Ellison And Joycelyn: A Love Beyond The Rules

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Joycelyn wasn’t fully awake yet, but the little puppy in her arms was already wide awake, barking at Killion

“Rocky,” Joycelyn mumbled sleepily, patting the puppy in her arms.

The puppy grew more excited, barking louder at Ellison

“Shut up!” Ellison’s voice was cold and sharp, his tone cutting through the air as he glared at the noisy puppy.

Startled, the little dog immediately burrowed its head into Joycelyn’s arms, whimpering softly, as if it had been deeply wronged.

Joycelyn was completely jolted awake by the sound. She blinked her drowsy eyes and looked up at Ellison, who was standing a few steps away.

“You’re up,” she said groggily, her voice a little muffled by sleep.

“You slept here last night?”

“Yeah.” Joycelyn nodded sheepishly, looking at him with a small smile. “The puppy was scared and kept barking

“I was worried it might disturb your sleep, so I came downstairs to keep it company for a while. I must’ve dozed off” She gave a bashful laugh, her pale face flushed with embarrassment.

Ellison didn’t respond immediately. His expression remained unreadable, but his dark eyes seemed to be holding some unspoken emotion.

Joycelyn blinked up at him, instinctively pulling the puppy closer to her chest.

“For a dog, you really went all out,” Ellison said, his voice flat and indifferent. Clearly, he couldn’t understand why she’d spent the entire night sitting outside with a dog.

Joycelyn gave an awkward smile, clearly picking up on his displeasure. She didn’t know how to reply to that.

“But it’s really pitiful,” she said softly, her voice tinged with sympathy as she gently stroked the puppy in her arms. “It’s only month old and doesn’t have a mother anymore.”

“I’ll have William find a dog trainer. Let it stay with them for a few days,” Ellison said, still maintaining his cool demeanor. But at least he didn’t push her further.

half–asleep. She instinctively hugged the trembling puppy tighter,

quietly, as if the puppy were her most precious

it?” Ellison said coldly. “Here you are, a perfectly good person, sitting out all night just for

felt a little embarrassed by his

still gently patting the puppy in her arms. “We’ve only been

didn’t say anything, merely nodding slightly. “It’s still early. You should get some more sleep,” he said, then turned to

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Chapter 36

for his

the puppy back in its crate.

Don’t bark, or we’ll both be in trouble,”

in the crate, wagging

the crate, she absentmindedly forgot to latch

gone, it began to whine restlessly. It pawed at the crate a few times before the door popped open. The puppy immediately leaped out and dashed into the living room

finishing his run, Ellison noticed the open crate from a distance and immediately had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

in the middle of the floor, soaking into the rug. His anger flared instantly,

guilty puppy was happily chewing on his cotton

dog.” Ellison gritted his teeth in frustration.

his outburst, barked once and then scrambled under the couch with the slipper in its mouth.

livid. Without a second thought, he grabbed his phone and called William.

woke up from her nap, showered, and changed into a fresh set of clothes, she was shocked

threw on the hood of her loungewear and, looking confused, asked

are we moving?” Joycelyn froze on the stairs, staring at the nearly empty living room.

furniture out to a truck, and near the door, she

up earlier, was now excitedly pawing at the bars

of its crate earlier,” William explained. “It went to the bathroom twice in the living room and chewed up Mr. Grant’s shoes.

still processing the situation when the gravity of William’s

Joycelyn’s heart raced. Ellison was already obsessive about cleanliness and didn’t like dogs. She felt like she’d stepped into a minefield.

reluctant. It was clear that even he didn’t know how to properly explain the intense frustration in Ellison’s voice when

Just great.” Joycelyn sighed, looking at the lively little dog. She crouched down

Chapter 36