Chapter 157: Poor Woman

[Chapter 157: Poor Woman]

Inside the penthouse suite of the Mandala Hotel, two dazzling women, both dressed in bathrobes, were busy in the dressing room next to the bathroom.

One of them looked very unhappy. She grabbed a handful of expensive Lancome rose essential oil and generously applied it all over her body while grumbling angrily, "Damn it, Hollywood's entertainment industry is so dirty -- it's a thousand times worse than France!

You two bastards are really disgusting.

Today I was practically seduced by the devil, ending up dazed and following a man into the hotel.

And he had a fallen angel with him. Look at this, you left bloody marks all over me!"

The other woman was flipping through items on the makeup table absentmindedly. Hearing this, she turned with a mocking look and sneered, "Ha, you're right. I am the fallen devil. And you didn't resist, did you?"

"How could I? You were like a raging lion, even that burly man ran away with his tail between his legs. I almost thought you were a psychotic killer!"

Marion Cotillard complained repeatedly with a hoarse voice, mixing in some swearing.

She put on her clothes, stood up, and with wide eyes, angrily said, "I have to get out of here quickly. You better keep your promise! I know you're a Hollywood star. If you don't want me to spill what happened today, then you better watch yourself, or everyone will despise you."

Rachel scoffed dismissively, "Oh, go ahead and tell. You're just as despised. Have you forgotten your ridiculous performance earlier? Stop acting so sanctimonious. If you want the lead role, I'll persuade Charlie to give it to you. That bastard wouldn't refuse."

"You two filthy bastards, you better do that!" Marion was too ashamed to argue back. Her lips moved as she cursed once more with disgust, then stormed out without looking back.

When Marion opened the door, she was startled by the person standing there. When she looked up and saw who it was, her face flushed even more. She glared at Charlie with sarcastic and contemptuous eyes for two seconds, but didn't say goodbye. Instead, she pursed her lips, shook her head slightly, and headed toward the elevator.

---

Charlie helplessly shrugged and entered the room. Following the scent of perfume, he tiptoed to the dressing room, peeked inside twice, then quietly left and went to the office suite near the bedroom. He placed bottles of ointment on the desk, took off his hat, mask, glasses, and jacket, and applied medicine to himself.

Besides many scratches on his face, he also had some on his body. They were all minor and not painful or itchy. For a tough guy like Charlie, these injuries were less of an annoyance than stepping in dog poop.

The real problem was the embarrassment. His handsome face was damaged, and if he didn't recover soon, Harvey and Mord would definitely tease him relentlessly.

A few minutes later, Rachel appeared silently at the door like a ghost, frowning with a dazed and troubled look, her eyes wide.

"Fuck, why are you walking so quietly?" Charlie was shocked and blurted out.

Rachel didn't respond and continued to stare blankly for several seconds. Then she slowly walked in, jumped onto Charlie's back from behind, half crouching and resting fully against him, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Compared to Charlie, she was too short. Even with him seated, this action was a bit hard for her, making Charlie almost suffocate.

"Ah, my Adam's apple! Are you trying to kill me?" Charlie said, confused, lightly grabbing her wrists.

Rachel refused to let go, trying to maintain the grip, but she wasn't as strong as Charlie.

They tussled for a few seconds, then Rachel suddenly stood up, sat astride Charlie's lap, continued holding his neck, and buried her head against him like a hurt child seeking comfort from family.

Charlie's hands hung in the air, bewildered. After a moment, he patted Rachel's back and smiled, "What's wrong? You were so fierce before, like an angry tigress. I almost thought you were going to bite my neck off."

Rachel complied and gave a small smile, then said softly, "Why didn't you resist earlier?"

"What?"

"I beat you up pretty badly, and then dragged you to cause trouble for that woman. You didn't fight back or touch the woman. You let me go crazy. Even when I puffed up your eye, you didn't hit back. With your strength and temperament, you should have snapped my neck by now."

"I was scared of you. I thought you were possessed by a demon," Charlie laughed.

"You feel guilty. What you said cut me deep. You didn't expect me to get so angry, right? You realize I was hurt by you because I once loved you deeply, and you cared. You chose to let me punish you to make things right."

"Nonsense, I just thought your anger was entertaining," Charlie replied playfully with the same expression.

"Whatever," Rachel tightened her hold on Charlie and whispered, "But I'm really tired. At first, you seemed like a prince in a dream when you came into my life. We had nothing back then. Suddenly, you became so cold and distant one day. I planned to end it and let time heal the wounds, but you came back. You never let me go, and you broke me completely. I thought about getting revenge, but your cold threats scared me. I feared, hated, and loved you all at once. You drove me crazy."

Charlie took a deep breath and gently patted her back to comfort her. He said softly, "Sorry, I didn't expect such a strong reaction. I never wanted to truly hurt a woman like that. I just found you amusing at first."

Rachel twisted her body to show her displeasure with a bitter smile, "You're such a bastard. Don't you realize how angry your words make me?"

"Uh, sorry, maybe a little," Charlie awkwardly pressed his lips.

"It's okay. I'm used to it," Rachel shook her head. "You're inherently optimistic, drifting through the world like a god visiting Earth, or like a mischievous kid with no sense of right or wrong. And I'm the unlucky one, your most interesting toy."

Charlie didn't answer, lost in thought. Maybe not, maybe he wasn't.

Rachel continued, "Charlie, please, stop this. I'm really tired. Your words often hurt me. Let's just stop. I promise I won't think about getting revenge on you anymore, though I probably can't help it. I won't try to change you either.

I'll just stay by your side quietly, let you play around with others, just don't hurt me like that again.

Let's keep going like this until one day you really grow up, really love me, or you lose interest and really let me go.

Okay, Charlie? I can feel that you don't really not care about me. If you keep hurting me like this, I'll really break down and go crazy.

I beg you, okay?"

*****

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