Chapter 28 How Would She Survive…
Eileen quickly poured a gla*s of water from the refrigerator and hurried back to her room.
Vera glanced at the disappearing figure on the stairs and said, “Maybe I should give her at bowl of soup upstairs. I’m worried she might feel uncomfortable.”
Eric affectionately stroked Vera’s hair and replied. “I’ll do it.”
He stood up and made his way upstairs.
Vera bit her l*p, feeling uneasy about Eric meeting Eileen alone. However, she was also afraid of facing Eileen herself.
Meanwhile, Eileen was lying on her bed, about to close her bedroom door, when suddenly, the door was opened, and Eric entered her room without knocking. This gesture. bothered her; everything else about Eric was fine, but this lack of respect for privacy left her feeling somewhat disgusted.
“The soup Vera made tastes good. Would you like to try it?” Eric suggested.
“L… Eileen hesitated, but Eric had already sat beside her bed. His cold aura made her heart race. He held a spoon in his hand and stirred the soup in her bowl. “Do you want me to feed you?”
“I… I’ll eat by myself,” Eileen stammered. The bowl was hot, and her fingers felt almost numb. but she did not dare to express her discomfort.
Eric’s eyes appeared somewhat cold as he looked at her. “Eileen, have you been feeling. unwell lately? Did you misunderstand me? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” His voice was calm yet carried an underlying tone of coercion.
Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, Eileen tried to maintain her composure on the surface. “No… no, there’s nothing like that,” she replied, but inside, she felt extremely anxious.
At that moment, Eric took out his phone and showed Eileen a photo, asking, “What are you secretly looking at, huh?”
Eileen stared at the photo in disbelief, her hands shaking, and she accidentally overturned. the bowl of soup onto the bed, staining the blanket. Eric’s expression remained indifferent and stern, as if he was trying to force her to admit something.
The photo showed her standing by the window, taken from the perspective of someone in a car. The picture was taken when Eileen was spying on Elsie.
Feeling the burn from the spilled soup on her thighs, Eileen quickly got out of bed, avoiding
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Eric’s gaze. She asked, “Eric… Eric, who took this photo?”
As she spoke, she pushed the dirty blanket aside and walked over to take Eric’s phone, pretending to ponder. “Eric… I’m not sure if I should say something.”
Eric sat her beside him and said, “Tell me.”
“I think this photo was taken by Ms. Elsie. Today when Dad came back, I was standing by the window, and I saw Ms. Elsie in his car. She was the teacher who visited our house last time, do you remember?”
“I have some vague knowledge about what Dad has been doing, but I’m still young and can’t do much about it… Eric, if Ms. Elsie is being forced by Dad, can you help her?”
“Ms. Elsie is very kind, and I don’t want her to be bullied by my
father.”
Seeing her eyes turn red, Eric gently held her face with his left hand, wiping away her tears. with his thumb. He looked at her with affection and said, “Silly, did you forget that I attended your parent-teacher meeting? I added your teacher’s contact information, and this photo was indeed sent to me by your homeroom teacher.”
“But she’s too embarra*sed to talk to you about her relationship with your father now, so I decided to find out for you, to see if you would accept it.”
“After all, she is your teacher…”
“And besides, you are about to take the college entrance examination, so I don’t want anything to distract you or spoil your mood.”
Weakly, Eileen responded, “Actually, I really like Ms. Elsie. She took good care of me in school before. If she’s willing to be with Dad, I’ll accept it.”
“Also… you don’t have to worry about my college entrance exam. I have already decided which school I want to enroll in.”
Eric asked, “Really? Can you tell me?”
Eileen replied, “I want to become a teacher in Lumiose, and I aspire to be a renowned. educator. After graduation, I plan to apply for teaching support in the frontier regions.”
Eric’s eyes flickered, and he looked at Eileen who had lowered her head. “Lumiose ist thousands of miles away from Hulbury, and it takes more than ten hours to reach by plane at the fastest. Eileen… I don’t want you to go to a city so far away.”
“Why do you want to go so far all of a sudden?”
You don’t want me to go?
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It’s not that you don’t want me to go, I know you just want me to remain under your control and never escape your grasp.
She continued, “I heard from Sharon that my mother was an educated youth in the city, and she met my father because of her teaching support. So I want to follow in her footsteps and become a teacher. I truly believe that teaching and guiding others is a noble profession.”
“If I want to be a teacher, I must attend the best school. The school in Hulbury is not as good. as the one in Lumiose.”
“Eric, you’ll support me, won’t you? Can you help me convince Dad?”
Coquettishly, she reached for Eric’s hand and pleaded, “Eric… Please…”
Eric’s frown revealed a trace of impatience, and Eileen noticed that he did not like physical contact. So, she discreetly withdrew her hand.
Eric sighed, “If you truly wish to go to Hulbury, I will talk to Dad about it…”
“But think carefully. Once you leave Hulbury, you will lose the protection we can provide. If anything happens to you, neither Dad nor I will be able to rush to your help in time.”
Eileen a*sured him, “Don’t worry, once I pa*s the exams and, I’ll be careful and won’t let your and Dad worry.”
“No matter what you decide, I’ll support you.”
“Thank you, Eric.” Eileen smiled warmly and charmingly.
Eric left the room, closed the door behind him, and deleted the photos from his phone.
As Eric pondered over Eileen’s responses, he could not shake off the suspicion that she might be hiding something. Her answers seemed calculated and deliberate, as if she was trying to convey a message without directly stating it. It was unusual for her to act this way, given her typical straightforward nature.
If Eileen knew Eric’s intentions in the Swan family, shouldn’t she oppose his done everything in her power to drive him away?
Yet, she chose to leave instead.
presence and
Her decision to go to Lumiose surprised Eric. The words she said subtly hinted that once she left the Swan family, she would never return. It seemed as though she wanted to distance. herself completely from the Swan family in Hulbury, even if the Swan family business faced. difficulties.
Eric could not help but feel a sense of regret that Eileen did not choose to enter the
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entertainment industry. He wondered how she would venture outside the luxurious world. she was accustomed to, should she indeed decide to leave the dealer.
He was genuinely curious about what a young lady, who was used to wealth and privilege, would do to survive without money and status.
How would she survive….
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