Chapter 410 193: Elise

Sean smiled. Pulente was Olivia's pick, after all, so he was naturally capable.

He watched the reporter's interview with Pulente on TV. The man remained resolute, his every word reinforcing the theme of "greatness." Sean wondered to himself, 'Should I give him a call to congratulate Mr. Pulente on his reelection as Governor?'

Just as he picked up his phone, the doorbell rang.

"DING-DONG—"

"Who is it?"

Sean called out.

"Who else could it be?"

Elise's charming voice came from outside the door. "It's me, of course."

Sean: "?"

Seeing that Sean didn't explicitly refuse, Liss got up with a sly smile to open the door.

'This is going to be good!'

"Please come in, Sister Elise."

Liss opened the door.

Elise stood there in a silk nightgown, her posture languid. The thin fabric was loose where it should be and tight where it needed to be, outlining her wonderfully sultry curves. The nightgown's neckline was low, yet not revealing, hiding her ample, snowy mounds just enough to be tantalizingly vague. Below the hem, a pair of long, shapely, smooth legs stretched down, their gentle curves extending all the way to her ankles. Her open-toed slippers revealed clean, neat toes painted with red nail polish, looking like a row of washed cherries that could inexplicably whet one's appetite.

She lifted one leg slightly and gave Sean a bewitching smile. "The bare legs you asked for, Mr. Sean."

Sean: "?"

"Wait, are you for real?"

Elise's eyes were challenging. "What, scared?"

Sean averted his gaze and said coolly, "I was just wondering how you managed to come over dressed like that without getting hacked to death by Elvire."

"Don't worry." Elise sauntered over to Sean's side, sat down, and said, "She's already asleep."

Sean froze for a second and instinctively glanced at the time.

It was only ten at night.

"This early?"

"She's exhausted."

Elise complained on behalf of her good friend, "It's not like you don't know how much has been going on these past few days."

The most troublesome part of taking over Kovloki's businesses was all the contracts. It didn't just involve dealing with businessmen, but also "reporting" to the local government. Sean didn't have much experience in this area, so Elvire was handling it all personally. On her busiest day, Elvire met with over fifty people from morning till night. She never said a word about it to Sean, just handed him the signed contracts.

Just when she finally finished everything and could take a day off, maybe go play some golf, she woke up to see Sean coming out of Eleanor's room. So she got busy again—busy hunting down a certain scumbag.

Sean: "…"

'That was a real misunderstanding.'

Sean felt a pang of guilt and said, "Maybe I should go apologize to her?"

'Elvire worked herself to the bone to help me, to the point she's dead tired, and I still went and pissed her off. How shameless of me…'

"Don't go tonight. Let her get some proper rest," Elise said. "As for apologizing, you can just make another mistake in a little while and apologize for everything at once some other day."

Sean: "?"

"What mistake?"

"What do you think, Mr. Writer?"

Elise leaned closer to Sean, her finger lightly flicking the strap on her shoulder. The strap instantly slid down, revealing a flawless, snowy-white shoulder. Then, with a little "oops," she said, "This dress is so slippery."

Sean: "…"

'Not just slippery, but white, too.'

Sean decisively turned his head away, refusing to look at her, and said in a serious tone, "Miss Elise, please have some self-respect."

"Pfft." Off to the side, Liss burst out laughing.

Sean: "?"

"What are you laughing at?"

Elise chimed in with a grin, "She's laughing at someone who clearly wants to look but insists on pretending to be a gentleman. Why bother?"

Liss: "Yes, yes, yes."

Sean: "?"

"What was that?"

Liss quickly corrected herself, "No, no, no! Master isn't that kind of person!"

"Is that so?" Elise's smile deepened as her fingertips brushed across Sean's cheek. "Then why are you so tense?"

"Your whole body is rigid."

Sean grabbed her hand and threatened, "I'm afraid if I lose control for just a moment, you'll have to answer to Elvire."

"What kind of thing is that to say?" Elise couldn't help but retort. "As if you've been so faithful to Elvire yourself."

Sean, though he had no ground to stand on, said with confidence, "Because I'm being forced."

