Ch. 226..230: The Adorable Twins and Their CEO Daddy Chapter 226-230

Chapter 226

When Eliana heard what Eli had to say, she didn’t freak out in the least.

She stared calmly into Eli’s piercing eyes, pulled out her phone, and showed him the proof she had uncovered recently.

“There is no justification for your deception, Eli. The dog and the ring are not yours.”

This startled Eli. Nervously, he took Eliana’s cell phone.

Eliana’s screen name was “Love Eli Forever” and it was the first thing Eli saw. On top of that, Eliana also used Eli’s photograph as her profile picture!

He spotted Eliana’s comment in the chat group as he scrolled down. Her voice sounded just like one of his ardent admirers.

Eli held the phone and sneered, “Is this your purported proof? It’s nothing but an excuse to come closer to me, it seems.”

Eli smirked contemptuously, assuming Eliana was a stalker!

Infuriated, Eliana responded aggressively to the accusation, “What on earth are you referring to? Is there anything I’m saying that you don’t get?”

Eliana was adamant about her denial!

Eli glanced at Eliana, suddenly rose up, and walked towards her step by step. “Please, tell me whether you want a hug or a kiss. I will fulfill your request and allow you to show it out to other admirers.”

Eventually, it became necessary for Eliana to retreat.

Even more, Eli wrapped his arm around Eliana’s waist.

The proximity of the two individuals suggested a tight relationship.

Eliana wondered what Eli had in mind for her.

A moment before she was going to stomp on Eli’s foot, the door was opened.

“What’s happening?”

As Maurice stood at the entrance, he had a gloomy countenance and deep black eyes, which startled everyone.

Only after that did Eli relinquish his grip on Eliana’s waist.

“What is it that you do here, Eliana?” Maurice gave a sneering grin.

Eliana was stumped for a moment as to how to describe it.

Eli took a brief glance at Maurice and pondered his next move. He quickly put on a friendly grin as he remembered the warning from his agent.

“Please, Mr. Moran, do not make a mistake. Miss Pierce is a fan and stylist for me. Since this is her first encounter with me, she is really thrilled. I was going to sign my autograph for her. Miss Pierce, am I correct?”

Eli pretended to be friendly with Eliana by placing his arm over her shoulder. Then he turned his head and signaled Eliana to assist him to lie in order to get away with it from Maurice.

Eliana was aware of Eli’s expectations. Even though she was enraged, she couldn’t refuse his request since she hadn’t yet gotten the dog and the ring.

“Yes. Mr. Moran, I’m Eli’s admirer. We were just having a good time together.”

Eliana acted as though she agreed.

Maurice’s gaze subconsciously landed on Eli’s hand resting on Eliana’s shoulder. His eyes became icy.

He wondered, ‘How could Eliana meet a new guy as soon as she leaves my sight? Why is she so dismissive?’

“I am uninterested in what you are thinking, Eli. But it’s best if you don’t think anything bad. The Moran Group’s reputation will not be damaged if you execute your work correctly. Otherwise… Everything is at your own perilous risk.”

The sarcasm in Maurice’s voice was subtle, but it was evident that he was condescending, as if he considered Eli a nobody.

Maurice’s attitude obviously irritated Eli who had high self-esteem.

Eli’s eyes narrowed and he made a provocative remark. “I believe you have misinterpreted something, Mr. Moran. I, too, am entitled to make a decision. If I don’t want to work for the Moran Group, you can do nothing. You can’t threaten me, Mr. Moran.”

Eli was courageous and provoked Maurice, who was standing at the entrance with a blank look.

Palpable tension pervaded the air as the two guys stared at each other. It was conceivable that they would actually fight at any moment.

 

Chapter 227

The tense atmosphere was getting more unbearable by the second. The mounting suspense and drama made Eliana feel depressed.

She knew she had to do something to get out of this mess this instant, or there would be severe consequences.

“Enough of this nonsense, Eli. Let go of me.”

Eliana broke free from Eli’s arms and distanced herself from the men’s heated confrontation.

Her actions worked like a charm, suddenly extinguishing the anger in Maurice’s heart.

“Go on about your business.”

As soon as he finished his words, Maurice turned around and left the room.

