Shrouded Affections Winning Back My CEO Wife

Chapter 340 Chapter 340: Stella leaned on her cane, offering a composed smile that blended the grace of age with a touch of warmth. Everyone acknowledged her presence with a nod.

Eileen was the only one who looked at Stella with mixed emotions. She wondered whether Stella's return was a result of the unpleasant conversation she had with Bryan the day before.

"Mrs. Dawson, you've arrived just in time. We were about to begin our meal. Would you care to join us?" Jusmoothly intervened, extending an invitation to Stella.

With a gentle shake of her head and a polite smile, Stella declined. "Please, go ahead and celebrate your accomplishments. I don't want to dampen the spirit of your gathering. I cto speak with Eileen. It's not appropriate for her to dine with so many men. She and I can dine separately." Benjamin glanced over at Eileen.

Eileen met Stella's gaze with a calm, unbothered expression, and responded softly, "There's nothing inappropriate about it. We are all colleagues here. Moreover, I am the guest of honor at this small celebration. I need to be present. Whatever you wish to discuss can be addressed here, or we can talk later." "Discussing it here isn't right, and later will be too late," Stella said, feeling slighted by the public refusal and lack of consideration.

But no one seemed to care about her displeasure. After all, she hadn't considered Eileen's feelings either.

"If it's inappropriate to discuss now, then we can wait, even if it becomes too late. The sun is high and strong at noon; let's avoid any health risks that could blthe Freguson Group yet again: Eileen stepped to the side, shifting her attention to Jarred, who was standing behind Stella. “Jarred, please escort Mrs. Dawson back. It would be unfortunate if anything were to happen on your watch." Step into new worlds at g V Ino vls.conn After speaking, Eileen nodded to everyone, and they moved past Stella, leaving her behind.

This marked the first tEileen had ever turned down Stella.

Visibly mortified, Stella paused for a moment before she could compose herself and walk back to her car. "She may have won today, but I have my ways to make her understand," Stella murmured to herself. While Eileen was in the middle of her meal, she received a photograph from Stella.

The photo showed Bryan and Benita dining together in a restaurant. Benita's affection for him was clear in the picture. Bryan's back was the only part of him visible, but Eileen recognized it immediately.

Stella's accompanying message was dripping with insinuation. "Even if he loves you, he's pragmatic enough to seek a strategic marriage. He clearly knows who'll be able to help him.” Stella's message was clearly intended to stir trouble.

Eileen couldn't help but laugh. It was clear Stella was out of options with Bryan and was now resorting to petty tactics.

Replying to the message seemed pointless, yet ignoring it felt like conceding to her satisfaction and victory. Eileen texted back sharply, "Have you forgotten why you askedto stay away from Bryan?" After that, Stella did not respond to her message.

Eileen was concerned that getting entangled in the Freguson family's internal conflicts could spell trouble for Bryan.

Thus, even if Bryan were to enter into a marriage for strategic reasons, he would not choose the Freguson family. After their meal, several executives returned to the company for a meeting, while Juheaded directly to the Freguson family estate.

Eileen and Benjamin, on the other hand, stopped by a nearby coffee shop to order afternoon tea, arranging for it to be delivered to the Freguson Group offices at three o'clock.

Meanwhile, Bryan continued his conversation with Benita.

"Mr. Dawson, I can't hand over the item without your agreement to my conditions," Benita stated, her flash drive fashioned as a ring, which she twirled on her finger in front of Bryan.

Bryan's expression grew impatient. "I haven't outlined your terms. How can I agree to them?" "It certainly doesn't involve marrying," Benita said with a smile, noticing his impatience. She paused, then added, "I'd like you to address the internal conflicts within my family." "That's absurd," Bryan responded curtly.

Unfazed by his reaction, Benita pressed on, “My parents are preparing to retaliate, starting with Eileen. Instead of aiding in resolving the internal family conflicts, you're actually shielding Eileen and handling my parents." After finishing her explanation, Benita removed the ring from her finger and handed it to Bryan. "This contains a recording. I overheard them planning to target Eileen, though I'm not sure of their exact strategy." Bryan took a moment to look at the ring now in his hand. His features tightened, reflecting his tension. Abruptly, he stood and walked away.

Given Benita's willingness to part with the ring, Bryan concluded there must be truth to her claims. Watching Bryan hastily leave, Benita nonchalantly resumed her meal.

She worried that Bryan's efforts to quell the discord within the Freguson family might provoke him to dismantle it entirely. If that were to happen, she would lose her luxury.

Benita acknowledged her inability to sway Bryan's decisions, so she refrained from dwelling on the issue.

Her main aim, however, was to ensure that Bryan harbored resentment towards her parents, and that objective seemed to have been met.

The streets were quiet at noon, allowing Bryan's understated luxury car to weave through traffic effortlessly. He tried calling Eileen multiple times, but received no response.

Visibly frustrated, he pressed the accelerator harder, the veins in his hand throbbing against the steering wheel. Ten minutes later, Bryan reached the Freguson Group building.

Just as he was About to park, he spotted Eileen's car exiting the underground garage.

