Ch. 271..275: The Adorable Twins and Their CEO Daddy Chapter 271-275

Chapter 271

As soon as Eliana stepped out of the car, Corbin flashed an embarrassed look at his disgruntled boss.

“What should we do now, boss?”

Maurice fixed his eyes on Eliana’s back and said in a low voice, “Drive slowly and follow her.”

Corbin immediately obeyed Maurice’s command and tailed the beautiful woman. The sight of a luxury car moving along the road at a slow speed drew the attention of passers-by.

Now that her suspicions had finally been confirmed, Eliana’s mind became so preoccupied with troubling thoughts that she remained oblivious of the vehicle trailing behind her.

When Eliana raised her head, she had already arrived at the entrance of the towering Moran Group building.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and walked in with a determined face. Since Eliana had decided to return to the Moran Group, she vowed to stop at nothing to finally reach her dream.

At this time, Harriet and several other female employees from the Design Department were chatting by the entrance gate.

Once Harriet saw Eliana’s approaching figure, she stepped forward to greet her but stopped in her tracks upon seeing the familiar luxury car pulling over.

“Wait a second! Isn’t that Eliana? What’s she doing here?” a female employee exclaimed as she pointed at Eliana in disbelief.

Another colleague squinted her eyes and became shocked. “Look at the car behind her. Isn’t that Mr. Moran’s private service?”

“I can’t believe it. Eliana caused so much trouble last time, yet here she is again. That sly woman must have used her influence on Mr. Moran to secure a position in the company.”

The controversial remark came from the envious Lilian Gentry, Eliana’s former colleague.

“That’s enough.” Harriet glared at Lilian coldly. “Don’t spread nasty rumors, everyone. Miss Pierce is a very talented jewelry designer. I think Mr. Moran just cherished her unrivaled skills and requested her to come back. Don’t talk nonsense anymore. I won’t tolerate this kind of behavior.”

Since the department director had given the order, her subordinates nodded and immediately stopped talking.

Only Lilian pursed her lips. She didn’t expect that the new director was such a pushover.

On the surface, Harriet seemed to be calm and professional. But in reality, her heart was full of jealousy. Her long sleeves kept her tightly clenched fists out of sight from everyone else.

Eliana had no idea that the moment she arrived, she had already caused a stir.

Upon entering the Moran Group building, she hesitated to walk inside the Design Department. Beads of sweat slowly formed on her forehead as her heart began to race.

When she returned to the familiar workplace after a brief hiatus, a mix of nostalgia and memories of past events flooded her mind.

Eliana remembered the former director named Gabrielle, who had made her life a living hell since joining the Design Department. The only bright spot at work was an unexpected reunion with her senior fellow student. But soon after, everything went downhill from there. Rachel framed her; Nicole slapped her; and Evelynn bullied her endlessly.

It seemed that she was destined to always suffer at the hands of her troublesome colleagues at the Moran Group. Moreover, Maurice was involved in every incident, subjecting the pair to controversy and gossip.

“Miss Pierce, what a pleasant surprise! Please come in.” Harriet rushed over with a warm smile. “May I have everyone’s attention, please? On behalf of all the employees in the Design Department, I welcome you back to the Moran Group. It’s a pleasure to have you on board with us again.”

After seeing the director greet Eliana with enthusiasm, the rest of the Design Department followed suit. Whether they were actually sincere or not, they showed their best smiles and warmly received her.

“It sounds too formal if I always address you as Miss Pierce. Do you mind me calling you Eliana from now on?”

“Not at all, Miss Stone. Please call me Eliana.” In the face of such a personable and friendly Harriet, it was quite difficult for Eliana to refuse her.

Judging from her first impression, it seemed that the pleasant Harriet was a stark contrast to the mean Gabrielle. Maybe the bad things of the past would not happen again.

Eliana felt so lucky that she finally met a professional and good-natured director. Nothing could possibly go wrong under her leadership.

But unbeknownst to Eliana, it was all an act. Harriet continued to keep her image as a friendly director. On Eliana’s first day back at work, Harriet arranged a project for her.

“Eliana, check this out. I happen to have a project at hand that could use your talent and abilities. I think it’s very suitable for you.”

The smiling director handed over the ‘good project’ she had carefully picked for Eliana.

Hearing these words, Eliana was stunned. Why did Harriet assign her a project so soon?

“Okay, Miss Stone. I’ll work on it right away.”

She eagerly took the document from Harriet and opened the folder immediately. As soon as she read the papers, her eyes widened in shock, and her mouth dropped open.

Eliana was tasked to design a bracelet for Cheryl, the hottest and arguably the most popular female star of modern times.

The situation was highly troubling. Cheryl was Nicole’s sworn enemy, and the design of the pink diamond necklace was also leaked to her by Rachel.

Now Eliana had to work on this project for Cheryl, which made her feel uncomfortable.

“I hope you’re excited as I am, Eliana. I specifically chose this project for you. Do you think you can handle it?”