It seemed the impending crisis was finally averted.

Now that she was free from Maurice’s icy stare, Eliana breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Well, what do we have here? It seems this woman has a deep relationship with the CEO of the Moran Group. How interesting!’

With this realization in mind, Eli looked at Eliana with a mischievous grin and said, “I see you’ve been busy entertaining a lot of men recently.”

Eliana ignored Eli’s remark, and her determined expression remained unchanged. She just wanted to get Preston’s ring back.

“It’s none of your business. You have something that belongs to me. Give it back.”

“As I said earlier, as long as you can prove that the ring is yours, I will happily return it to you,” Eli replied with a sneer.

Faced with this predicament, Eliana was speechless. She had no way to prove that the ring was hers.

In the first place, the ring’s rightful owner was Preston.

Just when the situation felt hopeless, an idea suddenly came to her mind.

“Eli, do you still remember the man who bore a striking resemblance to you?”

“You mean Preston?” Eli never forgot that man. He furrowed his eyebrows in curiosity. “What about him?”

“The ring is actually his. If you still refuse to believe me, I can ask him to confront you.”

Without waiting for a reply, Eliana pulled out her phone and immediately dialed Preston’s number.

On the other side of the building, Maurice received a call from Eliana that was intended for Preston. He narrowed his eyes as he stepped out of the elevator.

While spending time with another man, she even had the gall to call Preston. What did Eliana take him for? Was he simply a toy she would play with whenever she desired his company?

Suppressing his anger, Maurice took a long look at his phone but didn’t answer it.

“Sorry, the subscriber cannot be reached for the time being. Please try again later.”

Eliana called several times, but Preston never answered.

Why did the enigmatic gigolo fail to be there for her when she needed him the most? If she couldn’t reclaim the ring for him, he deserved it.

With flushed cheeks, Eliana put her phone down, feeling embarrassed.

“All you’ve proven to me so far is that you’re a fraud.”

Eli shook his head and sneered. He was sure that Eliana was making up the whole story.

Keeping such a deceitful woman by his side would only spell disaster. There was no place for her in his life.

Staring at Eliana with contemptuous eyes, Eli pointed to the door. “Will you leave by yourself, or shall I ask Inger to fire you? No sane artist would allow a crazed stalker to be their stylist.”

Eliana’s jaw dropped in utter disbelief.

She was hired by his team in great confidence. Why should she quit her job just because of Eli?

“I can quit, but then you have to pay a penalty. Even if you get me fired, you still have to pay me,” Eliana said lightly.

“Are you out of your mind?” Eli snorted in disdain. Did he look like some fool who would spend money for the benefit of this crazy woman?

“Well, it says so according to the contract.”

Unbeknownst to Eli, Eliana had arranged a backup plan before signing the agreement.

This was a lesson she had learned the hard way after being tricked by Maurice several times.

“This is outrageous! How could I not have seen this coming? It seems I underestimated you.”

Eli gritted his teeth in frustration. There was nothing he could do to dismiss her.

Only one option remained. He had to figure out a way to make Eliana quit on her own.

“Then you can stay. Let’s see how many days of hardship you can endure. I’m looking forward to the day you finally choose to leave,” Eli said spitefully and turned his back on her.

‘The tables have finally turned. This arrogant man can’t seem to accept that I outsmarted him with the contract.’ Eliana smiled to herself.

Not only did she want to take the ring back, but she also needed to get paid for her services.

This time, she must stay. If she missed this opportunity, it would be nearly impossible for her to get close to Eli again.

Later on, Eliana devoted herself to her work. She selected several outfits that she thought were a good match and drew sketches for Eli to see.

Eli reluctantly took the sketches from her and looked at each drawing with a bored face. After a few seconds, he scoffed and aired his disapproval.

“These clothes won’t do. They are out of date. I want newer ones. Give me something modern and refreshing.”

His assistant nodded and replied immediately, “Understood, sir. I’ll be back with the latest jewelry collection and clothing line sponsored by the Moran Group. It will only take a short while.”

“Hold on a second.”

Eli stopped his assistant and turned to look at Eliana with a coy smile. “You go get it. After all, you are my official stylist. You must know about fashion more than anyone in this room.”

