?Chapter 335:


    “I do not understand your rtionship with Julio, and I don’t think I’m close enough to you to tell you what to do, but I’ll still tell you to take care of yourself. Since you’re not resigning, focus on your work. You can go now,” Eileen said to Dres.


    Eileen then lowered her head and busied herself with the acquisition of Warren Group.


    Half an hourter, Dres returned and said, “The receptionist said there’s someone here to see you. The person’s name is Ste.”


    Eileen’s vision blurred, and for a moment, she was disoriented.


    She couldn’t remember when shest met Ste.


    It had been a long time. She had been in contact with Bryan so frequently that she had forgotten about Ste’s existence.


    Something important must have brought Ste to visit her.


    It would be impolite not to meet with Ste.


    But to meet Ste… she could guess the reason for her visit.


    “The receptionist said the woman said she wouldn’t leave without meeting you,” Dres said, noticing Eileen hesitating.


    Eileen made up her mind and put down the pen she was holding. “Escort her to the VIP lounge,” she said.


    “Okay,” Dres replied, then moved to call the receptionist.


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    Ten minutester, Eileen entered the VIP lounge. Ste sat with her back to the door, and Jarred stood by her side.


    Jarred saw Eileen enter the room. “Miss Curtis,”


    “Hello,” Eileen said, nodding politely. Jarred quickly left the room, standing by the door to wait.


    Ste turned around. With a warm smile on her face, she said, “I thought you wouldn’t see me.”


    “Why wouldn’t I?” Eileen replied, her smile not reaching her eyes. “You said you had something to discuss with me. What is it?”


    “I heard from Bryan that you were back, so I wanted to see you. It’s just that I’ve been ashamed to do so because of that incident,” Ste said, ack of remorse on her face.


    Eileen looked at Ste indifferently. The woman she had once thought of as kind now seemed insincere to her.


    She couldn’t bring herself to feel anything for her.


    Ste continued, “Bryan is having a hard time getting over you. The incident was my fault. If you are willing to return, I’ll let you take control of the Dawson family as long as you stop torturing him.”


    “Have I tortured him?” Eileen asked, her eyebrows raised.


    She thought back to their interactions and realized that it had been her pulling on his heartstrings while he bore it, afraid of pressuring her.


    She imagined the feeling to be quite torturous.


    But she, too, was being tortured.


    Being caught between holding on and letting go was quite painful.


    “It was me who tortured you both. I put the Dawson family first. However, you know I’ve always liked you and treated you well,” Ste said, choosing her words carefully.


    Eileen was silent for a few seconds before asking, “What exactly are you here for? Please go straight to the point.”


    “I’m here to ask you toe back and reconcile with Bryan. You both should get married and have children,” Ste said, observing Eileen’s expression as she spoke.


    Eileen, however, gave nothing away with her expression. “I’ll think about it,” she simply said.


    “That’s fair,” Ste replied with a broad smile. Her smile, however, soon faded, and she continued, “There is another matter I wanted to discuss with you.”


    “What is it?” Eileen asked. She wasn’t surprised that there was something else Ste wanted to say.


    “Could you resign from your position at the Ferguson Group?” Ste asked.


    The tension in the room grew palpable. The look of disappointment on Eileen’s face made Ste a bit ufortable as they looked at each other.


    Ste looked away. “I understand yourmitment to your work, but you still have your educational institution, right? I’m just worried about you overworking yourself.”


    “Is that the only reason you want me to resign?” Eileen asked.


    “Getting married and having children might interfere with your work. You should resign, as Bryan is capable of bringing the Dawson family to its peak again,” Ste replied.


    There was an awkward silence.


    After a while, Eileen smiled and asked, “You just announced the expulsion of Brandon from the Dawson family? Why, then, are you in a hurry for a wedding and children? Doesn’t the Dawson family technically belong to Bryan now?”


    “The Dawson family isrge, with several ns. Although our n leads, expelling a person from the Dawson family requires the agreement of some of the elder members of the other ns. In the power struggle between Brandon and Bryan, Brandon was cunning and strategic, while Bryan drained the Apex Group of its resources. The conservative members of the Dawson family do not agree to the expulsion of Brandon. They believe that both Brandon and Bryan have made mistakes,” Ste said.


    The branch ns of the Dawson family prioritized the interests of the family as a whole.


