Chapter 220: Chapter 220

Chapter 220:

“Come over here,” Bryan said as he set down his phone and gestured for Eileen to join him, pulling out a chair beside him.

Eileen quickly composed herself and greeted Zola before walking over to Bryan and taking the seat next to him. She had expected him to call a lawyer for discussion, but to her surprise, he had summoned Zola directly.

Zola was equally taken aback upon seeing the people accompanying Eileen. She had assumed Bryan wanted her to come here to discuss Milford’s situation. It hadn’t crossed her mind that he would involve her directly in negotiations with these men.

Bryan fixed a stern gaze on the group of men who had entered with Eileen. He pointed at Zola and said, “This is Milford’s elder sister. If you want money or anything else, you can ask her for it.”

Eileen was at a loss for words. She had considered enlightening Zola about the situation but thought better of it, recalling the strained relationship between Zola and Milford and anticipating yet another dispute.

The tattooed man and his companions were also surprised. The group stood awkwardly in the spacious room, exchanging glances.

After a brief pause, the tattooed man realized Zola had walked into a trap. He exchanged meaningful looks with his men, sat down, and bluntly asked Zola, “Are you giving me the money today, or do I need to take Milford instead?”

Zola was stunned, suddenly grasping the situation. She turned to look at Bryan. A cigarette dangled from Bryan’s left hand, the rising smoke swirling around him and Eileen. He gazed at Eileen with deep affection, holding her hand with his right and tenderly caressing the back of it with his fingertips.

Seemingly catching Zola’s gaze, he frowned, tilted his head, and looked past Eileen at Zola.

Discover more at .com “What? Did we disrupt your discussion here?” With those words, Bryan rose to his feet, the chair scraping against the floor.

Eileen had to stand up alongside Bryan since he was holding her hand. He guided her around the long table and headed for the door.

“Wait!” Zola abruptly stood, fixing her eyes on Bryan. “Are you just going to leave like this?”

Bryan, leading Eileen, approached the tattooed man and his group. His cold demeanor caused them to instinctively retreat towards Zola. He stopped, turned to her, and asked in a serious tone, “Is there anything else you need?”

As he spoke, he noticed Zola standing near the men, looking rather vulnerable. He frowned and reassured her, “Don’t worry. There are security cameras here. They wouldn’t dare try anything.”

He shot the group a warning look before leaving with Eileen without looking back.

The door swung open for a moment, letting the hallway light flood in and briefly illuminate Zola’s face. Clenching her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her skin, she appeared unfazed by the pain.

“Here’s five hundred thousand. Take it and go,” Zola said, placing a bank card on the table and sliding it toward the tattooed man.

The tattooed man, his face lined with wrinkles, smiled but made no move to take the card. “Miss Murray, I never imagined our first meeting would be under such circumstances.”

“Cut the crap. Just take the money and leave!” Zola snapped, her impatience growing.

The tattooed man maintained his calm smile. “While the loan note is for half a million dollars, you previously mentioned that the other agreement would grant me the right to take Milford with me. With that, I could ask for more than half a million…”

Zola scowled and replied through gritted teeth, “What are you implying?”

“I’ll cut to the chase, Ms. Murray. Give me one million dollars. If you don’t pay up, I’ll walk right out and tell those two that you orchestrated this whole thing, giving us Milford’s signature and fingerprint.”

“Shut up!” Zola exclaimed angrily.

The angrier Zola became, the more confident the tattooed man appeared.

On the coffee shop’s first floor, large French windows let in the morning sunlight, illuminating Eileen and Bryan. Lazily leaning on the sofa, Eileen sipped her coffee and said, “Isn’t it a bit harsh leaving Zola to handle the matter alone?”

“Why?” Bryan said casually. “Zola is Milford’s sister. It makes sense for her to deal with it. Besides, when she left that day, she said she would cover the money.”

Bryan hadn’t shared this with Eileen before. She had assumed that after the unsuccessful discussion between Milford and Zola, Zola intended to distance herself from Milford moving forward.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Eileen murmured her grievance. “I barely slept last night trying to think of a solution.”

Bryan placed his arms on the coffee table and regarded Eileen with a calm expression. Just as he was about to respond, Zola and the group of men descended from upstairs.

The tattooed man and the others nodded at Eileen before exiting the cafe. Zola approached Eileen and Bryan with her bag and took a seat beside them. “I thought you guys had already left.”

“She needed to know the outcome for her peace of mind,” Bryan replied, clearly referring to Eileen.

“Miss Murray, I suspect there’s something fishy about the agreement they hold. You might want to—” Eileen attempted to discuss her plan with Zola.

But Zola interjected, “I’ve settled the payment already. There’s no use stirring up more issues. I prefer to minimize contact with those people to protect my reputation. Besides, half a million isn’t a lot.”