The smile on Eli’s face seemed to have been perfected from plenty of practice in front of the mirror. Even the arc at the corner of his mouth was just right and visually appealing, making people feel so comfortable in his presence that they could not help but indulge themselves in his signature smile.

During this time, not a single person could possibly refuse him no matter what kind of request he made.

While everyone was immersed in Eli’s breathtaking smile, Eliana only felt a chill run down her spine.

‘Wasn’t this the smile of a devil?’

Eliana suddenly realized just how much she missed Preston.

Chapter 228

At Eli’s command, Eliana went up and down the long flight of stairs to fetch and move things several times. She was on the verge of collapsing due to exhaustion. But no matter what she did or how hard she tried, Eli was still dissatisfied with her work. Staying true to his word, the devilishly handsome man was adamant about making Eliana’s life a living hell.

What made matters worse was that Eliana couldn’t fight back. Once she showed any hint of unwillingness, Eli would pretend to be confused and ask her, “I thought you’re my stylist? Why don’t you bring me more clothes and come up with better ideas?”

Then everyone looked at her with reproachful eyes as if she had just committed an unforgivable mistake.

In this industry, such a beautiful face was perhaps the deadliest weapon of all. Every single person was on the side of Eli.

Eliana had no choice but to keep silent and do as she was told.

When she was summoned by Eli once again, Maurice happened to take notice after a company meeting.

“Look at that girl. She works hard all day. It’s such a shame for a beautiful girl like her to be subjected to too much stress.” Corbin couldn’t help but shake his head.

Across the desk, Maurice frowned and felt annoyed. He turned to Corbin and said in a low voice, “No outsider has the right to make employees of the Moran Group suffer. I will not tolerate this form of bullying. Something must be done quickly.”

In his mind, Maurice’s people could only be bullied by himself.

“You’re right, boss. I’ll arrange for some people to help her right away,” Corbin replied obediently, understanding what his boss meant.

Eliana remained clueless about this recent development. At this time, she was carrying a pile of clothes in her arms and struggled to climb the stairs.

While she waited for the elevator a few minutes ago, several maintenance workers showed up and informed her that the elevator was under maintenance. Eli instructed her to head upstairs, so she had no choice but to take the stairway.

Before she reached halfway, she was already exhausted. It was a tiring ordeal, and she desperately wanted to rest. To her utter surprise, several assistants of the Moran Group appeared out of nowhere and enthusiastically offered to help her carry the clothes.

Without her saying a word, the eager assistants soon finished all her work.

Eliana was in shock. ‘Was everyone so happy to go out of their way to help others?’

These assistants didn’t speak at all. They just helped Eliana carry the things to the top floor and then left silently.

They didn’t even bother to tell her their names. Eliana opened her mouth to speak, but the assistants were gone before she could even thank them.

“Eliana, how is everything going? Is Eli ready? Our boss is asking for an update.”

Corbin walked up to Eliana’s side to check on the progress.

“I think so. Let me ask him.”

Eliana picked up the clothes from her desk, intending to show them to Eli.

“I see. Let’s go there together then,” Corbin suggested with a faint smile.

“Alright.”

While the two of them were on the way to Eli’s office, Corbin suddenly turned his head to his companion and said, “Eliana, I didn’t hit Hodge. It wasn’t me.”

At first, Eliana looked at him in confusion. Then she slowly realized that Corbin was talking about Hodge’s tragic car accident.

“I already knew that. I’ve watched the news. Another car had hit Hodge and escaped. We just had a misunderstanding.”

Once reports of the incident aired on national television, Eliana already knew that she had made a wrongful accusation against Maurice.

However, the circumstances remained shrouded in mystery.

Mere seconds before Hodge drifted unconscious, he tried to mention the real culprit’s name, but he failed. As a result, Eliana still questioned Maurice’s innocence.

The pair kept silent for the rest of the way and finally arrived at Eli’s dressing room.

With an exhausted sigh, Eliana handed the heavy pile of clothes to Eli. The latter only took a few glances at them and began to criticize her choices once again.

“Is there something wrong with your eyes? These outfits are horrible. Go and get some new ones. You’d better get it right this time.”

With her patience running out, Eliana couldn’t take this abuse any longer.

