Ch. 236..240: The Adorable Twins and Their CEO Daddy Chapter 236-240
Chapter 236
The next morning, Eliana went to work as usual, as if nothing had happened.
As soon as she arrived, whispers began following her.
“I think it was her who spoke to the reporters about Eli yesterday.”
“It looks like her. I don’t know her, but I didn’t expect that she would be so vindictive.”
“It’s probably best to stay out of her way…”
Eliana couldn’t refrain from replying when she heard these comments. She turned around and sneered, “Yesterday, when I was drowning, none of you came to save me. But now, all of you are talking about me. If I had died, none of you would have escaped punishment. You’re all murderers.”
The whispers stopped. No one dared to even look at Eliana again.
They only slandered her behind her back.
Eliana turned away and saw Eli walking towards her.
The negative public opinion of him did not seem to affect him at all. He had a sunny smile on his face, but his words were not pleasant to Eliana.
“I didn’t expect you to have such a strong character. Why didn’t you refuse to pick up the diamonds yesterday? Did you know that Maurice would come to save you?”
Eli was kidding, but Eliana exploded with anger.
“Eli, you must have misunderstood. I did not fetch the diamond bracelet because of your oppression.”
“Why then?” Eli asked, confused.
“Do you know how many people have put their heart and soul into making that diamond bracelet? The designer dreamed up the design and then countless craftsmen labored to make that design a reality. You only see an expensive object. I see the hard work of everyone behind it. You shouldn’t have made fun of their labor.”
Eliana’s words were powerful enough to make Eli feel a little ashamed.
All he had thought about was how he could use the diamond bracelet to force Eliana to resign.
“I’m sorry,” Eli murmured.
“What?”
Eliana thought she must have heard him wrong.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you pick up the diamonds. I apologize.”
Eli’s sincere expression surprised Eliana.
Eliana had been prepared for an argument, but Eli had apologized so quickly.
“By the way, here are your sketches. I saw them and picked a few sets that can be used today.”
Eli took out several sketches from behind his back and held them out to Eliana, who accepted them in a daze.
“By the way… I can tell you put a lot of effort into these.” Eli’s ears went red and he turned away. He left in a hurry.
Eliana was now alone and confused.
What was up with Eli? Why was he suddenly treating her so well?
Before Eliana could try to unravel this mystery, she had to focus on her work.
During her break, she remembered that she still had Maurice’s clothes. She texted Corbin.
“Corbin, are you free now? I can give you Maurice’s clothes.”
Eliana didn’t want to see Maurice, so she hoped Corbin would accept the clothes.
Soon, Corbin replied, “I have asked Mr. Moran. He said that if you want to return the clothes, you should come and give them back yourself. If you don’t want to come, you can simply throw the clothes away.”
Eliana had expected this response.
“I’ll bring them to him after work.”
So, she had no choice but to face Maurice.
Eliana was in a daze.
“Eliana, come here.”
Eli’s voice came from the lounge.
Eliana put her thoughts aside and walked into the lounge.
Eli was wearing a vest that revealed his powerful arms and striking figure. He didn’t usually dress like this.
Many women would be drawn to his masculine charm.
Eliana’s eyes landed on Eli’s neck.
The ruby ring!
“Help me change my clothes. This outfit is not good.”
Eli handed his coat to her. For a moment, Eliana was too absorbed to react.
Eli followed her gaze to the ring on his neck and laughed. “Is this so important to you? You can’t take your eyes off of it.”
“Yes, it’s very important to me.”
Eliana nodded enthusiastically.
“If it’s so important, why did you lose it?” Eli asked.
Eliana was at a loss for words.
Chapter 237
Eli waited in silence for her answer.
After a long while, Eliana sighed. “To tell you the truth, this ring belonged to my friend’s mother. She has passed away. It is an important keepsake. I accidentally came into possession of it and then lost it. I have been looking for it for a long time.”
A keepsake…
Her words tugged at Eli’s heartstrings.
“This is why I have to take the ring back. Do you understand?”
She looked at Eli earnestly.
“A few days before I found Lucky, my previous dog passed away. I believe that God meant for me to find Lucky. So I took it home. I wasn’t expecting the ring to appear a few days later. It was like magic. I’ve been lucky since that day.”
Somehow, Eli felt he could tell her everything.
“Eli, I know you regard this ring as your lucky charm, but it belongs to someone else. You don’t have to take something that’s not yours. You will have your own luck one day,” Eliana stated sincerely.
Would he indeed have his own luck?