Stunned by this, Eileen responded, “Miss Murray, your generosity is astounding.”

Raising an eyebrow, Zola said, “So, if I don’t intervene, will you continue to engage with them until the end? Are you unable to gather half a million dollars?”

Eileen had half a million dollars, yet this sum represented the operating funds for her entire educational agency. Furthermore, withdrawing such a sum would disrupt the normal operations of her agency. Regardless, she would never give those people the money.

“Does it really matter whether she has the half million or not?” Bryan said calmly. “Do you think what you did is the right approach? You’ve simply allowed them to take advantage of you. Did your education overseas teach you to use money to solve everything?”

Bryan had not anticipated that Zola would simply pay the money. The look in his eyes suggested he believed she was foolish for doing so. His piercing gaze left Zola feeling overwhelmed, and she gritted her teeth, staring back at him defiantly.

Feeling disappointed, Bryan stood up, grabbed his jacket, and said, “Well, it’s settled then. Let’s leave.”

He approached Eileen and gently placed his hand on her waist as they slowly exited the cafe together.

“I didn’t expect the issue to be resolved so easily. Now I can go home to spend time with my mother. I’ll pick up her favorite desserts on the way.” After fastening her seatbelt, Eileen glanced back at Zola, who was still seated in the cafe, and frowned. “I’m surprised she just handed over the money like that.”

In Eileen’s eyes, Zola had always been assertive, clever, and decisive. She certainly didn’t seem like someone who would willingly give her money to thugs.

Bryan didn’t understand it either, but he wasn’t interested in guessing what Zola was thinking.

Midway through their drive, Bryan pulled over to buy some desserts and extra snacks that Eileen preferred. When they reached Ruby’s house, Eileen stepped out of the car with the treats and walked inside. At the entrance, while changing her shoes, she could hear Rosa, the caregiver, talking to Ruby.

Rosa had been helping Ruby with her speech and pronunciation, and Ruby could now say a few simple words.

After passing the desserts and snacks to Rosa, Eileen took a seat beside Ruby and began updating her on Bailee’s latest situation in Onaland. “Mom, Bailee has really grown up. She found a place and is starting to set up the business in two days. You’d think she’d pick the cheapest spot to live in Onaland, but guess what?” As she massaged Ruby’s legs, Eileen continued, “She chose an apartment in a decent neighborhood. Plus, she’s been distributing tons of flyers to local residents. In just a few days, many people from Onaland have begun inquiring about her online courses.”

Eileen couldn’t suppress a smile as she recalled Bailee’s initial caution in sharing that she had opted for a mid-range apartment, anxiously explaining her reasons.

“Mom, Bailee’s really clever. We might need to rely on her in the future,” Eileen said.

Ruby nodded enthusiastically, and after a moment, she managed to say, “Good…”

Bailee’s newfound success was largely due to the confidence Eileen had instilled in her. The mutual support between Eileen and Ruby was something Ruby had never imagined she would witness.

Bailee had successfully settled in Onaland, and everything was proceeding smoothly.

While Eileen spent much time with Ruby, her work also demanded attention, causing her to slightly neglect Bryan. But then Eileen realized that Bryan was also wrapped up in his own commitments; it wasn’t just her overlooking him. Bryan was also neglecting her.

Sometimes Bryan would come home at two in the morning, the faint smell of smoke and liquor lingering on him. Eileen recalled the conversation where Bryan and Denzel had mentioned a new project. Bryan had been willing to join that project before, and it seemed likely that he was preoccupied with it.

With the holiday season approaching, Eileen, along with Phoebe, decided to host a dinner with several of her education agency’s teachers. Eileen was planning to select someone to manage the agency once she returned to Onaland.

“I’ll go to Onaland by August. Phoebe owns part of our firm, so feel free to reach out to her for any assistance. Additionally, I’m looking for someone diligent and capable of handling emergencies to be in charge of the agency here,” Eileen said.

Frankly, Phoebe’s role was only to oversee the staff. The announcement sparked interest among the teachers, all eager to step into the role.

“Eileen, is that Bryan?” Phoebe suddenly leaned closer and whispered in Eileen’s ear.

After a moment, Eileen followed Phoebe’s gaze to see a waitress outside a closed room on the second floor. “Where?” she asked.

Phoebe pointed toward the room. “I just caught a glimpse of someone who looks like Bryan inside when the waiter was serving food.”

Eileen shrugged casually. “Perhaps you saw it wrong.”

“There’s an almost naked woman next to that man. What if it really is Bryan? Let’s go take a look!” Phoebe stood up, pulling Eileen along with her. She turned to the others at the table and said, “You guys keep eating. Ms. Curtis and I need to use the restroom.”

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