Chapter 176: Chapter 176

Chapter 176:

Eileen paused for a few seconds before replying, “This has nothing to do with you.”

“Actually, it does.” Benjamin adjusted his glasses and stared at his feet in silence for a moment as if he was carefully organizing his thoughts before he could say them out loud.

He said, “The truth is that I’ve liked you for a long time.”

It was a total curveball, and Eileen was caught completely off guard. She was so shocked that she didn’t even know how to react.

Benjamin continued, “I used to regard you as my number one rival back when we were in college. I didn’t like the fact that someone bested me in academics, especially a girl. That’s why our relationship wasn’t really good in college.”

Frankly speaking, Benjamin had disliked Eileen back in the day. It didn’t help that her career had practically soared right after graduation. In just a matter of three years, she had managed to become the special assistant of Bryan.

Benjamin, on the other hand, had become Kian’s assistant after toiling for four years. It was just a year’s worth of difference, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow for Benjamin.

The entire time, Benjamin had been convinced that he hated Eileen’s guts. But when she had gone against Kian, he had always found himself supporting her for some reason.

Benjamin’s voice was calm when he said, “It doesn’t matter if you have feelings for Mr. Dawson. I trust in your intelligence. You should understand your place and the gap between the two of you. Even someone like Vivian is unable to marry into the Dawson family, let alone someone like you.”

Benjamin was well aware that Eileen’s affections lay elsewhere, so he decided to be pragmatic in his efforts to persuade her. He continued, “You and I, on the other hand… We’re from the same world. If you are open to giving it a chance, we can try dating each other. Don’t worry; once we are a couple, Kian will never trouble you again. I’d even resign and relocate to Wist Land, or you can return to Onaland if that’s easier for you.”

He had prepared this confession for a long time and had even considered their future. As for Eileen, her mind got caught on one particular sentence: “We’re from the same world.”

Find what you love at gⱯlnσν𝓮ℓs․com It made her ponder, but not about her and Benjamin. Rather, it made her wonder how easy things would have been if Bryan were just an ordinary person like her. Sadly, it was all wishful thinking.

“Is this a love confession or a horror story?” a cold voice suddenly came.

Bryan was leaning against the wall, an unlit cigarette between his fingers. He looked irritable, presumably because he was in a non-smoking area.

He approached them. His gaze was sharp and almost murderous as it settled on Benjamin. “You think I’m not from the same world as Eileen? Just how many worlds are there? Are you and Eileen from the underworld or what?”

Benjamin shifted awkwardly on his feet. He could feel that Bryan’s hostility toward him was evident.

Bryan didn’t wait for him to say anything and turned his narrowed eyes in Eileen’s direction. “With your penchant for trouble, do you honestly think this man can protect you?”

His words were incredibly cruel. Eileen flushed in a mix of anger and embarrassment. “Why are you here?” she asked.

“What? Did I interrupt you two?” Bryan said sarcastically.

He fixed Eileen with a gaze so intense that she thought he would devour her there and then.

A heavy silence fell over the three, only to be broken by an announcement calling for passengers to board the flight bound for Onaland.

“I’ll be going now,” Benjamin finally said. “I’ll message you later.”

“Okay,” Eileen replied, eager to see Benjamin off and break the strange atmosphere.

She watched Benjamin until he disappeared through the boarding gates, then turned to look at Bryan. Only then did she notice the small suitcase beside him.

“Are you going on a business trip?” she asked.

“Just got back.” Bryan’s response was curt. He strode away with a stern look on his face, dragging the suitcase.

Eileen followed him. They exited the airport together, then went on their separate ways. It had been days since that meal when they had last seen each other.

Neither their professional nor personal lives were intertwined, so they had no reason to run into each other. Soon enough, Bryan would return to Onaland, and they would both carry on with their lives. At least, that was what Eileen thought.

But that evening, when she came home after her tutoring lessons with Adalina, she found Bryan waiting at her place.

Phoebe, who was supposed to be at home, was nowhere to be seen. Eileen had just stepped through the door and was in the process of closing it when her eyes fell on Bryan. She froze as she took in the sight of him, lounging on the sofa, his hair still damp from a fresh shower.

Bryan turned at the sound of her arrival. “Close the door,” he said.

That snapped Eileen back to her senses, and she shut the door behind her. Her mind was racing. What was Bryan doing here? Was he planning to… sell himself to her again? But she wasn’t interested in continuing that kind of relationship with him.

“Let’s talk, Eileen.” Bryan put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He kept his gaze on her. She had yet to move from where she stood. Frowning, he walked over to her and pulled her to sit beside him on the sofa.

“Talk about what?” Eileen asked. “About you selling yourself to me again? I’m not buying. I’m all out of money, sorry.”

Bryan wasn’t sure whether he was amused or annoyed. “That’s not what I want to talk about. Do you really think I’m that desperate for money?”

Eileen swallowed the lump in her throat. When she spoke again, her voice was a little strained. “So you just want to sleep with me? Still not interested. I don’t want to continue that kind of relationship.”

“Is that so? What kind of relationship would you like us to have, then?” Bryan’s voice was magnetic, and with wisps of smoke floating around him, he was the picture of masculine temptation.

He was leading her, trying to get her to say what he wanted to hear, and they both knew it. Eileen wasn’t about to fall for it. She looked away from him and said with resolve, “I don’t want to have any relationship with you.”

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