Eli didn’t know what to say. No one had ever said something like that to him before.
Meanwhile, Maurice had been waiting for a long time and was worried that something bad had happened. He decided to find Eliana.
When Maurice arrived at the shooting scene of advertisement, he looked around and didn’t see her.
He grabbed an employee by the hand. “Where is Eliana?”
“Mr. Moran!” The employee felt flattered. “You mean Miss Pierce? She is probably in the lounge.”
Maurice hurried to the lounge.
Just as Eli was about to speak, he saw Maurice walking towards them.
Eli had a brilliant idea. He took Eliana’s hand, lowered his head, and frowned.
“Will I?” he asked in a fragile voice.
No one could look at the distraught expression on Eli’s face without feeling for him.
Eliana was no exception. She patted him on the shoulder and said affectionately, “Of course you will. Everyone has their own luck. Don’t be so sad. How about this? You can keep the dog. He will still bring you luck.”
The truth was that she couldn’t afford to keep two dogs. She was sad to let Bowling go.
Eli stepped toward her and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you, Eliana. I’ll think about it,” he said in a warm tone.
From behind, the two looked extremely intimate.
Eliana was so elated from the triumph of reclaiming the ring that she didn’t notice how their posture seemed inappropriate.
When Maurice entered, he saw Eli standing very close to Eliana, lowering his head towards her face and talking to her confidently and intimately.
Eli’s eyes met Maurice’s and he gave Maurice a defiant stare.
‘Well, it seems that this guy really doesn’t want to work in the entertainment business anymore,’ Maurice thought.
His face suddenly darkened. He pursed his lips and the veins on his forehead twitched. Anyone who knew him well could have seen that he was about to get angry.
“Mr. Moran!” People around greeted him with respect.
When she heard this, a chill passed through Eliana’s body. She was about to turn around, but Eli suddenly hugged her.
Chapter 238
Eliana’s thoughts suddenly went blank, and she unconsciously pushed Eli aside.
She turned around to see Maurice, who was looking downcast.
“The timing of my arrival seems to be out of whack.”
Maurice scowled as he struggled to hold back the rising rage that was welling up inside him. His words had wry cynicism to them.
“There’s more to it than what you see…” Eliana felt compelled to clarify.
Without giving her the opportunity to explain, Maurice turned and walked away.
Eli felt it was insufficient, so he added, “Mr. Moran, goodbye.”
“Eli, you were deliberate in your actions. In addition, you simply lied to me.”
Eliana scowled at Eli with her eyes wide open as she raised her head. She hoped she could savage him with her teeth.
Eli quickly surrendered by raising his hands. “Let go of your resentment. To be honest, I’d want to know more about you and Maurice’s connection.”
“What conclusion have you gotten to?” Eliana scoffed.
“I’ve finally figured it out. The CEO of the Moran Group seems to have a one-sided crush on you.”
Knowing that Maurice’s affection for Eliana was unrequited, Eli felt a tinge of excitement.
“Shut up already.”
Eliana exhibited irritability and guilt.
She had no connection to Maurice. Why did she act as though she had been found cheating with another man?
When Eliana noticed the bag on the couch, she realized she hadn’t returned Maurice’s clothing.
“Please don’t bother me anymore. I’ve nearly completely forgotten about my work. There are more outfits available. Hung there. You don’t need anybody else to help you with that, I assume.”
Eliana scooped up the clothes and pursued Maurice.
She wasn’t trying to console Maurice. She just wanted to give the clothing back.
When Eliana arrived at Maurice’s office out of breath, he was already seated in his chair, head down, doing business as if his recent gaffe outside the lounge had been a hallucination.
“Maurice, I can’t thank you enough for saving me yesterday. I have come to return your clothes.”
Eliana gave the clothing over to him. Maurice cocked his chin and sent a fleeting look at her.
“Toss it in the trash, Corbin.”
“Err…”
Corbin was scared to respond for fear of getting himself into trouble.
Eliana exhaled with rage. She was baffled as to how he could be so cruel.
“Maurice, it’s OK if you’re not happy with me. What makes you so angry that you have to let it all out on the clothes?”
Slowly, Maurice placed the paper on the table and lifted his dark eyes to shoot a caustic gaze at her. “Let it all out? You give yourself too much credit. Because it’s worthless, I discard it. In what capacity
should I retain this? Do you intend to utilize it in the CEO’s office as a backup?”
Eliana couldn’t bear the way Maurice spoke to her.
She didn’t need to explain herself because of this.
