"Nora, you have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a clothing store soon. After that, you have to film a show with Boss Ellsworth. And at six o’clock, there’s an invitation from the Grant Family."
She frowned slightly. "What invitation?"
Zeke Marshall glanced at it. "It doesn’t give any specifics, just that you and Boss Ellsworth are to attend a birthday party."
"A birthday party?" Nora Ainsworth was even more confused. ’Quentin Grant’s birthday isn’t for another ten-plus days,’ she thought. ’That can’t be right. So whose birthday is it?’
"That’s right. It doesn’t give a na, just says it’s a party. President Harding specifically instructed us to go."
Nora Ainsworth mulled it over for a mont. "Since we were instructed to go, we’ll go."
Little did she know, this party was an elaborate trap set just for her.
After finishing her first two engagents with Ethan Ellsworth that afternoon, she left the television station. They both changed into their evening attire for the party, threw on down jackets, and hurried to the Grant Residence.
On the way there, Ethan Ellsworth sat in the back seat with his laptop on his lap, wearing headphones and watching sothing.
Chloe Marshall couldn’t even get a peek.
Seeing him sitting there, cracking up all by himself, Chloe Marshall and Nora Ainsworth were both curious about what he was watching.
"Boss Ellsworth, are you watching cody clips online?"
He shook his head. "Nope."
Nora Ainsworth’s eyes twinkled. "Then are you watching one of *those* kinds of films?"
Ethan Ellsworth asked with an amused smile, "And what kind of film would that be?"
"You know."
"It’s not," Ethan Ellsworth continued to deny.
Chloe Marshall and Nora Ainsworth exchanged a look. Finally, Chloe blurted out, "Boss Ellsworth, you’re not watching *Journey to the West*, are you?"
The laptop on Ethan Ellsworth’s lap nearly slid to the floor. He chuckled awkwardly. "Do you think I’m a child?"
With that, he quickly shut the laptop, set it aside, and began briefing Nora Ainsworth on what to expect at the party.
Of course, he wouldn’t tell them he had, in fact, been watching *Journey to the West*. ’Nope, they’ll never know,’ he thought.
By the ti they arrived at the gates of the Grant Residence, the sky was completely dark. The mont they stepped out of the car, a piercingly cold wind whipped against them.
It had started to snow.
Nora Ainsworth tucked her hands into the pockets of her down jacket as she and Ethan Ellsworth walked into the Grant Residence.
The living room was a scene of luxury. She had been here once before, for Quentin Grant’s birthday party.
It was being held in the sa place again.
As they walked inside, a wave of warmth washed over them. Nora Ainsworth and Ethan Ellsworth handed their down jackets to an assistant, smiling and nodding to the people they recognized.
Music flowed gently through the spacious living room.
Ethan Ellsworth and Nora Ainsworth perford a duet of one of his classic songs, after which they retreated to the side to rest.
Quentin Grant hadn’t planned on coming, but when he heard Nora Ainsworth would be there, he decided he had to make an appearance.
The sight of her—hair swept up in an elegant updo, clad in a white, sleeveless evening gown, her makeup exquisite—made his heart race.
’This woman,’ he thought. ’She’s always so... unsettling.’
He took a seat, crossed his legs, and impassively drank half a glass of wine.
"Young Master Grant, I’m surprised. For soone who just changed her na, she seems to have quite the status in your family."
Quentin Grant narrowed his eyes. "An ordinary person would have been dead several tis over by now. It’s an empty title. Not worth paying any mind to."
Ethan Ellsworth snorted with laughter. "I just don’t get it. What was wrong with Catherine Callahan? Why the hell change it to Cassandra Callahan? Is she nuts?"
"Would a sane person do sothing like that? It’s all just pointless drama." His words made his stance clear.
He had barely finished speaking when Mrs. Grant approached with Cassandra Callahan and Charlotte Young in tow.
Nora Ainsworth and Ethan Ellsworth both stood up.
"Miss Ainsworth, you have a lovely voice. It wasn’t one of your own songs, but you sing other people’s music just as beautifully."
’That sounded awkward, no matter how you spun it,’ Nora thought.
She smiled. "You flatter , Mrs. Grant. It’s one of Ethan Ellsworth’s classics. The fact that we perford it as a duet was doing *him* a great honor."
Mrs. Grant smiled demurely. "Today is Cassandra’s birthday. Though she’s not my biological daughter, she’s like one to . I’m so pleased you could co and celebrate with her. I’ll let you young people chat. I’m going to go mingle."
"Take care, Mrs. Grant."
Mrs. Grant turned and disappeared into the crowd. Cassandra Callahan and Charlotte Young sat down on either side of Quentin Grant, flanking him like two beautiful consorts. He looked like a very lucky man.
Nora Ainsworth stood up. "I’m going to the restroom."
As soon as she stood up, Charlotte Young imdiately stood up as well. "I’ll go too."
Nora Ainsworth pretended not to hear and walked ahead. Since the restrooms were on the second floor, she stepped directly into the elevator. Before the doors could close, Charlotte Young squeezed in too.
It was just the two of them inside.
Just as the elevator doors closed, they felt the whole thing lurch.
She pressed the button for the second floor.
The elevator slowly ascended.
"You’re not actually going to the restroom, are you?"
Charlotte Young looked at her expressionlessly. "Neither are you, right?"
"What is it you want?" Nora Ainsworth asked, cutting to the chase.
"What do I want? I’d like to ask what *you* want! Quentin is my fiancé now. He spent the night in your room last night, didn’t he?!"
"Yes, but we didn’t do anything."
"Who knows if you did anything or not? How can you be so shaless? Why do you insist on torturing him like this? If you’re not going to be with him, why won’t you let him go? I really have to ask, what is it you’re trying to do?"
She had just finished speaking when the elevator, not yet at the second floor, suddenly began to plumt.
"What’s going on?" The color drained from Nora Ainsworth’s face. ’In a household like the Grant’s,’ she thought, ’the elevator should never have a problem like this.’
Charlotte Young was unconcerned. "I’m asking you a question. Answer ."
"Things aren’t as simple as just deciding what I want," she said honestly. "That’s all I can tell you. The rest is out of my hands."
"Keep pretending. But let tell you sothing, Nora Ainsworth. Even if *I* don’t co after you, there’s soone else who will never let you go."
She looked at Charlotte Young. "I know. This person has powerful backing—extrely powerful. It would be easy for them to kill . But even if I’m outmatched, I won’t just sit here and wait to die!"
Charlotte Young stared at Nora Ainsworth and suddenly fell silent.
The elevator dropped all the way to the first basent level. Nora Ainsworth frantically pressed the buttons, but nothing happened. She looked at Charlotte Young. "The elevator seems to be broken. Soone trying to use it from the outside will notice and get help, right?"
But Charlotte Young shook her head. "They won’t."
Nora Ainsworth’s expression hardened, her guard imdiately up. "You an this was intentional?"
"Of course." Charlotte’s tone was casual as she glanced up at where the security cara should have been. "Haven’t you noticed? There’s no cara."
Nora Ainsworth looked up. Sure enough, it was gone. ’In the Grant household,’ she thought, ’who would have the authority to remove a security cara like this, other than one of the family mbers?’
While she was lost in thought, a silenced pistol was aid directly at the center of Nora Ainsworth’s forehead.
"You’re going to kill here? Aren’t you being a little stupid? It’s just the two of us in here. Even without a cara, do you really think no one will know it was you?"
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