?Chapter 191:


    Eileen casually got dressed and hurried downstairs, opening the door just before the doorbell could ring again.


    “What took you so long?” Milford grumbled as he pushed his way into the living room with a bag.


    Raymond followed closely behind him, wearing a resigned expression. “Sorry for bothering you, Ms. Curtis.”


    “Why didn’t you go back to Onnd?” Eileen asked, surprised to see Raymond.


    “Mr. Dawson asked me to stay here,” Raymond replied with a respectful smile, hopeful for the good days ahead. He believed that winning Eileen’s favor while Bryan was away would be the smartest move he could make.


    Eileen had a rough idea of why Bryan wanted Raymond to stay.


    “I’ll stay here until Mr. Dawson gets back from Onnd,” Raymond added. “Then I’ll get a vacation.”


    He followed Eileen inside and shut the door.


    Realizing that Raymond would be spending Christmas here, Eileen paused before saying, “You don’t have to, Raymond. You should spend Christmas Eve with your family.”


    “I grew up with the Dawson family,” Raymond exined. He didn’t have a family of his own.


    Eileen fell silent for a moment, then smiled. “It looks like you’ll have a lively Christmas this year. Let’s celebrate it together.”


    “That would be great,” Raymond replied, warmth filling his chest. Despite Eileen’s friendliness, he reminded himself to maintain a respectful distance.


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    Bryan had instructed Raymond to apany Milford at Pianoforte Vis for a few days and bring Milford to Eileen the day before Christmas Eve. But Milford had disagreed; ever since Z left, he had nearly driven Raymond mad.


    “Ms. Curtis, Mr. Dawson wants me to drive you to work and pick you up each day. Are you heading to work now?” Raymond inquired.


    Eileen nced at Milford, who had settled on the couch and was now ying with his phone.


    “Yeah. Just give me half an hour,” she replied.


    She went to her bedroom to change. When she came back, she brought a few exam papers and several textbooks.


    “I’ll take you to the Vance family’s residence this afternoon. Before Ie back to pick you up, finish the papers and read the textbooks,” Eileen instructed Milford.


    Milford nced at the stack of books and papers and nearly dropped his phone.


    “That’s too much!” he eximed.


    “That’s what you need to learn,” Eileen said as she picked up her handbag and put on her shoes. “Do you have any idea how far behind Adalina you are?”


    Her words irritated Milford. He tossed his phone aside and began studying.


    Raymond watched in amazement, thinking Eileen was impressive for being able to make Milfordply.


    With Christmas approaching, the educational agency buzzed with activity. Eileen barely had a moment to catch her breath upon entering her office.


    Soon, it was time for the holiday break.


    Eileen uploaded the pre-recorded Christmas courses to the app and then joined her colleagues for dinner. They hadn’t been working together for long, but they all got along well.


    As one of the agency’s owners, Phoebe also joined the gathering.


    “You seem off. Is something bothering you?” Eileen observed Phoebe’s demeanor and sensed that something was amiss.


    “You’re imagining things,” Phoebe dismissed Eileen’s concern, promptly pouring herself a drink.


    Knowing Phoebe’s stubbornness, Eileen didn’t press the issue. She joined Phoebe for a drink but refrained from consuming much.


    Suddenly, the receptionist of the educational agency interrupted the pleasant dinner, her expression changing dramatically as she looked at her phone.


    “Ms. Curtis, something bad happened,” she said.


    Eileen nced at her, and Phoebe set down her ss. Everyone turned to look at the receptionist.


    The receptionist tapped on her phone before saying, “I’ve forwarded it to our group chat. Take a look.”


    The agency had an internal chat group that included everyone. They all pulled out their phones to watch the video clip shared by the receptionist.


    The video, posted by a parent of a student, used Eileen’s agency of giarism, iming that she had copied from a celebrity teacher who offered free online lessons on a video tform. The video, released half a month ago, contained the same content as Eileen’s courses, with only differences in the voiceover and font sizes.


    All eyes turned to Eileen; after all, she was the one who had recorded the online courses.


    Phoebe suddenly broke the silence. “Hey, did you hear? Kian has gone back to Onnd.”


    After a pause, she added, “But Vivian is still here.” Her suggestion hinted that Kian and Vivian might be behind this.


    Eileen put away her phone, contemting for a moment. Regardless of who was responsible, it was clear there was a mole within the educational agency. Every single one of her recorded courses was stored on her officeputer, securely locked behind a password.


    Suddenly, a realization dawned on Eileen. She turned her gaze toward June.


    Before Eileen could say anything, June asked, “Why are you staring at me, Ms. Curtis?”


    “You’re the only one who knows the password to my officeputer besides me. I just checked. Those simr courses from that teacher were uploaded online right after you got your hands on my password,” Eileen said, having pieced together clues from June’s subtle facial expressions.


