Shrouded Affections Winning Back My CEO Wife

Chapter 54

Chapter 54:

Ruby’s life hung in the balance, teetering on the edge of Eileen’s crucial decision to stay or leave her job. Tears streamed down Bailee’s face as she held Eileen close. “I’m so sorry, Eileen. It seems I’ve only made things harder for you.”

“It’s not your fault,” Eileen reassured her, gently breaking away to offer some tissues to Bailee. Bailee dabbed at her eyes, the tissues quickly becoming soaked. Self-reproach gnawed at her for her inability to support Eileen, and Eileen, moved by Bailee’s and Ruby’s concern for her, also felt a deep sting of helplessness.

“I can only quit my job after my internship is over,” Bailee confessed, drying her eyes again. “Kian wants me as his secretary and says I can’t leave.”

Eileen raised an eyebrow. Accepting such a role might be fine if it entailed simple tasks like Vivian’s—making coffee and filing papers. But with Kian, it was probably more complicated than that.

Eileen’s voice was steady as she asked, “What’s the cost for breaking your contract?”

“Sixty thousand,” Bailee answered with a heavy heart. “It’s a steep tenfold of what I earn each month.”

Eileen rose and ascended the stairs. She took out a card from a drawer and presented it to Bailee. “There is a hundred thousand in this card. Take it. Leave the Warren Group. Once you’ve handed over your duties in seven days, you won’t have to go to the Warren Group ever again, whether they give their approval or not,” she said.

Since Kian was deliberately making things difficult for Bailee, he would most likely not approve of her resignation. Bailee, upon fulfilling her handover duties in seven days, could pay the sixty thousand penalty for breaking the contract. That amount would sever her ties with the Warren Group regardless of any legal fuss.

Bailee paused, then returned the card. “Eileen, sixty thousand will suffice. I don’t need more than that.”

“Okay.” Eileen didn’t press further. She took out her phone and promptly transferred the specified amount to Bailee.

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Three days trickled by; Bryan was nowhere to be seen at the company. Eileen had neither glimpsed him nor received any word from him, though she was certain of his whereabouts—he must have been at the hospital. Aware that Vivian might not welcome her presence, Eileen still felt compelled to go there to see Bryan.

The weight of unfinished business pressed upon her. There were things in the company that needed to be dealt with by Bryan. Eileen gathered the pressing paperwork and drove to the hospital. Halfway there, she bought a fruit basket as a courteous gesture.

window, Eileen noticed his lean shape. He bore unmistakable signs of countless nights without rest, his face unshaven. He was still clad in the shirt he had worn since departing from her place. He must have been tending to Vivian 24/7,

the end of the corridor and rang Bryan’s number. The ringtone sliced through the quiet, and she turned to find Bryan emerging, phone in hand, his

to disturb you, but there’s pressing work at the company that needs your

to light a

a video conference at eight. I’ve brought a suit for you. You could make

in him stark. His shirt was tucked in, his waist noticeably narrower. Dark shadows lay beneath his eyes. He remained silent. As Eileen raised her eyes, she happened to meet his dark

quiet. Eileen turned to find Vivian by the door, draped in an ill-fitting hospital gown, her complexion pale. Vivian said, “You promised to be by my side all the time. I woke up alone and

over and wrapped her arms around Bryan’s waist tightly, standing very close to Eileen. Eileen remained silent,

on Bryan, she began to walk back. Pausing beside Eileen, she questioned, “Bryan, you’ve got work piling up, right? Can it

look. “Bring everything to the ward. We’ve got a video

retrieving the documents and supplies from her car and delivering them to Vivian’s ward. Bryan was taking a shower in the private

for me. I don’t need your cheap things,” Vivian said, her tone subdued, perhaps mindful of Bryan overhearing her. Her demeanor had shifted dramatically from the

fruit basket neatly on the nightstand and placed the documents on the coffee table across from the bed. She said, “It

of her quilt, approaching Eileen with a hushed intensity. “Why do you insist on speaking to me this way? Have

the laptop for the upcoming conference, Eileen replied calmly, “My place has always been clear to me. Your actions seem

place in Mr. Dawson’s heart now. You don’t have to hold grudges against me.” It was evident where Bryan’s affections

in her eyes. She retreated to the bed and warned, “If you expect no further complications, then act accordingly.

the bathroom. Eileen reached for his clothes, only for Vivian to intercept with

bathroom door, but Bryan only allowed her to open it a crack. Bryan’s hand

present the clothes to Bryan. To Eileen, the entire ordeal seemed unnecessary. She knew that

her arrival, avoiding her gaze, his demeanor icy. It was clear to

the bathroom door interrupted Eileen’s thoughts, and she glanced up to find Bryan restored to his composed self. He casually rolled up his sleeves as he approached and

on the damp strands of his hair, then on the stern set of his jaw. He carried an air of effortless poise without a care. “Let’s begin,” he

window, casting its warmth on Eileen and Bryan. Bryan was absorbed in the laptop’s glow, while Eileen diligently took notes.

the harmonious scene. The