Chapter 242:
âIâll handle it. You donât have to worry about these things,â Bryan said to Eileen.
Eileen, upon hearing this, put down her phone and continued to eat her breakfast. After breakfast, she and Bryan returned to the bedroom to change their clothes.
Eileen met Bailee downstairs and drove to the wealthy families that Bailee had set up appointments with. Thanks to the thorough preparation made by Bailee beforehand, the morning meetings with the three families went quite well. Eileen was assessed and then employed by two of them on the spot.
The last family said they needed to think about it, but it was evident from their attitude that they would hire Eileen soon.
Bailee was overjoyed with the outcome. âYou were really amazing today, Eileen, especially when you were explaining those debate topics.â
Bailee and Eileen had another appointment with the Harrison family at two oâclock in the afternoon, so they went to a restaurant nearby to grab a quick bite.
Bailee couldnât stop praising Eileen, even as they sat down. Eileen couldnât help but smile as she told Bailee to stop. She was quite hungry. She took out her phone and shared the smooth progress of the morning meetings with Bryan via WhatsApp.
Bryan called her when he saw her message. She got up and moved to stand near the window before she picked up the call.
âAre you calling to praise me?â she asked.
âNo, Iâll reward you when you return,â Bryan replied.
Stay updated with gⱯlnÏvâ¯ðsâ¤com Although he said he would not congratulate her, one could clearly hear the elation in his voice. âWho are you meeting with this afternoon?â he asked.
âThe Harrison family. If that takes too long, I will have to wait till tomorrow to visit the Yates family,â Eileen said cheerily. She felt quite content.
The Harrison family? Bryan furrowed his brow as he asked, âWhat time is your appointment with the Harrison family?â
âTwo oâclock,â Eileen answered, glancing at her watch. It was already ten past one now. It would take her at least half an hour to get to the Harrison familyâs house.
She said, âI just finished lunch with Bailee, and weâre about to leave for the Harrison familyâs house now. Iâll talk to you later.â After Bryan replied to her, Eileen hung up the phone.
Bryan absentmindedly tapped his desk with his fingers as a thoughtful expression came to his face. After a while, he dialed the intercom to summon Raymond.
When Raymond came to the office, Bryan said, âCancel my afternoon schedule.â
âSir, thereâs an international conference at two oâclock, one that youâve postponed countless times. We canât postpone it again,â Raymond said, appearing flustered.
Bryan frowned. After glancing at the time, he said, âLet the international conference commence in ten minutes. Inform the executives on the other end to say whatever they have to say quickly.â
Raymond immediately moved into action.
The Harrison familyâs house was located halfway up the mountain, and there was hardly any traffic along the way, so Eileen and Bailee arrived with ten minutes to spare.
One of the Harrison familyâs servants led them into the lavish villa and told them to wait in the living room. âMrs. Harrison is still taking her nap,â the servant said.
âOkay,â Eileen said before taking her seat with Bailee on the sofa.
An hour quickly passed, and they were still waiting.
Bailee couldnât contain her impatience and asked in a low voice, âAre they doing this on purpose?â
âDo you think itâs easy to earn money from a wealthy family? We made progress this morning because the other party was already interested in partnering with us. Maybe the Harrison family isnât interested, or Mrs. Harrison is really napping. Either way, we have to wait,â Eileen responded.
Bailee didnât seem to understand. However, she tried to curb her impatience for Eileenâs sake.
Soon, they heard bursts of laughter from the garden. Eileen turned and saw several people chatting and laughing outside.
She immediately recognized Lydia, who was wearing a black dress. Before she could see who else was there, a servant approached her.
âSorry for the long wait, Mrs. Harrison has friends over and says that she will see you now if you donât mind. If you do mind, youâll have to come back later,â the servant said. Bailee turned to Eileen and awaited her decision.
Smiling, Eileen stood up and said, âSince we are already here, we might as well see her. Please lead the way.â
The servant turned and led them straight through the back door to the garden.
Along the cobblestone path, the green grass, damp with dewdrops, appeared quite lush. Flowers of various colors bloomed, filling the air with their fragrance.
As they got closer, Eileen saw that Benita and Blythe Harrison were with Lydia under a parasol. Blythe, who was about to reach forty, looked younger than her age, even younger than Lydia.
Eileen could hear snippets of their conversation.
