?Chapter 277:


    Eileen asked Roderick, “What about you? Aren’t you worried about Denise implicating you? Just a few months ago, you were so happy about opening your restaurant. Why have you be like this now?”


    Roderick couldn’t contain his emotions at her words; he sank to the floor, hands covering his head, unable to suppress the overwhelming sadness in his heart. “Eileen, I took your advice. I came back, worked tirelessly, and saved up money as you suggested. I started early and stayedte every day. Within a year, I saved a hundred thousand dors. Then, I enrolled in a cooking course. After just two practice sessions, I opened my own restaurant. In the first month alone, I earned eight thousand dors.”


    As Roderick spoke, he beamed with pride. He had be his own boss, and making an eight-thousand-dor profit in the first month was a promising start.


    He continued, “During the holiday season, I earned thirty thousand dors a month. On average, I can make at least a hundred thousand a year. During that period, Judie was incredibly kind to me. I kept dreaming that if we became wealthy, I could support her so she wouldn’t have to work anymore.”


    Judie, being materialistic and ambitious, had likely been pleased when Roderick started earning steadily. At that moment, despite uncertainty about the longevity of Roderick’s sess, they had both shared a hopeful outlook for the future.


    Three months after the restaurant had opened, Denise encountered trouble and requested thirty thousand dors from Roderick.


    In the fourth month, Denise approached Roderick again for money.


    Because of this, Judie had forcefully expelled Denise from their home.


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    Then, Denise had gotten Bagot and his people to find Roderick, which resulted in the restaurant being shut down.


    Denise had been deep in debt, and Bagot had threatened Roderick with Denise’s life, forcing him to sell the house to pay her debts.


    Roderick had no choice but to take on the hardest and most exhausting jobs, with Bagot taking most of his earnings.


    During this time, Judie had heard that Eileen was dating Bryan, so she had found Denise and gone straight to Onnd.


    However, Judie had never expected that Denise would have Bagot take Roderick away.


    “Eileen, is it all over for me now?” Roderick sat on the floor, back against the wall. “My restaurant and my home are gone. Why did Denise take with her before?” He ran his hands through his short hair, crying bitterly.


    Eileen struggled to find words tofort him. One was his wife, and the other was his mother. One demonstrated the ugliness of human nature, while the other vividly portrayed its viciousness.


    “You’re still young. Making aeback isn’t difficult. The choice before you now is to break free from them,” Bryan said calmly. He understood that unless he set things right for Roderick, Eileen wouldn’t be able to leave here with peace of mind.


    Bryan continued, “If you think you can handle Judie, then don’t divorce her, but you need to be strong enough to cut ties with your mother. Take your wife away from this ce and begin fresh elsewhere. Ensure your mother has a fixed monthly pension, and your future can still hold promise. But if you can’t leave your past behind, your life will truly be over.”


    Roderick tensed up, carefully pondering Bryan’s words.


    He understood that Judie could be mean at times, yet he loved her.


    But could he make Judie stay out of trouble? He didn’t know.


    “Let’s get him to a nearby hotel for a shower first, then book an evening flight back to Onnd. We can go over everything once we’re back,” Bryan said.


    Seeing that Eileen was also troubled by Roderick’s situation and unsure of the next steps, Bryan gently nudged her.


    Eileen nodded, and they secured a room for Roderick at the town’s finest hotel, costing eighty dors a night. Afterward, they purchased clothes and shoes for Roderick from a nearby shopping mall.


    Exiting the mall, Bryan treated Eileen and Roderick to a meal at the area’s finest restaurant. After that, they returned to Onnd.


    They arrived in Onnd at seven o’clock in the evening and returned to their residence at half past eleven. Eileen let Roderick stay upstairs with Milford.


    “Roderick, Bryan’s advice is sound. You need to carefully consider how to handle Judie and Denise now. During this time, stay here and don’t go anywhere. Once you’ve made up your mind,e find me downstairs. I’ll organize a meeting for you and Judie. Don’t worry; I will let her know you’re safe first,” Eileen said.


    After reassuring Roderick, Eileen went downstairs. She informed Judie that Roderick was safe but omitted the detail that he was in Onnd now. With the knowledge that Roderick was safe, Judie felt a slight sense of relief.


    After thinking it over, she realized that Eileen was the one who could genuinely offer help.


    Furious at the useless Denise, who was sleeping, Judie got up and forcefully grabbed Denise’s wrist, pulling her out of the hotel room.


    Denise’s hair was disheveled, and she was still in a daze. When Denise realized what had just happened, she found herself at the hotel entrance. The cold night wind caused her to shiver, quickly making her mind clear.


    “What are you doing?” Denise red at Judie, her voice tinged with anger.


    “What do you think I’m doing? You ruined my life with Roderick, you old fool! Leave us alone. Even if you drop dead, we want nothing to do with you! Don’t even count on us to bury you!” Judie flung Denise’s bag at her, hitting her squarely in the face. Denise trembled and fell to the ground, grimacing in pain.


    “How dare you treat me this way, you ungrateful bastard! Eileen is my daughter. If she finds out about this, she’ll hunt you down and end you!” Denise said with anger.