“As it stands now, I’ve given back the clothing. It’s entirely up to you how you handle it.”
Eliana forcibly handed Corbin the clothes. Maurice’s deep voice came from behind her as soon as she turned around.
“Beware of Eli’s advances. He’s a troublemaker by nature.”
Eliana came to a halt and drew a big breath when she heard that.
“Maurice, I’ll only go over this with you once. I will only be by Eli’s side since one of my close friends lost an essential ring, and it’s in Eli’s hands. It’s something I should retract. That is all there is to it.”
After making her statement, she walked away without turning around.
A ring…
Maurice narrowed his gaze. Before he could comprehend the situation, he heard Corbin’s outburst.
“She said a ring! Has Eliana mentioned the ring you’re also after? But why did the ring fall into Eli’s hands?” Corbin said excitedly.
“The first objective is to get the ring from Eli, regardless of why it is in his possession.”
When he learned that the ring he had been seeking for so long was nearly in his reach, Maurice could not help but feel irritated.
“But hold on a second.” Corbin went to a complete stop. “Eli is, after all, a well-known character around town. Numerous individuals have seen him with the ring. Gerald, I’m afraid, has already learned of this and acted accordingly.”
Maurice felt his stomach drop as his eyes flashed and his chest tightened.
“Then we must move quickly to reclaim the ring before Gerald takes action.”
The time to leave the work had come. Inger abruptly stopped Eliana as she was going to leave for home.
“Do you want to come to supper with us tonight, Miss Pierce? The misunderstanding that arose between you and Eli yesterday may be cleared up then.”
“Inger, get your mind off that. It does not have to be a personal issue for you. That’s done with,” Eliana explained.
“What if I can’t help it? Please do that for me.”
Eliana could not again decline Inger’s request to accompany her to the restaurant, since it would be impolite.
Eliana was surprised to see someone she didn’t anticipate as she entered the private dining room.
Chapter 239
“Maurice, what are you doing here?” Eliana asked, surprised.
Hadn’t he just warned her to stay away from Eli? So why would he come here himself?
Eliana couldn’t fathom his motives.
“Miss Pierce, have a seat!” Inger gave her a warm greeting.
Only two vacant seats remained. One on Eli’s left and one on Maurice’s right.
Which should she choose?
This was a dire dilemma.
“Eliana, take the seat beside mine.”
Before she could make her choice, Eli stood and pulled out the chair next to his.
She couldn’t refuse.
She had no choice but to walk over and sit down beside Eli. Unfortunately for her, her seat was opposite Maurice.
After all the guests had been seated, Inger stood up with a wineglass in her hand.
“Thank you all for coming. I invited you here to clarify the misunderstanding last night. Eli, now’s the time to apologize to Miss Pierce.”
Inger swallowed the wine in her glass and gave Eli a gentle shove.
“Inger, I already apologized to her, and she forgave me. We even hugged…”
Eli blurted out the words. Eliana kicked him under the table.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Are you saying you haven’t forgiven me yet?” Eli raised his eyebrows.
“Of course not. The situation has not been resolved, after all. You haven’t given it back. I’ll forgive you as soon as it is returned to me,” Eliana said in a joking manner.
Inger didn’t understand what was happening. “Eli, did you take something that belongs to Miss Pierce? You must return it to her quickly.”
Eli didn’t hesitate to remove the chain with the ring on it from around his neck.
Maurice recognized his mother’s ring immediately.
So this was the person who had taken it. Maurice was so furious in that moment that he wanted to kill Eli.
Eli held the ring up and stared at Eliana seriously. “I will return my lucky ring to you, but only if you agree to one condition.”
These words made Eliana’s stomach sink. She felt that she would agree to anything to get the ring back.
“Well, what is the condition?”
“I want you to be my full-time stylist.”
The truth was that Eli had already decided that he would return the ring to Eliana. Her words before had convinced him. But he couldn’t pass up the chance to ask for a favor before he returned the ring.
“Absolutely not!”
Maurice rejected Eli’s request before Eliana could even speak.
“She can’t be your stylist, because she is going to return to work for the Moran Group.”
Maurice’s voice was firm. He commanded everyone’s attention.
Eli sneered and pulled the ring closer to himself. “I don’t think that’s true, Mr. Moran. If Eliana wanted to work for you, why did she leave?”
“You’re not inside her head. How do you know that she didn’t change her mind?” Maurice said coldly.
The competition between Maurice and Eli chilled the room.
Why did they have to argue?
