Chapter 337: Chapter 337

Chapter 337:

Eileen glanced up at Bryan’s tense expression. Each word he spoke seemed to burst out through clenched teeth.

She wondered if he wanted to throttle her, or if she had wronged him somehow.

But she was acting in his best interest, and if anything, she felt like the one being wronged here.

His hand tightly gripped her waist, his gaze filled with anger.

“You’re not allowed to ignore my calls and texts or avoid seeing me. I know everything that’s happening; there’s no need for you to worry about me,” Bryan said.

Seeing Eileen’s eyes flicker, he softened his tone.

“Then what don’t you know?” Eileen countered.

“I don’t know when you’ll let go of your reservations. I don’t want to pressure you, but my patience is wearing thin. If you push me too far, I won’t consider your feelings anymore.” Bryan tapped the position of her heart on her chest. “Right here, think only of me. You belong to me.”

He then placed her hand on his chest and said, “You are in here.”

Eileen turned her head away, refusing to look at him. He leaned down and kissed her before finally letting her go.

“Go back,” Bryan said in a deep voice. After watching her turn around and climb the steps, he swiftly opened the car door and got inside.

ᗰσ𝓇𝑒 υ𝐩𝓭𝑎𝓉𝑒𝓈 ι𝐧 ɢ𝒶𝐥𝓷𝑜𝐯𝑒𝓁𝓈.𝒸𝑜𝓂 He feared losing control and taking her away in his car, never allowing her to leave his side again.

Josue was clever. After entering Eileen’s place, he intentionally tried to take Gabriela, which Bailee and Milford naturally resisted.

He then used this opportunity to inquire about the situation between Eileen and Bryan.

Bailee, meeting him for the first time, refused to tell him. However, Ruby, who had met Josue before and knew he was trustworthy, subtly reassured Bailee that it was okay.

Wanting to spend more time holding Gabriela, Bailee spoke in bits and pieces.

She didn’t mind whether Josue could fully understand her or not.

Josue struggled to grasp the truth, relying on guessing, which surprisingly proved quite accurate.

When Eileen came back, Josue confronted her. He led Eileen to sit on the sofa, staring at her.

“Eileen, I have one question for you—Is my goddaughter actually Bryan’s biological child?” Josue asked.

“Yes,” Eileen replied. “Have you ever disclosed to Bryan that your goddaughter is my daughter?”

Josue yelled and jumped, feeling devastated.

“I have only one goddaughter, and I’m immensely proud of her. I’ve been sending Bryan pictures of her daily to show her off, not knowing she’s actually his biological daughter?” He collapsed, pounding his chest and the floor. “This is incredibly unfair!”

Eileen watched his emotional outburst, feeling a mix of emotions.

“Wait!” Josue appeared to have realized something, standing up and looking at Eileen. “You’re not planning to tell Bryan about your daughter?”

Josue was aware of the tension between Eileen and Bryan but unaware of the details of Stella’s interference.

Believing Josue had most of the facts, Eileen told him the remaining details.

Josue listened intently, his expression turning serious. “This situation isn’t fair. I understand. Bryan’s grandmother is really not treating you fairly. Bryan’s strategy to dismantle Apex Group has been in the works for a long time. It’s not something that happens overnight.”

His resources overseas had all been moved to the domestic market by Bryan, and his money had all been spent by Bryan.

After a pause, Josue continued, “He loves you deeply; of course, he wants to marry you and have children with you. But I must say, Gabriela is now in danger. The family rules passed down by the Dawson ancestors for centuries are truly harmful.”

Eileen remained quiet, leaning back on the sofa, contemplating Bryan’s words earlier.

“I’m struggling to make sense of everything now,” she admitted.

“Let me help you with that,” Josue said, drawing nearer.

“Forget about Bryan’s grandmother. As long as you love Bryan, that’s what truly matters. Your union is inevitable, but the timing isn’t ideal at the moment. Even if you’re not afraid of the Ferguson family or Brandon’s schemes, Gabriela’s safety must remain a priority.”

Turning towards Gabriela, who was playing with Bailee and Milford, Josue marveled at her innocence and charm, worrying about her safety.

“Being this young, she can’t handle much. If Brandon loses control and tries to harm Gabriela, it will be too late,” Josue said.

Eileen believed Josue’s logic was sound; nothing mattered more than protecting Gabriela.

Josue continued, “You and Bryan are deeply in love. You can be together. Do whatever makes you happy, just don’t tell Bryan about the child yet.”

Eileen said seriously, “You’re Bryan’s friend. Aren’t you concerned that our boldness might anger his grandmother?”

“Why worry about her anyway?” Josue replied with self-righteousness.

Eileen didn’t want to care about Stella, but Stella was Bryan’s grandmother. Whatever Stella had done was out of concern for Bryan.

