With no one else to turn to, she went looking for Ellis. She scanned the grand ballroom but couldn't find him anywhere.In a quiet courtyard behind the hotel's event hall, Ellis stood under a tree, lighting a cigarette. He checked his phone again, but there was still no reply from Ondine.Back in the ballroom, as guests had offered their congratulations and wished him and Chantal a long and happy life together, his mind had been filled with only one person: Ondine."Ondine, where the hell are you? How can you be so indifferent that you wouldn't even show up now that I'm getting engaged? Do you really not care at all?"The thought of being tied to Chantal for the rest of his life filled him with an unbearable restlessness. He didn't want this, but no one had bothered to ask what he wanted. He had always believed his parents loved him, but when their own interests were at stake, he saw with bitter clarity that profit was all that mattered to them.noveldramaIt felt like Ondine was the only one who had ever loved him unconditionally. Why had he ever lied to her? He had pushed her away with his own hands.Ellis exhaled a frustrated ring of smoke. As the white vapor dispersed in the wind, a faint redness crept into the corners of his eyes. "Ondine, I miss you so much.""Did you guys hear? When Ellis was at Riverdale, he pretended to be poor to date this girl. They were together for over two years, and he never spent a dime on her. He even had her working part-time jobs to support him. She was in it for love; he was just playing a game.""What a scumbag. I heard he convinced her they'd get married right after graduation, so she gave up a guaranteed spot in a master's program for him.""Ugh, that poor girl, running into a jerk like Ellis.""I thought my brother was bad, but this Ellis guy is on another level. At least my brother spends money on his girlfriends. Ellis is a cheapskate on top of everything else. It's pathetic."A group of young women had gathered to gossip about Ellis. The lush greenery of the garden shielded him from their view, and they had no idea he was standing right behind them."I heard from Melvin that he saw that girl, Ondine, today.""Ondine? You mean his poor ex-girlfriend?""Yeah,definitely her The girl pulled out herphone to show her friendsWIIn the next second, a figure suddenly burst out from behind the manicured shrubs. "Where is she?"The girls shrieked in terror at Ellis's sudden appearance. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ FιndＮovel.net"Where is Ondine?" His eyes were bloodshot as he grabbed one of the girls by the shoulders, a wild look his face. "Let go of me!" she cried, struggling to pry his hands off. "You're hurting me!"Ellis released her but kept his intense gaze fixed on her. "Where did Melvin see her?"The girl shot him a contemptuous look. "Are you serious? You just got engaged to Chantal. Why can't you two just leave the rest of us alone? Why are you still trying to ruin that girl's life? She must have the worst luck in the world to be stuck with you." Another girl chimed in. "Exactly! You're engaged. What do you want with her now?"Ignoring their scorn, Ellis repeated stubbornly, "Tell me where Ondine is."The girl scoffed. "I wasn't the one who saw her. How should I know? Go ask Melvin.""Psycho," she muttered, giving him a disdainful glare before turning to leave with her friends.Ellis immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Melvin."You saw Ondine today?"