“My goodness, Eli! I’ve had enough of your unreasonable behavior! You’re never satisfied with anything that I bring you. What the hell do you want?”

Eli’s face darkened at once. His jaw tightened, and his hands curled into tight fists. “Since you are my official stylist, you should be responsible for my image. Your defiant attitude now makes me doubt your professional ability.”

“Eli, if you want to force me to resign, just say it. You don’t have to beat around the bush and question my ability,” Eliana retorted.

The two rivals were at a standoff, and the people around didn’t dare interfere.

During the heated moment, Corbin stepped forward and asked, “Mr. Goodwin, how long will it take for you to finish the styling of your wardrobe?”

“As you can see, it’s not my problem. It’s just that my stylist can’t do it. Her lack of good taste is ruining my brand. I can do nothing with the clothes she chooses for me.” Eli shrugged helplessly.

“I see.” Taking the complaint into consideration, Corbin glanced at Eliana and turned to Eli. “Mr. Moran said that if these clothes still can’t work, we can change the person.”

With a triumphant look on his face, Eli nodded in satisfaction. “Eliana, did you hear that? Time to pack your bags.”

Corbin cleared his throat and pointed a finger at Eli. “Mr. Moran said that he would replace you, Mr. Goodwin.”

All of a sudden, it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. Eli’s wide grin instantly disappeared as he struggled to speak. Not a single person dared to make a sound. Everyone waited for Eli to say something, bracing themselves for the disaster that was to come.

Chapter 229

“Replace me?” Eli couldn’t believe his ears.

The Moran Group wanted to replace a celebrity spokesperson for the sake of a stylist.

Mr. Moran must be crazy. Without Eli, who would shoot the advertisement?

“You didn’t mishear, Mr. Godwin,” Corbin said, as if he could read Eli’s mind. “You are going to be replaced. There’s no need to worry. We’ll soon have someone to take your place. The Moran Group is never without a spokesperson.”

Inger sensed that things were about to get out of control and stepped forward. “Mr. Jenkins, why are you saying this? Eli has always been dedicated and cooperative.”

She turned and glared at Eli. “Eli, don’t be childish,” she said sternly. “Let Miss Pierce do your styling so we can start shooting.”

Eli couldn’t disobey his agent. He had no choice but to suppress his anger and let Eliana do his styling.

Once everyone was busy with the shooting of the advertisement, Inger smiled and asked, “Mr. Jenkins, is this alright?”

Corbin nodded with satisfaction.

Within half an hour, all of Eli’s styling was finished.

Eliana’s aesthetic taste was impeccable. Even Eli’s long face could not negate the charm Eliana’s styling gave him.

When everything was ready, Eli began to shoot the advertisement.

Eliana walked over to Corbin to give him her thanks, but he shook his head.

“I’m never the one who truly deserves your thanks,” he said. “Eliana, can’t you see who is really aiding you from behind the scenes?”

Corbin had never seen Maurice pay so much attention to any woman in all of his many years of working for him. And yet, Eliana ignored his affection completely.

Eliana fell silent.

She knew that Maurice was pulling strings to help her, but she didn’t understand Maurice himself.

He was a mystery, a window with dark glass. She could not understand him and thus she chose to stay away from him.

“Corbin, what kind of person do you think Maurice is?” Eliana couldn’t help but ask.

“I can’t give you an objective evaluation. I can only tell you to trust your intuition. What do you think of Mr. Moran, Eliana?”

Love was subjective. Corbin couldn’t speak for Eliana.

Eliana’s mind was chaotic. Her instinct was to avoid the subject.

“Corbin, if you are here to persuade me, you don’t have to do that. I’m living a good life now. And ask those assistants to do what they should do. I will handle my work well.”

With a sigh, Corbin turned around and left.

It seemed that his boss still had a long way to go before he could win Eliana’s heart.

The day’s work was finally done. Eliana helped the other staff clean up. She put Eli’s outfit away carefully.

Then her eyes landed on something: the ring she had been looking for, which was lying beside Inger’s hand.

At that moment, Inger got a phone call and walked out of the lounge to answer it.

Eliana couldn’t take her eyes off of the ring.

