?Chapter 81:


    Ruby was struck by a sudden troubling thought, causing her pupils to dte.


    She sat on the bed, absorbed in her thoughts for a while before she collected herself.


    “Bailee, does Huey know about your sister?” Ruby inquired.


    Bailee shook her head and replied, “He doesn’t know that. But…”


    Ruby interjected, “That’s good. Eileen is a good girl and deserves Huey’s affection. Any misunderstanding could be disastrous.”


    Ruby continued speaking, not waiting to hear if Bailee had more to say, and started packing hastily. “We need to hurry, or we’ll bete!”


    As she muttered to herself, Bailee found herself drawn to Ruby’s sense of urgency, unable to stop ncing Ruby’s way.


    She somehow felt an unsettling feeling that something was wrong.


    Emilio helped them, and Eileen quicklypleted the necessary paperwork and returned to the ward to help with packing.


    They made their way downstairs, burdened with numerous belongings due to Ruby’s extended stay in the hospital.


    Huey’s car was filled to capacity, and they transferred everything into the VIP ward.


    By the time they had finished, it had grown dark outside.


    Eileen turned on the lights, instantly illuminating the room, while Bailee and Huey diligently unpacked the items.


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    Ruby stood by the window outside the VIP ward, deep in contemtion. Eileen walked up to her slowly.


    “Mom, what are you doing out here? It’s cold at night. You should go back to your room,” Eileen suggested, feeling Ruby’s chilly hand as she took it.


    Ruby faced her, managing a strained smile, and replied, “I’m not cold. This ce is peaceful and quiet. It will be nice for us to sleep here together in the future.”


    “I think so too. To make sure we can sleepfortably here, you should stay in this ward from now on. That way, I cane to visit you more often,” Eileen responded with a gentle smile, wondering if Ruby would ept her rationale for the ward change.


    The spacious ward was bathed in the soft light from a white chandelier above.


    Next to the patient’s bed was another bed intended for family members. The room also had its own bathroom, sofa, and coffee table, creating a homelike atmosphere.


    Ruby settled onto the bed and noticed that Bailee and Huey hadpleted the unpacking. She turned to Huey and said, “Huey, you and Eileen aren’t married yet, but you came to help us with all this. Thank you so much.”


    Her thanks were heartfelt, acknowledging Huey’s efforts since his arrival at the hospital.


    Ruby felt aplex mix of gratitude and guilt.


    Huey smiled and replied, “There’s no need for formalities. I’m d to help Bailee and Eileen. It’s really no big deal.”


    “That’s very kind of you, Huey,” Ruby said, ncing towards Eileen. “Everything’s almost in order, Eileen. You should find a ce to treat Huey to dinner.”


    “Alright,” Eileen responded, picking up her bag from the sofa to leave. She was afraid that Ruby would continue the topic about her and Huey if they stayed longer.


    Huey politely bid farewell to Ruby.


    Bailee reached for her bag on the bed, intending to join Huey and Eileen, but Ruby quickly said, “Why are you taking your bag to leave? Let your sister have dinner with Huey alone. You can stay here with me.”


    Ruby gave Bailee a stern look. She got out of bed and set Bailee’s bag on the bedside table.


    She then turned back to Huey and Eileen, who paused at the door, taken aback. Ruby said, “Go ahead, you two. Let Bailee stay to look after me.”


    Bailee masked her disappointment with a forced smile. “That makes sense. I’ll stay here with you, Mom.”


    She reluctantly sat back down on the bed and pretended to focus on her phone.


    Huey turned to Eileen, frowning slightly.


    Eileen said, “Mom, let Baileee with us. You’ll have a special nurse to bring your dinner here, but what about Bailee’s meal?”


    She stepped forward, handing Bailee her bag. “If you really want her to stay with you, I can bring her back after dinner.”


    Bailee took her bag back, put away her phone, and looked at Ruby. After a moment of hesitation, Ruby said reluctantly, “Alright, go have dinner with them.”


    A smile spread across Bailee’s face. She stood up and left the ward with Huey, followed by Eileen.


    Ruby stood at the doorway, watching them leave. Up ahead, Huey and Bailee led the way, engaged in lively conversation andughter, while Eileen walked a bit behind, nodding along to their chatter.


    Taking a deep breath, Ruby turned inside.


    In the vicinity of the hospital, there were numerous dining options avable. Huey and Bailee chose a rtively tidy restaurant, which Eileen also found eptable.


    As they took their seats, Eileen did not hesitate to say to Huey, “You better not appear in front of my mother again.”


    Though Huey had brought Bailee along to assist, and the three of them understood the context, Ruby, unaware of these details, had assumed Huey and Eileen’s rtionship was moving fast.


    “I didn’t expect your mother to react like that,” Huey responded apologetically. “I was genuinely here to help.”


