?Chapter 348:


    The door cracked open slightly, and Dalores’ face, shaded in shadows, appeared. She looked surprised to see Eileen and Benjamin still there, her lips pressed tightly together as she held her vignt stance without moving.


    Eileen approached her, asking, “Are you alright?”


    “Mistress Curtis, could you find me some clothes?” Dalores asked, her blouse torn by Julio. She had intended to flee hastily without being recognized. However, with Eileen and Benjamin just outside, she couldn’t simply walk away unnoticed.


    Eileen turned to Benjamin and instructed, “Take off your coat.”


    Eileen handed the coat through the partially open door, and momentster, Dalores stepped out wearing it. The coat wasicallyrge on her, making her look like a child in an adult’s clothing.


    “He’s still inside. I’ve dressed him. He won’t be waking up anytime soon. You guys should get him a room,” Dalores stated, not moving away immediately but looking back toward the room.


    “Benjamin, go reserve a room and find someone to help carry him there,” Eileen directed, concerned about leaving Dalores alone. “I’ll take you home.”


    Dalores didn’t object, adjusting the coat around her as she turned, revealing pale skin on her neck marked with hickeys. Her eyes were also red and slightly swollen. It was clear she had been crying for some time.


    Benjamin quickly reserved a room at the front desk and then arranged for a staff member to help move Julio from the storage room.


    Dalores made sure to watch Julio being transported into the room before she agreed to leave with Eileen.


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    Dalores’ home was quite a distance away, and at night, with fewer cars around and enveloped in silence, the asional car horn sounded exceptionally sharp.


    “Mistress Curtis, this is what they call an arranged marriage among the wealthy, isn’t it?” Dalores suddenly asked, her voice clear.


    Eileen nced at her and confirmed, “Yes, it is a typical arranged marriage of convenience.”


    “Then he’s truly pitiable,” Dalores said, managing a smile, but her eyes began to fill with tears. “He doesn’t have the freedom to choose someone he truly loves?”


    “How do you know he’s pitiable?” Eileen stopped the car at a red light, turned to her earnestly, and said, “People pursue their desires. Julio seeks power and wealth. From a business standpoint, he’s seeded in fulfilling his ambitions.”


    Dalores stayed quiet for a moment, then asked somberly,


    “So, to him, are money and power more important than…?”


    Eileen was momentarily speechless. Did Julio have feelings for Dalores? A woman’s intuition was often right; if Dalores felt he cared for her, maybe he did.


    “What about me?” Dalores asked, looking down as tears dropped onto her hands, her voice quivering. “Then why did he approach me repeatedly? I cheered him up during his recovery. I was there during his darkest days. When he was ousted from the Freguson family and drowning his sorrow in drinking, I was the one who took care of him…”


    At that time, Dalores had been merely a middle school student—young and impressionable, yet remarkably sensible. Despite her fragility, she had pulled Julio from his darkest depths.


    He had managed a turnaround, seeking help from his best friend, shifting his career tow, and starting anew. He had said, “Dalores brought light into my dark life.” Yet, while the light stayed, he had moved on.


    Eileen felt aplex mix of emotions. She couldn’t find any other way to describe Julio and Dalores’ bond except as a doomed romance.


    “When ites to love, he doesn’t deserve you,” sheforted Dalores. “You are genuine, and he is not. It’s best to move on from him.”


    “My memory is sharp. I still vividly remember the day we first met. It’s etched in my mind after ten years. How can I just forget?”


    Dalores forced a rueful smile. “Not that I want to remember, it’s that I can’t forget.”


    The neon lights from outside illuminated Dalores’ face, casting light on the tears streaming down her cheeks.


    The car continued until it pulled up in front of a dimly lit, old residential building. In the low light, Eileen could barely make out what Dalores was doing in the passenger seat, but she could hear her soft sobbing and sense her shaking.


    “I’m sorry; I have a roommate. I’m worried I’ll disturb her if I go back like this,” Dalores sniffled, reaching for a tissue in the darkness to wipe her tears.


    Noticing the tissue box was empty, Eileen pulled out a fresh pack and handed it to her. “Stay rational. Think about your next steps. If you decide to leave, just let me know.”


    “Thank you,” Dalores nodded in gratitude. “And please tell Mr. Nash I’ll return his coat after it’s washed.”


    “Alright, head back. Stay safe. I’m giving you a few days off to recover. I won’t be in the office for the next few days either,” Eileen observed Dalores’ pained gait, likely from the ordeal she had endured.


    Dalores exited the car and limped into the building.


    The bulb in the hallway flickered twice, casting a solitary shadow behind her.


    At that moment, Eileen felt a sudden longing to see Bryan. As she drove back, her thoughts lingered on Dalores and Julio.


    It was evident that Julio and Bryan werepletely different individuals.


    Bryan cherished love and exhausted the resources of Apex Group to acquire EB Group, yet he remained uncertain if EB Group would ever reach the heights that Apex Group had achieved.


