Chapter 64: Chapter 64

Chapter 64:

She approached Bryan’s desk and set down the document. Breaking their usual work-centric dialogue, she ventured into something personal. “Mr. Dawson, last night… Why didn’t you come?” she asked.

Bryan’s reaction was subtle. A slight twitch of his eyelids was the only giveaway to his calm demeanor. He looked up, his question direct. “What makes you think I wasn’t?”

He was referring to Oak Villas, but she was talking about her place.

Embarrassment crept into Eileen’s stance, her fingers nervously tweaking the fabric of her clothing. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. “I thought—”

Bryan interrupted her, scrutinizing the paperwork.

“Didn’t I sign this already?” His tone was cold as he critiqued her attention to detail. “Seems you’re not as focused as you usually are.”

The signature wasn’t the point, and they both knew it. Eileen regretted broaching the subject in such a rush at work, realizing this misstep had stirred his frustration.

With a small nod, Eileen apologized, “I’m sorry, Mr. Dawson.” Taking back the document, she left his office quietly.

After the door clicked shut, Bryan found his gaze fixed on the door for a moment too long. He exhaled sharply, tossing the pen he had been holding onto the desk with a clatter as he closed his eyes. Images of Eileen persisted, unwelcome yet unyielding.

Her presence had sown a tapestry of intricate emotions within him, each thread pulling tightly.

Opportunities for private words with Bryan had eluded Eileen. He had lunched with Vivian and Kian instead, and Eileen mused over a conversation to be had later that evening.

But as the day neared its end, Bryan summoned her into his office, extending a document towards her. “Take this to the secretary’s office and request copies to be printed and distributed to each department.”

Let your imagination soar with gⱯlnσν𝓮ℓs․com Eileen accepted the task with a simple nod. After hesitating for a moment, she asked cautiously, “There’s a meeting later. Do you prefer to convene here or at home?”

Her query was met with a stark look from Bryan, her nervousness palpable in the chilled silence that followed. She added, “I could arrange dinner if we stay at the office.”

Bryan’s unwavering stare lingered, the air heavy around them.

Then, Vivian swung the door open, stepping in with a grin. “Bryan, dinner’s on me tonight. You enjoyed that spot we tried over lunch, right? Well, it’s on its way.”

Eileen’s gaze fell on Bryan as her eyelashes fluttered with disbelief.

Bryan glanced at Vivian. “Thanks. You can all leave now. I’ve got a meeting to handle solo.”

Vivian tossed a casual farewell over her shoulder and left. She was not as reluctant to leave as before.

The office light cast a glow on Eileen, shadows playing beneath her eyes. She lingered for a while before exiting the room.

Deciding to make the most of the remaining daylight, Eileen headed to the hospital. Ruby was taken aback by the unscheduled visit.

“What brings you here on a weekday? Is everything alright?” she asked.

Eileen placed her bag down, offering Ruby a reassuring smile. “It’s all good. Work ended earlier than usual, and it’s been too long since my last visit.”

Ruby’s face softened with a heartfelt smile. “I know you’re looking out for me, but you’re always running around. Why don’t you head home and rest? Don’t worry about me.”

Ruby’s treatment required the attending doctor’s personal attention. That was why she had to stay at the hospital all the time.

“Home is wherever we’re together,” Eileen said with conviction.

She then took an apple from the table beside Ruby’s bed and began to peel it.

Hearing that, Ruby’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. She reached out to Eileen, her touch full of love and a hint of regret.

“This should’ve never been your burden,” Ruby whispered. “Bailee and you could have had a different life…”

Ruby’s voice was tinged with longing for Eileen to lead the simple, fulfilling life she deserved.

Eileen offered Ruby the peeled apple, her voice soft but firm. “The best thing for me is seeing you recover, Mom. That’s all that matters.”

Ruby took the apple, her cheeks damp as she managed a bite. She caught her breath, forced a smile, and said, “Let’s drop that subject, shall we? I repeat myself too much—I don’t want to weary you with the same old worries.”

Eileen’s smile was tinged with melancholy.

Dinner with Ruby was a quiet affair, and afterward, Eileen made her way to Emilio’s office.

Emilio looked up from his desk, his demeanor shifting to one of concern. “Eileen, please, have a seat. Were you able to sort out the payments for the treatment?”

“Not yet,” Eileen replied. Settling into the chair opposite Emilio, she leaned forward. “Tell me, how long does Mom have until her current treatment?”

Emilio weighed his words carefully. “In the best case, perhaps five years, but realistically, at least three. It’s crucial to stay hopeful, though. Ruby has such a resilient spirit.”

The financial aspect loomed large in Eileen’s mind, a sum that could almost reach ten million a year, with the possibility of escalating to fifty million over five years.

