Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Chapter 46:

Eileen wasn’t certain if Megan’s outburst was related to Vivian. All she knew was that the disturbance had garnered disapproving looks from the crowd. The Warren family wouldn’t be pleased if Vivian’s birthday party was ruined.

Eileen wasn’t acquainted with Megan’s ties to the Warrens. She simply hoped Megan would realize that causing a scene wasn’t appropriate on this occasion.

But evidently, Megan had targeted her. Megan wore a cold smirk and said, “Quite the attitude. Can you even afford the dress?”

“I’ll compensate you. After Miss Warren’s birthday party concludes, we can discuss it privately,” Eileen proposed.

Megan replied, “I’m not interested in money. I simply want this dress restored to its former glory.”

Eileen furrowed her brow. “Then after dinner, I’ll take it to the dry cleaner.”

“Nope,” Megan toyed with her hair, signaling her intent to make things difficult for Eileen.

“So, how do you suggest we resolve this?” Eileen inquired.

“Apologize.” Megan glanced around at the onlookers. “It’s rather impolite to create a mess at such a significant event. Don’t you think it’s customary for you to apologize?”

Among the crowd, some frowned disapprovingly at Megan’s behavior, while others observed with keen interest. Vivian stood alongside her parents, seemingly indifferent to the situation. She refrained from intervening or gloating. A hint of irony danced in her eyes as she chuckled inwardly. There was no need for her to dirty her hands. She knew Eileen wouldn’t dare to offend anyone present.

“Apologies. I accidentally dirtied your dress and shoes. I hope you can forgive me,” Eileen said.

The prospect of footing the bill stung. If a simple apology could resolve the issue, Eileen saw no need to stand her ground. She had encountered and handled similar situations before. Dealing with these sorts of matters was like a walk in the park for her.

L𝑎tеst chαptєrs in g𝒶l𝓷ovє𝓁s.𝗰𝗼𝗺 Vivian, apparently taken aback by Eileen’s swift apology, pressed her lips together.

Megan froze, blinking. “That’s it?”

Eileen raised an eyebrow, offering a smile to Megan.

“Megan.” Beside Megan, Megan’s mother stood alongside Vivian’s mother, Debby. Observing Debby’s displeased expression, she grew annoyed that Megan had irked the Warren family by causing a scene at Vivian’s birthday celebration.

“It’s alright, Auntie. It’s just a minor issue. Let’s resolve it swiftly. After all, the dinner party is to celebrate. Let’s go try. Otherwise, the ambiance will be ruined,” Vivian interjected, aiming to reassure Megan.

With Vivian’s backing, Megan felt emboldened. She turned to face Eileen again. “Apologies don’t cut it.”

Eileen took a deep breath, her clear eyes reflecting Megan’s smug demeanor. “I can offer compensation.”

“We already told you I don’t need money!” Megan lifted the hem of her dress, revealing her dark suede high heels. “Kneel. Clean my shoes,” she demanded.

Eileen raised her eyebrows slightly, her gaze taking on a hint of severity. “Allow me to offer some advice: don’t push it too far.”

“Too far?” Megan rolled her eyes. “And what if I do push it too far? If you fail to meet my satisfaction, you won’t be leaving this place anytime soon!”

“Enough!” A clear, icy voice cut through from the doorway. Bryan sauntered in, a cigarette between his lips. His raised eyebrows fixated on Megan. “Do you intend to stop her from leaving here? Tell me.”

His tone carried neither haste nor leisure, yet it exuded a commanding presence that was difficult to ignore.

“She—” Megan faltered. Under Bryan’s intense scrutiny, she found herself at a loss for words.

Sensing Megan’s unease, Vivian stepped forward with a smile. “Bryan, don’t be upset. Megan loves this dress. It’s natural for her to be upset when it’s stained.”

With a discreet pinch, Vivian signaled to Megan to let the matter go.

Taking the hint, Megan complied and said to Eileen, “You’re not even worthy of polishing my shoes. Consider yourself lucky today!”

Bryan’s gaze intensified, the smoke curling from his lips failing to conceal the sharpness in his eyes. To Eileen, Megan’s actions seemed like a provocation. Megan was challenging Bryan’s authority.

Megan’s father, Stuart Beckett, stepped forward from the crowd, regretting not recognizing Eileen as Bryan’s assistant earlier. He said to Bryan, “Bryan, please ignore her. She’s spoiled. For heaven’s sake, drop it.”

Bryan flicked off the cigarette ash, his lips curving into a smirk. “I’m taking this too seriously. I’ll let it slide. After all, a beaten dog would need its owner’s permission soon.”

Was he calling Megan a dog?

Eileen struggled to contain her laughter. Thankfully, Bryan stood between her and Megan, shielding her from the confrontation.

