Chapter 192
“What does their engagement have to do with me?” Phoebe suddenly snapped, her tone sharp with anger.
Realizing she had reacted too strongly, she added, “You can’t even handle your own problems, yet you find time to meddle in my life?”
Eileen walked around her desk, fiddling with a potted plant before slipping something into her bag.
“This issue really ruins the vibe of the holiday. Want to go out for drinks now?”
Thinking Eileen was upset about the situation at the education center, Phoebe grabbed her coat and headed for the door. “Let’s go.”
Though Eileen had been in Wist Land for a year, she still wasn’t as familiar with the city as Phoebe.
They hopped into a cab to an address Phoebe provided, and about half an hour later, they arrived at a bustling street food stall.
With Christmas approaching, the place was crowded, but Phoebe knew the owner, who quickly set up a small table for them.
Soon, they were served various grilled seafood dishes and beer. They began their meal in silence.
Eileen drank moderately, while Phoebe quickly became tipsy.
Soon, Phoebe started to complain, “Jacob is nothing! He’s just a coward, totally under his dad’s thumb!”
Lᴧtєѕt ϲhαptєrs 𝑖n g𝓪l𝑛ovєl𝑆.𝗰𝑂m
“You’re right,” Eileen agreed.
“He thinks I don’t understand him. He says he’s mad because I embarrassed him by running away. But I know the truth; he actually likes me. Why can’t he just admit it?” Phoebe said. She was straightforward; after Jacob had arrived in Wist Land, she had even proposed they be together, but he had refused her.
Thinking of that made Phoebe even more upset.
She began drinking heavily, and seeing this, Eileen texted Raymond to give him their location. Handling a tipsy Phoebe was too much for her alone.
Twenty minutes later, Raymond showed up. By that time, Phoebe’s emotional turmoil had reached its peak but was beginning to subside.
Just as they were preparing to pay the bill and leave, Phoebe received a message from Megan.
Phoebe and Megan had barely communicated since becoming contacts on WhatsApp. Since Phoebe had left the Burton family, Megan had never reached out to her.
“I wasn’t planning to tell you this, but for old times’ sake, I’m inviting you to my engagement party with Jacob,” Megan wrote.
“Oh, I forgot you’re not in Onaland now. It’s a bit late to tell you this. But even if you were here, you probably wouldn’t dare show up. After all, Jacob and I are way out of your league.”
“I heard you’re hanging out with Eileen? Birds of a feather flock together. No wonder you two are close now.”
Megan’s messages poured in one after another, and Phoebe and Eileen read them all.
Phoebe quickly responded, “The man I ditched is now your treasure? What exactly are you bragging about?”
After sending the message, she blocked Megan.
Eileen was about to suggest to Phoebe not to let someone like Megan get to her when she saw Phoebe booking plane tickets online.
Phoebe had booked two tickets to Onaland; the flight was leaving in an hour.
“Why are you booking tickets?” Eileen attempted to intervene, but it was already too late.
Phoebe told Raymond, “Take us to the airport!”
“I’m not going,” Eileen said firmly. “And you shouldn’t go, either.”
“What does Megan think she’s playing at? I must go and stir things up. The engagement is tomorrow; there’s still time!” Phoebe insisted.
Then, she dragged Eileen toward the car.
Raymond, who had also entered the vehicle, looked at Eileen for instructions.
“Take us home,” Eileen said.
But Phoebe was having none of it; she started throwing a tantrum.
An hour later, Eileen and Phoebe were on the plane.
Though Phoebe was undoubtedly drunk, she skillfully masked the smell with the perfume she had bought at the airport before boarding.
In her drunken state, she only remembered to bring her phone and ID.
Eileen hadn’t even had the chance to text Bryan. Looking at her phone, set to airplane mode with only 10% battery left, she realized it would probably die before they reached Onaland.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, staring out at the dark sky, feeling a headache coming on.
Eileen soon dozed off. When she woke up, it was bright outside.
The stewardess had woken both her and Phoebe. “Ladies, we’ve arrived at our destination. You can disembark now.”
Phoebe, still groggy with her head buried under a blanket and her hair a mess, looked around in confusion.
As she remembered what had happened, a hint of regret crossed her face.
Eileen nudged her. “Come on, we need to get off the plane. Even if you regret it now, we still have to leave here to book tickets to go back.”
Under the curious gaze of the flight attendant, the two got off the plane without any luggage and headed straight for the exit.
“My phone’s dead,” Eileen said, turning to Phoebe. “What about yours? Can we still pay for a cab?”
