Shrouded Affections Winning Back My CEO Wife

Chapter 52 Chapter 52: Soren's profound love for his wife made Bryan feel something, and there was only one thought in his mind.

Bryan excused himself and navigated through the crowd. He spotted Eileen in a quiet corner.

The light from her phone illuminated her face, showing her focused expression. She frowned as she stared intently at the screen.

Bryan approached with a smile but halted a few steps away from her.

Eileen was absorbed in her game, meticulously scrolling through each character with her slender fingers. "Why can't I remember these?" she murmured to herself.

Upon seeing this, Bryan's demeanor shifted. The warmth on his face vanished, replaced by a subtle hint of harshness.

Ultimately, he remained silent. He tightened his grip on his glass, turned, and walked away.

Eileen was unaware of what had happened. After stime, she still struggled to recall the gcharacters, feeling disheartened as the day of distancing herself from Huey seemed far away.

Her eyes were sore and dry. She put away her phone and walked along the lakeside path, feeling the cool night breeze and observing the reflections in the water.

As she relaxed, her thoughts lightened. The idea of having an honest conversation with Bryan and revealing her true identity resurfaced.

Once this idea took hold, it was hard to dismiss. She repeatedly mulled over the feasibility of this plan.

This was a huge risk for her. She would be leveraging her intimate relationship with Bryan in order to replace Vivian in his heart.

Even after contemplating this matter, she was still uncertain of where to begin. She wasn't even sure how Bryan would feel about this, nor was she certain of how to handle things thereafter.

All of a sudden, Vivian appeared, standing in front of her. "Eileen," she said.

Vivian wore a shiny gold dress that sparkled under the radiant lights, making her look like a princess. Eileen frowned slightly and said, "Miss Warren." "Do you know why I insisted on bringing Bryan here today?" asked Vivian.

Eileen responded, her expression cautious.

A mocking gleam appeared in Vivian's eyes as she said, "Because I want you to understand where you stand in Bryan's heart compared to me." Eileen's eyes widened with confusion. Before she could gather her thoughts, Vivian grabbed her hands. They stood at the lake's edge, teetering on the brink.

"Eileen, you've misjudged me. I never wanted to take your job from you. I just... Ah!" Vivian's daring act continued. Before finishing her words, she pulled Eileen into the lake.

Despite it being early fall, the evening air was cool, and the lake's water was icy cold. The freezing water rushed into Eileen's body through her mouth and nose as she flailed her arms instinctively. Vivian fared no better; her scream drew everyone's attention.

The crowd pushed forward, and two tall figures made their way through, stepping ahead of the rest. Seeing Eileen's pale face and the helplessness in her eyes, Bryan felt a pang in his heart. He quickly shed his suit jacket, ready to leap in, but Kian held him back.

"Save Vivian. I'll take care of Eileen," Kian said. Before Bryan could react, Kian dove into the water and swam toward Eileen.

Bryan looked around and noticed Vivian struggling in the water. After pausing to think, he jumped in to rescue her.

Water choked Eileen, causing her brain to throb with pain. Through her haze, she saw Bryan jump into the water, but he swam toward Vivian.

Eileen's heart sank instantly; her body's tension dissipated, and she slowly lost her strength.

Two minutes later, she was pulled onto the shore. She sat on the ground, drenched and disheveled, her long hair tangled and wet.

Her eyelashes clumped together from the water, and her eye sockets appeared slightly red. She watched Vivian, who was now the center of attention nearby.

Speople wrapped Vivian in a blanket, yet she still trembled in Bryan's arms, clutching his arm with her hand dotted with water droplets.

She whispered, "Bryan, I thought I'd never see you again.” "You're okay now," Bryan responded, his face showing a hint of irritation.

Megan, noticing Eileen, smirked and said loudly, "Look at how much Mr. Dawson cares about you, Vivian. He didn't hesitate to save you, ignoring his assistant. If not for Kian, Eileen might have drowned." Bryan's expression turned slightly cold as he glanced through the crowd and spotted Eileen alone, her eyelids lowered, concealing her feelings.

He was about to leave Vivian, but she clung tightly to his arm again.

Vivian said, "Bryan, don't be upset with Eileen. I just wanted to tell her that we canceled tonight's networking dinner because Mr. Gibson is here. If she can't be at tomorrow's collaboration meeting, I will attend in her place. I'm not trying to take her position; I'm just concerned she might not want to work late..." A cold wind swept over Eileen, chilling her to the bone and leaving her too numb to react to Vivian's words.

Eileen hadn't anticipated that Vivian would use such tactics to demonstrate that Bryan didn't care about her at all.