In three years, the total cost would be a staggering thirty million dollars. Eileen was acutely aware that the cost was beyond her reach.

Emilio leaned in earnestly. “Eileen, the financial strain is evident. It’s imperative to investigate who’s influencing the cost. If we can roll back to the trial pricing, we’d save significantly over five years—far less than the current annual rate. Even if you could afford this, it doesn’t warrant needless spending.”

Eileen knew the gravity of the situation all too well. But standing up to the Warrens seemed like an insurmountable task. The solution seemed to rest with Bryan. Yet the thought of fifty million dollars was daunting, almost unreal. Would Bryan even give her that much money? She doubted it.

Eileen expressed her gratitude to Emilio and left his office.

The hallway was dimly lit. In the dark, Ruby watched Eileen walk away, not stepping out until Eileen was well down the corridor. Tears stained Ruby’s face, yet she held back from crying aloud. She didn’t know her illness incurred such a staggering expense.

Without hesitation, she burst into Emilio’s office.

“Dr. White, you mentioned my treatments were about a hundred thousand monthly. What happened for it to surge to eight hundred thousand?” she asked.

Caught off guard by her entrance, Emilio saw the distress caused by his earlier conversation with Eileen. “I’m sorry for the shock. Let me explain. The hospital has started using a new trial medication recently, which is considerably more expensive. The trial price is two hundred thousand per month, but the original price is about eight hundred thousand,” he said.

Ruby’s voice shook as she spoke. “This is just too much. My life isn’t worth that much money.”

Her anxiety was palpable, her tears flowing freely. The thought of Eileen working tirelessly to cover such costs weighed heavily on her soul.

Emilio, witnessing Ruby’s distress, took a moment before speaking with a calm and reassuring voice. “Clearly, Eileen cares deeply for you. For her, your well-being trumps any financial concern. Her main priority is spending more time with you.”

After crying for a while, Ruby asked, “You said earlier that someone is deliberately causing these hardships for Eileen? That someone has pushed the cost of my treatment up?”

Emilio replied. He hadn’t anticipated Ruby overhearing all of his earlier conversation with Eileen.

Understanding dawned on Ruby, and she made a request. “Dr. White, don’t tell Eileen that I’ve learned about this. I’ll be on my way now.”

She left Emilio’s office, deliberately avoiding Eileen, not ready to face her. The hospital garden offered a quiet refuge.

Eileen, arriving half an hour later, found Ruby alone on a bench in the garden, bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight.

She approached and wrapped a cozy blanket around Ruby. “Why are you out here by yourself?”

Ruby, maintaining her calm, motioned for Eileen to sit. “Join me. Let’s chat here for a while.”

“Alright,” Eileen agreed, moving to sit beside Ruby.

Ruby draped half of the blanket over Eileen. They were now sharing the blanket. “Let’s stay warm together,” Ruby said.

Leaning into Ruby, Eileen’s mind drifted to a turbulent past. She recalled the night she found herself ousted from her home by her father’s harsh decree.

Back then, when Ruby had married Eileen’s father, Eileen couldn’t accept it. She had refused to speak to Ruby.

But afterward, Ruby had often defended Eileen against her father’s tirades, fostering a gradual, if cautious, bond between them.

The day Eileen’s father was banned from seeing Roderick was a tipping point, igniting his fury and resulting in an alcohol-fueled rage.

That evening, he had come home and unleashed his fury on Eileen, declaring her expendable and blaming her.

In the midst of winter, Eileen had found herself cast out of her home, shivering in the cold with nowhere to go.

Once Ruby had returned and found Eileen, she hadn’t hesitated to give Eileen the warmth of her own coat. Trying to enter the house, Ruby had found the door had been locked from the inside by Eileen’s father, sealing them out in the cold.

They had huddled together through the night, Ruby’s words a small comfort in the freezing darkness.

It had been fortunate that Bailee had been at her grandmother’s at the time, allowing Ruby to offer her coat to Eileen.

Ruby had made a hopeful promise to Eileen: “Endure the cold until dawn, and I will buy you a doll you love.”

True to her word, Ruby had gifted Eileen the doll, but it had come at a cost. Ruby had received a beating from Eileen’s father for that.

That had been the first time that Eileen had called Ruby “Mom.”

Ruby had held that title in Eileen’s heart ever since. Noticing Eileen’s teary eyes, Ruby gently probed, “Are you thinking about the past now?”

Understanding Eileen’s thoughts with just a look, Ruby said, “When you were young, I was always there when you needed me. But now, you’ve grown up. You have the strength to stand alone, even if I’m not by your side… You don’t need to be so stubborn about saving.”

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