    But June stubbornly denied any involvement. “Ms. Curtis, you can’t just pin this on me. You asked me to help you send the courses to the students since you were runningte.”


    “Here’s a simple question: Do you admit it?” Eileen demanded.


    “Why would I admit to something I didn’t do?” June eximed, jumping to her feet. “You’re using me without proof. You should apologize to me!”


    The tension in the room was palpable. The fate of the educational agency hung in the bnce. If they couldn’t resolve the situation, the agency might go under.


    Eileen leaned back in her chair, her gaze unwavering as she stared at June as if she could see right through her.


    June, unable to maintain herposure, snapped, “Ms. Curtis, a lot of people here depend on you. You can’t just brush the matter off and leave the rest of us to fend for ourselves now that you have a wealthy boyfriend.”


    “You better exin your usations,” Eileen frowned, puzzled by June’s insinuations.


    “Ever since you started seeing Mr. Dawson, you’ve been cking off at work. You used to be the first in and thest out, but now you’re careless and arrogant. You’ve led us to this situation!” June asserted.


    June’s words shifted the atmosphere in the room. They realized Eileen could simply resign without consequence, but if the agency’s reputation were tarnished, it would adversely affect all their careers in the future. Coincidentally, the courses had been stolen after Eileen started seeing Bryan, making June’s ims resonate with some.


    “I’d rather sell the agency to a new owner, using its good reputation to earn more, than make such a foolish decision to ruin it,” Eileen retorted.


    Eileen was calmer than others had expected, leading some to believe her words carried weight.


    “It’s premature to draw conclusions now. I’ll contact the police and file charges against whoever is behind this. You’ll receive an exnation soon. I’ll catch that traitor,” she dered, locking eyes with June as she said thest sentence.


    Then, she turned to the others. “Carry on with dinner. I’m heading back to the office.”


    Eileen intended to review the agency’s surveince footage. June, too, found an excuse to leave, perhaps feeling guilty.


    The atmosphere at the table shifted once Eileen and June were gone. The others couldn’t resist discussing the matter. Opinions varied among the employees: some ced their trust in Eileen, some remained neutral, while others found merit in June’s words.


    The once-delicious dishes now seemed vorless as they continued to discuss the issue until the end of the meal.


    Eileen and Phoebe hailed a taxi to head back to the office.


    Once back at the office, Eileen attempted to ess the surveince records. She had intended to review them for months, even if it meant pulling an all-nighter. However, the footage was all ck. Approaching the surveince camera, Eileen examined it closely and discovered a piece of ck y concealing the lens.


    “This is bad! We’re in trouble now,” Phoebe eximed, sinking onto the couch.


    Eileen opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, her phone rang. It was Bryan calling. Knowing she had a gathering that evening, he was calling herter than usual.


    Eileen shot a quick nce at Phoebe before walking to the window to answer the call.


    “Hey there,” Eileen said, trying to keep her voice calm and hide the issue she had just encountered from Bryan.


    Bryan’s soothing voice came through the phone. “Have you been drinking?”


    “I’ve only had a little,” Eileen replied, gazing at the nighttime scenery of Wist Land through the window. The colorful neon lights reflected in her eyes, gradually softening them with warmth.


    “Ask Raymond to pick you upter,” Bryan suggested with concern. He sounded like he was not at home; Eileen could overhear noises in the background.


    Eileen nced back into the office, her eyesnding on the potted nt by her desk. Arching an eyebrow, she said, “You’re still out thiste?”


    “Jacob’s getting engaged tomorrow. We had a dinner celebration tonight,” Bryan replied, and Eileen could faintly hear Jacob’s voice in the background.


    Her heart sank as realization dawned. So that was the reason Phoebe seemed troubled tonight.


    Eileen inquired, “Who’s Jacob getting engaged to?”


    “Megan Beckett,” Bryan replied. “The Meyer family ces great importance on marriage alliances.” Jacob was expected to marry someone of simr social standing, and Phoebe’s estrangement from the Burton family had ruled her out as a potential spouse in the eyes of the Meyers.


    “Jacob’s hot-headed butcks autonomy. He can only listen to his parents,” Bryan remarked, his voice tinged with frustration as he took a drag of his cigarette.


    There were still four days until Christmas Eve, and he wouldn’t be able to return to Wist Land for a long time.


    Eileen said, “Convey my best wishes to Jacob.” She heard Jacob’s voice echo on Bryan’s end once more, urging him to return promptly. “Go ahead, Bryan. We’ll talk after you get home.”


    Bryan extinguished his cigarette and released a heavy exhale of smoke. “Do you miss me?” he asked, expecting a specific response.


    “Yeah, I miss you,” Eileen responded, feeling both resigned and amused.


    She thought Bryan would continue the topic, but he simply acknowledged her response before swiftly ending the call.


    Eileen walked back to Phoebe and said, “So, Jacob’s getting engaged to Megan tomorrow. What’s your n?”


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