She and Vivian were worlds apart. She had always known her place. Yet, why was her heart still aching like this now? "How can an assistant be so presumptuous?" Stuart said.

Megan had been embarrassed by Eileen previously, and Stuart, intimidated by Bryan, had not dared to say more that day.

Today, seizing an opportunity to see Eileen at a disadvantage on their turf, Stuart jumped at the chance to restore pride.

Stuart continued, "Bryan, I think your assistant is too cunning. After being with you for so long, she still doesn't know her place. She overlooked her position with Megan, but now she even dares to undermine Vivian." No one dared to cross Bryan. Faced with choosing between Eileen and Vivian, everyone unhesitatingly sided with Vivian.

"Yes, she has overstepped her bounds. How can she even compare to Vivian?" "Even though she is Mr. Dawson's assistant, she remains just that—an assistant. Perhaps she got carried away thinking she could equate herself with high society." Squatting on the ground, Bryan looked down at Vivian in his arms with a cold gaze, causing Vivian to tense up immediately.

The next moment, he turned his attention to Eileen, his voice devoid of emotion. "Chere and explain. Why are you just standing there?" Eileen was taken aback, her fingers nervously gripping her clothing. Was he actually giving her a chance to explain? The crowd's expressions varied. Bryan offering Eileen a chance to explain suggested he didn't entirely accept what Vivian had claimed. Kian gave Eileen a look and said, "Since Bryan is asking you to explain, go ahead. That way, no one can accuse us of bullying you." Eileen felt a bit amused at the thinly veiled threat. However, she merely scoffed softly, lacking even the energy to smile.

"Regardless of whether I was worried about Miss Warren taking my position, both of us falling into the water was accidental. I might lack discretion, but I understand that Miss Warren is not someone I can bully," she said.

Her words not only preserved Vivian's dignity but also deflected much of the blfrom herself. Those inclined to favor Vivian would continue to do so anyway, regardless of Eileen's explanation. By framing her response this way, Eileen effectively made it harder for anyone to further criticize her.

"Bryan, the water is cold. We should get Vivian to the hospital now," Kian said, taking out his car keys. "I'll drive." Bryan inhaled deeply, lifted Vivian, and as he passed by Eileen, he paused.

"Cwith us to the hospital," he told Eileen.

Eileen stepped back respectfully with her head bowed. "No, thank you, Mr. Dawson. You can take Miss Warren to the hospital; I will head home," she said.

With that, she walked toward the parking lot. She could feel the intensity of the stares from behind her. She reached her car, turned on the air conditioning to the highest setting, and began to drive along the smooth road. The warmth from the heater gradually thawed her cold body, causing her eyes to grow warm and misty.

She pulled out tissue after tissue, attempting to dab away the moisture, but the mist soon turned into tears. Unable to continue driving, she pulled over and rested her forehead on the steering wheel to compose herself. Her thoughts drifted back to Vivian clinging to Bryan, who stood with his back to her, his head slightly bowed. Though she couldn't see his face, she believed he must have been really worried about Vivian.

At that moment, her life seemed less significant than Vivian's, and Bryan had chosen to save Vivian first. Still, Bryan was a good boss for her; he hadn't unjustly blamed her.

This realization made it impossible for Eileen to harbor any resentment toward Bryan. She felt deeply m wronged but had no outlet for her feelings. The notion of revealing to him that she was actually his wife dissipated then and there.

After calming herself down, Eileen restarted the engine and drove back home. When she arrived en she arrived home, she noticed Nuey's car parked outside.

She quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, exited her vehicle, and tapped on Huey's car window.

Huey, who had been focused on his phone, looked up when he heard the tap on the glass.

his phone was he swiftly tucked and stepped out of the car. He was about to open the back door when he noticed Eileen's unkempt state. "Eileen, what happened to you?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just had a minor accident," Eileen replied, her voice shaky. "Why are you here?" Huey glanced towards the car, and that was when Eileen noticed Bailee asleep in the passenger seat.

"She made your favorite dessert and insisted on bringing it over. We didn't expect to wait this long," Huey explained as he opened the door and pulled out his coat to drape over Eileen.

His expression complex, he looked at Eileen and added, "Bailee might not say it often, but she cares about you a lot. She wants to make sure you have the best." "I understand that," Eileen responded. Just as she started to remove the coat, Huey stopped her.

"Keep it on. The coat is still new; I haven't even worn it yet," he said.

Despite this, Eileen tried to take it off again. Huey gently pressed down on her shoulder to stop her from doing So.

This small act of disagreement was quietly observed by Bryan.