?Chapter 323:


    Eileen stared at Jacob without a hint of emotion, not even blinking.


    Jacob squirmed under her gaze and quickly put his phone away.


    “Eileen, you’re scaring him,” Phoebe said, defending Jacob for the first time and pulling him behind her. “He might be a bit foolish, but only I get to give him a hard time. Your stare nearly swallowed him whole. Why are you starting to act like Bryan?”


    Jacob quickly hid behind Phoebe and muttered, “Honey, she’s so fierce. Let’s have a son and marry him to her daughter in the future. Then her daughter will have to respect me. I’d like to see if she still dares to give me that 100k then.”


    “Lil’ Gabri is godmother now, and you’re her godfather. Even if we don’t arrange Gabri’s marriage, she’ll still be your goddaughter,” Phoebe gently patted Jacob’s head. “You can leave us alone now. I need to have a chat with Eileen.”


    The kitchen buzzed with dinner preparations, and Jacob went to help.


    Eileen cradled Gabri in her arms, her gaze soft, a stark contrast to the fierceness she had shown Jacob earlier.


    “There’s something I’ve wanted to say for a while now. You can’t keep the child a secret from Bryan forever. He is the father of this child and deserves to know,” Phoebe said, observing Eileen’s expression closely.


    Eileen paused, her eyelids lifting slightly as her long eyshes fluttered. “I didn’t n to keep it a secret from him forever, but until our rtionship is settled, I can’t say anything about it to him.”


    “This morning, Eileen said a lot to Jacob and me. Since you know Ste has her own struggles, can’t you let go of the grudges?” Phoebe edged closer to Eileen. “No one is entirely rational; the deeper the love, the more vulnerable one bes. With the wedding approaching, Bryan was stretched to his limit at that time.”


    g?lnσν????s holds stories for every mood


    After a pause, she continued, “He was on guard against Brandon, Z, n, and everyone else, but he never guarded against you and Ste. Unfortunately, it was with you that things went wrong…”


    “You don’t have to say too much,” Eileen interjected. “What’s keeping us apart isn’t ack of love. But all we have is just love. That is not enough for us to be together.”


    In the world of the wealthy, love was not enough. They couldn’t survive on love alone.


    Phoebe felt a lump in her throat, a heavy burden pressing down on her heart. If she weren’t the daughter of the Burton family, her rtionship with Jacob might have already ended.


    And had she not gotten involved with Jacob, the Burton family might never have epted her again. For Eileen, whocked a prestigious background, marrying into a wealthy family often meant being cast aside when trouble arose.


    “So, as you strive to grow stronger, you’ve already be quite powerful now. Have you figured out your next steps in your rtionship with Bryan?” Phoebe asked.


    Eileen shook her head. “Throughout my pregnancy, my only focus was on safely delivering the child. Afterward, all I’ve wanted is to solidify my position at the Ferguson Group and be Gabri’s pir of support. Things are tooplex right now, so I’m not ready to consider how to navigate my rtionship with Bryan.”


    “Take your time to think about that. But you should let Bryan meet his daughter first,” Jacob, having found no task in the kitchen, returned and spoke up.


    “And what happens next?” Eileen countered. “Do you think I’ll still have the option to refuse Bryan once he knows he has a daughter with me?”


    She knew that if Bryan learned of the child, he would not leave her alone for the rest of her life.


    After a pause, Eileen continued, “If Ste finds out about this child, do you think she won’t use legal means to snatch her away and help Bryan go against Brandon? I jumped into the fire for Bryan and emerged wounded. How could I let Gabri be a pawn in Ste’s hands? When I married Bryan before, it was a gamble that I would be fortunate to meet sincere people. But I lost. Now, you want me to gamble with Gabri again?”


    Gabri was the most important person in her life now; she couldn’t bear to be separated from her.


    If she were sure Ste wouldn’t take the child, she would have let Bryan see his daughter immediately. But that was not the reality.


    Perhaps because of her pregnancy, Phoebe empathized with Eileen’s fears. “I understand your concerns, but Bryan is still the child’s father. Missing your pregnancy, the child’s birth, and her growth—it’ll be a regret for him.


    So, you should decide soon.”


    Eileen replied, “Once the Walsh Group’s project is settled, I’ll have more time. I’ll seriously consider this issue then.”


    Bryan had haunted Eileen’s thoughts for countless nights.


    The current state of their rtionship was utterly heartbreaking for her.


    “Ste went up the mountain and hasn’t returned, but once the project ispleted, Apex Group will face change and the Dawson family will undergo transformation. Maybe Ste will return then, and I’m sure she’lle looking for you,” Phoebe said.


    Ste would do anything for Bryan, sparing no effort.


    Phoebe believed Ste would seek reconciliation with Eileen and ask Eileen to get back with Bryan.


    Whether her actions were sincere or driven by self-interest, no one could know.


    As they talked, Jacob covertly snapped several photos of Gabri, applying beauty filters before sending them to Bryan.


