Chapter 1539:

“Not leaving, huh? So tell me—what are you really after, Ellis?”

Ellis locked eyes with Charlette, noticing just how tired she looked, then reached up and plucked the cigarette from her fingers.

“You know that’ll ruin your health, right?”

Charlette stared at him in disbelief for a moment before snapping with a smirk, “What, you think you get to discipline me now? Are you playing the role of my friend’s brother, an old coworker, or just some guy I hooked up with once?”

A frown tugged at Ellis’s face.

“Is that seriously all we are to you?”

Charlette always seemed indifferent to everything, even herself. Whenever anyone tried to get close, she’d throw up her defenses, prickly and impossible to approach.

Charlette twisted to her side and let out a sharp, dismissive laugh.

“What do you expect? If this is too much for you, then walk out. The exit’s right there.”

But Ellis didn’t budge. Even though drinking had never been his thing, he went straight to her bar cart, grabbed a bottle of whiskey, and took a long gulp.

The taunting expression faded from Charlette’s face, giving way to a far more solemn look. Had Ellis completely lost his mind? He was gulping down whiskey like water. Was he even thinking about his health?

A strange rush of emotion took hold of Charlette, and before she could stop herself, she pulled the bottle away from him and hurled it to the floor, smashing it to pieces.

“Stop it! What are you even trying to prove?”

𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻: gⲁ𝗅ⲛ𝗈ν𝗍𝖊𝗅𝘀․ⅽ𝗈𝗺

Dark streaks of liquor traced down Ellis’s chin and soaked into his shirt, leaving sharp, messy stains against the crisp white fabric.

Charlette’s brows knitted together, frustration bubbling up in every shaky breath.

“If you’re desperate for a drink, go somewhere else. If you’re set on killing yourself, don’t do it in front of me,” she snapped.

Anyone else would’ve walked away after getting snapped at like that, probably grumbling about how difficult she was.

Yet Ellis stood his ground. His eyes stayed calm and steady on Charlette, not a hint of irritation or sorrow, as if he could quietly absorb all her fury without flinching.

Staring back at him, Charlette felt her fury slip away, her heart easing beneath the calm steadiness of his gaze.

In a soft voice, Ellis said, “You really shouldn’t get so worked up. It’s not good for you.”

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