?Chapter 344:


    Josue’s eyes sparkled with both pride and yful teasing as he joked, “I doubt you could have a daughter as adorable as my goddaughter. She’s the ultimate in cuteness—absolutely stunning, so precious, and her sweet little coo could melt even the toughest hearts!”


    “Do you really think he couldn’t have a baby that adorable?” Eileen asked, rolling her eyes as she caught on to Josue’s increasing sarcasm.


    Seeing Bryan’s expression darken instantly, she realized she needed to stop Josue’s risky teasing. She quickly changed the subject. “So, about Julio’s engagement party—are you going?”


    Noticing Eileen’s cautionary look, Josue calmed down, saying, “I’ve been abroad for a while now, and I’m not quite caught up with everyone. Plus, if he’s not going, I’d just feel out of ce. I might as well stay home and spend time with my goddaughter, right?”


    Hearing “goddaughter” again made Eileen roll her eyes to the heavens. She felt uneasy about the moment Bryan would find out Gabri was his biological daughter, aware of the harshness he would unleash on Josue in retaliation.


    “I’m not very familiar with the Garrison family that Julio’s fiancée is from,” she said, diverting the conversation again. She looked at Bryan, curiosity in her gaze. “Do you know anything about them?”


    Bryan gave Josue a sharp nce before wrapping his arm around Eileen’s waist, his hand pressing visibly against her.


    “I don’t know them either.”


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    He sat up straight, his body leaning close to Eileen. “Josue knows them well. The Harrison family is influential in the south. They’re nning to expand internationally once their business picks up. Z.J. Venture Capital is involved, and they’ve just returned to stir things up in Onnd’s business sector!”


    Then, raising his eyebrows as if challenging Josue, he whispered, “Why don’t you tell her yourself?”


    Josue rolled his eyes, annoyed at seeing them so close on the bed, embracing tightly.


    “Alright, I’ll keep this brief. My goddaughter is waiting for me at home. I can only stay for ten minutes max.”


    The Harrison family had strong roots and nearly dominated the market in the south. Back then, Bryan had made his mark with a significant project in West Land, carving out arge share of the market for Apex Group. But at that time, Apex Group was still trailing behind the prestigious Harrison family.


    Now, Apex Group was falling apart.


    “So, the Harrison family hasn’t really had their time in the spotlight here in Onnd. It’s all about the Ferguson family. Mabel and Julio getting engaged has really worked out for them. But I’m curious about why Julio is in such a hurry to get engaged. Is there something I’m missing?”


    Right after Josue finished speaking, everyone’s eyes turned to Eileen simultaneously.


    From where Bryan was sitting, all he could notice were her curly eyshes casting shadows over her bright eyes. Her lips were slightly pursed, as if she was holding back her words.


    After a brief, tense silence, Eileen carefully removed Bryan’s hand from her waist, got out of bed, and walked over to the fruit basket at the end of the bed. “I’m going to wash some fruit,” she said.


    If she decided to confront the Ferguson Group, the newly stabilized group would undoubtedly face a significant setback. Now, Julio was taking precautions, preparing for any potential blow.


    As Eileen’s footsteps receded, Josue started teasing again.


    “Bryan, she’s hiding something from you. Can’t you see it?”


    Bryan bowed his head, fiddling absentmindedly with the bandage wrapped around his left hand. His fingers, usually slim and wless, were now slightly swollen and puffy. “Yeah, Eileen is plotting something against the Ferguson family without telling me. By the way, does your goddaughter speak yet? Do you think your wife is happy about you having a goddaughter? Oh, forget it. You’ll be on your second marriage. Who knows if you’ll even find someone else willing to marry you? Maybe you’re right—having a goddaughter isn’t such a bad fallback n. You’d better take good care of her. Who knows, if you don’t have your own kids or if your future wife doesn’te along, you might need to depend on your goddaughter to take care of you when you’re old.”


    Josue could no longer force a smile.


    In terms of cruelty, Bryan was unmatched. And when it came to sarcasm, Bryan was without a rival—he was the ultimate king.


    How had he never noticed that Bryan could be so talkative?


    “Bryan, your wound hasn’t fully healed yet. Don’t talk too much,” Josue said as he patted Bryan on the chest and tried to push him back down onto the bed.


    Bryan remained still. “It’s none of your concern. Eileen has been taking great care of metely. I’m almost back to normal.”


    Despite his efforts, Josue couldn’t get Bryan to lie back down. “Seriously? Are you pretending? How the hell do you have so much energy if you’re actually sick?”


    Bryan raised an eyebrow and tapped the bed frame with his right hand. “I’m not sitting up by myself. The bed is tilted. You tried to push me down, but the bed is designed to support sitting up, not lying down.”


    Josue was at a loss for words. He stepped back and noticed that the head of the bed was indeed adjusted to help Bryan sit up or lie down morefortably.


    “When Julio’s engagement partyes, I need you to go and watch over Eileen for me. I don’t like the idea of her being there alone; it worries me,” Bryan said earnestly, making the request sound more like an order.


    He looked toward the ward door, noticing that Eileen hadn’t returned yet.


    Despite Josue’s earlier reluctance to attend, Bryan insisted. “You don’t have to do anything special, just stay close to her.”


    At this point, Bryan couldn’t go. Fresh out of the hospital, he had a noticeable gash on his head and a bald patch that made him look vulnerable.


    He felt self-conscious, thinking it would take a month or two before he could face people again.


    “So, you need my help?” Josue pulled a chair by its backrest, sat down, and looked at Bryan with a mischievous grin. “Then answer me this: do you think my goddaughter is pretty?”


    Bryan’s eyes flickered as he answered, “Apart from Eileen, that baby is the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”


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