Byranâs disgruntled voice came from the other end of the phone, âHello? Whoâs this?â
âItâs me, Ellinor, Mr Howardâ
Hearing Ellinorâs voice, Byranâs tone softened a bit, âEllinor, are you off work yet?â
âAlmost, thereâs less than ten minutesâ
âAlright, Iâm coming to pick you up now Meet me at the alley near the office. And be sure to dodge Balfour!â Byran instructed carefully Ellinor was somewhat puzzled, âWeâre not doing anything shady, why should we avoid Mr. Howard?â
Byran stuttered a bit, âWell Balfourâs not a fan of me hanging out with you, so he canât know that Iâm the one taking you to Grandpaâs birthday party. Youâd better avoid him, or Iâll get an earful from Balfour again!â
Ellinor let out a sarcastic laugh, âOh, so thatâs the reason!â
Byran seemed to feel awkward and added âDonât take it to heart; Balfour has the wrong opinion about you. Once he gets to know you, he wonât think like this.â
Ellinor just smiled and didnât say anything, âAlright, call me when youâre near the office âSure!â
Byran arrived very quickly in just fifteen minutes.
According to the location Byran sent, Ellinor found the alley near the Howard Group and got into the car.
Carlos was Byrans assistant, so he was driving while Byran sat in the back. Seeing Ellinor get in, he gave her a disapproving onceâover.
âHey! Ellinor, youâre going to my grandpaâs birthday party dressed like this?â
Ellinor was in her work clothes and had just removed her blazer, leaving a simple white shirt. It was simple and crisp, but a bit too casual.
âWhatâs wrong with this? Iâm just tagging along for fun. Thereâs no need to dress up, right?â
Byran frowned, âEllinor, youâre such a weirdo!â
âOh? How so?â
âYouâre obviously into Balfour, yet you donât even bother to dress up! Do you know how many women are after Balfour? How can you stand out and make Balfour like you like this?â
Ellinor laughed, âDonât you think itâs possible that Iâm not interested in Balfour at all?â
After a moment of thought, Byran seemed to believe her, âWell, thatâs a shamel Actually, I was kind of hoping you could be a part of our family!â
Ellinor raised an eyebrow. âWhy?â
Byran blurted out, âBecause if you marry Balfour, you wonât be a threat to my sisterâs happiness anymore.â
Ellinor was taken aback.
So it was all for his sister Byran continued, âBut mainly, youâre not like those flashy and vulgar women that are a dime a dozen. I find you quite interesting, we have a lot in common, and we can have enjoyable chats Iâd hate it if Balfour ended up marrying a goldâdigger, that would really bug me.â
Ellinor could only laugh and cry at his words. She had common topics with him? If that were the case, wouldnât it mean she was dumbing herself down?
The car soon arrived at the Bagley familyâs house.
Byran looked out the window and his eyes lit up. âItâs Theoâs car, he came early too!â