Chapter 47: Chapter 47

Chapter 47:

A shadow fell over her. Eileen looked up, Bryan’s features blurred against the backlight. Bryan was staring intently at the game on her phone screen. Eileen looked away, a soft sniff escaping her, before extending the phone towards him. “Could you show me how to play this?” she asked.

“What seems to be the problem?” Bryan took the phone, casually tapping through the screens. The account level was quite low, yet it boasted a complete collection of characters and skins, all gifts from Huey. Such an account would be valuable on the market.

“I’m just not good at it,” Eileen said, hesitant to confess her feeling of obligation to learn because of Huey. She feared Bryan might take offense. Despite the absence of romantic feelings between her and Bryan, she believed he had his ego. Bryan, she assumed, would want to best Huey.

Bryan’s gaze lingered on her, taking in her delicate lashes and features. He knew her face well, yet each glance filled him with wonder. Her words brushed against his heart, tender as a feather’s touch. He found himself drawn closer, his voice low and rough, “That will depend on how well you perform.”

His words sent a flutter through Eileen’s chest, prompting a moment of confusion. Where were they again?

Downstairs was Vivian’s birthday party.

Realization dawned, and Eileen gently pushed him back. “Miss Warren’s birthday.”

“Now,” Bryan answered, his focus sharp, eager to return to the task at hand, dismissing any further distractions.

Eileen found herself taken aback. She nibbled at her lip, then ventured in a whisper, “Should we head home?”

Feel the thrill at gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s﹒𝚌o𝓂 “What’s there to—” Bryan’s voice broke through the quiet, his fingers deftly moving a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, his breath tinged with the smell of smoke.

Eileen cast her eyes downward. “I worry about the trouble I might cause you.”

The thought nagged at her. One moment, he was presenting a birthday gift to Vivian. The next, he wanted to be intimate with her. What if they got caught?

A shadow seemed to cross Bryan’s face. He rose, his gaze drifting to the distant view before him, then leisurely drew a cigarette from his pocket.

Taking the initiative, Eileen grabbed the lighter from his grasp and lit his cigarette. The flame briefly illuminated his features, casting a warm light in the cool night air.

They stood together in silence on the rooftop, the gentle night breeze their only companion. Words were unnecessary; their presence was enough.

Bryan didn’t go downstairs again. After soaking in the rooftop vista and receiving a message from Kian that the celebration had concluded, he made his departure from the hotel.

At the entrance, Vivian’s parents were bidding farewell to departing guests. Vivian herself was caught in conversation with Megan, who threw occasional glances Bryan’s way.

“Bring the car here,” he said, his posture shifting subtly. His gaze was anchored on the figures in the distance, yet his words were directed at Eileen.

With a nod, Eileen moved towards the underground parking, her steps halting when a surge of raised voices reached her ears. Curious, she turned her head, witnessing a couple in the midst of scolding a girl with short hair.

“You’re utterly worthless. What good are you to us?” The woman’s fury neared its peak, her hand poised as if to hit the girl.

The man’s patience wore thin as he dismissed the girl’s worth compared to Megan. “Try to take a leaf out of her book instead of burying yourself in your studies. What’s the point in that anyway?”

From her vantage point, Eileen could only view the scene from behind. She stood, seemingly detached, her response indifferent.

“When you decide to throw Elle out, my books will come in handy. They won’t leave me hungry,” the girl responded, her voice devoid of emotion.

“You think we’d kick you out?” the woman said, giving a slap to the girl’s back. “Keep dreaming! We’ve taken care of you all these years. It’s time you started paying us back. Forget about leaving!”

The girl with short hair stood her ground. “Try me, and I’ll show you exactly what I’m capable of.”

Her tone was defiant, yet it only served to enrage the man further. In a swift motion, he struck her across the face, sending her tumbling to the ground.

Dissatisfied, he hurled insults at her before storming off towards a sleek luxury car parked nearby. The woman shot a venomous look at the fallen girl and followed the man to leave.

As the girl lay on the ground, Eileen got a clear view of her face and recognized her. She must be related to the Warren family.

Eileen hesitated, not wanting to embarrass the girl further, but she needed to move past the scene to get to her car.

“You can come out,” the girl suddenly said, pushing herself up to sit and catching a glimpse of Eileen’s feet. Eileen emerged slowly, pointing towards the car nearby. “I need to get to my car over there.”

After speaking, she moved closer to the girl and offered a helping hand. The girl hesitated for a moment before accepting the assistance and getting to her feet.

“Phoebe Burton,” she introduced herself. “My mother is Vivian’s aunt.”

Eileen nodded in acknowledgment. “Eileen Curtis, Mr. Dawson’s assistant.”

Phoebe responded tersely, “And just so you know, I don’t get along with Vivian. You have no reason to be cautious around me.”

The declaration was blunt and left Eileen momentarily at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.

“Can you give me a ride home?” Phoebe asked, gesturing towards the exit. “My parents left without me, and I’m without any money.”