Phoebe scratched her head and let out an awkward cough. “Mine’s dead, too.”
Eileen felt a wave of resignation wash over her.
“Let’s go outside and borrow a phone to make a call.” She led Phoebe toward the exit.
The biting cold in Onaland cut through their clothes; Wist Land always hovered around ten degrees, so they were not dressed appropriately.
Now, Onaland lay under a blanket of snow.
The cold immediately made Eileen shiver. “You really got me into this mess,” she muttered.
Just as she finished speaking, her gaze landed on an approaching figure.
In the bustling airport, Bryan stood out in his black wool coat. He immediately frowned when he noticed Eileen’s attire. She was dressed in a beige trench coat over a simple T-shirt and jeans, wearing light white flats. Her long black hair was a bit disheveled after a night spent on the plane.
As Bryan approached Eileen, he took off his wool coat and draped it around her shoulders. The coat, still warm, instantly made Eileen feel better. Bryan was visibly upset that Eileen had traveled all this way without thinking, with no luggage, a dead phone, and no cash. But seeing her disheveled appearance, he couldn’t bring himself to express his anger.
Behind him, Jacob hurried over, grumbling, “Are you two out of your minds? Coming here at this hour? We partied till midnight yesterday, and then Raymond told us you were on a flight to Onaland. Bryan rushed me here, and we’ve been waiting for hours. I’m freezing to death!”
Jacob pulled his jacket tighter around him and then looked at Bryan, who had given his wool coat to Eileen and was now only in his suit. “Aren’t you cold?” Jacob asked.
“No,” Bryan responded, clearly annoyed.
“Well, I…” Eileen began, wanting to explain their hasty trip.
But Phoebe interjected, “Yes, coming here in the middle of the night is crazy. But Eileen missed Bryan so much that she insisted on coming. I just came along to keep her company.”
Eileen’s mouth twitched as she turned to look at Phoebe.
As if that wasn’t enough, Phoebe continued, “Look how needy they are. They’ve been apart for just a few days. Such lovebirds, so clingy.”
Before Eileen could say anything, Bryan pulled her close, pressing her head against his chest.
“Why did you even come anyway?” Jacob retorted at Phoebe. It was obvious to everyone that Phoebe was just being stubborn about her real feelings. They all knew Eileen was not the impulsive type.
Phoebe’s face turned pale, and she quickly said, “I was just concerned for Eileen’s safety. Now that Bryan’s here with her, I’ll head back.” She turned and walked back into the airport.
Panicking, Eileen tried to pull away from Bryan to go after Phoebe. Phoebe had no money, and her phone was dead; how would she go back?
But Bryan stopped Eileen and buttoned up the coat around her before lifting her effortlessly into his arms.
The moment they stepped outside, they were confronted by the cold wind. Within seconds, Bryan had placed Eileen in his car. The car’s heater was on, significantly reducing the chill. After ensuring Eileen was settled, Bryan walked around to the driver’s side and cranked up the heat. “Still cold?” he asked.
“No,” Eileen replied, shaking her head as she noticed how quickly his hands had reddened from the cold.
She bit her lip, watching Bryan prepare to start the car. “Are you sure we can just leave them?” she asked.
“Yeah, Jacob won’t leave Phoebe at the airport,” Bryan responded as the car smoothly merged into traffic.
Eileen charged her phone using the charger in the car. Once her phone turned on, messages flooded in. The scandal involving accusations of plagiarism at the education center was escalating, drawing attention from the authorities. Bailee had sent numerous messages to Eileen and called, clearly worried.
Eileen quickly replied to Bailee, explaining the situation and reassuring her that she would handle everything. She decided to ignore the other messages for now.
Looking up again, she recognized the familiar surroundings.
In front of the apartment on Springvale Lane, a small plot featured a cherry tree, its bare branches now heavy with snow.
“The place…” Eileen turned to Bryan, wondering why he hadn’t sold it.
“Stay here; I’ll go and turn on the heat inside the apartment,” Bryan said, unbuckling his seatbelt while keeping the car’s heater running.
The car windows soon misted over, making Bryan’s figure blurry. Eileen watched as he paused in the hallway before entering the apartment.
Moments later, he emerged holding a bright blue down jacket—the one that belonged to Eileen. It had been forgotten in the rush of their departure, shoved into a corner of the closet.
“Put this on. It’ll be cold when you step out, but the apartment will warm up in a few minutes,” Bryan said, handing her the jacket and looking at her intently.
Suddenly, Eileen leaned forward, and Bryan found her in his arms. The warm, moist touch of her lips on his momentarily stiffened his body.