âMy sister has only one daughter. As Benitaâs aunt, itâs my duty to pick a good family for her. Iâve always thought Bryan is quite suitable for her,â Blythe said with a laugh as she patted Lydiaâs hand. âI wasnât expecting you to come over today to discuss this matter with me. This is really a pleasant surprise.â
Lydia glanced at the approaching Eileen before answering, âIndeed. I heard that Bryan is partnering with the Ferguson family and that Benita is in charge of the cooperation. That was when the idea came to me.â
Lydia then turned to Benita and nodded with satisfaction before continuing. âOnly a lady from a prestigious family has such a graceful demeanor, unlike someone I know who is petty and quite unpresentable.â
Bailee swiftly understood the situation and tried to step forward to offer a retort when Eileen stopped her and whispered, âDonât be impulsive.â
Their movements drew Blytheâs attention. She said, âThatâs the tutor I found for my daughter. Excuse me for a moment, Lydia.â Lydia pretended not to recognize Eileen. She just turned away and engaged Benita in conversation.
âMrs. Harrison,â Eileen said in greeting.
Blythe looked at Eileen with a scrutinizing gaze. It was clear she knew about Eileenâs relationship with Bryan.
âMs. Curtis, right? This lady beside you must be the head of your educational institution, correct?â Blythe said.
Bailee nodded and said, âNice to meet you, Mrs. Harrison. Bailee Brooks, head of the educational institution in Onaland.â She took out a business card as she spoke and placed it on the table in front of Blythe.
Blythe, however, showed no intention of picking it up. At that moment, a gust of wind blew the card to the ground. Bailee was about to pick it up when Blythe said, âYou people love to offer yourselves uninvited, desperately clawing your way up and coveting things that donât belong to you. Thatâs the mannerism displayed by someone cheap.â
Bailee stopped in her tracks. She turned to Blythe and said, âOpportunities are fought for, Mrs. Harrison. Besides, you agreed to this interview before. Why are you insulting us now?â
âYou have no manners. Who do you think you are? Only poor people talk about fighting for opportunities because they want to be rich,â Lydia sneered.
Although the mocking words had been aimed at Bailee, their real target was Eileen.
Bailee had not expected the Harrison family to be involved with Lydia. She realized that she had caused Eileen trouble by setting up this interview.
âIf your intention in calling me here is to humiliate me, Mrs. Harrison, I believe youâve achieved just that. If thereâs nothing else, weâll be taking our leave now,â Eileen said.
Eileen was standing straight, her gaze sweeping over Lydia and the others calmly. She picked up the business card from the ground and turned to leave with Bailee.
However, two bodyguards quickly stepped forward to block their way. Blythe stood up and walked toward them, her high heels clacking on the cobblestone path.
She said, âWhat do you think you are doing? To humiliate you? I just want to show you your delusion. Benita is my niece, and Lydia is also here.â
It was quite clear to Eileen that Blythe didnât intend to let them leave. Since it had come down to this, Eileen didnât see the need to be polite anymore.
She turned to Blythe and interjected, âI think you should worry more about your own business. The Dawson familyâs affairs are none of your concern. Iâm with Bryan, not your son. Oh, my. I forgot you have no son.â
These words hit a sore spot, as Blythe had been mocked by the Harrison family for years due to her inability to bear a son.
Blytheâs veins bulged in anger. âYouâ¦â
âAuntie!â Benita quickly rushed up to steady the shaking all around.
When Blythe had calmed down slightly, Benita glared at Eileen and said, âDo you have no shame at all? Has the Dawson family acknowledged you? How dare you be so arrogant?â
âWe can certainly not acknowledge her,â Lydia immediately chimed in.
âI donât care whether you acknowledge me or not. Even if Iâm not fully part of the Dawson family, I wonder why you think you can show off in my presence,â Eileen said, standing her ground. She stood before Bailee, shielding Bailee from these angry women.
âShe may be considered a member of the Dawson family according to you, but you can make no such claims about me,â Brandonâs voice came.
The bodyguards behind Eileen made way, and Brandon and Harrison walked over.
Brandon had a cold look on his face. When he approached Eileen, he ungentlemanly shoved her.
Eileen stumbled and nearly fell.
Bailee quickly supported her and prevented her from falling. Lydia began to play the victim.
âBrandon, Iâve been disgraced. This woman has insulted me,â she said.
Brandon wrapped his arm around Lydia to comfort her.
He said, âWe do not need someone so shameless in the Dawson family. Only a lady like Benita is worthy of bearing the Dawson name.â
âStop bothering my sister. You all act as though you matter in the Dawson family, but youâre nothing!â Bailee exclaimed in anger.
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