Chapter 91: Chapter 91

Chapter 91:

Bryan’s gaze turned stormy, his expression hinting at the brewing turmoil within him.

To him, Eileen was the one stirring up trouble, eager to sever all ties with him and vanish from his life forever. Clearly, for the sake of money, she was willing to stoop to any low.

“Is Vivian really worth it, man? Is she that exceptional?”

Jacob’s words were silenced by a sharp glance from Bryan.

Jacob paused, realizing he might have misinterpreted the situation.

“I was blackmailed,” Bryan said, his tone laced with sarcasm.

Jacob mulled over the fragments of conversation he had overheard on the way here, piecing them together with sudden clarity.

“So Eileen really loves money, huh? But you’re aware of her mother’s illness, right? She was desperate.”

His sympathetic words were once again quashed by Bryan’s intense stare.

Having a sick mother didn’t give Eileen the right to exploit him like this.

Jacob sighed. “She’s wrong, no doubt about it. But why haven’t you let her go? She obviously means something to you. However, if your grandmother or the Warren family catch wind of this—”

“Enough!” Bryan erupted, rising from his seat, grabbing his coat, and striding out. “Let’s head to DV Club.”

It was clear that drowning his sorrows here wasn’t cutting it anymore; he needed a change of scenery to release the pent-up frustration.

Jacob could only follow, trotting alongside Bryan and murmuring, “Eileen’s really caught in a bind, caught between the Warren family and your grandmother. And now, you’re tightening the screws on her. How’s she going to survive?”

Read more at gαlnσνℯ𝓁s․com With every word uttered, Bryan’s gaze darkened a shade deeper.

At the hospital, the acrid scent of disinfectant hung in the air as Eileen slowly regained consciousness, her head pounding.

Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes to the sight of the sterile white ceiling, pausing for a moment to gather her bearings.

“Eileen!” Bailee rushed to her side, a look of concern etched on her face. “You’re awake!”

The coolness on Eileen’s forehead was from Bailee checking her temperature. After a quick read, Bailee said anxiously, “The fever hasn’t gone down. I’ll go get a doctor.”

“I’ll stay here.” Huey’s voice came from the foot of the bed.

Eileen managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of Huey as he hastily exited the ward. She attempted to speak, but her throat felt parched and painful, as if engulfed in flames.

Furrowing her brow in discomfort, Eileen was handed a cup of warm water by Bailee.

With an IV tube in her hand, Eileen attempted to sit up.

She had never felt so weak; even sitting up seemed like an arduous task. After drinking two cups of warm water, her throat felt slightly better.

The doctor arrived and explained that her persistent high fever was due to a cold, requiring her to be on IV for a few days.

Her other hand, which had suffered burns, had been treated while she was unconscious. It was now swathed in bandages, with her fingers barely discernible.

“Take fever-reducing medicine when the temperature rises. Once the virus in your body is suppressed, the fever should not recur,” the doctor said.

With that, the doctor left.

Eileen leaned against the headboard, her pale lips moving slightly. “How did I end up in the hospital?”

Bailee spoke up, her voice trembling. “If it weren’t for Huey and me finding you, you might have succumbed to the fever! I heard your phone ringing inside your place, but when you didn’t answer the door, I knew something was wrong. Thank goodness I knew your place’s password.”

They arrived around six in the evening, finding Eileen already fast asleep since the afternoon.

If they hadn’t come, Eileen might have truly died alone at home, unnoticed.

“I’m okay now. No need to worry,” Eileen said. Seeing Bailee’s tears, Eileen reached out to comfort her, only to realize her hand was swathed in bandages.

Huey handed Bailee a tissue. “Dry your tears. But Eileen, what happened to your hand? Didn’t you treat it right away?”

Eileen’s gaze landed on her bandaged hand, memories of Bryan’s cold demeanor flooding her mind.

“I accidentally scalded myself, didn’t manage to treat it in time, and was so exhausted that I fell asleep. I didn’t expect to develop a fever.” She chuckled softly. “At least I can rest now, which is a good thing.”

Bailee interjected, “You could have asked for leave if you needed rest. Why did you have to handle it this way? What about Mr. Dawson? Did he approve your leave?”

“Yes,” Eileen replied. Changing the subject with a light smile, she asked, “Did you two come to see me for something specific?”

“I thought it’s been a while since we got together and wanted to invite you for a meal,” Bailee said, stealing a glance at Huey before quickly looking away.

Eileen chuckled softly. “Then I should thank you both for saving me!”

Perhaps due to the fever, her head felt heavy, and her eyelids drooped. She drifted off to sleep again after a brief conversation.

Bailee stayed by Eileen’s bed. “Huey, thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t have known what to do. It’s late; you should go rest. I’ll stay here with Eileen.”

“Don’t mention it,” Huey replied. “But… I can’t shake the feeling that something’s not right with Eileen.”

