Chapter 228: Chapter 228

Chapter 228:

“How could you possibly enjoy yourself here?” Dora exclaimed as she grabbed a glass of wine from the table and aimed it toward Eileen.

It happened so abruptly that nobody had time to react. But Bryan instinctively moved to protect Eileen. The wine splashed onto his back, blending seamlessly into his dark clothes. Yet, it was evident to all that the wine had landed on Bryan.

Eileen, acting on impulse, grabbed Bryan’s wrist. His swift and determined actions earlier had made her heart skip a beat.

“Mr. Dawson, why did you protect her? She’s nothing but a liar. How could she sleep with you before you got a divorce? She may appear dignified, but she’s truly disgraceful,” Dora spat.

Dora had been frustrated for a long time, and now she found a way to vent her anger. Her outburst became a barrage of insults aimed at Eileen, whose eyes turned cold. Eileen rose and slapped Dora across the face.

“Clearly, Mr. Myers has failed to discipline you, and Mrs. Myers has been too busy with Brooks to notice. You lack manners, but it doesn’t matter; I will teach you how to behave today,” Eileen said, her face cold as ice, her eyes piercing like icicles, locking onto Dora.

She then grabbed Dora by the collar, pushing her backward. It was only a glass of red wine just now, but what if it had been boiling water? Eileen couldn’t shake the image of Bryan swiftly stopping the wine, and anger surged within her.

“You…” Dora stumbled against the wall, feeling trapped. But then, she gathered her courage and said, “You didn’t tutor my brother well! He didn’t make it into the top high school.”

“You’re in no position to discuss Brooks’ matters with me. If there’s an issue, have your mother tell me,” Eileen replied, releasing Dora’s collar. She dusted off her hands as if they were stained, then gestured toward the door. “Get out.”

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At Eileen’s directive, Dora felt a surge of fear, instinctively wanting to leave.

“Dora!” Nadia and Bernard approached just in time to see the redness on Dora’s cheek from the slap, their expressions shifting in response.

Bernard quickly walked to Dora’s side, a stern look on his face as he examined her cheek. “What happened here? Who slapped you?”

“Dad, Mom, Eileen slapped me!” Dora clung to her parents for support, pointing at Eileen as she accused, “She didn’t help Brooks get into a prestigious high school. I just questioned her about it, and she hit me!”

Bernard’s face darkened as he glared at Eileen, while Nadia remained still, taking in the scene.

Bryan stood up, positioning himself beside Eileen to shield her from Bernard’s hostile stare. He addressed Dora coldly, “This room has surveillance cameras. Do you really want to test the truth of your accusations?”

He then turned his gaze to Bernard. “Mr. Myers, your daughter’s behavior reflects poorly on you. She likes to lie and acts arrogantly. So, I’m starting to have doubts about your integrity. I trust you won’t pull something like that in our cooperation. Otherwise, according to the terms of the contract, I can withdraw your investment and not give back a cent.”

His words left Bernard speechless. Their project had kicked off smoothly, producing incredible profits, and Bernard’s admiration for Bryan had begun to morph into apprehension.

Nadia, having pieced together the situation, scolded Dora, “I told you I was pleased that Brooks only missed the cutoff for the key high school by two points. We can still find a way to secure his admission. Why create a scene over this?”

She then turned to Bernard. “Stop making trouble and embarrassing our family here!” She believed Bernard should not blindly defend Dora.

Nadia looked at Eileen. “Ms. Curtis, my apologies for the disruption. I’m actually quite pleased with Brooks’ exam results.”

The coldness on Eileen’s face faded slightly. She smiled at Nadia and replied, “Brooks is rather reserved. Once he starts high school, I recommend enrolling him in some extracurricular courses. A balance between study and leisure could enhance his academic performance.”

“Thank you for the advice, Ms. Curtis.” Nadia expressed her gratitude and gestured for Dora and Bernard to leave.

Unable to disobey Nadia, Dora and Bernard reluctantly exited the room.

Once the Myers family had departed, Eileen led Bryan to the bathroom to clean the wine stains on his clothes. Bryan took off his shirt, standing half-naked in the small space, and the scent of his shower gel lingered in the air, distracting Eileen.

Eileen quickly cleaned the stain and used the dryer to speed up the drying process.

“Why did you rush over so quickly? It was only a glass of wine,” Eileen whispered.

Bryan glanced at her and asked, “Are you touched?”

Eileen rolled her eyes. “Why should I? What if next time it’s a knife?”

“So what?” Bryan replied, having not seen clearly what Dora had been holding during the incident. “If she hurts you, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Should he retaliate against Dora violently? That would mean prison for breaking the law. But if he didn’t act, he would be consumed by hatred.