    Bryan furrowed his brows as he looked at the photos, sensing a flicker of familiarity. But since Gabri had grown so quickly, Bryan didn’t recognize her as the child he had once held abroad.


    “Does she look cute? Familiar? Do you feel a connection? Do you like her?” Jacob asked, not daring to reveal Gabri’s identity.


    He couldn’t risk the Dawson family taking the child away. If Eileen ended up hating him, that was one thing, but fearing Phoebe’s wrath was another matter entirely. So, he could only hint at the matter to Bryan.


    “Jacob, what’s wrong with you?” Bryan’s response conveyed his irritation with Jacob.


    “There’s nothing wrong, but there’s a hidden message here. Figure it out,” Jacob replied cryptically.


    Bryan was confused. He couldn’t figure out what Jacob meant.


    However, the more he looked at the photos, the more he found himself drawn to Gabri, unable to look away. He even thought the baby somewhat resembled Eileen.


    He curled his lips slightly, thinking he must be going crazy from missing Eileen.


    After a while, Bryan sighed and put his phone away, turning to Jarred.


    Jarred said, “Your grandmother refuses toe back. She says she’ll return when the project is settled and the Dawson family is about to change.”


    “Tell her to take good care of her health,” Bryan replied.


    Z had no choice but to seek out Kian again. “I was wrongst time. Please convey my apologies to Mr. Walsh. Kian, I really need to get this project,” she said.


    “You know Mr. Walsh’s expectations. Z, how can I help you with this? By sending you to his bed?” Kian asked earnestly as he poured her a cup of coffee. “I couldn’t do that.”


    “Is there another way? If I tell him my rtionship with your Mr. Walsh, will he stop harassing me? I’ll find someone else to take my ce, please think of something and help me arrange a meeting with him again,” Z said.


    They were at Kian’s ce. Z approached him with an unusual humility, her usual arrogance nowhere to be found.


    She chose to humble herself before Kian rather than risk being defiled by Lnd. She couldn’t bear to see Eileene out victorious.


    “Tomorrow, Eileen is going to sign the contract with Mr. Walsh. Please help me meet him before they sign it. I’ll take my chances then,” Z said, clinging to Kian’s arm.


    Kian took a sip of his coffee and smirked, “So, why is it so important for you to win, Z? If Apex Group falls, it would be your revenge against Brandon and Lydia for what they did to you. Leaving the Dawson family anding to me would be ideal for you, wouldn’t it?”


    Z hadn’t expected the conversation to take this turn, and she hesitated for a few seconds.


    Kian continued, “You may have grown up with Bryan and feel a connection with him, but remember that Bryan is the reason Brandon and Lydia are cruel to you. Without him, you might have still been able to get pregnant. Shouldn’t you resent Bryan?”


    Kian watched Z’s expression closely, observing every subtle shift.


    After a moment, Z blurted, “It’s Bryan’s fault.”


    “So what?” Kian gripped her chin. “Isn’t Vivian innocent? Yet, she ended up in a mental hospital. Anyone connected to the Dawson family meets a bad end. Z, open your eyes.”


    The mention of Vivian suddenly made Z feel guilty. She looked away, avoiding Kian’s gaze.


    “Z, this is yourst chance. Leave the Dawson family. Stay out of this mess. I’ll take you somewhere else. The Warren Group has been taken over, and the Warren family will go down. Starting anew elsewhere won’t be difficult for us. Will youe with me?” Kian forced Z to meet his gaze, waiting for her answer.


    The Warren Group was going under?


    Z felt a sinking feeling in her heart. She was aware of the financial troubles Warren Group had been grappling with, but she thought Kian still held sway over thepany.


    Now, what Kian had said must mean that the new investors were nning to oust Kian, and he had no recourse to fight back.


    So, she couldn’t rely on Kian anymore. After resolving the matters with Lnd, she would need to cut ties with Kian to steer clear of trouble.


    “Kian, with the Dawson family in turmoil, how can I leave? Besides, you’ve led Warren Group into dire straits for my sake. If I can gain control of Apex Group, perhaps I can help in Warren Group’s recovery,” Z said.


    She painted him another dream, so beautiful that it was hard for him to shatter her illusions.


    Kian’s lips curled into a smile as his hand slid from Z’s chin, moving to undress her.


    “Kian,” he said, “you’ve been so good to me. Stay here tonight. I want you all to myself. Let me feel that you’re mine, and tomorrow… I’ll take you to see Mr. Walsh.”


    He then reclined on the sofa, gesturing for Z to undress him.


    His dark eyes brimmed with unrestrained desire.


    Sensing something unsettling about Kian, Z didn’t move.


    “Stop wasting time,” Kian interjected, seizing her hand and guiding it to his waist. “Help me undress.”


    Was he consumed by lust now?


    Thinking of this, Z felt a bit relieved. Reluctantly, sheplied.


    .


    .


    .