?Chapter 225:


    Nadia didn’t quite catch what Dora was saying; she only understood that something was being kept from her by both Dora and Bernard. Standing up, she approached the entryway and cast a nce at them. “What are you two whispering about? Come inside now.”


    With gloomy faces, Dora and Bernard slipped into their slippers and walked into the house, immediately noticing Eileen sitting in the living room. After a brief hesitation, Dora suddenly remembered something and blurted out, “You’re not here to apply for the tutor position for my brother, are you?”


    It was well known within the Myers family that Nadia was searching for a tutor for Brooks. “I’m just here to learn about Brooks’ situation,” Eileen responded vaguely.


    Eileen’s answer made Nadia’s heart sink. She had hoped Eileen was there because she had decided to tutor Brooks. As Nadia moved to speak with Eileen, Dora stepped forward and addressed her first.


    With her arms crossed, Dora said, “You’re here to tutor my brother and take our money? Alright, but you’ll have to give me something in return!”


    “What is it that you want?” Eileen feigned ignorance.


    “Stop pretending!” Dora snapped, fixing a harsh stare on Eileen. She couldn’t openly state her demands in front of Nadia.


    Dora’s attitude was too much for Nadia, who intervened and tugged Dora aside by the arm. “What way is that to speak to Ms. Curtis? Have you forgotten all the manners I taught you?” Nadia scolded her.


    Dora bit her lip, and when Nadia looked away, she shot Eileen a sharp look.


    Nadia then approached Eileen with a warm smile, saying, “I’m sorry about that, Ms. Curtis. My daughter has been overly indulged by my husband since she was young. Have you two met before?”


    G  a lno  ve ls . is where the magic begins


    “We’ve met a couple of times,” Eileen replied, rising and nodding slightly to Nadia. “My boyfriend is working on a project. He has been discussing it with Mr. Myers, hoping he will invest.”


    “Really?” Nadia swiftly turned to Bernard. “Ms. Curtis’s boyfriend must be quite talented, and his project proposal must be promising. Have you decided to invest?”


    Bernard was caught off guard. Dora finally pieced it together; it was her mother who wanted Eileen to tutor Brooks.


    “Why are you just standing there in silence?” Nadia scolded. “Have you agreed to invest in the project or not? Answer me!”


    Bernard, appearing less assured than usual, recoiled slightly and replied in a low tone, “Not yet, but… I’m nning to.”


    Nadia grinned with satisfaction and turned back to Eileen. “You see, Ms. Curtis, our rtionship is strengthening. So, about tutoring Brooks…”


    In Wist Land, the Myers surname wasn’tmon, so Eileen had initially guessed that Brooks might be linked to the Myers family, which could possibly offer her some assistance. Yet, she was unprepared for how swiftly and surprisingly things had unfolded.


    She looked at Bernard and Dora, both pale and uneasy, and hesitated. “Isn’t this somewhat inappropriate?”


    “There’s nothing inappropriate here. We’re in the investment business, after all. If we lose money, we see it as an investment in my son’s education. If not, it’s to our advantage,” Nadia spoke with conviction, unfazed by the risk of losing millions.


    Hearing this, Eileen smiled, grabbed her bag from the sofa, and reassured Nadia, “Don’t worry; you will definitely see a return on this. We’ll coordinate over the pher, and I’ll do my best to tutor your son.”


    “That’s wonderful!” Nadia eximed happily, barely containing her excitement. “Please, Ms. Curtis, allow me to escort you out.”


    As Nadia led Eileen to the door, she noticed Dora obstructing the way, gazing intently at Eileen. Nadia frowned, nudged Dora aside, and turned to Eileen with a smile. “I’ll see you off, Ms. Curtis.”


    After leaving the Myers’ home, Eileen got into her car. Through the window, she could faintly see into the living room, where Nadia stood with her hands on her hips, looking stern as she apparently spoke to Bernard and Dora.


    Eileen raised her eyebrows, started the car, and drove off. Once she got home, she didn’t mention anything about contacting her resources regarding Bryan’s project.


    Before Bryan could bring up the topic, Denzel called him, saying that Bernard had agreed to invest in the project. Denzel was on his way to Bryan’s ce with project details and contracts, and Jacob and Z were also on their way.


    About half an hourter, they gathered at Lakeside Vi, where Eileen had prepared fruit to wee them. They sat in the living room, documents scattered across the coffee table, engaging in a lively discussion.


    With nothing to do, Eileen quietly headed upstairs and asked Nadia to send her Brooks’ grades. After checking them, Eileen felt a deep sense of regret for agreeing to tutor Brooks.


    Having heard Nadia consistently voice her concerns about Brooks’ studies, Eileen had assumed he was a promising student. Moreover, Brooks had seemed quiet, well-mannered, and sharp.


    Yet to Eileen’s shock, Brooks’bined scores for all his middle school subjects hadn’t even met the standard threshold. And this had been the case since the start of junior high.


    She had believed… When Brooks’ teacher had told her that she was the only one who could help him, Eileen had taken it as apliment to her skills. Now, those words seemed more like a biting remark.


    Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Eileen realized that with just over a month left, Brooks was more than a hundred points short of the score required for admission to a prestigious high school.


    Noticing that Eileen had been silent after learning Brooks’ grades, Nadia could guess her thoughts. She sent another message to Eileen: “I knew Brooks struggles academically, but we can unlock his potential. I’m just asking you to try your best to help him. Even if his grades don’t improve much, I’ll be okay with it.”


    Eileen could only respond, “I’ll give it my all.”


    After a short exchange, she added Brooks on WhatsApp, sent him a set of practice tests for each subject, and instructed him toplete them and send them back to her afterward.


    As darkness fell outside, Eileen put away her study materials and returned downstairs. Just then, Bryan and the others were wrapping up their discussion. Denzel started to pack up the preliminary contract, saying, “I’ll have everything set for the contract signing tomorrow. Mr. Dawson, you and Mr. Meyer just need to negotiate and finalize the deal.”


    “I can’t believe how smoothly this is going,” Jacob said, scratching his head as if still processing everything. “Why did Bernard suddenly decide to invest in our project?”


    Before Denzel could answer, Z interjected, “Bryan is highly skilled, and his projects always seed. Even if Bernard is upset about his daughter’s situation, he wouldn’t pass up a chance to make a profit.”


    Eileen, overhearing this from the corner of the staircase, frowned. Was Z ming her for today’s incident at the golf course?


    “Come over here.” After seeing Eileen, Bryan gestured for her toe to his side. Eileen walked over and stood beside him. Suddenly, Bryan wrapped his strong arm around her waist, drawing her into his embrace. “What did you do?”


    Eileen’s eyes flickered briefly as she replied, “I didn’t do anything.”


    “Come on; tell me the truth.” Bryan gently pinched her nose with his cool fingertips, showing his affection openly.


    “Ms. Curtis, no need to be modest. I heard from Bernard that Nadia practically begged you to tutor her son, and that’s what clinched his decision to invest in our project,” Denzel said, almost wanting to give Eileen a thumbs up as he recalled Bernard’s grudging demeanor. Bernard had been quite arrogant around themtely, and Denzel secretly relished the satisfaction of seeing Eileen indirectly outmaneuver him.


    Though the term “beg” might be a stretch, Eileen figured it was probably Bernard’s way of maintaining his dignity. She chuckled and said, “It’s a surprise that the student who’s been wanting to book my course for months happens to be Bernard’s son.”


    It was all coincidental, and Bernard happened to be a man who always listened to his wife.


    “Eileen, you’re impressive,” Jacob said with a smile. “It looks like you’ve outshined Bryan; you’re on top now!”


    Bryan’s expression tightened subtly. His wordsden with implication, he said, “Actually, I would prefer her to be on top of me.”


    Hearing that, Eileen’s ears turned red. “It’s gettingte. I’ll prepare dinner so that we can celebrate together.”


    “No need; Raymond is bringing food over,” Bryan said as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Denzel and Jacob. “We really should celebrate properly.”


    Z felt quite awkward; she hadn’t anticipated that Bernard’s sudden investment was linked to Eileen. Her earlier attempts at stirring trouble now seemed rather silly.


    After a moment, Zposed herself and walked over to Eileen while Bryan and the others were talking. “How are the Myers family’s son’s grades?” she asked.


    “Not good,” Eileen replied frankly.


    Z frowned and said, “You already have two students. Are you sure you can handle another? If it’s too much, maybe you can stop tutoring my brother.”


    Eileen was caught off guard. “Miss Murray, are you being serious?”


    “I am,” Z replied firmly. “You essentially used tutoring as leverage to secure the investment for Bryan’s project. If the tutoring doesn’t yield results and the Myers are dissatisfied, it could jeopardize the investment!”


    Eileen responded calmly, “Firstly, I didn’t threaten them to secure the investment. Nadia proposed tutoring in exchange for her husband’s investment after finding out my boyfriend was negotiating with Bernard. Secondly, Nadia is reasonable and won’t cause trouble over this.”


    Eileen’s voice caught the attention of the men nearby, causing them to nce over, which made Z slightly ufortable.


    “Why are you getting worked up?” Z smiled and asked. “Where is my brother? I haven’t seen him around for a while.”


    Eileen’s expression turned cold as she replied, “He’s upstairs. Miss Murray, you’re wee to check on him yourself.”


    “Okay, just call me when dinner is ready. I’m heading up now,” Z said as she walked towards the staircase.


    After Z had vanished upstairs, Denzel chuckled and remarked, “Miss Murray can be so astute sometimes, but at other times, she can be quite the opposite.”


    “She really focuses on Bryan. She pays close attention to anything concerning him, which sometimes makes her seem a bit foolish,” Jacob added earnestly. He had known Bryan and Z since childhood and understood their dynamics well.


    Bryan’s expression tensed slightly as he inadvertently looked over at Eileen. At that moment, Eileen also nced at him, and within two seconds, she shot him a brief look before heading to organize the dining room.


    Soon, Raymond arrived with dinner, and just as Eileen was about to call Z and her brother down, a sudden loud noise erupted from upstairs.


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