Chapter 177: Chapter 177

Chapter 177:

Eileen believed Benjamin had a solid point—getting involved with Bryan would do her no good.

“None whatsoever?” Bryan said, his voice charged with coiled rage that was waiting to be sprung free.

Eileen instinctively shot to her feet and fled to her room. “That’s right, so you should leave my place now!”

She was already inside her room by the time she finished speaking, but she wasn’t fast enough to close the door. In the blink of an eye, Bryan was there, grabbing the edge of the door, the muscles in his forearms bulging as he pushed it wide open.

Then, he caught her by the wrist and pinned her against the wall. His other hand cupped her chin and forced her to look at him.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” he said.

Eileen was no match against his strength. She felt regretful now. She wished that she had never gotten involved with him in the first place. Even if she tried her best, he would not let her go. She was sick and tired of feeling helpless as others took control of her life.

“What? You just can’t control yourself before me? Get on with it, then. You know I can’t stop you, anyway,” Eileen said. Her tone was dripping with mockery, both toward herself and Bryan.

Bryan took a slow, shaky breath. He abruptly released her chin and undid the top two buttons of her shirt. His cool fingertips swept across her collarbone before sliding down to her heart. “It’s not just your body I want. I want your heart, too!” he said.

Eileen was too rational. In the three years of their affair, she had never once crossed a boundary he had set. But Benjamin’s words had rattled Bryan.

He was particularly worried that Eileen might fixate on the idea that she would never be worthy of him, that the difference in their social status was something that could never be breached. If she let it get into her head and decided to sever all ties with him once and for all, all his efforts this past year would be in vain.

Feel inspired by gα ℓη σ ν𝒆 𝓁s, com Bryan had soldiered through adversity and pressure from the shareholders of the Apex Group just to establish the project in Wist Land. Now that they had cut off funding, if he lost Eileen as well… What was the point of it all? He had done it all for Eileen.

“What do you mean by that?” Eileen asked.

He wanted her heart? She could only think of two possible explanations—either he wanted her life or he actually liked her. She was more inclined to believe the first explanation, as she had never even considered the second one before.

“Do I need to spell it out for you?” Bryan grumbled impatiently, but when he saw the slight quiver in her lips, he softened his tone. “Be with me, Eileen.”

Bryan’s words struck Eileen like lightning from the sky. People had been telling her how good Bryan was to her, that he always protected her, that he was devoted to her. But she had never believed them.

But to hear it come from Bryan’s own mouth now… It was surreal, but she could no longer deny it. She blinked the shock away and let reason take over. “But I don’t deserve to even stand next to you. Your family will never agree to us being together.”

Bryan’s expression darkened, and he pinched her chin again. “So you let all that nonsense Benjamin spouted get to you, huh? I thought you were smart. Are you seriously going to give up your own happiness for the sake of social norms?”

Then, he seemed to think of something and asked, “Just answer this one question—do you like me or not?” He was still pinning her against the wall, caging her in with his large frame. They were so close to each other that his hot breath was fanning her cheeks.

Was this Bryan’s love confession?

“Well?” Bryan said, his voice rising in frustration. “Why the hell aren’t you answering me?”

“Yes,” Eileen blurted out. “Yes, I like you… Maybe.”

“Maybe? Drop the ‘maybe’!” With that command, Bryan released her and placed his hands on her waist.

Eileen didn’t think anymore and just spoke her heart. “Yes, I do like you.”

The next thing she knew, Bryan’s lips had crashed into hers, and she was backed into the wall again as his kiss deepened. She didn’t even have time to be surprised or embarrassed; he completely took control.

For Bryan, things were different now. The sex between them was no longer just a transaction; emotions were involved. Bryan’s heart was soaring. At last, his feelings had been reciprocated. His days of wallowing in unrequited love were gone.

He lifted Eileen into his arms and carried her over to the bed. His actions were urgent yet gentle at the same time. It was Eileen who pulled back and pressed a hand against his chest. “Wait. Don’t you think we’re moving too fast?”

“Are you kidding me?” Bryan huffed, glaring at her. They had both confessed and confirmed their relationship. Why would she think sleeping with him was moving too fast?

Eileen suddenly realized how ridiculous she sounded, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that things were moving too fast. His confession had come out of nowhere, hers had practically been forced out of her, and now they were a couple?

“Focus,” Bryan whispered, nipping at the crook of her shoulder. No matter what, he wasn’t going to let her downplay their relationship again.

Slowly, Eileen’s wandering thoughts were tethered back to the present, where she lay in bed, in Bryan’s arms.

“Eileen…” The way he called her name made her feel an exquisite kind of pleasure. All through the night, the sounds of their lovemaking filled the room, leaking through the bedroom door they had forgotten to close. By the time they were done, Eileen was exhausted. She closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep.

Bryan, on the other hand, was wide awake. He held her in his arms and couldn’t stop smiling. As sunlight filtered through the window, Bryan woke up to the ringing of his phone on the nightstand. Eileen stirred in his arms, her brows furrowing.

Bryan quickly grabbed his phone, intending to hang up. But then, he saw Jacob’s name flashing on the screen. “Make it quick,” Bryan said in a hushed voice, answering the call.

“Let’s meet up,” Jacob said, sounding urgent. “I have news about the White family’s broken financial chain.”

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