"Who's forcing you?" Elise refused to take the blame. "I'm not holding a knife to your throat and making you do anything to me."

Sean: "Yes, you are."

"Lust is a blade hanging over a man's head."

Elise: "…"

'That's Sean for you.'

"Fine."

"If you're going to put it that way, then I guess I'll just have to force you." Elise's smile turned suggestive. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Should we do it here, or go back to a room?"

'Such shameless words...' Eleanor felt she couldn't listen anymore. If something really happened, they couldn't just stand by and watch. What would that make them look like!

She quickly pulled her sister away to give them some space.

On her way out, she also turned the TV volume to maximum, filling the living room with the phrase "great again."

"Master, we're going to go rest now. You and Miss Elise take your time."

"So well-behaved," Elise praised. "Next time you two sneak snacks, I'll help keep it a secret."

Sean: "?"

Eleanor: "…"

Liss: "Okay, okay, okay!"

"Okay, my foot!"

"Let's go."

Eleanor dragged Liss into the bedroom and shut the door.

"Alright, now it's just the two of us." Elise's gaze fell back on the man before her. She studied Sean's face from extremely close up and couldn't help but sigh. "You really are handsome. It makes one want to just eat you up."

Sean, completely unmoved by Elise's fragrance, pulled back to create some distance and said calmly, "What did you come to see me for? Just say it."

Elise couldn't help but laugh. "Still playing dumb?"

"Playing dumb once is cute, but twice makes you a block of wood."

She took Sean's hand, placed it on her own shoulder, and slowly guided it downwards. Her eyes, whether from pleasure or some other emotion, narrowed into crescent moons. Her red lips parted slightly. "Mr. Writer, don't you want me?"

Instead of answering, Sean retorted, "Can you do this and still face Elvire?"

"Good question." Elise's smile became meaningful. She took Sean's hand and placed it on his own chest. "Why don't you first search your heart, Mr. Sean, and ask yourself: can *you* still face Elvire?"

Sean's heart tightened.

His earlier suspicion that Elise might already know his true identity resurfaced in his mind.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Sean said without a blush or a flutter of his heart, "We've lived together for so long. Can't you tell whether or not my feelings for Miss Flame Crow are genuine?"

"Yes," Elise said softly, caressing Sean's face. "Of course I can tell. You really do like her."

"But..."

"You said you like her, but you never said you *only* like her, did you?"

Sean: "…"

'How do you understand me so well?'

He feigned anger and slapped Elise's hand away again. "What kind of person do you take me for?"

Elise smiled. "I take you for Lord Blake."

Sean: "?"

His heart skipped a beat.

Elise continued, a reminiscent look in her eyes, "Tell me, does Lord Blake like the Saintess?"

"Of course he does."

She answered her own question. "But at the same time, Lord Blake also liked Miss Flame Crow's sister, Daeli."

"Now, after so many years, Lord Blake has probably found even more people to like."

"So, you see, Mr. Sean, you don't have to be so tense."

"If even Lord Blake makes these kinds of 'mistakes,' what's the problem with you making one too?"

Sean: "…"

'It sounds like Elise is just using Lord Blake as a metaphor.'

'But is it really just a metaphor?'

Sean decided he couldn't continue this conversation with Elise.

'This woman is too smart. I might not be able to bluff my way through. What if she isn't certain I'm Blake and is just testing me? If I accidentally give myself away, it'll be a huge mess.'

So Sean put on an angry face and said, "Silence! Do not speak ill of Lord Blake behind his back!"

"Alright," Elise said with a smile. "Then let's change the subject."

"Since you respect Lord Blake so much, then you should hold me while you sleep tonight."

Sean: "?"

"What does one have to do with the other?"

"Of course there's a connection."

Elise tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "Has Mr. Sean forgotten? Besides your Miss Flame Crow, I am also your Dual Cultivation partner."

"This was personally arranged by Lord Blake himself."

"Mr. Sean, you wouldn't want Lord Blake to find out you've disobeyed his orders, would you?"

Sean: "???"

…