Chapter 160: Chapter 160

Chapter 160:

After freshening up, Eileen emerged from the bathroom and casually asked, “What brings you two here again?”

“Sorry for the interruption,” Phoebe said with a playful tone. She then replied, “Jacob is here to talk about something with Bryan.”

Eileen, while tying her hair, paused to ask, “Are they discussing the White family issue?”

Phoebe’s face took on a serious look. She scrutinized Eileen for a moment and said, “You know Arthur is Gilbert’s nephew?” Her voice carried a mix of guilt and surprise.

Eileen looked confused. “What? Should I not be aware of that?”

“It’s not that,” Phoebe replied, peering out the door. “But we were concerned you might go behind our backs to Arthur.”

Eileen finished tying her hair, rolled her eyes, and explained, “I do have some sense, you know. Right now, Bryan and I are allies. If I approached Arthur to plead, it would just embarrass Bryan. Plus, Arthur would surely want something in return, and I’m not one to back down easily. If we’re unlikely to reach a deal, why seek out the hassle?”

Getting caught by Arthur again would only complicate things further. Then, Eileen asked Phoebe, “Was it Bryan who told you not to tell me?”

“No,” Phoebe said with a sheepish grin. “It was Jacob.”

“That makes more sense.” Eileen felt she knew Bryan well enough. She trusted that Bryan understood her, too. He wouldn’t hide such a thing deliberately; he simply wouldn’t mention it unless she brought it up. But not looking for trouble herself didn’t mean trouble wouldn’t find her.

While Eileen was talking with Phoebe, there appeared ten missed calls on Eileen’s phone, which was on silent mode. Eileen was on her way out of the room with Phoebe when she noticed the missed calls. She said to Phoebe, “You go ahead. I need to return a call first.”

gⱯlnσν𝒆𝓁s․com delivers what you seek Phoebe headed to the living room while Eileen stepped back onto the balcony to make her call. Even though it was an unfamiliar number, the persistence of the calls indicated something urgent. The moment the call was connected, any thought of urgency vanished from Eileen’s mind with the angry voice on the other end.

It was Arthur, shouting, “Eileen Curtis, are you messing with me? How many men have you hooked up with?”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Since you’re already at the hospital, maybe get your head checked while you’re at it!” Eileen responded sharply.

Her cold response and cutting words made Arthur instinctively want to stand up. But the ache in his ribs made him wince and slump back. He said, “I understand. You can’t talk freely because Bryan is around, right? Let me make this clear: Bryan is after my uncle’s investment, which will only go through if I approve. If you’re smart, come to the hospital and serve me well—”

Eileen instantly ended the call, blocked the number, and set her phone to reject all calls from unknown numbers. When Arthur tried to call again, he found himself blocked, which infuriated him.

That day, Arthur had meant to send his location to Eileen, but he had actually sent it to Danielle, since Danielle had given him the wrong WhatsApp account. After pondering for a while, Danielle had dressed up and gone there. But she had arrived late. Upon her arrival, she had seen Eileen being carried out by Bryan, and soon after, Arthur had also been carried out on a stretcher.

Realizing something had gone wrong, Danielle had quickly fled in fear. When Arthur had regained consciousness, he had messaged Danielle, accusing her of betrayal. From his messages, Danielle had deduced that Arthur had attempted to rape Eileen but had been stopped by Eileen’s friends, which had explained his anger.

Danielle had quickly apologized and tried to explain, but Arthur had demanded she come to the hospital. Terrified, Danielle had chosen not to go, which had only made Arthur angrier. Arthur then had called to confront Eileen but had been taken aback by her dismissive response, contrasting sharply with the apologetic, flirtatious tone of her WhatsApp messages.

This inconsistency made him even more furious, worsening his chest pain. As the ward door opened, Arthur’s mother, Hadlee Blake, entered with Karla. Both women were elegantly dressed and around the same age. However, Hadlee appeared visibly older recently, looking worn and tired due to Arthur’s troubles.

“Mrs. Blake, don’t worry too much. Your son is alright,” Karla reassured Hadlee as her people set down the gifts they had brought. Hadlee forced a smile and replied, “If only Arthur were as well-behaved as your son, I wouldn’t be so concerned.”

“Don’t say that. Every child has their strengths,” Karla responded. Upon Hadlee’s cue, Arthur reluctantly greeted, “Hello, Mrs. Deleon.”

“I never imagined Eileen could bring you to such a state,” Karla commented, surprised to learn that Bryan had beaten Arthur so badly that Arthur was hospitalized. Hearing this, Hadlee was taken aback. “What do you mean? Who is Eileen?”