    Judie retorted, “You know what? Eileen doesn’t care about you anymore! I’d treat you better if you earned even a shred of her respect. Do you even deserve it? Eileen doesn’t even acknowledge you as her mother anymore. She only cares about Roderick, my husband!”


    Judie was only interested in money. It was evident to her that Eileen didn’t care about Denise at all.


    Thus, ttering Denise was futile. Judie knew she had to rely on Roderick.


    Judie stayed with Roderick because she knew he would obey her everymand and treat her kindly. Furthermore, finding a man would be increasingly difficult after marriage, and she still harbored hopes of getting something from Roderick’s affluent sister, Eileen. Judie turned and went back into the hotel. Denise grew agitated andshed out at Judie with venomous words. It was alreadyte at night, and Denise’s harsh tirade disturbed several hotel guests.


    But Judie didn’t care at all. She just returned to sleep, assuming Eileen had indeed rescued Roderick and taken him back to Onnd.


    After all, South Town held no home for Roderick now. Judie guessed Roderick might be staying in the neighborhood she had visited earlier today.


    She decided that she would go to Roderick tomorrow.


    Denise, shouting in the street, was suddenly drenched with cold water someone sshed. She shivered from the chill and seethed with rage.


    After the day’s journey, Eileen was worn out.


    Shey in Bryan’s arms after showering, too fatigued to even open her eyes.


    Although she was unable to fall asleep, Eileen pretended to be asleep because she knew Bryan was also tired.


    Finally, Bryan broke the silence, saying, “You didn’t eat much at noon or tonight. Are you hungry now? Should I make something for you to eat?”


    “I’m not hungry.” Eileen tightened her grip around him.


    She had lost her appetite and didn’t feel hungry.


    Bryan fell silent, simply holding her close in his arms. It was almost dawn when Eileen drifted off into sleep.


    Bryan slipped out of the bedroom silently.


    He believed Eileen would still be asleep for a while, so he didn’t rush to make breakfast and instead finished some work he hadn’tpleted yesterday.


    Raymond called him to say that Judie had arrived but had been stopped by the security guard at the gate.


    “Drive her away or call the police,” Bryan ordered without any sympathy towards Judie.


    Judie, sensible enough not to force her way in, found herself cash-strapped.


    She could only borrow money from a former colleague at Apex Group.


    Her colleague readily agreed, considering Judie’s association with Eileen.


    Having resolved the issue of where to live, Judie felt no urgency. She was confident that Roderick woulde to her eventually.


    When Eileen woke up, it was almost noon. Bryan had helped her finish most of her work as usual.


    Denise had recently been troublesome, prompting Eileen to temporarily stop her tutoring duties.


    The Yates family empathized with her circumstances, especially considering her uing marriage.


    Besides course recordings, Eileen had little else to upy her time.


    Aware of Bryan’s busy schedule, she would asionally assist him with his work.


    Over the following three days, she worked from home as Bryan maintained regr office hours. Her life gradually returned to normal.


    At this point, Roderick had made up his mind.


    When he went downstairs to find Eileen, he discovered Bryan wasn’t home.


    They then sat together on the sofa, asionally exchanging nces, creating a cozy atmosphere.


    “Eileen, I’m relieved to see you doing better now,” Roderick said.


    Upon Roderick’s arrival in Onnd, Eileen’s life hadn’t been as tranquil.


    Bncing caretaking for her sick stepmother and fulfilling duties as Bryan’s assistant, her rtionship with Bryan had still been undefined at that time.


    Despite the hardships, she had willingly helped Roderick. Roderick felt indebted, uncertain if he could ever adequately repay her generosity.


    “Actually, I never imagined my life unfolding this way.” Eileen’s heart warmed with emotions, thinking back to the onset of Ruby’s illness, a pivotal moment that had reshaped her life.


    In those years, her world had been all shades of grey. Her life had been just a hustle filled with desperation.


    She had never expected Ruby to recover.


    She hadn’t thought she would end up developing feelings for the man she had married because of an agreement. And she had certainly never expected the man she had sold her body to was the same person she would end up marrying.


    Her journey was tough, but in the end, she got lucky. At least things turned out well.


    “Eileen, I should probably swing by and see your stepmom out of courtesy,” Roderick said. He had learned from Milford that Ruby and her daughter lived right across the hall.


    He was naturally kind-hearted.


    “Sure, I’ll take you thereter,” Eileen replied, relieved he wasn’t upset by what had happened earlier.


    She also knew Roderick still yearned for happiness.


    She believed he couldn’t afford another blow like that.


    Roderick nodded hurriedly and said a bit awkwardly, “But I don’t have any cash on me. Could you lend me some? I’ll pay you back once I start earning.”


    He had never expected to rely on Eileen like this.


    “Alright, let’s head out for some shopping,” Eileen said. She got up and grabbed her coat, following Roderick into the elevator.


    Roderick stared at the floor numbers, hands nervously in his pockets.


    After a while, he finally gathered the courage to say, “Eileen, I’ve figured out what to do from now on.”


    “Sure, go ahead. I’m all ears,” Eileen said, turning to face him. Roderick, who was half a head taller than Eileen, looked visibly nervous.


    It seemed he was afraid that his decision might upset Eileen.


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