Chapter 197: Chapter 197

Chapter 197:

The flight back to Wist Land was set for eight in the morning. Bryan drove Eileen to the airport and accompanied her to the entrance of the departure hall. He stood tall, his face showing a trace of reluctance as he clasped Eileen’s hand.

Amidst the busy airport crowd, Eileen kept glancing at her watch, her expression growing more concerned with each look. “Isn’t Phoebe showing up?” After spending the night together, Phoebe and Jacob’s relationship had likely deepened. Perhaps they had even decided to spend their lives together? At the very least, Phoebe should inform her.

Eileen took out her phone and attempted to call Phoebe, but the call was cut off after just one ring. “Maybe I should change my flight? There’s another one at two this afternoon,” Eileen said. She needed to hear back from Phoebe first.

Bryan carefully tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and said, “If you change your flight, you’ll arrive in Wist Land at night. It’ll be dangerous for you. If Phoebe doesn’t show up, you could fly alone. Raymond will be there to pick you up at the airport.”

Upon hearing this, Eileen put away her phone and embraced him tightly. “I’ve traveled for business late at night before, and it’s always been fine.”

“That was when I was there with you,” Bryan said, playfully pinching her nose. Noticing her frown, he softened his touch and gave her a kiss. He then added, “I’ll pick up my grandmother from the hospital later. After spending Christmas Eve here, I’ll join you in Wist Land.”

Eileen nodded and pressed her face into his chest, savoring his comforting scent.

“You two can stop being clingy now.” Phoebe suddenly appeared, grabbing Eileen’s arm. “Hurry, we board in fifteen minutes.”

“Alright,” Eileen replied, letting go of Bryan. Turning to Phoebe, she noticed that Jacob wasn’t with her. “Where’s Jacob?”

Keep reading gⱯlnσνℯ𝓁s․com Phoebe paused her frantic search through her bag for a moment and responded without looking up, “He’s resting at the hotel. We had quite a night.”

Eileen had been aware of Phoebe’s unrestrained behavior before, but it still surprised her every time.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Dawson. I’ll take good care of Eileen,” Phoebe assured Bryan, dragging Eileen along to check in with their tickets.

Bryan watched Eileen leave, resisting the urge to pull her back as Phoebe whisked her away. Eileen didn’t even have the time to properly say goodbye to him.

Once settled on the plane, Eileen finally had a moment to speak. “I thought you wouldn’t leave.”

“Why would I stay?” Phoebe asked. “To see what a jerk Jacob is?”

Eileen’s lips twitched. “How did your conversation go?”

Phoebe turned to look at Eileen and questioned, “What conversation? Jacob and I were in a hotel room late at night, and I was drugged. What do you think we did besides having sex?”

Eileen pondered how they could sleep with each other after having just fought at the engagement party. “What did you talk about this morning?”

“I told you he was resting. He didn’t have the strength to talk about anything after last night,” Phoebe said with a sinister grin, as if she were thinking of something amusing. After a pause, she added, “Better not ask too much. I wouldn’t want Mr. Dawson chasing after me if you learn something bad from me.”

Eileen chose not to probe further. Yet, Phoebe’s mischievous glee made her feel concerned for Jacob.

On a whim, Bryan headed back to the hotel. He got Jacob’s room key from the front desk and walked directly into the room. The space was uncomfortably cold, with several windows wide open, allowing a chilling draft to pour in. Even the heater seemed useless against the icy air.

Jacob lay shivering under his quilt, half-believing he was dreaming. He hadn’t bothered to shut the windows. In his drowsy state, he heard footsteps nearing and slowly woke up.

Bryan shut the windows and pulled Jacob’s quilt away. Jacob’s body was covered with scratches and bite marks.

“Why are you here?” Jacob quickly sat up, clutching the quilt tightly around him. “Where’s Phoebe?”

“She’s headed back to Wist Land,” Bryan said. “You’re in pretty bad shape. Need me to get you to a hospital for those injuries?” Some of Jacob’s wounds were still bleeding.

Upon hearing this, Jacob jumped up. “How could she just leave without a word?” he exclaimed.

Bryan nodded towards the bedside table, where some money and a note lay. “She did leave a note. And some cash.”

He picked up the three bills—two hundred-dollar bills and a fifty. He read the note aloud.

“It’s not that I’m poor; it’s just that you only deserve this much!”

Bryan let out a soft laugh as he passed the note to Jacob. “My reading doesn’t do it justice. You should read it yourself.”

The contempt Phoebe intended to convey was undoubtedly sharper than Bryan’s tone. Jacob was furious, wanting to punch the bed, but he had to acknowledge he was drained from the night before and ached all over.

“I’ll remember this. I’ll get even with her when I get back to Wist Land,” he said.

