Chapter 108
Raymond opened his mouth, intending to say that Eileen had been transferred for some time now. However, the call was already disconnected. Half a minute later, Raymond was in the president’s office, cautiously mentioning, “Mr. Dawson, Eileen has been transferred for quite a while.”
The cigarette between Bryan’s fingers burned slowly. After a moment, he said, “You can leave now.”
“Okay,” Raymond replied.
In the large office, only Bryan remained, standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Eileen had expected Vivian to come back, but she didn’t think it would happen so soon. The mall had just opened, and Eileen was at the store entrance when she noticed Charli hurrying toward her.
“Eileen, go tidy up the warehouse,” Charli said.
Eileen’s eyes landed on Vivian, who was strolling towards Charli. Understanding the situation, Eileen nodded and headed to the warehouse. Charli wasn’t looking to help Eileen; she was mainly concerned about the store’s business.
Aniya was expecting a customer who was famous for picking the most expensive gowns to purchase. Worried that Vivian might disrupt her business, Aniya took it upon herself to welcome Vivian.
“Miss Warren,” Aniya greeted Vivian.
Vivian looked around and said straight away, “I want Eileen to serve me.”
As Aniya led Vivian towards the lounge, she stopped and explained, “You’re out of luck today; Eileen isn’t here. She took the day off.”
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“A day off?” Vivian also paused, giving Aniya a skeptical look. She peered into the lounge and scanned the shop but didn’t see Eileen. She creased her brow. “Is she avoiding me? I’d like to know how long she can keep this up!”
Aniya, with a forced smile, began escorting Vivian towards the exit. After a few steps, she leaned closer and whispered, “Miss Warren, may I add you on WhatsApp?”
Vivian looked surprised and asked, “For what?”
“So if we get new styles of gowns in our shop, I could let you know right away. Or if someone takes a day off, I can keep you updated,” Aniya spoke with her eyes downcast, her words not quite direct.
But Vivian understood her immediately. She pulled out her phone from her bag and added Aniya on WhatsApp. “You did well. I’ll definitely buy something next time.”
Aniya was overjoyed; not only had she managed to outmaneuver Eileen, but she had gained Vivian’s trust.
At ten o’clock, Charli returned from a meeting with news that Bryan would be coming for an inspection today. She urged everyone to be alert.
“Charli, maybe it’s best if Eileen stays in the warehouse. What if Miss Warren comes back later and Eileen doesn’t do a good job? If Mr. Dawson sees that, it could make him upset and affect all of us.” Seeing Charli consider letting Eileen out of the warehouse, Aniya quickly shared her concerns.
After a moment of thought, Charli agreed. “Alright, let Eileen stay in the warehouse until Mr. Dawson’s inspection is over. You two stay sharp.”
After Charli left to handle other tasks, Essie gave Aniya a thumbs up.
Bryan started his inspection from the ground floor, and it was almost noon by the time he reached the eighth floor, pausing in front of the shop’s entrance.
His tall, lean figure was undeniably attractive. His gaze swept over the three people at the entrance.
Charli quickly greeted him, “Mr. Dawson.”
Aniya and Essie also greeted Bryan, their voices filled with excitement. They had only glimpsed Bryan from afar a few times over the years. It was their first time seeing him so close.
Bryan turned to glance at Raymond, his brow slightly raised.
Raymond paused for a moment, then quickly said, “Charli, I remember you’re about to transfer, right? Isn’t there another employee here besides these two?”
Charli seemed momentarily confused, overwhelmed by the realization that in the huge mall filled with countless stores and counters, Raymond actually remembered her impending transfer. She regained her composure and quickly replied, “Yes, there’s another employee. She’s organizing the warehouse.”
Bryan stood nearby, his expression unreadable. He moved from his spot.
“Didn’t I mention that when the CEO comes to inspect, everyone needs to be here to greet him?” Raymond said, giving Charli a meaningful look.
Charli was taken aback and quickly told Aniya to get Eileen from the warehouse.
In the warehouse, there wasn’t much to organize. Eileen had been using the time to familiarize herself with the different fabrics of the gowns, an area she wasn’t well-versed in. Suddenly hearing Aniya’s urgent call, Eileen thought something bad must have happened and hurried out.
When she saw the crowd at the store entrance and the man leading them, she was shocked. It looked like an inspection. Behind Bryan, a group that included his executives and managers, Atley had gathered. Maison Vasquez, one of the mall’s managers who recognized Eileen, was shocked to see her wearing the uniform of the eighth floor’s staff. His eyes widened in surprise.
“Miss Curtis,” he started, too shocked to finish his words until Raymond discreetly pressed down his pointing finger, signaling him to remain quiet. Maison quickly clamped his mouth shut.