“I need to get Mr. Dawson’s permission before I can do that. I need to drive him back,” Eileen admitted, though she was already forming a favorable opinion of Phoebe from their brief interaction.

Phoebe showed understanding with a nod. “Okay, then. Could you add me on WhatsApp? I’ll wait by the side of the road. If he says no, just let me know. But if he agrees, you can stop and pick me up there.”

As she spoke, Phoebe had her phone ready, displaying the QR code for Eileen to scan and add her as a contact.

After that, Eileen made her way to the car.

Outside the hotel, Vivian’s parents were finishing up their goodbyes, while Vivian was still engaged in conversation with Bryan by the roadside, visibly enjoying herself.

Bryan, however, maintained a neutral expression, with Kian nearby looking at Vivian with a smile.

As Eileen approached in the car, Bryan cut through Vivian’s continuous banter. “It’s getting late; you should head home. I’m leaving now,” he said.

Eileen noticed Vivian’s look of displeasure through the window as Bryan joined her in the car. She then turned the vehicle around, leaving Vivian’s figure shrinking in the rearview mirror, her gaze of resentment finally fading away.

“Mr. Dawson, I came across Phoebe Burton on my way out. She’s the daughter of Miss Warren’s aunt, and her parents left her behind without any money. She’s asked me for a ride home,” Eileen told Bryan as they drove off slowly, spotting Phoebe waiting by the road.

Bryan, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the passenger seat, cracked open his eyes at Eileen’s words and gave a nod.

Eileen pulled over, and Phoebe, without hesitation, climbed into the car. “Thank you, Mr. Dawson,” she said, though Bryan offered no reply.

Eileen returned the thanks with a smile and reminded Phoebe to buckle up. After getting Phoebe’s address, Eileen started the car again.

Throughout the ride, Phoebe was quiet, her eyes wandering around the interior of the car until they landed on several white buttons in a corner.

With a puzzled frown, she picked them up, examining each with a growing curiosity before slipping them into her bag.

The drive to drop Phoebe home took an additional thirty minutes, and Eileen and Bryan reached Springvale Lane around eleven at night.

Once back, the first thing Bryan did was follow up with a gaming session with Eileen. By chance, Jacob was online too, so they all decided to play together.

Eileen stayed silent, listening while Jacob animatedly shared tales from Vivian’s birthday party over voice chat.

It was then Eileen learned Jacob had been at the party as well, arriving just after she had gone up to the rooftop. He had gifted Vivian a necklace valued at two hundred thousand dollars.

“I’m not even that close to her. Why did she compare my gift to yours?” Jacob vented. “She bragged about the necklace you gave her, claiming it was a limited edition she had been after for ages, supposedly the only one of its kind globally, worth a million!”

Jacob’s frustration was palpable. “Honestly, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have bothered with a gift at all. The moment she started with her comparisons, I was out of there. I didn’t even stick around for the meal.”

Eileen found herself momentarily distracted by the conversation, her activity in the game halting until a notification of her character’s demise snapped her back to reality. On her screen, the characters that had eliminated hers were now being targeted by Bryan.

Bryan was reclined on the couch, with Eileen resting on his legs. She was unable to discern any emotion from him as he methodically killed their foes.

“Damn!” Jacob’s frustration broke through again. “Playing alongside Bryan is just disheartening. Out of eighteen, you snag fifteen kills, your assistant bags three, and here I am with absolutely nothing! No kills, no deaths, no anything. Next game, I’m switching to a support role alongside you.”

Bryan’s response was cutting. “I’m not keen on having a man follow me around.”

Jacob retorted with determination, “You won’t be able to shake me off easily!”

True to his word, in the following game, even as Eileen opted for a support character, Jacob did the same, claiming the last support role for himself.

No matter how much their other two teammates grumbled, Jacob paid them no mind, choosing instead to stick close to Bryan throughout the game. This situation reminded Eileen of the recent game where she had played with Bailee and Huey; they had lost the game in five minutes. She expected the same result this time again.

Surprisingly, Bryan secured the first kill against their adversaries early on. Within minutes, he was wreaking havoc among the enemy ranks, leaving Eileen to realize that her earlier gaming struggles hadn’t been dragging Huey down. It was Huey who hadn’t mastered the game.

After concluding that match, Bryan didn’t hesitate to remove Jacob from the team, opting to continue playing with Eileen instead. Undeterred, Jacob tried to irritate Bryan further by calling repeatedly. Yet, Bryan showed no mercy, promptly blocking Jacob on his phone.

With a light-hearted shake of her head and a smile, Eileen found herself growing tired. The support characters she played required little focus, leading her hands to move almost automatically across the screen until sleep overtook her.

Upon waking the next morning, a quick check of her phone revealed their team’s victory, and to her astonishment, she had somehow achieved a pentakill. On impulse, she saved the game’s video, though she lacked the time to watch it as she prepared for work.

Arriving at the company, Eileen was immediately struck by a palpably upbeat atmosphere.

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