Chapter 250: Chapter 250

Chapter 250:

Jacob enjoyed teasing people with his remarks.

Bryan glared at Jacob, and a shiver ran down Jacob’s spine. Gathering his decorum, he said, “Perfect timing. I’m back to watch you two argue. It would be no fun if you’ve already made up.”

Before Jacob could say more, Bryan threw a pillow toward him. Jacob caught it swiftly and grinned at Bryan. “So, what’s the fight about? Tell me so I won’t mess up the same way.” Jacob believed that Bryan must have been the one who had provoked Eileen, given her usual patience. He was curious to know what Bryan had done to make Eileen so angry. It had to be something pretty bad.

“It’s not my fault,” Bryan said, frustrated, thinking about the needle-pricked condoms he had discovered in his drawer.

“Not a chance,” Jacob replied firmly. “Your mouth is sharper than Eileen’s, and you’re the more emotional one.” Bryan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Noticing Bryan’s gloomy expression, Jacob tried to console him. “You’re more emotional because you care a lot.”

“Enough. If you don’t drink with me, just leave,” Bryan said sharply. He emptied the glass on the table in one go. Seeing Bryan’s downcast mood, Jacob stopped talking and secretly texted Raymond. It seemed like they were in for a fight of heavy drinking, and they would need Raymond to give them a ride home.

Thirty minutes later, Raymond rushed into the private room, wrinkling his nose at the strong smell of cigarettes and alcohol. “Mr. Meyer, why did you come back just to drink with Dawson?” Raymond asked, sounding annoyed about working late.

“I didn’t plan this. Bryan called me out to drink with him because he and Eileen had a fight,” Jacob quickly explained.

Raymond paused for a second before saying, “I find it hard to believe. Ms. Curtis asked Mr. Dawson to grab lunch, but Mr. Dawson was tied up with work all afternoon. How could he have found time to argue with her?”

Freshly uploaded on gαℓησv𝒆𝓁s․com Hearing that, Bryan stopped drinking abruptly, fixing Raymond with a sharp look. “What did you just say? Who asked Bryan to lunch today?”

“I suggested canceling the not-so-important lunch because Ms. Curtis wanted to grab a bite with you, but you were in a rush to sign the agreement, and I told Ms. Curtis you had something urgent to handle…” Raymond’s voice trailed off as he noticed Bryan’s expression darken.

Jacob got up, making his way over to Raymond. He draped an arm around his shoulder, giving him a firm pat. He quipped, “Raymond, you’re on thin ice now. Let me help you out. Look up a cemetery online and tell your family to prepare for the worst.” With that, he let go of Raymond.

Raymond glanced at Bryan, who was still seated on the sofa. Without another word, Raymond flung the door open and swiftly left.

Bryan recalled his encounter with Eileen at noon. So, Eileen had believed he had refused to eat lunch with her and opted to eat with Benita?

“Well,” Jacob settled onto the couch, “this whole mix-up needs fixing, and you better get on it now. Otherwise, I might seriously lose respect for you.”

Bryan pressed his lips together, eyeing his phone on the table. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached for it, his fingers hovering over the screen uncertainly. Eventually, he paused with Eileen’s number on the phone screen.

“Let me help with this.” Jacob tapped the screen with his finger, initiating the call.

A sudden tightness gripped Bryan’s throat, but he didn’t end the call. He thought about what he should say if the call connected. Regardless of who was right or wrong about the condoms, he needed to sort out the matter from the afternoon first. If she didn’t believe him, he would go straight to her and explain everything face to face.

Making up his mind, he cleared his throat.

“Sorry, the subscriber you dialed is powered off…”

The call ended automatically. Bryan stared at the screen, uncertainty clouding his expression.

“What’s wrong?” Jacob leaned closer, asking, “Did you hang up? Let this misunderstanding linger; it’ll really hurt her feelings.”

Bryan said, “Her phone’s off. Maybe its battery is dead.” Eileen had her phone off. Besides a dead battery, Bryan couldn’t think of any other reason.

“Really?” Jacob squinted in disbelief. “How could that happen when Eileen was at home?”

An idea popped into Jacob’s head. He nudged Bryan’s arm and suggested, “Send her a message on WhatsApp.”

Bryan lit a cigarette. He opened the chat window with Eileen, thinking about what he should say in his message.

He typed, erased, and retyped, his fingers hesitating over the phone screen.

“Come on. What’s taking so long?” Jacob’s impatience boiled over. “Send her a emoji. Let’s see if she has blocked you.”

Upon hearing that, Bryan was taken aback and shot a glance at Jacob. He wanted to tell Jacob there was no way that Eileen had blocked him, but he pressed his lips into a thin line, unable to say that. “You don’t believe me?” Jacob let out a chuckle. “Give me her number.”

Taking Bryan’s phone, Jacob swiftly dialed Eileen’s number using his own phone.

In the blink of an eye, the call connected, and Eileen quickly answered it.

“Who’s this?” she asked.

