The moment Max heard Ella’s voice, his heart stilled.
He turned around and suddenly, every thought in his mind was reduced to dust. His heart started thumping again, louder than before.
’She looks so beautiful...’
Ella looked way thinner than the last time he saw her, her features were not obscured by her simple outfit and messy short hair. If anything, they seemed to enhance it.
In fact, Max could tell that Ella had not lost her weight entirely, nor had she reverted to her model figure.
But there was something about her... that he found so beautiful right now that he could not put a finger on it.
She seemed to be glowing with a different life. Her eyes were brighter and her smile was not lifeless. Most of all, she seemed to be so sure of herself.
When she was his girlfriend, he had never seen these qualities in her.
Max’s gaze trailed Ella till she walked past him and stood beside Ruby.
Her lashes fluttered once before her gaze shifted to him.
Max noticed the way her gaze dropped to his lips.
Heat rose to his ears, his heart thudded in his chest. She... She wanted to kiss him?
Then, he noticed her gaze trailing downwards, towards his neck.
Max was speechless. She wanted to do more as well?
"Public indecency is embarrassing," Ella said suddenly.
"What?" Max snapped out of his reverie and followed her gaze.
The moment he saw the hickies around his neck, his eyes darkened.
He instinctively touched his lips, feeling a swell in the corner.
"Ella!" He glared at her.
Ella gave him a side-eye, "What are you shouting at me for? You are the one who is conversing with your fiance sporting hickeys from other girls!"
Max turned to Ruby, "Why didn’t you tell me?"
"None of my business."
Ruby averted her gaze for a second before she turned to look at Max, "This engagement..."
Her words were yet to finish before Ella grabbed her hand.
"I know how desperately you need our relationship to work. That’s why I am giving you a chance now. Quit this role and we will pretend like it never happened."
Ruby’s brows tugged together.
"Jeez, I dodged a bullet there, didn’t I?" Ella mumbled softly.
"What did you say?" Max’s head whipped to her.
"You think I won’t dare to say it again?" Ella smiled, "I was grateful that I dodged a bullet. A man with a fragile ego who cannot support his woman in her dreams... Pathetic!"
Max scoffed, tucking a hand in his pocket as he stepped back, "In elite circles, men don’t need their women to do petty jobs and this is the norm. Do you know even one great man who would allow his woman to juggle for bucks if he is earning millions?"
"Yes, I know one such great person," Ella smiled, "My man is happy watching me juggle for bucks while he earns billions."
Max’s face blanched the moment Ella uttered ’my man’ and the words that followed were like burning arrows to his chest.
Ella did not stop there. "And he even helps me save my money."
Max looked like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Stiffly, he turned to Ruby, "I don’t have much patience. So make your decision soon."
He turned to leave but he stopped just after taking a step, "And think of the consequences too."
Ruby’s fingers curled into a fist.
She turned to look at Ella,her eyes holding a question.
"Don’t break off the engagement," Ella said softly, "Not yet."
Ruby’s eyes flickered, "But..."
"Ruby, do you trust me?"
"I trust you," Ruby said, without missing a beat.
Ella smiled and hugged the girl, "Then focus on the exams and the drama. Leave the rest to me."
Ruby patted her shoulder before gently pulling her back, "What are you planning?"
Ella’s smile widened in response.
"It’s nothing dangerous, right?"
Ella chuckled, "What are you thinking, silly? Am I such a person in your eyes?"
As she watched the girl walk away with a devil-may-care aura, Ruby sighed. Precisely such a person.
"That damned girl!" Max crashed his fist into a wall.
She actually called a person like Adrian King ’my man’?
Didn’t she remember how much she hated that man? Day and night, she would beg him to take her away?
And now, she was shamelessly bragging about him!
Max turned around when he heard the soft voice. His brow arched slightly, "Esther?" he narrowed his eyes, "What did you... just call me?"
"Max," Esther smiled softly as she walked towards the man, "I know how things turned out between you and my sister. How can I call you brother-in-law anymore... Ahh!"
Esther gasped and grabbed Max’s bloodied fist, "You are bleeding? Quick, come with me..."
Max sighed, "It’s fine—"
"How can it be fine? Such a huge wound... were you going to let it go untreated if I didn’t see it!" Esther dragged the man to an empty room.
Max looked at the delicate hand that was firmly wrapped around his before he glanced at Esther’s seductive figure, wrapped in that crimson dress.
For a moment, he fell into a daze. But the moment Esther made him sit on the couch, he looked away.
"What are you doing here? Are you also a part of the drama?"
A hint of sadness flickered in Esther’s eyes as she grabbed the first aid kit and started tending to Max’s wound.
"I... I was here to support my friend. But she is no longer... Forget it!"
"What happened?" Max frowned.
"But, I don’t want to bother you..." She wrapped the bandage neatly and sat beside Max on the couch.
"Tell me," Max insisted.
Tears rolled down Esther’s eyes, "She tricked me on the audition day and I lost my role to her... We have been friends for way too long so I did not hold it against her, even though I was sad about it. B-But..."