?Chapter 309:


    Eileen didn’t know why she had said that.


    Suddenly, she realized that perhaps she had never truly understood Bryan.


    Interrupting her thoughts, Phoebe asked, “How much longer until your due date?”


    ncing at her swollen belly, Eileen’s face softened. “Just under two months,” she replied.


    Phoebe sighed inwardly, reflecting on Eileen’s journey. Eileen had left abruptly and would return with a child in tow.


    If Bryan discovered that Eileen had made such a significant decision without consulting him, he might lose his temper.


    Yet, Phoebe empathized with Eileen. The fewer people who knew about the pregnancy, the safer it was.


    “I’m calling dibs on being the godmother,” Phoebe dered. She paused, then quickly added, “And let’s skip any talks of arranging marriages between our kids. We don’t want them to end up resenting each other and straining our friendship.”


    Eileen’s eyebrow arched, her voice tinged with surprise. “Wait, are you pregnant, too?”


    “Keeping that to myself,” Phoebe replied yfully. “Why should I tell you when you kept your pregnancy a secret from me?”


    Eileen chuckled, and in the background, Jacob’s voice could be heard, dripping with sarcasm.


    “Darling, pregnancy truly affects a woman’s sense of logic. It might not be the case for Eileen, but it’s certainly evident with you!” he teased.


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    While Eileen remained clear-headed and vignt throughout her pregnancy, keeping her distance from Bryan for the safety of both herself and her unborn child, Phoebe had approached her situation differently. By not telling Eileen about her pregnancy, she was making a point.


    “Looking for a fight?” Phoebe shot back. “I’m carrying your child, and you dare speak to me this way? If you keep it up, I’ll let the child carry myst name!”


    “In your dreams!” Jacob retorted, standing firm. “I’m the sole heir to the Meyer family. Our child will carry the Meyer name!”


    Unbeknownst to them, the call remained connected, and their heated exchange was overheard by Eileen.


    “The child is mine. I’ll choose thest name!” Phoebe asserted boldly. “Go ahead, argue with me again.”


    The next moment, Jacob dered defiantly, “Fine, I’ll change myst name to Burton too. It will still be my child!”


    Phoebe called him shameless, while Jacob, unfazed, continued talking.


    Listening to their squabble, Eileen found herself smiling subtly.


    Eventually, feeling a mix of amusement andplicated emotions, she ended the call.


    Resting one hand on her growing belly, Eileen absently flicked through her phone with the other, her gaze drifting toward the view outside the window. Her focus was distant, lost in her thoughts.


    As spring warmed the air overseas, the progress of her pregnancy made her feel increasinglyzy.


    Ruby, ever the motivator, often coaxed her into taking walks, insisting it would make childbirth easier.


    Yet, when persuasion fell short, Ruby cleverly shifted tactics, suggesting a shopping trip for baby essentials as a ploy to get Eileen out of the house.


    This prospect piqued Eileen’s interest, and soon, she found herself driving both herself and Ruby to the local mall.


    Unsure if she was expecting a boy or a girl — but secretly hoping for a daughter — Eileen gravitated towards pink baby items.


    “Maybe it’s a boy,” Ruby said, selecting blue items from the shelves. “This looks nice.”


    “Mom, do you prefer boys?” Eileen asked, caught off guard. She hadn’t realized Ruby had a preference.


    Ruby, who was holding a tiny outfit, paused before responding, “I have a selfish wish. If it’s a boy, that olddy from the Dawson family will deeply regret her actions.”


    In affluent circles like the Dawson family, there was a marked preference for male heirs, especially since their family rules stipted that only male descendants could inherit the family legacy.


    Despite Ruby’s previously favorable opinion of Ste — who had always treated Eileen well — lingering suspicions about Ste’s involvement in Eileen’s breakup with Bryan had sown seeds of bitterness in Ruby’s heart.


    Ruby nced at Eileen. “Is it silly of me to feel this way? Are you upset with me?”


    “Not in the slightest,” Eileen replied with a gentle smile, cing a tiny outfit into the cart. “This isn’t about being right or wrong. Dwelling on it only serves to frustrate us further. Why let it bother us?”


    “You’re so understanding, but I struggle with that,” Ruby admitted, her voice tinged with guilt.


    The thought that seven precious years of Eileen’s life had been lost because of her haunted her. If not for her, Eileen would never have be entangled with the Dawson family.


    Had things turned out differently, her guilt might have lessened.


    But now, seeing Eileen hurt and shattered only deepened Ruby’s desire to bear that pain in Eileen’s ce.


    “Mom, let’s not dwell on this. Once the baby arrives, it will be ours. All we need to focus on is raising our child well,” Eileen said, gently diverting the conversation as she picked up a pair of newborn socks. She could sense Ruby’s remorse.


    The sales clerk introduced a variety of baby essentials, captivating Eileen’s attention as she filled the shopping cart.


    Once they paid, the mall staff assisted them in loading their purchases into the car, and Eileen guided Ruby outside.


    Selecting items for the baby had lightened Ruby’s mood, and she now looked forward to the baby’s arrival with renewed enthusiasm.


    As they drove out of the underground parking lot, Eileen noticed a middle-aged woman clutching her chest, her figure slowly slumping near the mall entrance.


    The area where the woman copsed was hidden from view, unnoticed by passersby.


    Eileen quickly pulled over and undid her seatbelt.


    “Call an ambnce. I’m going to check on that woman,” she said urgently.


    “Alright,” Ruby replied, immediately dialing for an ambnce as she got out to follow Eileen.


