about my work. There are more

outfits available. Hung there. You don’t need anybody else to help you with that, I assume.”

Eliana scooped up the clothes and pursued Maurice.

She wasn’t trying to console Maurice. She just wanted to give the clothing back.

When Eliana arrived at Maurice’s office out of breath, he was already seated in his chair, head down,

doing business as if his recent gaffe outside the lounge had been a hallucination.

“Maurice, I can’t thank you enough for saving me yesterday. I have come to return your clothes.”

Eliana gave the clothing over to him. Maurice cocked his chin and sent a fleeting look at her.

“Toss it in the trash, Corbin.”

“Err…”

Corbin was scared to respond for fear of getting himself into trouble.

Eliana exhaled with rage. She was baffled as to how he could be so cruel.

“Maurice, it’s OK if you’re not happy with me. What makes you so angry that you have to let it all out on

the clothes?”

Slowly, Maurice placed the paper on the table and lifted his dark eyes to shoot a caustic gaze at her.

“Let it all out? You give yourself too much credit. Because it’s worthless, I discard it. In what capacity

should I retain this? Do you intend to utilize it in the CEO’s office as a backup?”

Eliana couldn’t bear the way Maurice spoke to her.

She didn’t need to explain herself because of this.

“As it stands now, I’ve given back the clothing. It’s entirely up to you how you handle it.”

Eliana forcibly handed Corbin the clothes. Maurice’s deep voice came from behind her as soon as she

turned around.

“Beware of Eli’s advances. He’s a troublemaker by nature.”

Eliana came to a halt and drew a big breath when she heard that.

“Maurice, I’ll only go over this with you once. I will only be by Eli’s side since one of my close friends

lost an essential ring, and it’s in Eli’s hands. It’s something I should retract. That is all there is to it.”

After making her statement, she walked away without turning around.

A ring…

Maurice narrowed his gaze. Before he could comprehend the situation, he heard Corbin’s outburst.

“She said a ring! Has Eliana mentioned the ring you’re also after? But why did the ring fall into Eli’s

hands?” Corbin said excitedly.

“The first objective is to get the ring from Eli, regardless of why it is in his possession.”

When he learned that the ring he had been seeking for so long was nearly in his reach, Maurice could

not help but feel irritated.

“But hold on a second.” Corbin went to a complete stop. “Eli is, after all, a well-known character around

town. Numerous individuals have seen him with the ring. Gerald, I’m afraid, has already learned of this

and acted accordingly.”

Maurice felt his stomach drop as his eyes flashed and his chest tightened.

“Then we must move quickly to reclaim the ring before Gerald takes action.”

The time to leave the work had come. Inger abruptly stopped Eliana as she was going to leave for

home.

“Do you want to come to supper with us tonight, Miss Pierce? The misunderstanding that arose

between you and Eli yesterday may be cleared up then.”

“Inger, get your mind off that. It does not have to be a personal issue for you. That’s done with,” Eliana

explained.

“What if I can’t help it? Please do that for me.”

Eliana could not again decline Inger’s request to accompany her to the restaurant, since it would be

impolite.

Eliana was surprised to see someone she didn’t anticipate as she entered the private dining room.