Huey’s intuition was sharper than Bailee’s, sensing that it was unusual for Eileen to be injured, untreated, and unconscious at home with a fever.

Bailee immediately tensed up. “What do you mean? Did something happen to Eileen?”

“I’m just speculating. I’ll stay here with you to keep an eye on her. There’s a place to rest here anyway,” Huey replied.

Huey tidied up the attendant bed for Bailee to sleep on while he settled on the sofa.

On the cabinet in front of the sofa, Eileen’s phone displayed a blinking red light, signaling missed calls and messages.

It was past eleven when the lights dimmed in the ward, and Eileen’s phone’s notification rang once more, breaking the silence.

Bailee, who hadn’t slept, whispered, “Huey, should we check who messaged Eileen? If it’s work-related and Mr. Dawson can’t reach her, it might be seen as…”

“I’ll check,” Huey replied, unlocking the phone. There were WhatsApp messages from Jacob.

There were photos attached, capturing a silhouette broodingly sipping a drink in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, emanating an aura of loneliness and despair.

The towering figure was cloaked in darkness.

“Eileen, I’m not taking your side this time. Look at what you’ve done to Bryan. Just don’t hurt him like this again.”

Huey was taken aback after reading that. Eileen seemed to be in trouble, and Bryan was involved.

But how could Eileen be the one hurting Bryan?

Huey believed Bryan must have been the one mistreating Eileen and that Bryan was playing the victim now.

With this thought, Huey swiftly composed a response:

“He deserves worse!”

Jacob stared at the screen, his eyes widening in shock.

Had Eileen really sent this message?

Before he could process it, Bryan snatched his phone.

Seeing the messages on the screen, Bryan’s fury surged, and he threw the phone into the fish tank.

The fish inside scattered in panic.

Jacob leaped to his feet. “That’s my phone! Why are you lashing out at my phone?”

“Shut up!” Bryan’s chest burned with rage at Eileen’s response.

It seemed that she truly wanted to leave Apex Group. There was no need for her to put on that submissive act anymore.

Jacob felt too intimidated to say anything more to Bryan, so he resorted to trying to retrieve his phone from the fish tank.

The next morning, Eileen’s fever had subsided, and her throat felt much better than the day before.

Upon waking up, she looked for her phone.

Huey had already deleted the messages with Jacob and returned the phone to Eileen as if nothing had occurred.

There were many messages and calls from various people, but Eileen didn’t see any from Bryan.

She noticed that Stella had called her twice yesterday afternoon. She wasted no time and promptly returned the call.

Stella answered the call, her voice filled with anger. “Eileen, where did you go? You and that brat disappeared on me!”

“Mrs. Dawson, sorry, there was a slight issue. Mr. Dawson should be at the office,” Eileen explained apologetically.

“You took leave? Then have a good rest. You can come to the banquet tomorrow to help.” After a brief pause, Stella added, “Contact the company’s lawyer and have them come to the Dawson Mansion to see me.”

Lawyer? Eileen believed it must be regarding Bryan’s divorce.

Eileen’s grip on the phone tightened, her heart growing heavy. “Alright, I’ll have the lawyer come to you right away.”

After hanging up, she realized she had been suspended. Going to the banquet tomorrow… She wasn’t sure if Bryan would become angry and kick her out.

Despite her uncertainty about Bryan’s reaction, Eileen decided to attend the banquet, knowing Stella would be preoccupied with the event’s preparations. Being in a difficult situation was nothing new to her anyway.

The company’s chat group, usually abuzz with chatter, had fallen eerily silent. Since Eileen’s incident, it seemed as if everyone had been muted.

Chaos must have been brewing behind the scenes, with discussions about her and Bryan’s affairs likely underway.

Eileen took a deep breath and scrolled through her phone. She saw messages from Aaron.

She now remembered she was supposed to prepare materials for Aaron last night, but she never got around to it. Aaron had also called her several times, but the calls had been automatically declined.

Eileen quickly messaged Aaron back, promising him that after tomorrow, she could visit his house every day for face-to-face tutoring.

Aaron was likely in class and didn’t reply.

After handling two urgent work matters sent by Karla, Eileen put her phone aside. She then noticed Bailee and Huey staring at her from the sofa.

She moved her lips, about to voice her desire to leave, but Bailee immediately interjected, “No! The doctor said your lack of fever is temporary. You need to go 72 hours without a relapse to truly be considered fever-free.”

Eileen hadn’t even spoken, yet Bailee seemed to have expected her request to be discharged.

After a while, Eileen gave in. “Okay, I’ll make sure to rest up today. But I can’t miss Mrs. Dawson’s birthday banquet tomorrow. I might be tied up all day, or I might return early.”

“If you promise to take it easy and stick to your IV treatment today, I’ll grant you permission to go to work tomorrow. But remember, you have to come back right after,” Bailee replied.

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