Chapter 171 

Leslie went back to the hospital in the middle of the night. 

Ella raised her head, saw that it was him, and proceeded to put her head between her legs. She was still terribly shaken and had no intention of being near him anymore. 

He gulped and left her ward. Striding across the empty hallways, the sound of his leather shoes striking on the floor was loud and crisp. He pushed open the window at the end of the hallway and let the wind rush at his face. It hurt, but it also chased away the scent of rouge. 

Then, he heard footsteps behind him and knew it was Mason. With trembling hands, he lit a cigar. The wisps of white smoke made a stark contrast against the dark of night, reminding him of his erotic moments with Ella. 

He spoke with a bleak voice, “She took my breath away the first time I saw her. So, I used any means necessary to get her into my grasp, but I knew, deep down, I’d never marry her. That’s something I believe, even to this moment! I can’t marry her! It wouldn’t fit my version of reality! The best thing I can give her is to let her go, Mason. That way, she could live the rest of her life without anyone picking her as their 

target.” 

Lowering his head, he looked at the cigar between his fingers, and said gloomily, “I can rest easy, knowing Zoe’s with her.” 

Mason remained quiet for a long time. Then, he said, “I found the best doctor to diagnose her condition and he said she suffered permanent hearing loss in her right ear. She’ll have to rely on hearing aids in the future. Are you sure about your choice, Leslie?” 

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Snuffing out the cigar, he said lightly, “Only the richest and the most powerful get to choose! You know this better than anyone, Mason.” 

Then, he left behind a fifty-million-dollar check for Ella. There was enough money to support her for the rest of her life. As he left the building, he raised his head and his eyes were full of tears. 

No matter how many wondrously beautiful ladies came into his life, none of them could make him forget what he said to Ella that night. 

“I would’ve happily gotten engaged if it’s with you!” 

Mason passed the check to Ella. 

Gripping it tightly, she cried pitifully and her shoulders wouldn’t stop trembling. However, she wouldn’t cry out loud because she knew how weird and humiliating her voice sounded now that she couldn’t hear it 

anymore. 

Zoe held her tightly. She made her look into her eyes and mouthed the words, “You have me! You’ll always have me, Ella!” 

Ella looked like she was in a trance. 

With tears in her eyes, Zoe flashed a smile at her, and mouthed the words again, “You have me! You’ll always have me, Ella!” 

That made Ella’s lips tremble. At the next moment, she burst into tears and bawled loudly. It was piercing as well as jarring, but Zoe cried along with her. 

Leaning on Ella’s terrifyingly scrawny shoulder, she murmured, “You scared me! You scared the life out of me, Ella. You know that?” 

Mason stepped back and left the ward. 

Standing at the spot Leslie stood not long ago, he took out a cigar 

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and smoked it. The wind scattered its smell and softened his heart a little too. However, nothing could shake him. 

Lowering his gaze, he chuckled, “Only the richest and the most powerful get to choose!” 

Two days later, Ella tried wearing a hearing aid for the first time. Zoe cried the moment she talked to her. 

Ella wiped her tears away and flashed her a smile. “What are you crying for, you silly girl? I can hear now! I won’t have to worry about money for the rest of my life because I’ve got fifty million dollars.” 

Zoe nodded, still crying. “You can definitely hear now!” 

With that said, she would never forget how Ella looked when she fell apart. Her friend loved being a model and a celebrity. She once said that she wanted to stand tall and shine bright like a diamond so that the people who loved her could see her. 

However, she would no longer have that chance. 

Yes. She got fifty million dollars, but it also marked the end of her love for Leslie as well as her career. 

— 

It was night and Zoe opened a bottle of liquor in her rented apartment. She was sad and wished to have a little liquor in her. Alas, it did nothing for her. On the contrary, she felt more depressed. 

She was in a daze when she felt something furry on her cheeks. It felt like something rubbing against her. Opening her eyes, she saw Sherry lying down on the couch, wagging its tail at her. 

What was it doing here? 

She wanted to get up, but she was too drunk to do it. She simply 

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didn’t have the strength to prop herself up. So, she continued to lean on the couch listlessly. 

Mason walked over with a cup of warm water and saw her in that 

state. 

Her head was raised slightly and her eyes were slightly closed. Her silk blouse was unbuttoned and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. The hem of her blouse was rolled up and showed a part of her slim and perky waist. All in all, she was exuding the charm of a mature lady, tempting any man to have a piece of her. 

Underneath the warm fluorescent light, he stared at her quietly and 

gulped. 

It had been a while since they had sex and he was a virile man. He 

had his urges. More to the point, she looked so seductive and enticing as she leaned against the couch. 

He put down the glass of warm water. Its contents swirled back and 

forth. 

Then, he continued to stare at her. Sticking his finger into the knot of his tie, he loosened it effortlessly and tossed it behind the couch. Then, he removed the cuff links and put them on the coffee table. The delicate diamond cuff links radiated brightly under the warm fluorescent light. 

Leaning over, he kissed her. 

Zoe was drunk, but she still had some sense in her. She knew it wasn’t right and that they shouldn’t have sex. Dodging him wildly, she tried to shake him off, but his lips kept finding their way back to hers. He kissed her passionately and guided her hands to touch his lean waist as well as his belt. 

They didn’t even take off their clothes, but he could wait no longer. 

Laying beneath him, she spoke with a broken voice. “What are you doing here, Mason? No. We can’t do this.. We can’t have sex with each other.” 

Touching her flushed cheeks tenderly, he responded with an 

incredibly soft tone, “Do you mean we can’t do it? Or, do you mean you don’t want to do it?” 

Looking at him helplessly, she panted heavily. Her shivering body betrayed what she really wanted. After all, her body was so accustomed to being pleased by him that it could no longer suppress its need to be satisfied again after such a long time. 

However, that didn’t mean she was going to play ball. 

-I don’t want to do it!” 

lis eyes grew darker at that. After a brief pause he held her hand and quided it to his cheeks. It was a sensual gesture, caressing his defined features. In the end, her lean fingers traced his high-bridged nose. It was, indeed, firm to the touch. 

Then, he lowered her hands and stopped letting her touch it. Leaning in her ear, he murmured. “You say that but it seems like you can’t keep your hands off of me!” 

Zoe’s chest rose and fell rapidly as he lowered his head and kissed her again… 

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