    “I’m not ming you,” Eileen reassured him. “I’m just worried that if you keep showing up, our wedding will inevitably be a topic of conversation.” She shrugged and nced at Bailee, who remained silent, offering a smile.


    Huey, taken aback, quickly said, “Alright, I’ll try my best not toe here again.”


    As the waiter came over to take their orders, Eileen passed the menu to Bailee and Huey, feeling a bit relieved after making her feelings clear.


    However, she still harbored concerns about Ruby potentially being discovered by the Warren family, while Ruby herself was contemting her possible marriage with Huey.


    She felt a mix of sadness and helplessness.


    During the meal, Bailee shared anecdotes from her employment at Huey’spany, noting the positive treatment she had received from Huey’s staff.


    Yet, something puzzled Bailee. In a low voice, she confided to Eileen while Huey was in the bathroom, “Eileen, since I’ve been at Huey’s,panies I previously applied to have started reaching out to me for interviews. Isn’t that odd?”


    After pondering for a moment, Eileen looked at Bailee and said, “So, you ended up at Huey’spany because someone had meddled with your job applications before, and you had no other choices.”


    Eileen’s tone was firm.


    Bailee’s face momentarily lost color as she realized Eileen had been unaware of the full truth. She managed a forced smile and replied, “Working at Huey’s has actually been good for me. That’s why I didn’t mention my previous struggle.”


    “Then, what about now?” Eileen asked, setting down her fork and fixing her gaze on Bailee. “This isn’t really your field. Are you thinking about going to those interviews?”


    Eileen believed she knew who had sabotaged Bailee’s job search—Kian.


    Bailee paused before replying, “I still owe Huey nearly a year’s sry. It wouldn’t feel right to leave now. Besides, I’m not even sure I’d get the job if I go to the interviews, and it might just be a trap to make me resign without actually hiring me.”


    She feared falling victim to Kian’s deceptive tactics.


    “Let’s just keep things as they are for now,” Eileen said. Just then, Huey returned from the bathroom, which caused them to quickly switch topics. “Huey is a good man,” Eileen remarked.


    Bailee didn’t get the chance to reply as Huey rejoined them, effectively ending their previous discussion.


    After dinner, Huey left with Bailee. Eileen stayed behind, leaning against the car and gazing up at the bright stars in the sky.


    She felt uneasy about the ongoing vignce needed against the Warren family.


    Just yesterday, she had desired a clean break from Bryan, but that hadn’te true.


    She remained caught in aplex rtionship with Bryan.


    The pressure from the Warren family’s influence left her feeling stressed, but she still felt a hint of happiness because she could still stay by Bryan’s side.


    Taking a deep breath, she lowered her gaze, only to catch sight of a tall figure across the street.


    Under the soft glow of the red traffic light, Bryan stood wearing a ck woolen overcoat, his figure cast in a striking silhouette by the light.


    As the light turned green, he crossed the street and walked to Eileen.


    It was then that Eileen noticed he still had the Band-Aid she had applied to his forehead.


    “Why are you here?” She straightened herself up and looked at him.


    Bryan slightly raised his eyebrows and nced at the nearby tall hospital building. “I have an international video conference tonight. I need you.”


    Hearing the conversation was about work, Eileen felt a hollow ache in her heart, but she managed a forced smile and asked, “Are you nning to go back to thepany or somewhere else?”


    “Let’s go to my ce,” Bryan said, raising his left hand to show that he had brought his briefcase with him.


    Eileen turned around to open the passenger seat. Before she could turn back around, Bryan had ced the briefcase in her hand and taken the car key from her.


    “I’ll drive. Get in the car,” Bryan said as he walked to the driver’s side.


    Bryan drove quickly, and Eileen sat in the passenger seat, clutching the briefcase to her chest and crossing her legs. She watched the scenery sh by.


    They arrived at Oak Vis swiftly. Exiting the car, Eileen followed Bryan into the building. When she saw the key she had left on the porch before, her heart skipped a beat.


    She suddenly remembered she had left a letter in Bryan’s study that morning.


    “Remember to take the key next time,” Bryan said, thinking she had forgotten it. He ced it in her hand. Noticing her pale expression, he arched an eyebrow and inquired, “What’s wrong?”


    Eileen replied, shaking her head while thinking about how to retrieve the letter without Bryan noticing.


    Bryan removed his coat and hung it up. Then, he loosened his tie and proceeded inside. He nced around the living room and then suggested, “Let’s go to the study. Our meeting might take a while, and it’s morefortable there.”


    With no other option, Eileen agreed, changed her shoes, and headed straight to the study.


    The study was exactly as she had left it that morning. She had even ced the book with the letter in the center of his desk.


    Bryan immediately noticed the book and picked it up.


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