No one was around. This was her chance to take the ring.

The ring belonged to Preston anyway. She just wanted to return it to its owner.

Having justified this to herself, Eliana walked over to the ring.

The simple and luxurious ruby ring reflected a beautiful luster in the light. It seemed to be begging Eliana to take it.

Eliana swallowed and reached out.

Suddenly, someone’s hand closed tightly around her own.

Chapter 230

“What are you doing?” The hand and voice belonged to Eli.

Eliana was so frightened that she withdrew her hand immediately and took two steps back.

“It seems that my new stylist is not just a fan, but a thief as well!”

Eli glared at Eliana. If he hadn’t gone back to the lounge to rest halfway through the shoot, his treasure would have been stolen by this hateful woman!

Eliana didn’t know what to say to defend herself.

Inger returned to the lounge, having finished her phone call.

She opened the door to find a furious Eli and an embarrassed Eliana.

Eli looked grim as he demanded, “Inger, didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on my ring? Just now, this woman almost stole it.”

“I wasn’t going to steal it!”

“I saw you!” Eli shouted, and gritted his teeth.

“I really wasn’t…” Eliana wanted to explain, but she couldn’t.

“How dare you keep trying to defend yourself? What a liar you are!” Eli roared.

“Enough!” Inger’s face darkened. She rubbed her temples. “Eli, you go back to the shoot first. I’ll handle this.”

“But…”

“Go back!”

Gritting his teeth, Eli glared at Eliana and slammed the door behind him.

“I’m sorry, Miss Pierce.”

Inger sighed. “Eli has a volatile temper. When he was a trainee, the others ignored and bullied him. He didn’t have any friends,” she explained patiently. “A few months ago, he came across Lucky and then got this ring. It was then that his auditions started to be successful. He treats the ring as a treasure that no one else can touch.”

So that was the story…

Eliana’s spirits sank. If Eli treasured the ring so much, it would be even more difficult to take it back.

Meanwhile, in the CEO’s office…

“How is she?” Maurice raised his head from a pile of documents.

“Eliana… asked those assistants to go back. She said…” Corbin paused.

“What did she say?”

“She said… she wanted those assistants to do what they were supposed to do. She would handle her work well.”

Determined, Corbin related Eliana’s words to Maurice.

Maurice’s grip on the paper in his hand tightened. He lowered his eyes and put on an indifferent expression.

“If she doesn’t want them to stay, then respect her wishes.”

“Yes, sir.”

Corbin lowered his head. He left the office and sighed.

He was worried about the relationship between Maurice and Eliana. Still, he had to remember that it was not his business!

That evening, Eli had finally finished the first of three days of shooting for the advertisement.

The thought of having to be around Eliana for two more days made him irritable.

Eli’s assistant came over to help him take off the precious diamond bracelet around his wrist.

“I can do it myself.” Eli pulled his wrist away rudely.

“Be careful. This bracelet is fragile. The Moran Group specially told us to be gentle with it.”

The assistant’s heart skipped a beat as he saw Eli behaved so roughly.

The bracelet was fragile…

Looking at the bracelet in his hand, Eli suddenly came up with a brilliant idea.

He withdrew his hand. “I’ll take if off myself,” he said to the assistant. “You can go do something else.”

The assistant had no choice but to agree. “Be careful,” he couldn’t help but remind Eli again.

“Don’t worry.”

Eli waved his hand to drive his assistant away, like he was swatting at an annoying fly.

He took off the bracelet, put it in his pocket, and rubbed it violently for a while.

When he took it out again, there were obvious cracks on the bracelet.

With the nearly-broken bracelet in hand, Eli walked up to Eliana.

She was beside the swimming pool where the advertisement had been shot, carefully packing up the precious jewelry the Moran Group had provided.

“Eliana, you forgot the diamond bracelet I wore. Here you are.”

Eli smiled brightly and held out the bracelet to Eliana.

What was going through his head?

Eliana gave Eli a confused look.

She looked at the bracelet in his hand. She didn’t notice anything wrong with it.

Had Eli really changed his attitude?

Eliana stretched out her hand.

Suddenly, Eli’s hand shook and the bracelet fell into the swimming pool.

Crystal clear diamonds scattered in the water.