Ella felt a wave of frustration wash over her, thinking that n really could be as flirtatious, fickle, and lighthearted as the male lead in the movie.
Hmph!
She shook off Eric’s hand and stomped back into the cabin, her footsteps echoing her annoyance.
Eric chuckled to himself. He hadn’t expected Ella to get upset over such a small thing. But this was what he considered normal behavior in a relationship. Too much rationality and calmness could sotis make a person seem like they weren’t fully invested. Only when a woman truly cares about a man would she get upset over a simple joke.
This wasn’t pettiness—it was a sign that she cared deeply.
Eric followed her back into the cabin, only to be surprised when he saw Ella sitting next to Rachel, both engrossed in their own gas.
Was this so kind of silent protest?
Eric chuckled softly. This little spitfire was becoming increasingly unpredictable, and he found it endearing.
He walked over and bent down to kiss Ella gently on the cheek. "Are you mad?"
His deep, magnetic voice sent a shiver down Ella’s spine, but she responded with a cold huff. "Mad? What does that even an?"
Eric couldn’t help but smile, his eyes crinkling with amusent. "Alright, don’t be mad. I was just teasing you."
Ella, still annoyed, ignored him. At that mont, Richard suddenly erged from the movie room, looking serious. "Eric, co outside. I need to talk to you about sothing."
Noticing the concern on Richard’s face, Eric nodded and whispered in Ella’s ear, "I’ll be back soon. Be careful."
With that, he followed Richard out, leaving Ella with a subtle smile. He was worried she might get into trouble, but how could soone as clever as she ever be outsmarted?
Rachel then set down her phone and smiled broadly at Ella. "Ella, are you thirsty? How about I cut an apple for us to share?"
She eagerly grabbed a knife and an apple from the fruit tray and handed them to Ella.
Ella blinked, wondering what Rachel was up to this ti.
She smiled lightly, swiped a few tis on her phone, and then set it aside. "Thanks," she said nonchalantly, taking the knife and apple and beginning to peel it slowly.
Rachel seed a bit uneasy. She stood up, paced around, and glanced outside at Richard and Eric’s retreating figures.
Because of the noise from the moving boat, neither Rachel nor Ella could hear what the n were discussing.
Ella glanced at Rachel, who was wearing a tight, long white sweater, with her red coat discarded on the sofa. Her long legs were encased in black skinny pants, and she wore bright yellow boots, giving her a youthful, vibrant look.
Unfortunately for Rachel, Eric didn’t seem interested in her at all.
Ella returned her attention to peeling the apple, staying calm and focused, while Rachel approached her.
"Ella, I wanted to ask you sothing..." Rachel leaned in, attempting to whisper in Ella’s ear. But before she could say anything, Ella felt the knife in her hand hit sothing, and Rachel suddenly scread.
Rachel jumped back, staring at the back of her hand, blowing on it frantically.
Ella watched her childish behavior with a mix of disgust and disbelief.
But when she looked more closely, she saw that Rachel’s pale hand now had a thin, bleeding scratch, with blood slowly seeping out and forming droplets that fell to the floor.
"Rachel, what are you screaming about now?" Richard walked in with a frown, followed closely by Eric. Rachel’s sudden scream had alard them both, making them think sothing serious had happened.
Seeing Ella still sitting calmly on the sofa, Eric felt a sense of relief. Despite her toughness, he knew that so people were hard to guard against.
"I-I-I... I accidentally cut my hand!" Rachel stamred, casting a pitiful glance at Richard before grabbing so tissues from the table to press against her bleeding hand.
Richard glanced at the fruit knife in Ella’s hand and furrowed his brow. "The knife is in Ella’s hand—how did you manage to get yourself cut?"
Eric cast a cold glance at Rachel before sitting down beside Ella, who was looking at Rachel with a mixture of exasperation and amusent.
Eric’s lips curled into a slight smile. So, this little thing was dealing with quite a tricky opponent, huh?
"I-I... I was just trying to talk to Ella, but sohow I ended up cutting my hand. I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose!" Rachel explained softly, her eyes full of false innocence as she looked at Ella.
What a perfect act of self-victimization!
Ella let out a soft laugh. If this were soone like Brandon, a master of romantic deceit, he might have been fooled by Rachel’s performance.
But Eric wasn’t Brandon.
Ella turned to Eric. "Eric, what do you think? Did I cut Rachel?"
She genuinely wanted to see how Eric would respond in this situation.
But before Eric could say anything, Rachel hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no! Ella didn’t do it on purpose, please don’t bla her!"
Despite her words, tears began to roll down Rachel’s cheeks, each one more dramatic than the last. Her crying was so convincing it could easily earn her a Best Supporting Actress award.
"I trust you, not outsiders," Eric said with a wicked smile, his perfect expression almost srizing.
Richard frowned, giving a displeased snort but refraining from giving an opinion. Rachel’s performance was so convincing that even he was montarily unsure of what to believe. Though he generally didn’t care much for Rachel, seeing her injured did stir so sympathy in him.
Rachel’s crying intensified. "Cousin, please don’t bla Ella, she didn’t an to hurt . I was just... just trying to ask her sothing, and she might have been startled, causing her to accidentally move the knife."
Ella chuckled inwardly. Rachel was playing the part of the innocent victim to perfection. If she were dealing with a less emotionally intelligent man, he might feel compelled to protect her.
Rachel’s tear-filled eyes, long and fluttering lashes dampened with tears, made her look particularly vulnerable and endearing.
Her delicate face was a picture of distress, tinged with anxiety and hurt, as if she had suffered so great injustice.
Yet, despite Rachel’s convincing act, her hand did indeed have a genuine cut, with blood still dripping steadily from the wound.
Richard, being her cousin, couldn’t remain indifferent, even if they weren’t particularly close. Seeing her injured, his instinct was to help.
At that mont, Alia walked out, frowning as she took in the scene. Richard quickly fetched a first-aid kit. "No matter what happened, let’s get that wound taken care of first. Ella didn’t an it, so don’t hold it against her."
Richard spoke gently, while Ella kept her gaze on Rachel, who kept her head down. But in Rachel’s eyes, there was a brief flash of triumph that no one else seed to notice.
Even her usually indifferent cousin was starting to fall for her act!
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