Chapter 87: Chapter 87

Chapter 87:

“Mr. Dawson, how the secret between you and Eileen—she is pregnant with your child. If you don’t want this matter to spread in the company, contact me and do as I say.”

A phone number was printed at the bottom.

Eileen was stunned. She read it twice to make sure she understood the words correctly.

Just as she was about to leave with the letter in her hand, Bryan appeared beside her. He stood tall and slender under the glow of the light above.

The air was turning cold. He was dressed in a suit and a black overcoat, his hands buried in his pockets. His deep eyes fell on her.

“Whose letter?” he asked.

Eileen gripped the letter tighter and replied, “It’s nothing. I can handle it.”

Bryan didn’t ask further and turned to press the elevator button. “How’s the preparation for the—”

Since Bryan was here, Eileen followed him into the elevator. “It’s nearly done. I’ve notified everyone involved.”

“Alright,” Bryan said, leaning against the elevator wall.

Eileen waited for him to say more, but he stayed silent and headed back to his office to wrap up work.

After discussing some work details, he told her to head home before him.

It was about nine in the evening. Instead of going straight home, Eileen stopped by Roderick and Judie’s place.

Explore fresh updates gⱯlnσν𝓮ℓs․com She rang the doorbell, and Judie, wearing a mask, opened the door. “Why are you back so early? You should be out there taking extra orders, making more money. You didn’t even bring your key—”

Before Judie could finish, she recognized Eileen standing there. Panic flashed across Judie’s eyes.

“Eileen, what brings you here?” Judie quickly forced a smile, opened the door wider, and ushered Eileen in.

“Have you eaten yet? I just made a meal for Roderick. If you’d like, I can get you some.”

As Eileen looked around, she noticed that most things in the room belonged to Judie, except for Roderick’s slippers by the door.

“No, thanks. I’m not hungry,” Eileen responded.

Judie took off her face mask and washed her face. Returning to find Eileen seated on the sofa with the letter on the coffee table, she asked, “Well… What is this?”

She sat down as far from Eileen as possible.

Eileen pushed the letter towards her. “Don’t act like you don’t know. Did you put this threatening letter in the suggestion box?”

“Absolutely not. I wouldn’t use your relationship with him to threaten him. Why would I want to stir up trouble for you?” Judie said.

Even before Eileen could discuss the letter’s details, Judie had already alluded to them.

Eileen was convinced it was Judie who had sent the letter, even if she hadn’t admitted it.

“Judie, consider yourself lucky I got to this letter first,” Eileen said. “Do you really think you can threaten Bryan? Don’t you see how easily he could ruin your life in Onaland?”

Her voice was cold, sending a chill through the room.

Judie, dressed only in her thin pajamas, felt a shiver.

Meeting Eileen’s gaze, she opened her mouth to defend herself but couldn’t say anything.

Eileen said, “You should resign. It’s best for you not to stay at Apex Group any longer.”

She was giving Judie a chance, thinking of Judie’s impulsive tendencies and the potential trouble she could cause for Roderick.

Judie stood up abruptly, her intensity rising. “Why should I resign? I haven’t done anything wrong. Sure, I might have acted impulsively, but I was trying to help you! You’re pregnant now, and since you will need an abortion, you deserve some compensation from…”

“This is none of your business! I don’t want your help!” Eileen interjected, her voice cold. She stood up to face Judie. “I know your motives. Consider this your final warning. Resign by the end of the month, or you won’t like the consequences.”

With that, Eileen grabbed her bag and left quickly, ignoring Judie’s pleas, “Eileen, don’t go! Listen to me. Let’s talk…”

The door slammed behind Eileen, echoing through the building like a final verdict on Judie’s hypocrisy.

Eileen didn’t want to think about what might happen if Bryan saw that letter. She worried not only about Judie provoking Bryan but also about how it might affect her own standing with him. What would Bryan think if he came across the letter?

Stepping out of the elevator, Eileen ran into Roderick, just back from work.

“Eileen, what brings you here?” Roderick’s face brightened as he approached. “Why didn’t you let me know earlier? I would have taken the evening off to spend time with you!”

Roderick thought Eileen was there for dinner. Eileen smiled and replied, “I lost weight. It must be tougher delivering takeout than handling packages.”

Delivery drivers were constantly on the road and often missed regular meals.

“Judie thinks I need to lose weight anyway,” Roderick responded with a warm smile. “Come upstairs and relax for a bit. It’s been too long since we last caught up.”