“Mrs. Blake, you’re not aware?” Karla looked at Arthur, noticing his darkened expression. Arthur hadn’t been entirely honest about the matter with his mother. Hadlee picked up on this right away and, guiding Karla to sit next to her, urged, “Mrs. Deleon, please, share the whole story. What exactly happened?”

Arthur shot a look at Karla, who subtly motioned for him to remain silent before she said, “It’s not your son’s fault. It’s all because of Eileen. She’s been flirting around, getting involved with Bryan while also seducing your son. Honestly, she’s been leading my son on, too.”

In Karla’s description, Eileen was manipulative, engaging with several men simultaneously. Arthur quickly showed his messages with “Eileen” to support the claim. “Mom, I was not aware she was involved with someone. I wouldn’t have pursued her if I knew. Just see how she talked to me online…” He had found himself thinking about her even in his dreams.

“This woman is completely despicable!” Hadlee was outraged. Reviewing the messages, Karla’s disdain for Eileen intensified. She believed Eileen adapted her demeanor based on who she was dealing with. With Emmett, Eileen maintained an air of purity and distance. With someone like Arthur, Eileen was nearly sending nudes.

Karla suspected that Bryan might also have been misled by Eileen. She quickly said, “Mrs. Blake, you can’t let this affect your brother’s cooperation with Bryan. Your brother can’t afford to upset Bryan too much, so he’s being cautious. If Bryan becomes angry, it could be disastrous for all of us. I think we should focus on dealing with Eileen to smooth things over with Bryan. I have a plan…”

Karla gently touched Hadlee’s hand and shared her idea. Understanding that the White family needed to maintain good terms with Bryan, Hadlee agreed with Karla’s approach. Karla said, “Just let everyone recognize Eileen’s true nature. We don’t need to make things too tense with Bryan.”

Then, Karla turned to Arthur, saying, “Arthur, you’re a man of high standing. Enjoy yourself with Eileen, but don’t consider anything serious.”

“I know!” Arthur had already lost patience with Eileen’s deceit. With a new resolve after hearing Karla’s plan, Arthur was determined to see Eileen pay once Bryan dumped her. He planned to hold her to every word she had said online.

Exiting the hospital, Karla exhaled deeply and called Kian. “Eileen is quite the problem. She’s indeed with Bryan, but don’t worry, I’ve come up with a plan.” She then explained her strategy to Kian, adding, “The White family doesn’t want to upset Bryan. Everything should settle down except for Eileen.”

Kian picked up on an important detail. “You mean… Bryan is looking to attract investment from the White family?”

“Yes,” Karla replied, then curiously asked, “But what’s happening with the Dawson family?”

“That’s not something you need to be concerned with,” Kian responded, then disconnected the call. He mulled over the situation… It seemed likely that Bryan had gone to Wist Land because of Eileen. If Karla’s plan worked out, Bryan would likely drop the project and come back. But to be safe, Kian needed Bryan to return for certain, not just possibly…

In the evening, Jacob and Phoebe joined Eileen for dinner. Given that she was filling in for Raymond to look after Bryan, Eileen couldn’t let Bryan handle the cooking. And since her cooking skills were lacking, she had ordered the food.

Before, in Onaland, with its dry, chilly climate, Eileen seldom ate spicy food to avoid getting sick and impacting her work.

However, things had changed here. She had grown accustomed to the spice. Her lips were flushed pink, and since she had only had one meal earlier in the day, her appetite was great. The large villa was brightly lit. The expansive chandelier cast light over them, and the rising steam from the hotpot added a cozy feel to the atmosphere.

Bryan, wearing a black shirt, reclined in his chair, a cigarette dangling between his fingers. He watched Eileen with a playful gaze as she talked with Phoebe, eating. Stray hairs clung to her sweaty forehead, yet she appeared effortlessly neat. Tiny sweat droplets adorned her nose, and her flushed cheeks were flawless.

Noticing her empty bowl, Bryan took a drag of his cigarette, exhaled smoke to the side, and filled her bowl with a generous helping of meat. Eileen paused, looked up at him briefly, then bowed her head and continued eating. She didn’t even say thank you to him. A year ago, she would have thanked him politely and mentioned that it was inappropriate. Thinking of that, Bryan had a faint smile on his face.

“Tomorrow night, let’s attend the White family’s business event together,” Jacob suggested, raising his wine glass and offering it to Bryan. “I might not be able to assist with finances, but for everything else, I’m in your corner… Well, not really, but I’ve got this.”

Bryan laughed, positioned his hand with the cigarette on the chair’s back, and clinked his glass with Jacob’s. As they drank, Phoebe also felt tempted and pulled Eileen into having some wine. While the men discussed the White family’s issue, Eileen and Phoebe engaged in light conversation. It wasn’t until they had finished eating that Phoebe realized a dilemma.

“We’ve all been drinking, so who’s going to drive?” she asked.

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