Chapter 172: Chapter 172

Chapter 172:

In the evening, Bailee called Eileen to say that Huey’s assistant wouldn’t be able to make it to Wist Land this time. Huey’s team was tied up with a competition, and they needed Bailee’s assistance for a couple of days. Bailee was familiar with the processes because she had once worked for Huey.

“Then go and help them. Huey has been a big support to us in the past. I’ll look after Mom,” Eileen told Bailee.

“Okay. You can arrange for a caregiver for Mom on Monday. I’ll be back by Monday afternoon,” Bailee replied. Once their plans were confirmed, Bailee ended the call promptly.

Eileen kept it brief with Ruby about Bailee’s whereabouts, simply saying that Bailee had some important matters to attend to. As evening turned to night, moonlight bathed the hospital room. Ruby was asleep, while Eileen lay on the companion bed, phone in hand, restless.

Her last conversation with Bryan concluded with her asking him not to visit for a few days. He hadn’t even responded. The image of his cold, hawk-like gaze in the hospital this morning lingered in her mind as if it were permanently imprinted there. She inhaled deeply, put her phone away, and tried to force herself to sleep.

Despite her best efforts, sleep eluded her. She spent the entire weekend at the hospital, and by Monday morning, she left feeling exhausted. She went home first and noticed that Bryan’s belongings were untouched. It was evident he hadn’t visited during her absence. So, he had seen her message but had decided not to respond.

After a shower and changing into fresh clothes, Eileen applied light makeup and headed to the educational institution. Though she looked less weary, her thoughts remained clouded. Around noon, she got a message on WhatsApp from Milford.

“Ms. Curtis, when you bring Adalina here tonight, please arrive ten minutes early and use the side entrance.” After a moment’s pause, Eileen responded, “Understood.”

In the afternoon, she left early to fetch Adalina from the Vance family’s home and drove directly to Pianoforte Villas. Arriving about twenty minutes ahead of the scheduled time, she guided Adalina to the side entrance. A glass door there was designed to let them skip the living room and head straight upstairs.

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But despite Eileen’s efforts, the door wouldn’t budge. “Ms. Curtis, why aren’t we using the main entrance?” Adalina asked. Eileen frowned and said, “Milford told me to arrive ten minutes early and use this side door.” She then wondered to herself if this was yet another of Milford’s pranks.

She covered her eyes from the bright sun and glanced inside through the glass door, noticing that the door was locked from within. “This isn’t going to work,” she said, turning to Adalina. “It seems he might have tricked us. Let’s go in through the main entrance.”

As they approached the main entrance, Eileen caught sight of Bryan’s car parked out front. He exited the vehicle, his dark gaze briefly meeting hers. He locked the car, strode past her and Adalina, climbed the steps, and unlocked the door with a quick press of his fingerprint. Noticing Eileen and Adalina hadn’t followed, he turned and said, “Aren’t you coming in?”

Eileen quickly snapped out of her surprise and hurried after Bryan. As Bryan changed his shoes and proceeded toward the living room, a figure in a long red dress appeared. Sweeping in like a breeze, the woman approached Bryan with her hands clasped behind her, her long black hair in flowing waves and her makeup enhancing her mature allure.

“Hi, surprise!” she exclaimed. Eileen froze, her gaze wavering as she watched Bryan pause for a few seconds. The woman approached Bryan, rose onto her tiptoes for a light embrace, and then leaned in to kiss his cheek. Her lipstick was a bold red, both sexy and captivating. She was undeniably beautiful.

But Bryan quickly caught her wrist and stopped her, his tone tinged with surprise. “When did you get here? Why didn’t you let me know?”

“I landed in Wist Land this afternoon. I thought I’d surprise you. But now, it seems like there’s only shock, no joy.” Zola withdrew her hand and casually took Bryan’s jacket from him.

“How could that be?” Bryan said in a low voice. “If you had informed me, I would have prepared a proper welcome.” Then, as if recalling something, he glanced towards Eileen and Adalina standing by the door.

Eileen was midway through changing her shoes when Zola caught her eye. Noticing Bryan’s gaze, Eileen swiftly finished changing her shoes and walked inside with Adalina, nodding slightly. “Mr. Dawson, I’ll take Adalina upstairs for her lesson now.”

“You are… Milford’s tutor?” Zola asked, her gaze sweeping over Eileen with a hint of superiority, though she displayed no outright hostility. Eileen suddenly realized who Zola was.

“Yes, you must be Milford’s sister,” she said.

Zola adjusted her hair and replied, “Yes, you can go upstairs now.” Zola didn’t introduce herself, leaving Eileen unsure whether she was more interested in catching up with Bryan or simply indifferent to meeting her.