    The woman, still clutching her chest, was frantically searching for something, her hands trembling uncontrobly.


    Eileen kneeled beside her, her movements quick but steady. “Do you have any medication with you?” she asked.


    The woman gave a quick nod, her eyes full of desperation.


    Rummaging through the woman’s pockets, Eileen found a small bottle of fast-acting heart medication. She promptly ced a pill in the woman’s mouth, who swallowed it eagerly, even without water.


    Momentster, the woman’s distress began to subside. Her breathing eased, and her body rxed as she leaned back on the pavement, looking up at Eileen.


    She attempted to speak, moving her hand weakly, but Eileen gently stopped her.


    “We’ve called an ambnce. Try not to move or speak,” she said, her tone firm butforting.


    The woman ceased her movements but gripped Eileen’s hand tightly.


    When the ambnce arrived ten minutester, Eileen intended to leave. But the woman held on to her hand, silently pleading for her and Ruby to stay.


    Reluctantly, they agreed to apany her to the hospital.


    At the hospital, the emergency staff, upon learning that Eileen and Ruby were not rtives, began searching the woman’s bag for a phone to inform her family.


    Encounteringnguage barriers with the phone, the hospital staff turned to Eileen for assistance.


    At that moment, Eileen realized that the woman hailed from the same country as her.


    The woman’s phone had only a handful of saved contacts. Eileen promptly dialed a numberbeled “Rebellious Son.”


    The call was answered almost instantly, and Eileen conversed fluently in a foreignnguage.


    Upon learning that the phone’s owner was now in the hospital, the person on the other end quickly ended the call and hurried to the scene.


    Twenty minutester, the woman had undergone several medical tests. It was revealed that her heart condition was a pre-existing ailment. Fortunately, prompt medication had averted any immediate danger.


    The doctors strongly rmended that her family ensure she was not left unattended in the future due to the potential risks.


    Stepping into the role of a family member, Eileen recorded the doctors’ instructions and helped transfer the woman to a standard ward.


    As they were getting settled, the door to the ward flew open with a loud bang.


    Josue stormed in, rushing straight toward the bed.


    “Mom, you’re still alive, aren’t you?” he eximed, his face filled with anxiety.


    Despite her frailty, the woman managed to lift her hand and deliver a p to Josue’s face.


    “I swear you’ll be the one who drives me to my grave with your antics. No disease could ever beat me!” she eximed, her voice full of energy despite her exhaustion.


    Josue’s deep concern was unmistakable. After ensuring that his mother, Rylie Payne, was okay, he retorted, “Just give me a heads-up when you’re ready to go, and I’ll be there for you.”


    Eileen chuckled at their exchange. Surely, only a true mother and son could interact with such bizarre affection.


    “This is my savior,” Rylie announced, gesturing toward the foot of the bed where Eileen and Ruby stood. Both of them had beenpletely overlooked by Josue.


    Josue turned to face them, his eyes widening in recognition.


    “Thank you… Wait, it’s you?” he said, looking at Eileen.


    “Mr. Payne,” Eileen said with a polite smile. “What a coincidence to have saved your mother.”


    “Eileen Curtis?” Josue blurted, his eyes scanning her figure before settling on her rounded belly. “So, you’re not chubby. You’re pregnant!”


    The atmosphere, previously light and harmonious, grew slightly awkward at hisment.


    Eileen wasn’t actually overweight; her pregnancy was mostly noticeable in her belly.


    Dressed in a bulky down jacket for warmth, she did appearrger than she actually was.


    “You’re pregnant,” Rylie said, her gaze fixed on Eileen’s swollen belly. “But you look so young.”


    Eileen chuckled lightly. “I’m not that young. I’m already thirty.”


    “That’s not old at all,” Rylie replied, throwing a pointed look at Josue. “He’s thirty-five and still single.”


    Far from embarrassed by the exposure, Josue grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief.


    “Mom, Eileen and I go way back. We’re really close,” he said yfully. “You’ve been pushing me to settle down and start a family. What if I be the godfather to her child, and you help look after the baby?”


    Eileen’s lips twitched in shock as she stared at Josue, unable to believe his audacity.


    Ruby, too, was visibly taken aback by Josue’s suggestion.


    She wasn’t sure how deep Eileen and Josue’s friendship ran, but she knew Eileen had only been here for a month. She had met Josue after that.


    And now he was offering to be Eileen’s child’s godfather?


    “You brat! I’ve always said you were no good, and now you’re proving it,” Rylieshed out at Josue, sparing no feelings. “You can’t even father a child, and now you want to be a godfather? Why don’t you visit the clinic upstairs? They have specialists for male fertility.”


    Josue’s expression darkened, his yful demeanor vanishing.


    “Who says I can’t? One day, I’ll—”


    “I’ll have enough kids to form a football team!” Josue dered with a mischievous grin.


    “Maybe, but none of them will be yours,” Rylie shot back mercilessly.


    Turning to Eileen, she asked, “Are you two really that close?”


    Josue cast Eileen a pleading nce, silently urging her to affirm their closeness.


    Eileen chose her words carefully, not wanting to put Josue in a tight spot.


    “We’re not extremely close, but we do get along quite well,” she exined. After all, Josue was a major investor in the Ferguson Group, and it was crucial to stay on his good side.


    “Then, are you two close enough for him to be the godfather of your future child?” Rylie asked, looking at Eileen with keen anticipation.


    Eileen hesitated, unsure how to respond as all eyes fell on her.


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