Seeing Bryan smirk, he retorted, “What’s so funny? Can’t you tell from the marks about my performance last night? I was too much for her to handle!”

Bryan shook his head seriously. “You just look really disheveled right now.”

Jacob got out of bed and began to get dressed, continuing to argue, “I’m serious. Last night was epic. After all, I’ve been controlling my desire for over thirty years. You, on the other hand, always seem to hold back. You’re not impotent, are you?”

“I’m just more gentle with my woman,” Bryan answered truthfully.

The first time he was with Eileen, he hadn’t been able to control himself because of the alcohol and the intimate setting late at night. He had to admit that his approach had been a bit clumsy at the time, and the alcohol had made him nervous. But he had certainly been mindful of Eileen’s feelings. She had bitten him, too, but it had been in a moment of passion.

As for Jacob… The marks on him suggested that Phoebe had wanted to bite him to death.

“You…” Jacob paused as a thought struck him and smirked while finishing getting dressed. “Why are you so smug? Your girlfriend, Eileen, might seem more compliant than Phoebe, but she’s shrewder.”

Bryan slipped the two hundred and fifty dollars into Jacob’s pocket and asked, “What are you implying?” His intense stare made it hard for Jacob not to tell the truth.

“Do you know that Eileen is in trouble?” Jacob said.

Bryan’s expression grew serious. He recalled the times they had spent together yesterday. Eileen had often made excuses to use the bathroom or take phone calls away from him.

Jacob continued, “Her education agency is accused of copying a well-known online teacher’s free courses. It’s a big scandal now, but she hasn’t told you about it. Doesn’t that upset you?”

Jacob’s eyes seemed to convey to Bryan that Eileen didn’t even need his help.

Bryan tapped on Jacob’s shoulder, which had been bitten by Phoebe, causing Jacob to wince in pain.

“Why would I be upset? She doesn’t want to bother me with her problems. Besides, she can handle it on her own,” Bryan said.

Eileen had always been this way, sharing only the good news and keeping the bad ones to herself. It was definitely a habit that needed addressing. But Bryan wouldn’t show his frustration about this in front of Jacob.

Jacob followed Bryan to leave the hotel. The two hundred and fifty dollars in his pocket made him feel uncomfortable. As soon as they stepped out of the hotel, Bryan’s phone rang. It was from the police station.

The man who had drugged Phoebe had been taken into custody for questioning. He had told the police everything. His target had been the two women in the room, but he had ended up drugging Phoebe alone because she had been the only one inside.

Upon hearing this, Bryan’s tone turned cold. “Who sent him to do this?”

“Well…” The officer hesitated. “We have some leads, Mr. Dawson. You might want to look into this yourself. We can’t disclose more…”

Having a lead wasn’t the same as having proof, but it was enough to start uncovering who the culprit was. The police were cautious about escalating the situation without concrete evidence.

Bryan asked directly, “Just tell me this. Was there a Beckett involved?”

“Yes.”

As Jacob prepared to drive away, Bryan ended the call and rapped on Jacob’s car window twice. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, placed it in his mouth, and struck a lighter. As he lit the cigarette, a chill spread across his gaze.

He said to Jacob, “Phoebe was drugged last night. Megan Beckett was the one responsible.”

Jacob’s expression darkened as he recalled something amiss with Phoebe the previous evening. “Damn, Megan is truly malicious,” he remarked. Yet, he had just become engaged to Megan. How should he deal with this? His possible actions could infuriate his father.

“She’s also targeting Eileen. Considering she’s your fiancée, letting you deal with her is showing you respect,” Bryan said.

Noticing Jacob’s reluctance, Bryan understood his concerns and saw an opportunity to push Jacob to confront Megan. If Jacob didn’t take action, Bryan would—and it could lead to severe repercussions for the Beckett family.

Hearing this, Jacob gave a bitter smile. “Alright, I’m heading back now.”

Bryan took a drag from his cigarette, stepped aside to let Jacob leave, and then took another puff before walking back to his car.

Inside his car, the lingering scent of Eileen remained. He took out his phone and scrolled through her photos, his expression darkening. It was unacceptable for her to keep things from him. He knew Eileen always had her own plans. He had hoped she might break this habit after they got together…

Deep in thought, Bryan pondered how to resolve this issue with Eileen.

In Wist Land, Eileen and Phoebe stepped off the plane. They got into Raymond’s car after exiting the airport.

“Ms. Curtis, there’s a problem!” Raymond said, appearing troubled. “You should check the news.”

The scandal about Eileen’s educational agency had only been reported by the local media in Wist Land before. However, it had escalated overnight because a well-known expert mentioned the matter in an interview. The expert had discussed the courses in a highly professional and serious manner, indicating that the courses had been crafted by an experienced teacher, not someone like Eileen who had only been a tutor for a year.

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