    He had chosen love, risking his career and leaving the oue to chance.


    Julio, on the other hand, sought shortcuts, sparing no expense to stabilize Freguson Group and assert control over the Freguson family. That was his ambition.


    If Bryan had been like Julio, her fate would mirror Dalores’.


    At an intersection, one route led to the hospital, the other to her home. After considerable thought, Eileen chose to go home.


    After all, what could be more crucial than her daughter?


    Moreover, Bryan was hospitalized and wasn’t going anywhere soon.


    Gabri had been staying with Ruby. Anticipating that Eileen mighte homete, Ruby had slept in Eileen’s room with Gabri.


    When Eileen arrived home, Ruby woke up, allowing her time with her daughter before retiring to her own room.


    The deeply sleeping Gabri seemed to sense her mother’s presence, shifting slightly, her little feet pressing against Eileen’s thigh, her head resting against her chest, and continued to sleep peacefully.


    Eileen didn’t feel like sleeping; she preferred to watch her daughter for a while longer.


    However, after several nights of scant sleep at the hospital, she soon fell asleep herself.


    The next morning, she was jolted awake by Julio’s phone call. She quickly picked up the vibrating phone and stepped onto the balcony to answer it.


    “Where is she?”


    His reference to “she” was clearly about Dalores.


    Eileen responded, “I took her home.”


    “Did she drug mest night?” Julio’s voice carried a hint of anger. He knew he had been drugged and brought into a room. Despite the fog of the drug, he remembered seeing Dalores.


    Eileen felt a pang of guilt for Dalores upon hearing his usation. “It was Kaysen who drugged you, aiming at both of us. Thanks to Dalores, we avoided major trouble. And she was the one who helped you. You’ve wronged her.”


    After digesting this, Julio was silent for a while before he chuckled softly. “Perhaps I’m too suspicious of people.”


    “People in high society can be quite suspicious, I get that. But you must remember, Dalores is just an average person,” Eileen defended her earnestly. “You can’t try to have the best of both worlds.”


    Julio admitted, “I asked her to stay close to you because I feared Kaysen might target me and cause her harm.”


    “You’re very logical. As a woman, I hope you treat her kindly. She’s a good person,” Eileen stated, then ended the call.


    Gabri awoke, thrilled to be in her mother’s arms. Eileen took her to wash up and prepared form for her baby girl.


    As she stepped out of the room, she ran into Milford, who had just finished freshening up and was looking to hold Gabri.


    Milford greeted her, then lowered his voice. “I have good news. Remember I told you I got special permission to sit for the college entrance exam? I’vepleted it, and the results are in.”


    “Wow!” Eileen’s face brightened. “Which university did you get into?”


    Milford extended his hands. “Let me hold Gabri, and I’ll tell you.”


    Eileen looked at Milford, her eyebrows knitting. “I haven’t been back for days. Are you sure you want to take her away from my arms?”


    “Well…” Milford hesitated. “Then never mind. I’ll have plenty of time after the college entrance exams, and even more when I start university.”


    “Get to the point. Which university?”


    Milford couldn’t hide his glee as he yfully raised his eyebrows. “It’s Willowbrook University, right here in Onnd.”


    Willowbrook University in Onnd was one of the premier institutions in the nation. The news that Milford, who had elerated his education to sit for the college entrance exam early, had been epted by Willowbrook surprised Eileen.


    “What about studying abroad?” she inquired, noting the significant cultural differences, especially in the educational approaches to business and finance. “If Milford had the opportunity to study internationally, he should take advantage of that experience first and then return to practice in Onnd. Gaining both domestic and international business knowledge would provide him with aprehensive perspective.”


    To her surprise, Milford pursed his lips. “I’m not going abroad. I’m staying in Austin. Why are you so fixated on foreign education?”


    Eventually, he couldn’t resist any longer and decisively scooped Gabri from Eileen’s arms, dering, “It’s better here in Onnd. Besides, Gabri is here.”


    Eileen was left without words. She followed Milford down the stairs as he brought up his ns to host a dinner for his high school ssmates soon, as they wouldn’t be together much longer, marking it as a sort of farewell.


    “Have you invited Adalina?” Eileen inquired further. “She moved here with you from West Land, and you’ve been ssmates for years.”


    “That crybaby?” Milford frowned. “She burst into tears when she found out about my special exam permission. She’s probably upset because she doesn’t do as well academically as me. I’ll tell her I got into Willowbrook; won’t that make her even more upset?”


    Eileen was taken aback but advised, “You should invite her regardless. It’smon courtesy. Her tears don’t necessarily signify anger; she might just be sad about you going off to university.”


    “Hey, what’s there to be sad about? We’ll still see each other,” Milford replied nonchntly as he went to prepare Gabri’s form.


    Watching him leave, Eileen chose not to follow. She intended to assist Ruby with preparing breakfast in the kitchen but paused when she saw Bailee sneaking out of Ruby’s room, moving stealthily like a thief.


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