Chapter 254: Chapter 254

Chapter 254:

As the sun set on an early autumn evening, a chill wafted through the air. Eileen, donned in a sleek black trench coat, stood at the curb outside the educational institution, her gaze intermittently shifting to her wristwatch. She idly kicked a small pebble, watching it skitter under a distant streetlight. She narrowed her eyes as a car approached silently.

She moved to the edge of the road as the car smoothly halted in front of her. The passenger door opened slightly, and as she pulled it wider, a burst of red caught her eye—inside was a bouquet of bright red roses, their lush petals dotted with tiny water droplets.

Bryan turned on the lights, making the droplets glisten like jewels.

“Why the sudden flowers?” Eileen asked, a hint of a smile forming as she picked up the roses, smelling them before holding them close and sliding into the car.

Bryan immediately locked the doors and leaned toward her. Eileen’s body became rigid against the seat as his amplified profile approached within inches of her face.

He glanced downward, his hand, veins visible, sliding around her slim waist as he retrieved the seatbelt from the space between her and the seat.

“They’re for Jacob,” Bryan replied.

Eileen’s smile froze.

She was still adjusting to the flowers Bryan had given her; she had never received flowers from him before. Holding them close brought warmth to her heart, but now he claimed they were meant for Jacob?

“Just kidding,” Bryan said, his gentle chuckle filling the air. After helping Eileen buckle her seatbelt, he started the car. “What made you come out so early today?”

He had arrived ten minutes before the agreed time, only to find her already waiting outside.

Discover updates gⱯlησν𝓮ℓs․com A blush tinted Eileen’s cheeks, but she tried to appear calm. “It was too quiet after everyone left, and I didn’t like being there alone, so I came out a bit earlier.”

Roses for Jacob? She chastised herself for even entertaining the thought.

The evening streetlights began twinkling on, guiding their way to the hospital.

Jacob was in the hospital’s VIP ward. That hospital was a place Eileen knew all too well, as Ruby had once occupied the same space.

Familiar with the layout, Eileen led Bryan straight to Jacob’s ward. The hospital corridors were quiet in the evening. They stepped out of the elevator, and their footsteps echoed through the empty hall.

The door to Jacob’s room was slightly open, allowing the sound of heated discussions to escape.

“Mr. Meyer, regardless of whether the Beckett family acted inappropriately, you broke off your engagement with my daughter after being with Phoebe. Surely, you agree that some form of restitution is warranted?”

“And let’s not overlook Megan’s ordeal when she was with you. Phoebe provoked her into undermining Eileen, and now we’re left dealing with the consequences!”

The Beckett couple converged around Jacob’s bedside, bombarding him with complaints. Phoebe, at the foot of the bed, distractedly fiddled with her phone while Megan stood in the center of the room.

Jacob, propped up on his pillows, looked visibly annoyed. He was no match for the Beckett couple’s verbal barrage.

Outside the room, Eileen felt unfairly blamed.

Megan had not been trying to make things difficult for Phoebe; she had clearly been manipulated, and now the Beckett family was using that to their advantage, seeking compensation from Jacob.

It was a glaring display of shamelessness.

Bryan’s expression darkened noticeably. His icy gaze was fixed on the Beckett couple.

“Eileen?” Megan, spotting Eileen at the door, uttered a soft gasp. Sensing Bryan’s icy demeanor, Megan instinctively backed away. The Beckett couple turned, their faces a mix of shock and embarrassment.

After a brief pause, Stuart Beckett, Megan’s father, forced a weak smile. “Mr. Dawson, we didn’t expect to see you here. Perhaps we could revisit our earlier discussion about the project?”

“You have the audacity to talk about that again?” Bryan guided Eileen into the room with a gentle motion of his arm. His imposing presence made the Beckett family members instinctively huddle together, withdrawing to a corner. “Sit here and wait for me.” Bryan told Eileen, leading her to sit on the sofa. He knew that engaging with the Beckett family would be a tedious affair.

Stuart watched how protective Bryan was toward Eileen, his heart sinking with the realization.

He now understood that Megan had dared to make things difficult for Eileen, which had clearly upset Bryan. Stuart quickly turned to Megan, his gaze piercing. “What are you waiting for? Apologize to Mr. Dawson for your reckless behavior!”

“Ugh!” Megan protested, her reluctance stemming not from defiance but from the precarious state of her family’s finances and the uncertainty of her own future.

She was genuinely afraid of Bryan. She couldn’t understand what it was about Eileen that so completely enthralled him.

“Just bear with it for now, Megan,” Megan’s mother murmured, giving her daughter a gentle push forward.

Megan edged forward, stopping about three meters from Bryan, acutely aware of his imposing aura.

