Tangled Temptations

Eloise lost her job, but she didn't want Michelle to stress, so she kept it on the down-low.

She sat on a park bench, spacing out in silence. Despite the sunshine, Eloise felt a chill. She did some quick mental math about her finances. Bowen & Partners were about to hit her with a whopper of a bill, and she had to chip in some money for her dad. What was left in the pot was not much.

Eloise gently removed a thin chain from around her neck. There was a pale pink diamond hanging on it. She stroked it for a while before deciding to hit up a pawnshop. The manager checked it for a good while before naming his price, "If you want to buy it back anytime, I can only give you 6 grand. But if you're ready to say goodbye to this necklace, I can give you 20 grand. What do you say?"

That pink diamond was worth at least 50 grand, but Eloise couldn't afford to be picky. She needed the money!

Eloise gave a bitter smile, "Just take it."

She got a check for 20 grand, combined with what she had, and settled the score with Bowen & Partners.

As she stepped outside, she got a call from Veronica. Veronica had heard the news of Eloise's job and offered, "Where are you? Let me treat you to dinner." Eloise couldn't go home, so she agreed to have a dinner with Veronica.

Veronica treated her to a barbecue buffet. As they sat in the bustling restaurant, Veronica flipped meat on the grill, venting about Ravenna, "That obnoxious woman, I couldn't stand her ever since in college! If there was a guy with even a hint of success, she'd be all over him. Remember when you were with Max? She was sniffing around him like a bitch in heat."

Hearing this, Eloise cracked a smile, "Well, she finally got what she wanted."

She filled Veronica in on Ravenna's words.

Veronica was flabbergasted, then furious, "Oh my god! She's shameless! And Max is just as bad! They're a match made in hell."

To cheer Eloise up, Veronica added, "Don't sweat it! Max is Orlena's problem now. Whatever he does is none of our business."

Eloise remembered something Harvey once said about Orlena attempting suicide over Max. Maybe Harvey knew about all this mess and was just turning a blind eye!

Lost in thought, Veronica nudged her, "Don't you dare get upset over that jerk." Eloise shook her head, "I won't."

Veronica sighed, "That's my girl! Money's more important than some guy."noveldrama

Worried that Eloise was short on cash, she pulled out a bank card to give her. Eloise declined, whispering, "I'm good for now."

Veronica didn't believe it.

Eloise picked up a piece of meat and placed it on her plate, murmuring, "I sold the necklace."

Veronica was stunned. After a moment, she said with a trembling voice, "Why didn't you talk to me first? That was the only thing your mom left you. You've had it since you were a kid."

Just as Eloise was about to comfort her, her phone rang. It was a call from her part-time job at the restaurant. Eloise picked up, listened for a moment, then slowly hung up, speaking, "I got fired from the restaurant."

Veronica was livid. She said, "This has got to be Max's doing! Why can't he just leave you alone? Eloise, we should confront him and fight for your rights! This lowlife lied to you for four years, and now he wants to push you into a corner?" Eloise tried to calm Veronica down. She asked Veronica not to go, because Eloise knew Max was doing all this to pressure her into becoming his mistress!

Veronica was so angry she started to cry, "How could Max treat you like this! Not only is he engaged to someone else, but he's also having an affair with that shameless Ravenna! He's ruined and he still dares to ask you to come back to him?"