Her concern wasn’t Stella, but the possibility of Bryan feeling upset or blaming himself.

“But I must remind you, a child needs a father’s presence for proper upbringing. Bryan missing out would be a lasting regret,” Josue said. “I have a plan. Want to hear it?”

Eileen had reservations about his plan’s thoroughness.

Josue said confidently, “You focus on your relationship with Bryan. Leave Gabriela’s interaction with me to handle. I’ve brought back all my resources to fully support him. We will practically be together every day. Since I work from home, he’ll have to come to my place. Gabriela will stay with me during those times. How does that sound?”

It was a solid plan, and Eileen was impressed, though she harbored doubts about Josue’s intentions.

Seeing Josue’s eyes gleaming, Eileen could picture him proudly showing off Gabriela to Bryan.

Josue reclined on the sofa and admitted, “Now that I’m Gabriela’s godfather, can’t I boast for a few days? Once Bryan learns Gabriela is his daughter, I’ll be left with nothing.”

“Just don’t go overboard,” Eileen warned. “Your boasting now might provoke Bryan’s retaliation later.”

“Even if I don’t boast, he’ll still retaliate,” Josue said, unsure how Bryan would handle the fact that he had kept Gabriela’s identity a secret.

He might well seize the opportunity to boast now.

“Deal,” Eileen agreed, partly because she had been busy arranging blind dates for Josue.

Only Ruby was available at home to care for Gabriela, and lately, fatigue was clearly showing on her face.

Eileen knew depending solely on Ruby wasn’t sustainable.

She reluctantly acknowledged that, despite Josue’s unreliability, he had a clear mind and had efficiently assisted in solving her current predicament.

During the day, while Eileen was fully focused on work, Bryan occasionally pulled her into messaging and playful banter.

Other times, he insisted on spending an hour on the phone during lunch. On a few occasions, she discovered he was actually in a meeting while they were on the phone, but he still didn’t hang up.

Even in silence, they didn’t end the call.

In the evenings, upon returning home, Eileen’s focus shifted to caring for Gabriela.

Bryan was pleased with Eileen’s behavior. But he hadn’t expected that Josue had insisted on working from home to spend time with his goddaughter.

This was Bryan’s first time seeing Gabriela since returning to the country. Gabriela, just over three months old, had recently learned to lie on her stomach.

Her large eyes were bright, making her look irresistibly adorable, but when she propped herself up, her chubby cheeks drooped slightly, and Bryan found her even more appealing.

“What do you think?” Josue leaned closer to Bryan with a proud grin on his face. “Impressed, huh? Isn’t my goddaughter beautiful?”

Bryan looked away from Gabriela, raising his eyebrows to ask Josue, “What do you mean? Did you ask me to come here just to have me look at the child?”

“Of course not,” Josue replied. “I can work perfectly well with my goddaughter here. Make sure those executives coming here know there is no smoking allowed since there’s a child in the house.”

Josue’s instructions were delivered earnestly, but Bryan furrowed his brow. “Are you serious? Working with a child present?”

“What’s the matter? Can’t I do that?” Josue sat down, lifting Gabriela, who, at just over four months old, was already quite heavy.

Gabriela’s cute arms were chubby.

Being held like this made her look even more adorable. From this angle, she couldn’t see Bryan, yet her tiny head lifted as she tried hard to catch a glimpse of him in Josue’s arms.

Words of refusal caught in Bryan’s throat. He eventually said, “I’m just concerned you won’t take proper care of her.”

“If I fail, you’re here to help, right?” Josue gestured with his chin, signaling Bryan to grab the formula from the coffee table. “I need to feed her milk every two hours; it’s time now. After she’s fed, we’ll proceed with the meeting. You can hold her while I talk, and I can hold her while you do.”

Bryan was left speechless.

He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. It was absurd.

But he found himself locked in a stare with Gabriela’s big eyes, his heart softened, unable to utter a word of refusal.

“You don’t know how to prepare formula, right?” Josue passed the child to Bryan. “Here, hold her; I’ll go prepare.”

Bryan had held the child briefly right after she was born.

But for some reason, he now hesitated to hold her.

Seeing Bryan’s hesitation, Josue directed him to sit on the sofa. He then carefully settled Gabriela into Bryan’s arms, her head leaning on one of Bryan’s arms. Then, he pulled Bryan’s other arm to let him hold Gabriela’s bottom.

Bryan’s body tensed; he now felt even more unsure about holding her.

Just as he moved away, Bryan suddenly exclaimed, “Hey, she’s moving!”

Startled by Bryan’s words, Gabriela turned to stare at Bryan, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

Josue turned and saw Bryan and Gabriela looking at each other, one in panic and the other bewildered. He quickly grabbed his phone, decisively taking photos. “Great, look here and smile for the camera.”

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