She glanced back at her parents, her eyes wet with tears, then gathered her strength and said, “Mr. Dawson, I’m sorry. Please, could you forgive my mistakes?”

Her voice dwindled. Phoebe, who had warned Megan about being too arrogant, burst into mocking laughter. The sound of Phoebe’s laughter brought a rush of shame to Megan’s face, and she glared at Phoebe in anger.

She then saw Eileen casually lounging on the sofa, twirling her hair and observing the drama with indifference.

“You should apologize to Eileen,” Bryan said, his tone sharp and firm.

Megan was taken aback, her eyes widening in shock.

He wanted her to apologize to Eileen? That was impossible! Stuart hesitated for a few seconds before saying, “Yes, she needs to apologize to Miss Curtis.”

“No!” Megan’s response was immediate. “She doesn’t deserve an apology!”

Bryan’s expression hardened, his cold gaze piercing Megan as sharply as a dagger.

Megan’s breath caught in her throat as if she were being strangled by an unseen hand, and she stumbled backward in fear.

“Damn it!” Stuart was furious, grabbing Megan’s arm roughly and slapping her across the face. “Apologize to Miss Curtis!”

Instinctively, Megan shielded her face, her body twisting as she was about to stumble, but her mother’s firm grip prevented her from falling.

Tears streamed down Megan’s face as she defiantly met Eileen’s gaze.

It was evident that an apology from Megan would be anything but heartfelt.

Eileen raised her eyes and said, “No need. I can’t bear your apology.”

“Then let me apologize for her,” declared Megan’s mother decisively. She released Megan and strode toward Eileen. “Mom!” Megan caught her mother’s arm. “You don’t need to apologize for me.”

Under Bryan’s intense scrutiny, Megan stopped speaking. A heavy silence filled the spacious hospital room, weighing down the Beckett family with an invisible burden.

“Who needs your apology?” Jacob, quiet until this point, said sharply. “If you had any sense, you’d get Megan out of here. If she lingers, not only will your family receive no assistance, but Bryan might also start to think about destroying your family.”

Witnessing Megan clench her teeth in frustration, Stuart sighed deeply, pulling her out of the room and closing the door behind them.

Outside the room, Megan finally shook off Bryan’s domineering aura. She took a deep breath, and her defiance returned. “Mom, why did you want me to apologize to Eileen? She’s nothing but an assistant who climbed the ranks by sleeping around.”

She confronted her father, her disbelief palpable. “You can’t do that! You agreed to help Kian get rid of Eileen!”

Kian had previously offered Stuart assistance, but only if he dealt with Eileen.

However, Stuart understood all too well that the Beckett family was merely a pawn in the scheme. If it backfired, it could spell ruin for the Beckett family, and Bryan’s ruthless tactics could leave no one in the family unscathed.

“Go home!” Without another word, Stuart ushered Megan into the car, and Megan’s mother followed them.

Once they returned home, Megan was confined to her room while Stuart went to negotiate Megan’s marriage with the old man, infuriating Megan to the point of refusing to eat or drink for the entire day.

In the dead of night, consumed with worry, Megan’s mother quietly approached her daughter’s room to bring her some food. Through the door, Megan pleaded desperately, “Mom, if you truly care about me, let me be. That man is even older than my father. How can you just stand by and let me get married to him?” Her mother, filled with anxiety and worry, responded, “Megan, why must you be so headstrong? You dared to speak out against Eileen at the hospital. Don’t you realize how much the situation has changed?”

Megan clenched her jaw, her hatred for Eileen growing. She was at a loss for words.

“For our sake, just bear with it. Eat something. Your father’s decision is final,” Megan’s mother had prepared a bowl of spaghetti, coaxing her daughter to eat.

Megan, however, was resolute. Stuart had locked the door from the outside, and defiantly, she had locked it from the inside as well.

Although Megan’s mother managed to unlock the door from the outside, she couldn’t get inside.

After a while, Megan finally said, “Mom, if you really want me to eat, I need my phone.”

“Alright. I’ll get it for you. Just eat something,” Megan’s mother replied.

But Megan’s phone was with Stuart, and all her mother could offer was her spare phone, which didn’t contain Kian’s contact info. However, it did have Debby’s number. Megan wasted no time and called Debby, managing to get Kian’s number.

Jacob’s leg injury required a month of recovery, which meant Phoebe was bound to his hospital bedside for a month, her expression one of sheer gloom.

“Eileen, whenever you’re free, could you go shopping with me? I’ve just returned to Onaland, and it’s starting to get cold. I need more clothes,” Phoebe said.

No sooner had Phoebe made her request than Jacob yanked her back toward him, his arms clasping her waist tightly. “No, you can’t leave my side, not even for a second,” he said.

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