The guyâs voice was lighthearted, and he was also chuckling. Judging from the background noise, he was probably out and about.
Ellinor said, âItâs me.â
On the other end of the line, Bartlett Rex paused briefly. Then a glint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
âEllinor? This is a surprise! You actually called me?â
Ellinor got straight to the point. âMr. Rex, can you do me a favor?â
Bartlett asked with a laugh, âWhatâs in it for me?â
A small frown creased Ellinorâs brow, and she forced a smile, âShouldnât you ask me what I need help with first?â
Bartlettâs voice took on a teasing tone, âThatâs not important! As long as you give me a chance to be near you, I wouldnât hesitate, even if you asked me to drop dead.â
Ellinorâs smile grew more awkward. She had once thought that Chase was the sweetest talker sheâd ever met, but after meeting Bartlett, she realized he was the real deal.
Ellinor didnât entertain Bartlettâs sweet talk any longer and stated her intentions.
Bartlett didnât waste time either and stated what he wanted in return.
After some consideration, Ellinor agreed to his conditions and hung up.
Bartlett still had a few words to say, but Ellinor didnât give him the chance and ended the call, leaving him staring at his phone with a sigh of regret.
âBartlett, who were you on the phone with?â Jonah Wytonâs arm draped around his shoulders from behind.
Bartlett pocketed his phone and smiled, âJust a subordinate from the company, asking me some stuff.â
Jonah didnât suspect a thing and laughed, âLetâs continue drinking then; weâve gotta get Kemp drunk tonight!â
Bartlett followed Jonah back to the bar.
Meanwhile, just as Ellinor ended the call with Bartlett, an unknown number called in.
The phone belonged to Ida, so the callerâs name wasnât displayed. Ellinor didnât plan to pick up random calls and hung up.
But the unknown number called again immediately, which Ellinor again ignored.
After a few rounds of this, the number called for the sixth time. Worried that it might be something important, Ellinor picked up.
âIda, why arenât you answering my calls?â Ellinor was about to explain that she wasnât Ida, but then realized the voice sounded familiar.
âHmph! Youâve blocked me on social media too! What the hell are you trying to do? Havenât I already apologized?â Ellinor recognized the voice as Byranâs but was surprised. Why would he call Ida? What did they have to do with each other?
Byran continued, âHello, Ida, why arenât you saying anything? Are you still mad at me?
Oh, come on, Iâm not even mad that you complained to my brother and had him send people to mess with me, so why are you being so hard on me? You werenât like this when you pushed me onto the bed that night!
You canât just dump me like this!â
Ellinor finally understood the situation, and her expression became serious. She rubbed her forehead lightly, âWhen did you two start?â
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
In a stern voice, Ellinor said, âAnswer me!â