Chapter 491:
âBrandon, thereâs only one thing you need to do,â the lead elder chimed in. âBring Travis here now, and weâll believe you.â
Brandon quickly replied, âHeâs not back in the country yet. He canât come right now.â
The elder set a firm deadline. âThree days. Bring him to us in three days, otherwiseâ¦â The implication was clear. Dismissing Bryan without proof of Travis would jeopardize their financial support, and the elders were well aware of that.
Lydiaâs gaze flitted around the room as she spoke hastily, âIt wonât take three days. Iâm going to call him right now to book a flight for tonight. Heâll be here by tomorrow morning. Letâs plan to meet for lunch then.â
Eileen raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. She knew Lydia was lying. After all, Travis had helped Christos steal the documents the previous night. Yet, Eileen chose to remain silent, waiting to see Lydiaâs next move.
Stella managed to arrange accommodations for everyone at the Dawson Mansion, and soon, the expansive villa was bustling with activity.
Jarred arrived shortly after and showed everyone to their rooms. Brandon and Lydia, appearing hurried, quickly left, clearly preoccupied with something urgent.
Back in the living room, only Eileen, Bryan, and Stella remained. The silence in the room felt suffocating.
Finally, breaking the silence, Stella turned to Bryan. âYou married into Eileenâs family?â She paused, her tone tinged with disbelief. âWho came up with that idea?â
Bryan settled next to Eileen and confessed, âIt was my idea. I pressured her into accepting the EB Group shares and all my assets.â
After making his position clear, he clasped Eileenâs hand, stood up, and said, âGrandma, Iâll take care of my affairs. You should rest. Tomorrow will be a long day.â
âArenât you staying the night?â As Bryan prepared to leave, Stella felt a twinge of disappointment. âI wonât meddle anymore. Iâm just curious.â
Stay connected at gⱯlnÏνâ¯ðsâ¤com âThis isnât about that.â Bryan gave a slight nod. âI have other matters to attend to back home.â
Realizing Stella might think he was upset, he added, âItâs not what you think.â He purposely omitted any reference to Gabriela.
Then, he and Eileen left.
The night was thick with darkness, as if immense hands were stretching out from the shadows. Eileen had been mostly silent since their arrival, her mind swirling with the events of the night. She had braced herself for a sleepless night, but to her surprise, she fell asleep almost instantly after retrieving Gabriela from Rubyâs room.
At nine the next morning, Eileen and Bryan made their way back to Dawson Mansion. The previous dayâs crowd lingered, but a new face, a man in his early twenties, caught their attention in the living room.
He bore a resemblance to Brandon, though his features seemed to echo Lydiaâs even more. His demeanor was humble and polite. He served coffee to the elders, respectfully addressing each one by name. His conduct appeared more courteous than Bryanâs when in the company of others.
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