His words, though blunt, were filled with genuine concern for her.

Eileen helped him put on his now-dry shirt, carefully buttoning it with her cool fingertips. A smile crept onto her face as she stood on her toes and kissed him.

He leaned against the wall and lowered his head to cooperate with her. It was uncommon for her to take the initiative to kiss him, especially in public, and her breath trembled in the moment.

Bryan’s desire grew, his breathing deepening as he gently held her waist. He glanced at her flushed ears, his eyes slightly squinted, and lifted his head to avoid her next move.

She softened into his embrace, slowly catching her breath as he rested his chin on her head, allowing her to feel the steady thump of his heart.

Five minutes later, they stepped out of the bathroom, appearing as if nothing had happened.

The minor issue didn’t stir up much, and the meal concluded smoothly. Denzel took the project’s core responsibilities to Onaland, assuming primary control while Bryan managed things behind the scenes, which gave him plenty of free time.

A month passed. Bryan and Eileen were scheduled to return to Onaland on August 20th, but on August 15th, something went wrong on Denzel’s end. Bryan had to leave for Onaland ahead of schedule. Within less than two hours of receiving Denzel’s message, he made his decision to depart.

Bryan left quickly. By the time Eileen fully processed the situation, his plane had already taken off.

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, Eileen watched the plane ascend slowly into the sky. A sigh escaped her lips as she felt a hollow ache in her heart. When Bryan was around, the month flew by; without him, Eileen felt each of the five days stretch out like five years.

Five days later, Eileen, along with Ruby and Milford, boarded the plane to Onaland. This trip felt like a true return, unlike her brief visit on Christmas Eve.

Ruby could only move slowly. More than ten minutes after they disembarked, Eileen and the others finally exited the airport.

Stepping outside, Eileen spotted Bailee casually dressed in a shirt and jeans, yet still looking professional. Upon noticing Eileen and the others, Bailee immediately burst into tears and rushed to greet them.

When she reached Ruby, Bailee slowed down, giving her a gentle embrace, then swung around to wrap her arms tightly around Eileen, spinning her around repeatedly. “Eileen, you’re finally back! I’ve waited so long for you!” she exclaimed.

Eileen struggled to breathe in Bailee’s tight embrace.

Ruby managed to assert firmly, “Enough!”

Bailee halted, turning to Ruby with tears still streaming down her face. “I’m just so happy! But I can’t spin around with you; I can only do that with Eileen.”

Their joyful reunion attracted curious glances from passersby. After exchanging pleasantries, they left the airport.

Eileen scanned the crowd but didn’t see the person she hoped to find, feeling a twinge of disappointment. Bryan was aware of her flight details; she had told him that Bailee would pick her up and had asked him not to come. Yet, she secretly hoped he would surprise her.

Those five days had felt endless. At times, he had been too busy to even respond to her messages.

Turning on her phone, Eileen noticed a message from Phoebe. Once in the car, she replied to Phoebe and then perked up to engage in conversation with Bailee.

Bailee’s place was a four-bedroom apartment with living and dining areas, comfortably accommodating four people. For convenience, Bailee had rented an apartment right across from hers.

After getting out of the elevator, she handed the key to Eileen. “Mom will stay with me. You’re welcome to join us for dinner anytime. You and Milford will live just across from us.”

She gave Eileen a knowing wink, hinting that this arrangement would make it easy for Bryan to visit. Eileen couldn’t help but smile; Bailee made a valid point. In fact, she planned to introduce Bryan to Ruby once they settled in Onaland.

Ruby was now able to speak, albeit slowly.

“Alright, I’ll organize my things and then come over,” Eileen said, taking the key and heading to the other apartment with Milford.

Bailee had already tidied up the apartment, making it neat and comfortable. Eileen let Milford pick a room first. However, as he settled onto the couch, Milford said, “You can pick the room first. I’ll just send a quick message to Alino.”

Alino was the affectionate yet quirky nickname Milford used for Adalina. Although Adalina was quite lovely, the nickname was a bit odd. But since Adalina never complained, Eileen chose not to intervene.

Eileen randomly selected a room and began to arrange her belongings. When she stepped out, she noticed that Milford had chosen the room farthest from hers.

As he emerged from his room, Milford caught sight of her and explained, “I thought it best to keep some distance. Wouldn’t want to be in the way when Bryan visits.”

“Don’t be silly. Let’s go,” Eileen urged.

Taking the key, Eileen left the apartment with Milford. She knocked twice on Bailee’s door, and Bailee opened it shortly after.

“Eileen, let’s set up your fingerprint now so I won’t have to keep opening the door for you,” Bailee suggested, leading Eileen to the fingerprint scanner.

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