As Eileen escorted Adalina upstairs, she didn’t glance back at Bryan but felt his piercing gaze follow her. His hawk-like eyes tracked her until she turned the corner on the third floor. Then, he finally shifted his attention.

“Do they know you’re here?” Bryan asked Zola. Zola wrapped her arm around Bryan’s and steered him towards the living room. “They know. It’s nearly year-end, and since they couldn’t persuade you to return, they sent me to bring you back to Onaland for Christmas. Grandma is still waiting.”

Bryan adjusted his tie, unbuttoned his cuffs, and rolled his sleeves. He was not particularly bothered by Zola’s touch; they had been family for thirty years, after all. Even though they weren’t related by blood, their bond as siblings was undeniable.

“I heard from Raymond that you managed to secure the project.” Zola crossed her legs, her demeanor bright and confident as she looked at Bryan.

Bryan nodded. “Yes. That’s why I’ve been swamped lately. My coming home for Christmas depends on how things will go.”

Hearing that, Zola said, “If you don’t go back, I’m not going either. I don’t want to go back alone and face the scolding.”

“Then stay here,” Bryan answered without a second thought. “Jacob is here, too. Spending Christmas together in Wist Land doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Okay.” Zola smiled, looking somewhat different from how Bryan remembered her. Over the years, Zola had grown more mature from her time abroad. They hadn’t seen much of each other recently, so Bryan had expected this transformation.

“Have you eaten yet? I’ll cook something for you,” Bryan said with a smile.

“No, airplane meals are awful. You can cook my two favorite dishes. Once I’ve eaten, we can talk with Milford after his tutoring session. It’s been ages since I last saw him, and I hardly know how to handle his new rebellious streak.” Zola gestured, urging Bryan towards the kitchen.

Her straightforward manner made Bryan feel like she hadn’t changed much, except for her dressing style. Bryan moved to the kitchen and opened the fridge. After a pause, he turned around and asked, “What would you like to eat?”

“Bryan Dawson, you’re something else! If I hadn’t returned, you’d probably forget I’m your sister! How could you not remember what I like to eat?” Zola exclaimed, standing up and walking over with a look of displeasure.

The house was well soundproofed, but Eileen had left the door slightly open, driven by curiosity. She could faintly hear the conversation below, mostly Zola’s lively voice. Zola and Bryan were clearly having a delightful conversation.

“Ms. Curtis.” Milford tapped his pen on the table and said, “You’ve been zoning out for almost ten minutes.”

Eileen snapped back to the present with a heavy feeling in her heart. She walked to firmly shut the door to drown out the noise. Then, she pulled out the test papers from the previous week.

“I’ve reviewed your scores…” she began.

Adalina’s performance varied greatly across subjects, and her overall score was just around the cutoff for high schools, which was quite risky. Milford’s grades were just scraping by in all his subjects.

Eileen hadn’t forgotten her promise to reward Milford with a phone, which she had already purchased. She had also picked out a gift for Adalina. Milford’s face lit up with excitement as he tore open the package.

Adalina accepted the gift and said, “Thank you, Ms. Curtis.”

“Why are you thanking her?” Milford scoffed. “We earned these because of our improvements!”

“But Ms. Curtis paid for these herself. Improving our grades also helps us, so we should thank her,” Adalina replied assertively.

Eileen smiled at Milford, who looked away awkwardly and mumbled a half-hearted “thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Eileen asked them to set aside their gifts and started the tutoring session.

Despite her attempt to focus, Eileen was distracted, and even Adalina picked up on it. During a ten-minute break, Eileen stood by a third-floor hallway window, trying to clear her head, haunted by the image of Zola.

Denzel had mentioned that Bryan and Milford’s sister were close, and that was why Bryan had been taking care of Milford for her.

But Eileen hadn’t realized how deep their connection was—one that would motivate Bryan to offer such help. She lingered by the window, engulfed in her tumultuous thoughts.

In the study, Adalina glanced through the slightly open door and saw Eileen at the window, whispering, “What’s wrong with Ms. Curtis?”

“I’m not sure,” Milford responded, absorbed in his new phone. He then stood up to look down the hallway. He noticed Eileen’s solitary figure, looking forlorn, and he frowned.

“Milford, which top high school are you aiming for?” Adalina asked.

“My sister is pushing me to aim for the top school in Ylanta, but do you think I’ve got what it takes?” Milford said, sitting down again without looking up.

“Of course!” Adalina responded immediately, catching Milford off guard. Adalina quickly turned her gaze away, smiling. “You’re so smart. Just catch up on your missed lessons, and you’ll make it.”

Milford stayed silent. It wasn’t because he doubted himself; he simply wasn’t interested in attending that school.

As the ten-minute break ended, Eileen turned to go back to the study and resume the lesson, only to see Zola ascending the stairs.

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