Eileen shook her head. “No, thank you. Let’s just talk here. Have you thought about going back to our hometown? We can’t leave Mom there by herself. She is getting old.”

Roderick seemed surprised by her sudden change of topic. “I do want to return, but Judie prefers the city. And Mom keeps telling us to look after each other here, not to worry about her.”

“I can’t offer you much help in terms of money or connections here. Considering your skills, smaller cities might provide better opportunities for you. Think about going back to pursue your career,” Eileen suggested, hoping to sway him.

If Judie resigned from Apex Group, she would lose her salary, making it tough for them to maintain their life here only on Roderick’s salary.

Judie had the skills to find another job, but matching the high salary from Apex Group would be a challenge. Therefore, moving back to their hometown looked like a sensible choice for Roderick and Judie. There, with their readiness to work, they could still enjoy a good life.

Roderick seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. “Eileen, are you in some kind of trouble?”

“It’s nothing too serious. I might be on the brink of losing my job, so I wanted to let you know you need to start thinking about your future,” Eileen responded.

Roderick caught Eileen’s drift. In this bustling city, his and Judie’s reliance on Eileen was significant. If Eileen were out of work, their situation would worsen.

“Don’t worry about us. What about you?” Roderick asked, worried. “You’ve built a life here in Onaland. Where will you go? Plus, you have your grandmother with cancer to think about…”

Above them, a lamp buzzed and flickered under a faulty circuit.

Beneath the unsteady light, Eileen paused, contemplating her future.

It seemed more overwhelming than Roderick’s situation.

“No need to worry about me. Just focus on your plans for the future,” Eileen eventually said, giving Roderick’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “Go home and get some rest. I need to head back.”

As Roderick followed her, he said, “Even though you were raised by our father, Mom always worries about you. If you can’t stay here, come back with me. About your stepmother, before you arrange for her treatment, you need to look after yourself first.”

It wasn’t the first time Eileen heard such advice, but this was the first time it truly touched her heart.

Roderick was concerned she might not be able to afford the care and wear herself out, while others had suggested that her efforts for her stepmother were wasted, that her stepmother wasn’t worth the trouble.

“Go back now. If you run into trouble later, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Eileen told Roderick, subtly dismissing his suggestion. She waved and returned to her car to leave.

Roderick watched her car until it disappeared. Then, he turned and headed home.

Meanwhile, Eileen made it back to her place, switched on the heating, and felt the cold in her hands and feet start to fade.

Settled into the living room, Eileen began organizing learning materials for Aaron.

She was so focused on the task that she didn’t dwell much on what she should do after Stella’s birthday party, resigning herself to whatever fate had in store.

The next day, Sunday, she woke up automatically at seven. She decided to contact Bailee and visit Ruby with her.

Initially, she wanted to pick up Bailee and head to the hospital together, but Bailee had other plans.

Bailee mentioned she had moved into a dormitory organized by Huey, who could also give her a ride to the hospital.

At the hospital, the VIP ward was quiet. When Eileen reached Ruby’s room, she saw a nurse withdrawing a needle from Ruby’s hand.

As soon as Ruby noticed Eileen, she signaled subtly to the nurse.

“Ms. Curtis, you’re here,” the nurse said with a smile, removing the needle and leaving the room.

Eileen greeted the nurse and turned her focus to Ruby. “Mom, you don’t look too good. Have you been feeling unwell lately?”

She then called out to the nurse to stop her from leaving.

“I don’t remember Dr. White prescribing an IV drip.”

The nurse, holding her tray, stopped at the door and looked silently towards Ruby.

Ruby got out of bed and urged Eileen to sit down. “I’ve switched medications; Dr. White told me about it,” she assured Eileen. Then, she turned to the nurse. “You go on with your duties. My daughter will take care of me today.”

Once the nurse exited, Ruby turned to Eileen with a hint of criticism. “This nurse has been with us since we got here. She might be upset that you questioned her.”

“I didn’t mean to question her; I was just curious about the change,” Eileen replied.

“You’re too caught up in your work. You don’t need to know about every minor change in my medication. I asked Dr. White not to bother you with such details,” Ruby explained. She then looked towards the door. “Where is Bailee?”

“She found a new job and had to move into a dormitory. She said she’d come by herself,” Eileen replied, not wanting to dig further into the medication issue. “Mom, you really don’t look well. Maybe I should talk to Dr. White to see if it’s related to the medication. Are you experiencing any discomfort?”

With that, she stood up to go and find Emilio.

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