“Hello, Eileen. It’s Jacob.” He shot a triumphant glance at Bryan. “Just got back from West Land. I’m now at the D.V Club. Fancy joining me?”

After a brief pause, Eileen asked, “Is Bryan with you?”

“Yeah. He had one too many drinks and landed in a bad state. At noon, he…” Jacob wanted to explain the matter for Bryan. But before he could finish, Eileen interjected, “I’m not going. Goodbye.”

With that, she hung up the call.

The room fell silent, the sound of disconnection loud in its suddenness, making Bryan’s expression darken.

Jacob exited the interface and put away his phone, his tone somber. “Bryan, the situation is a bit serious.”

Bryan seethed with irritation. Had Eileen really blocked him?

“Go on; enjoy your drink. I’ll step out for some fresh air,” Jacob said, giving Bryan’s shoulder a pat before standing to leave.

In all their years of friendship, Jacob had rarely seen Bryan this embarrassed. Despite the gravity of the situation, Jacob couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Humming out of the room, Jacob met Raymond’s concerned gaze.

He chuckled, “I should move elsewhere. I can’t risk Bryan hearing me laugh now.” Jacob said, offering Raymond a cigarette. “Looks like Eileen has blocked your ass. You can laugh if you want to.”

When he heard this, Raymond cried, “I don’t find this funny at all, Mr. Meyer. I’m scared now.”

It was all because he hadn’t made it clear at noon. But it was just one meal. Why had it become so that Eileen had blocked Bryan?

“Ugh, so boring. I need someone with a sense of humor,” Jacob said, unimpressed. He then dialed Phoebe’s number. Once connected, he told Phoebe what had happened between Eileen and Bryan.

He exaggerated the matter, hinting that Bryan and Eileen were on the verge of not contacting each other again.

“Is that bad?” Phoebe’s heart sank. “I’ll hang up now. I need to talk to Eileen and ask her about this.”

“Don’t bother. When I spoke to Eileen earlier, she was in tears. No point calling her. Why don’t you fly over tonight? That way, you can talk to her in person tomorrow morning!” Jacob suggested.

Had Eileen really cried? He found it hard to believe. Clearly, this matter was more serious than she had imagined.

Phoebe quickly made up her mind. “Alright, I’ll pack now. Get me a flight to Onaland tonight and send me Eileen’s address. I’ll go straight to her tomorrow.”

“Sure!” Jacob nodded. “And remember to bring your ID…”

In minutes, Jacob had managed to persuade Phoebe to come to Onaland and helped book her flight.

After that, he strolled back into the room, trying to appear calm.

“Are you done laughing?” Bryan’s voice was cold, showing he wasn’t fooled by Jacob’s antics.

“The situation is indeed funny, but hey, we’re best friends, right? You had a good laugh at me just now.” Jacob said, settling beside Bryan. “Looks like Eileen’s pretty upset. But I managed to coax Phoebe here. Don’t worry; I’ll help smooth things over between you and Eileen.”

“No need for you to do that,” Bryan stated confidently, downing his drink in a single gulp. With a swift movement, he shrugged into his coat and left.

He knew that since Eileen had blocked him, she must be really angry.

Inside the driving car, Bryan mulled over his next steps. He thought about what he should say to her.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped outside the apartment building. Climbing the stairs, Bryan entered his apartment and flicked on the light in the entryway.

He spotted the key discarded on the floor. It belonged to Eileen. A heaviness settled in his chest.

Rolling up his sleeves, he made his way to the balcony. Scaling the railing with ease, he gripped the safety netting as he climbed to Eileen’s bedroom balcony.

Finding the window unlocked, he raised an eyebrow and slipped inside.

Moonlight illuminated the room, casting shadows on the neatly made bed.

Eileen was not in the room.

Flicking on the bedside light, brightness flooded the room. It was empty.

“Bryan…” Outside the room, Milford, rubbing his eyes, squinted to look at Bryan. “What are you doing here? How did you even get in?”

Bryan didn’t have a key to this place. He had never expected to be locked out by Eileen.

“Where is Eileen?” Bryan sidestepped Milford’s question. Milford gestured toward the apartment across from them. “She hurried over there twenty minutes ago, saying her room was safe. She told me to lock up the door before I go to bed.”

Not safe? Was she wary of him?

Had she anticipated his late-night entrance through her window? Bryan’s expression hardened as he walked to the door. “You should go back to bed. I’m leaving now.”

“Alright… I’ll start my first day at school tomorrow. Will you accompany me?” Milford asked.

Pausing by the door, Bryan replied without glancing back, “Maybe.”

Making his way downstairs to his apartment, he adjusted his tie, looking at the empty room. Sleep eluded him all night.

Early in the morning, Eileen quickly fixed a simple breakfast, finishing it in a flash. Then, she slung her bag over her shoulder, ready to accompany Milford to school.

The elevator doors slid open, and Eileen saw Bryan inside. He gestured for her to step in. Seeing her hesitation, he asked, “Aren’t you coming in?”

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