An SUV parked nearby immediately started and began tailing Eileen's car. They headed in the opposite direction of Bryan's route. By the tBryan managed to turn around, they were already far ahead.

Bryan attempted to call Eileen repeatedly. Inside her car, the phone continued to ring. Eileen glanced at it, frowned, and chose not to answer.

Ten minutes earlier, Eileen had received a call from Josue, informing her that Gabriela was running a fever. Josue had taken Ruby and Gabriela to the hospital.

Since Gabriela's birth, this was the first tshe had fallen ill. Eileen was so overwhelmed with worry that she found herself unable to answer her phone.

Her bag lay open next to her, the zipper undone. She noticed repeated calls from Bryan on her phone screen and sensed that something was amiss.

While driving, she reached for her phone just as the SUV surged from behind on her left, gaining speed as it neared her car. As she approached the sea-crossing bridge, it seemed the SUV was trying to force her car off the bridge in a dangerous maneuver.

Reacting quickly, Eileen pulled her hand back from her phone and hit the brakes, only to see the other vehicle also reduce its speed. It was a clear indication they were anticipating her move.

Determined, she slammed the brakes and then accelerated sharply, trying to provoke the following SUV into rear-ending her. For a moment, there were no other vehicles close behind her or the SUV.

The SUV's driver revved the engine loudly and sped up, ramming into her car with such force that Eileen's fingers whitened around the steering wheel, nearly causing her to lose control of the vehicle.

Amidst the chaos, thoughts of Gabriela flashed through Eileen's mind, tightening her throat to the point where she found it hard to even make a sound, much less speak.

The ringing phone in the car suddenly stopped.

Eileen dared not halt her car. If she were to stop, the SUV might rush over and knock her off the bridge. Choosing not to stop felt like a gamble, a desperate chase for a sliver of hope on the bridge.

The SUV's driver seemed determined not to give her a chance to survive. After gaining sdistance, he swerved his vehicle sharply and aimed it directly at Eileen's car.

Eileen had no way to avoid the oncoming SUV.

Her eyes fixed on the vehicle as it charged towards her. She felt her heart sink, and despair began to cloud her vision.

Out of nowhere, a discreet yet luxurious car appeared. It collided with the SUV, diverting it from its path towards Eileen.

The impact was tremendous. The SUV flipped over, skidded across the road, and its front end was completely destroyed, scattering debris everywhere.

Finally, the SUV cto a halt against a pillar, and black smoke started to billow from it.

Eileen slammed on her brakes. The screech of the tires echoed loudly, leaving a long black streak on the pavement.

She jumped out of her car and ran towards Bryan's vehicle in a panic. As she approached, she saw the cam door open, and Bryan stepped out. He managed to get one foot on the ground but collapsed before he could fully exit the car. He lay on the ground with blood seeping from his forehead. It covered half of his face but didn't obscure his gaze.

In his gaze, he saw Eileen running towards him, unharmed. She knelt beside him, but hesitated to touch him as tears fell continuously.

"Bryan, are you-" Her voice broke. "Don't sleep; keep your eyes open and look at me," she pleaded.

Eileen positioned herself within his line of sight. She noticed his eyes flicker slightly, signaling he was still conscious.

"Call an ambulance! Please call an ambulance!" She shouted, her voice trembling as she called out to bystanders, her emotions spiraling out of control.

Due to the car accident that had just occurred, an ambulance had already been summoned. It arrived within five to six minutes.

Half an hour later, at the hospital, outside the emergency room, Eileen sat on the floor in a corner. Her mind was in turmoil, and she could not recall how she had gotten to the hospital.

She only remembered that Bryan's hand was very cold, despite it being early autumn and the temperature still warm.

Now, Eileen was breaking out in a cold sweat.

She was so overwhelmed that she couldn't even think about Gabriela. Josue, having learned of Bryan's accident, hurried from the pediatric department to the emergency room.

When he found Eileen sitting on the floor, disheveled, with her eyes red and swollen from crying, and her expression numb, he was taken aback.

In his memory, Eileen had always been sharp and capable, strong and resilient, even during her pregnancy. However...

"I just spoke with the emergency doctor from the ambulance," Josue began to explain calmly. "Bryan has a head wound, which is why there's so much blood. They didn't find any life-threatening injuries during the initial check at the scene. The coma is likely due to the impact force, possibly a concussion. Try not to worry too much; he should be okay."

Josue had barely finished speaking when Eileen suddenly reached out, gripping his arm. "I haven'tŒola him that Gabriela is his daughter. I should have told him earlier, but I forgot. I can't even remember what I said just now." He opened his mouth but hesitated, unsure how to offer comfort as her tears began to fall once more.

"Just now, when he swerved to deflect the SUV from me, it happened so quickly that I didn't even react. If I had just slowed the car down a bit, he might not have crashed into the pillar.” Eileen continued, her voice laden with regret, “If I hadn't been rushing to the hospital and had answered his call, maybe this accident could have been avoided. He wouldn't have had to risk himself to save me-" "Eileen!" Stella shouted, her voice full of anger and hatred. She was approaching with hurried footsteps from the end of the corridor.