Eliana massaged her forehead. Her heart told her to agree to Eli’s request. Getting the ring so that she could return it to Preston was more important than anything else.
But when she saw the cold expression on Maurice’s face, she couldn’t say the words.
She knew that if she dared to agree, Maurice wouldn’t let her go easily.
Which should she choose? The ring, or her life?
She didn’t know. She just wanted to eat dinner like this awkward moment never happened.
She raised her hand and accidentally knocked over the glass in front of her. Wine splashed all over her clothes.
The icy air was disturbed. Maurice and Eli both looked at her.
Eliana stood. “I’m sorry. All of you just enjoy the meal. I’ll clean up in the bathroom.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Inger followed her to the bathroom.
As soon as the two of them left, Maurice dropped his facade.
He suddenly seemed to radiate a murderous aura.
“I want that ring,” Maurice said in a powerful voice. “Name your price.”
Chapter 240
The two women were both in the bathroom at the same time, with Eliana cleaning her dirty clothing and Inger applying her make-up.
“I would want to speak with you, Miss Pierce. Would you be interested in a conversation?”
In the silence of the restroom, Inger said abruptly.
“Ms. Sumner, I’m all ears.” Eliana paused and used a tissue to clean her hands.
“Miss Pierce, please accept my apologies on Eli’s behalf.”
Inger’s face was filled with pity the following minute as she was lost in her recollection.
“Eli grew up in a welfare facility. He has no one to call family. He was just accompanied by a dog. Because of its age, the dog became ill. He worked several jobs to earn enough money to cover the costs of the dog’s medical care. Consequently, a talent scout discovered him and brought him into the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, his companion dog did not survive.”
What Eli stated turned out to be true.
In the end, it was only then that Eliana realized she hadn’t been misled by Eli in the greenroom earlier that morning.
Inger was quite chatty.
“Eli eventually came upon Lucky by chance later on. He was a lot more content and self-assured as a result. He believed the ring was pretty worthless, so he wore it every day and said it was a lucky charm. You can’t hold it against him because he hasn’t returned you the ring. Since he doesn’t have many possessions, he is unwilling to return it to you.”
“He’s not to blame, Inger Sumner.”
Eliana let out a sigh.
Eli resembled a person who had not fully matured. To him, having nothing in his life meant that, when something good came along, it couldn’t stay away from him for a second.
In the restaurant’s private room, the two guys seemed hostile toward one another. They couldn’t settle down anywhere since Maurice said it.
“You’re very kind, Mr. Moran. For the sake of making Eliana happy, you’re prepared to part with your hard-earned cash in order to purchase an old ring. Is it worthwhile to do such a thing for her?”
When Eli assumed Maurice purchased a ring for Eliana’s sake, he was consumed with jealousy.
“That’s not important for you to know.” An arrogant Maurice sat erect in his chair.
“Huh? Mr. Moran, are you aware that Eliana shared a bed and slept with me?” Eli uttered malignantly.
Maurice’s pupils dilated and he was nearly unable to maintain his composure.
“A lady like Eliana is simple to fool. She will be friendly and sympathetic to those who seem vulnerable in her presence. She’ll be as obedient as a puppy if she’s given a few more perks.”
Because Eli hoped that Maurice would loathe Eliana, he concocted these falsehoods.
After that, he could…
Actually, Eli didn’t dare to devote much more thought to what he could achieve.
But to his amazement, Maurice had a smile on his face and he couldn’t help laughing.
“What’s funny about this?” Eli was perplexed by Maurice.
What was so funny to Maurice?
His incompetence made Maurice laugh. Just now, he was enraged to see Eli hugging Eliana, and he snapped at her.
Up until this point, he was unaware that Eli had played a trick.
“Eli, you have no idea what Eliana is like. She will never be the person you described. If not, you will not make every effort to keep her at your side.”
Maurice saw through Eli’s scheme and said, “You are so sad, Eli,” in a casual manner.
“Maurice!”
Eli was infuriated to the point that he couldn’t stand it any longer. He attacked Maurice like a lion in a rage…
Eliana and Inger had just emerged from the restroom at that very time.
They heard a loud commotion coming from inside the private room before they even got to the door.
Hell had broken loose!
Both Eliana and Inger rushed to the door and opened it after looking at one another.
Eli fell awkwardly on the floor in the private room, sustaining facial injuries. He had a befuddled expression on his face.
Maurice, on the other hand, stood stoically at a distance, staring down at Eli with a sneering smirk.
Everything before them was crystal-clear. They could tell that a vicious individual had just brutally assaulted a victim.