Stuart looked embarrassed, opting not to challenge Bryan further. Instead, he swiftly changed the subject and invited everyone to take their seats.

It was then that Eileen noticed Bryan holding a small gift box, seemingly containing jewelry. It was probably a birthday present for Vivian.

Bryan cast a fleeting glance at Eileen before taking his seat, his gaze briefly lingering on her wet clothes. Leaning in close to her ear, he whispered, “Handle the clothing situation. There’s a small garden on the hotel’s rooftop. If you find yourself bored, take a stroll up there. Wait for me there.”

“Okay,” Eileen replied, feeling it wasn’t appropriate to linger any longer. She didn’t dwell on the meaning behind his last sentence. Instead, she turned and made her way to the elevator, heading straight for the top floor.

The rooftop garden was the hotel’s crown jewel, offering a sweeping vista of the island. The twinkling city lights were mesmerizing.

Stepping out of the elevator, Eileen was greeted by a refreshing night breeze. Surprisingly, there was no one here in the garden, save for a uniformed attendant stationed near the elevator.

Finding a secluded spot, Eileen sat down. A warm, amber glow bathed the area from above, enveloping her in a comforting embrace.

Taking out her phone, she noticed a message from Bailee. After their hospital visit, Ruby had lamented about forgetting to inquire about Huey. Upon a sudden impulse, Ruby had called Huey’s mother, leading to a delightful conversation. Ruby had seemed elated.

Bailee cautioned, “Eileen, you’d better start preparing early. I’m afraid that Mom is going to plan the wedding soon.”

Eileen smiled and replied, “Alright.” With both families offering such strong support, continuing their trial relationship seemed inappropriate.

As soon as she messaged Huey, he responded quickly. It took Eileen a moment to realize what Huey meant. Huey was inviting her to join him in the game. She could only comply and log in.

Huey promptly whisked her into a room where another player named “Moon” awaited. The player was Bailee.

“Starting today, I’m devoting all my time to gaming with you guys. Your skills are seriously lacking; I’m not okay with that,” Huey grumbled discontentedly.

Then he added, “Eileen, why did you message me just now?”

With Bailee present, Eileen couldn’t broach the topic directly. She simply replied, “No specific reason. It’s just for casual talk.”

“Alright, get ready. Let’s dive into the game,” Huey announced.

With a click, Huey initiated the game, and within moments, teams were formed.

Eileen struggled with the game, unable to grasp its intricacies. She even had difficulty selecting a character, despite Huey’s guidance. Ultimately, the system chose a character for her automatically. Before she could catch her breath, Huey was already voicing his frustration.

“Both of you! We’ll grab a meal together soon. I need to school you on character recognition,” he declared.

Eileen said, “Fine, right? You’re a pro at this. We’ll just follow your lead.”

Huey nearly choked. Selecting an assassin himself, he watched as Eileen and Bailee opted for support characters. As they engaged in casual banter, they used their skills to bolster the assassin.

Three minutes later, their random teammates gave up, abandoning the game.

Five minutes later, they suffered defeat.

A heavy silence descended. Huey even began to question his life choices. Losing their first game to random players and in such swift fashion was too much for him.

“Both of you, especially you, Eileen. I’ll give you a crash course on recognizing the characters,” he said.

After some time, Huey managed to regain his confidence. Pushing aside his lingering embarrassment, he patiently began to impart knowledge to Eileen bit by bit.

Though Eileen grasped a few concepts, when Huey tasked her with identifying a specific character again, she fumbled through the roster to no avail.

“My boss needs me for some work. I’m a tad better than Eileen. I’ll leave now. You two can continue,” Bailee announced abruptly and logged off.

This afforded Eileen the chance to broach the subject. “My mom is overly invested in our relationship. It could get messy if we keep up the charade. Perhaps we should just end it.”

Huey fought the urge to refuse her immediately. His mom had just agreed to let him play games as long as he stayed with Eileen. But how could he persuade Eileen to continue the facade?

After some contemplation, he proposed, “Once you reach the King rank in this game and recognize all characters, I’ll tell my mother the truth.”

Eileen furrowed her brow. With her limited gaming time, this seemed daunting.

“Can’t—” she began.

“Nope. It’s my way or the highway,” Huey cut in firmly, abruptly logging off to forestall any further debate.

Eileen stared at her phone screen, feeling vexed. While she was adept at handling various people in the business world, dealing with Huey had left her with a pounding headache. She could only comply with his demands. But how long would she have to wait? She refused… She dreaded the thought of what Huey might do.

Lost in her worries, she was startled by a familiar voice.

“I sent you up here to admire the view, not to play games,” Bryan said.

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