“Eileen…” Upon noticing Eileen frozen at the warehouse doorway, Charli whispered her name. Snapping back to reality, Eileen hurried over to stand next to Charli, giving a brief nod and greeting Bryan and the others.
All eyes were on Bryan, who was quiet. Nobody spoke, especially Maison, who was watching intently. Bryan walked to a nearby trash can, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it, remaining silent.
In hushed tones, Megan quickly asked Raymond, “Raymond, what’s Mr. Dawson doing?”
“He just needs a smoke,” Raymond replied awkwardly, then looked over at Eileen. “Next time Mr. Dawson comes by, make sure to come out and greet him.”
“Okay,” Eileen responded, nodding lightly. She glanced up and saw Bryan still standing in the designated smoking area, completely still, with no one else daring to approach.
“Wai…” Raymond, at a loss for words, cleared his throat as he walked over to Bryan. “Mr. Dawson, do you have any more instructions?”
Bryan had seen Eileen, but he remained silent and didn’t move. Raymond simply couldn’t understand what Bryan was thinking. What puzzled him even more was when Bryan suddenly looked over and said, “Weren’t you giving a speech just now?” Bryan then put out his cigarette, tossing it into the trash can, and walked away, carrying himself with an air of authority.
Raymond stood there, confused. After a moment, he quickly signaled to Maison and the others to follow Bryan. Atley, who was in the back, took another look at Eileen. He had noticed that Maison had recognized Eileen just now. He was becoming more convinced that Eileen was someone important. He told Raymond, “Make sure to look after the new girl.”
“Okay,” Charli replied.
Eileen lifted her gaze, settling on the man leading the group. Although she could only see his back, it was still captivating enough to hold her attention. There was an inspection at the mall, and this time it had taken place early. Eileen had joined Bryan for it before. But Bryan came again unexpectedly today. Eileen couldn’t ignore her curiosity about his sudden presence. Despite knowing it was unlikely he was here for her, she found herself daydreaming about it.
“Don’t bother looking anymore; Mr. Dawson has already left,” Aniya commented sarcastically, noticing Eileen’s fixed stare. “Don’t tell me you got transferred because you had been caught staring at Mr. Dawson. Why else would Miss Warren target you?”
Essie’s eyes sparkled with realization. “That does make sense. Miss Warren isn’t just anyone. She wouldn’t bother with an ordinary person without a good reason.”
The two women looked at Eileen with disdain. If Charli hadn’t been there, they might have said even worse things.
“Get back to work,” Charli instructed, glancing at Eileen. “You’re here now; go focus on your tasks and ignore them.”
Eileen nodded. “Okay.”
Aniya moved to bite her lip in thought, and then took out her phone to send a message to Vivian.
“Miss Warren, you can come after half past nine in the morning next Monday.”
Every Monday morning, Charli would be in a meeting, and with Charli out of the way, Aniya was eager to see how Eileen would avoid Vivian. Vivian didn’t question why it had to be on Monday. After responding to Aniya’s text, she suddenly thought of someone—Judie.
Vivian sent a message to Judie, inviting her to go shopping the following Monday. For Judie, this was an appealing offer. Even though Eileen’s departure hadn’t led to Judie taking over as the president’s assistant, she had managed to keep her position. The fact that Vivian had asked her to go shopping together made Judie feel acknowledged as a friend.
Despite realizing she would lose several hundred dollars in attendance bonuses for taking the day off, she agreed. Eileen hadn’t seen Bryan for several days after that day in the mall. She hadn’t expected to see him again until their weekend tutoring session with Aaron, but to her surprise, she bumped into him on Friday night.
The air was alive with the gentle descent of soft snowflakes. Eileen’s long hair was dusted with a fine layer of crystal snow, even her curled eyelashes catching the delicate flakes. Clad in her thick down jacket, she buried her hands in her pockets as she trudged two streets. By the light of the streetlamp at her house’s entrance, a familiar car was parked; Bryan leaned casually against it, a cigarette burning slowly between his fingers. Snowflakes dusted his hair too, showing he had been waiting there for some time.
The falling snow muffled the sound of Eileen’s footsteps, allowing her to draw near unnoticed until she reached the back of the car. That was when Bryan finally looked her way. “Maybe I should have given you a key so you wouldn’t be stuck outside,” Eileen said, but Bryan wasn’t listening; he was too focused on her small, palm-sized face and her inviting, glossy lips.
Discarding his cigarette, he shifted slightly and drew her in, spinning her around to lean against the car before bending down to gently kiss her. “Lipstick?” he asked, picking up the taste of cherry on her lips.
Eileen’s voice was soft. “It’s cold, and my lips get dry.” Instead of lipstick, she applied fruit-flavored lip balm. She looked up at Bryan, her clear eyes reflecting his striking features. Bryan’s eyes were full of desire now.