Chapter 128
The bathroom light was casting an overhead glow on Bryan and highlighting his toned muscles.
But Eileen didn’t have time to appreciate the view because the next thing she knew, he was already taking off his pants.
Eileen felt her cheeks and ears burn, and she instinctively lowered her head and turned around. It didn’t stop her from hearing the rustling of Bryan’s clothes behind her, though.
How was she supposed to explain herself if he completely undressed?
“Don’t—” she blurted out. “Don’t take your clothes off!”
Eileen buried her face in her hands, feeling utterly embarrassed.
The man’s eyes were boring into the back of her head like a laser locked on its target. Eileen mustered all her courage and slowly turned around.
Her gaze immediately landed on Bryan’s well-defined abs.
Biting her lower lip, she looked up until their eyes met.
Silence fell over the cramped space, broken only by their shallow breaths.
At that moment, the memories that Eileen had locked away came flooding back in a rush.
Bryan appeared more mature now, and his every move exuded sophisticated elegance. His eyes were narrowed, and a hint of a smirk was playing on his lips as he looked at her.
He knew that she was embarrassed, but the redness of her ears reminded him of something else too. His gaze turned dark.
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Seeing that Bryan was distracted by his thoughts, Eileen took the opportunity to sidestep him and dash through the open door.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw the waiter outside, who looked as shocked as she was. To make matters worse, Raymond and Denzel both walked toward the private room at that very moment.
Eileen balled her hands in embarrassment. The only thing she wanted was for the floor to open up and swallow her whole.
“The waiter began, ‘Where did you come from?’ He clearly had no idea that someone else was in the room.
He had dealt with similar circumstances in the past and instantly assumed that Eileen was just another scheming opportunist. ‘This is unacceptable! How dare you sneak in here to peep at our valued guests!’
Eileen was horrified by the waiter’s accusations. She was desperate for an escape, to get as far away from Bryan as possible.
Raymond had already seen her. ‘Miss Curtis?’
He cocked his head to the side, his bewilderment evident as he saw Bryan emerge from the bathroom. “Mr. Dawson, when did she get here?”
“That’s what I’d like to know too.” Bryan walked over as he donned the damp shirt and buttoned it up halfway, exposing his upper chest.
He then sank into the sofa and casually crossed his legs.
He glanced briefly at Eileen, his expression raised.
“It’s probably all a misunderstanding,” Denzel said as he walked to stand next to Eileen. “I mentioned Eileen would come. I’m sure she would never hide in the bathroom just to peek at you, Mr. Dawson.”
“Then let her explain what she was doing in the bathroom,” Bryan said, still as cool and nonchalant as ever.
He made no indication of knowing Eileen.
Eileen picked up on his cue and acted like she didn’t know him either. She composed herself and said, “Please excuse my rudeness. I went into the bathroom due to an unexpected issue and never expected someone else to come in, so I panicked. I just didn’t know how to react. I’m sorry.”
“Are you saying that it’s your fault then?” Bryan asked sharply, his displeased gaze directed at Eileen.
Overwhelmed by his formidable aura, Eileen shook her head.
“No, of course not! It was just a minor incident,” Mr. Dawson. Denzel said, stepping in again. “I would appreciate it if you would be lenient this once. Besides, Miss Curtis is here to talk about Milford’s tutoring. Why don’t we sit down and start the discussion?”
He gestured for the waiter to leave, then handed a cigarette to Bryan.
The waiter made his exit and closed the door behind him.
Eileen felt stifled, but there was little else she could do at the moment.
Bryan lit the cigarette and took a long drag. “All right, take a seat.”
Denzel gave Eileen a small nod. After a few seconds of hesitation, Eileen sat down, making sure to put some distance between her and Bryan.
“Milford is a very bright child,” Denzel began. “My daughter always said so when he was still in school, so—”
“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” Bryan interjected. “Let’s review our current collaboration first.”
Denzel breathed out a small sigh and glared apologetically at Eileen. He could only do so much to appease Bryan.
Since Bryan wanted to discuss business matters, Eileen would simply have to wait. She glanced at her watch.
It was only a little after seven, but if Bryan decided to drag this thing on—Lord knows how long this entire meeting would take.
Denzel was eager to help Eileen, so he sped through his negotiations with Bryan.
But the latter kept thwarting his efforts. Every so often, Bryan would interrupt and say something completely off-topic. Then, he would pause the conversation to drink.
Sometimes, he would even ask Denzel to repeat himself, claiming that he didn’t hear Denzel clearly the first time.
In all the years Eileen had worked with Bryan, she had never seen him like this.
Still, she sat patiently and only checked her phone from time to time.
She also sent some messages to Bailee, informing her that she couldn’t return to the hospital just yet.
When ten o’clock rolled around, Denzel was totally drunk. He was slumped on the sofa, unconscious and unmoving.
“Send Mr. Vance home,” Bryan ordered as he swirled the glass in his hand.
Raymond was taken aback and asked, “But how will you get home, Mr. Dawson?”
No sooner had he said that than realization struck him. He immediately turned to Eileen and said, “Please send Mr. Dawson home safely. I’ll be taking Mr. Vance away now.”
“Me?” Eileen was shocked, but Raymond was already pulling Denzel up.
Raymond ended up hoisting Denzel over his shoulder. On his way out, he made sure to tell the staff not to let anyone in.
Now, Eileen and Bryan were alone in the private room.
Eileen swallowed the lump in her throat and said, “I believe we can talk now, Mr. Dawson.”
“Take me home. We’ll talk on the way,” Bryan stood up and grabbed his coat before Eileen could protest.
He strode out, leaving her no choice but to hurry after him. As she tried to keep up with his long strides, she couldn’t help but find the situation surreal.