    Although Bryan was a capable leader, he had caused the losses suffered by the Apex Group, and since the elders couldn’t control Bryan, they didn’t want Brandon expelled because Brandon could suppress Bryan.


    In short, they wanted the father and son to suppress each other and continue bringing profits to the whole Dawson family.


    This meant that no matter the profit made by Bryan, should he have no heir, the wealth would eventually go to Brandon.


    If that happened, Bryan would just be paving the way for Brandon.


    All this basically led to the conclusion that Ste’s act of expelling Brandon from the family was futile.


    The Dawson family’s matters were quiteplicated.


    However, Eileen could understand this.


    She knew she and her family would still be in a precarious situation if her child returned.


    Ste said, “I know you love Bryan as much as I do, Eileen. He is in a difficult situation and needs our help now. Pleasee back. I’ll hand over all the power to you.”


    Eileen silently pondered the matter. Then, she said, “Without the Ferguson Group, what do I have to support myself? The Dawson family is fraught with crises, and you can’t guarantee that there won’t be any more crises. So when a crisis does arise, what happens? You’ll protect Bryan, but who will protect me? Have you ever thought about that?”


    Ste was rendered speechless by Eileen’s question.


    Eileen continued, “They say if I were from a prestigious family, you wouldn’t sacrifice me so easily for the Dawson family’s benefit. Is that right?”


    Ste opened her mouth as though to say something, but eventually, she said nothing.


    But Eileen understood the meaning of Ste’s reaction.


    What she had said was right.


    “You can me me. That incident was indeed my fault, too,” Ste said as tears streamed down her cheeks.


    Eileen calmly handed her a tissue before saying, “I don’t me you for what happened. I’m not sure I could do better in your shoes.


    I understand that ta you, the Dawson family and Bryan are more important than me and that my sacrifice, no matter how painful it is for me, doesn’t affect the Dawson family.


    If Eileen hade from a powerful family, the Dawson family wouldn’t have dared to do what they had done, as it would have caused trouble for them.


    But she didn’te from a powerful family, so they hadn’t hesitated to sacrifice her.


    She had to endure the pain alone.


    “Asking me to make the same mistake and give up everything is selfish of you. I don’t ask to be as important to you as Bryan; I just hope you don’t consider me a fool. I do love Bryan, but I am also rational. I can’t risk everything I have just to love him,” Eileen said.


    Ste was asking her to resign and have children with Bryan to fight for the inheritance. There would be more risks in the future.


    Not only would that put her child in danger, but it would also put a target on her back.


    What would guarantee that Ste wouldn’t be forced to sacrifice her again?


    She didn’t believe what Ste had told her before.


    She thought that Ste had wanted to find a woman with a prestigious background for Bryan.


    A marriage alliance with the intent of suppressing Brandon would have been better than her gambling her life to help Bryan fight for everything.


    Unfortunately, Bryan had copsed, and all would be over if Ste didn’t tell him the truth.


    “Is there anything else you want to say?” Eileen asked coldly as she stood up, signaling that it was time for Ste to leave.


    Ste picked up her cane and shakily stood up. “I’m sorry for what happened. That incident was my fault,” she said to Eileen.


    “Don’t be like that. Although I can’t ept your offer, I understand why you did what you did, and I don’t me you,” Eileen said as she went to support Ste.


    Ste seized this opportunity and grabbed Eileen’s hand. She lowered her head as she said, “If you won’te back, please stay away from Bryan and don’t see him. He can’t bear the heat from the Ferguson family right now. If you won’t help him, don’t cause any more trouble for him.”


    Eileen was stunned.


    Ste released her before she could react and left without a backward nce.


    Tears rolled down Eileen’s cheeks, and she copsed into a nearby chair.


    So that was Ste’s true purpose foring here.


    Ste knew Eileen wouldn’t quit her job at Ferguson Group to return to Bryan.


    Ste believed the only thing she could do was to give up everything she had to fight for Bryan or stay away from him, as being close to him might attract even more trouble.


    “Curtis, LB,” Dres called out as she pushed open the door.


    Eileen quickly turned away and wiped her tears.


    But Dres still saw her cry. “You have a meeting in ten minutes,” she said.


    The first time Dres had seen Eileen, she thought Eileen was extremely beautiful but cold.


    The second time she had seen Eileen at the coffee shop, she thought Eileen was a shrewd businesswoman.


    But she had never expected to see Eileen crying.


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