Harriet played innocent, but deep inside, she was overjoyed and wanted to laugh at Eliana’s face.

This was the “special gift” she had prepared for Eliana.

Harriet wanted Eliana to pay the ultimate price for competing against her for a man’s heart.

Chapter 272

Looking at the project document in her hand, Eliana hesitated.

“Work hard on this project, Eliana. Cheryl is one of the most popular female stars of today. Many people want to score this project, but I’ve decided to give it to you because I believe in your capabilities.”

Harriet seemed to think highly of Eliana, and Lilian echoed her agreement.

“That’s right, Eliana. The director trusts you so much, so you can’t let her down.”

The two voiced out their confidence in Eliana, making it impossible for Eliana to refuse.

She couldn’t say that she didn’t want to accept the project because of the bad blood between her and Cheryl.

“Okay, Miss Stone. I’ll take care of this project.”

Finally, Eliana had no choice but to let the hot potato in her hands burn her fingers.

She indeed took the bait. Lilian snickered in her heart. She knew very well that Eliana and Cheryl held grudges against each other. Now that Eliana had taken charge of the project, Lilian just had to sit back and wait for the drama to unfold.

“Very well. Thank you, Eliana. Make me proud.”

Then, Harriet left with a satisfied smile on her face.

Eliana hadn’t realized that she had fallen into a trap. She went on to spend a lot of time and energy on the project.

She buried herself in her work the entire morning. Eventually, she needed some time to rest. Eliana raised her head from the pile of documents and then stretched and relaxed her stiff back and limbs.

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of two familiar figures headed her way.

Maurice and his personal assistant, Corbin, were approaching the Design Department.

Damn it! Was Maurice coming for her again? If her colleagues saw them together, she wouldn’t be able to explain why.

Instinctively, Eliana shoved aside the papers cluttering her desk, bent over, and pretended to be asleep.

The footsteps got closer and closer, and with each passing second, Eliana felt her heart pound louder and louder against her chest.

“You’ve come just in time, Mr. Moran. I have something to tell you.”

Before Maurice and Corbin could approach Eliana’s desk, Harriet came out of nowhere and intercepted them.

Harriet reached out her hand and tried to hold Maurice’s arm intimately.

But with one subtle movement, Maurice evaded Harriet’s touch.

She withdrew her hand and put on a smile, not looking embarrassed at all. She said seriously, “Please follow me, Mr. Moran. I need to talk to you about something important.”

Then, she gestured to Maurice to follow her to a quiet corner.

“Wait for me here, Corbin.”

After thinking for a while, Maurice finally decided to follow Harriet and hear what she wanted to say.

“Mr. Moran, I’ve heard that Miss Pierce has gotten mixed up in a lot of bad things in the Design Department before. Have you ever thought that the root cause of those bad things might be you? Your preference to her is too obvious, and it sparks jealousy among all the other employees. That’s why many of her colleagues are dissatisfied with Miss Pierce, and that’s where all the trouble comes from,” Harriet explained earnestly.

The more he listened to her, the more Maurice frowned.

In the end, Harriet came to a conclusion. “Mr. Moran, if you really want Miss Pierce to stay in the company for a long time, then don’t give her special treatment.”

Had his behavior really been hurting Eliana?

Maurice was stunned.

But when he came to think of it, he felt that Harriet made a lot of sense.

Maurice turned his head and looked in the direction of Eliana’s desk.

Was he really the reason why she’d been getting in trouble with her coworkers?

“Let’s go, Corbin.”

Maurice turned around and headed back the way he and Corbin came in.

“Okay…”

Confused, Corbin followed him.

The boss was restless in his office earlier and came here in a hurry. Didn’t he come here to see Eliana? Why did he change his mind now?

It seemed that her plan worked.

With a bright smile, Harriet followed Maurice and Corbin, intending to proceed with her plan.

Meanwhile, Eliana had been pretending to be asleep on her desk and waiting for a long time, but Maurice didn’t come. She was bewildered.

Overcome with curiosity, she carefully raised her head and checked if Maurice was still headed her way.

However, what she saw wasn’t what she was expecting at all. Harriet was walking next to Maurice. Then, she tripped and fell to Maurice’s arms.

Seeing the scene stung Eliana’s eyes.

 

Chapter 273

It seemed as though Eliana’s heart had been pierced. She immediately stopped breathing and bowed her head.

“See? It’s only fitting that Mr. Moran should fall in love with Miss Stone. Other women should avoid fantasizing about marrying into a wealthy family. Don’t put too much stock in yourself.”

Lilian popped up. Her voice was sarcastic and snarky. She was virtually pointing her finger at Eliana and chastising her for wanting something she wasn’t entitled to have.

Eliana was well-acquainted with the taunts of others. She had developed a resistance to the effects of the taunts. She said in a measured tone, “Dreams are essential for human beings; otherwise they would be like a dull fish. I am not like those who are just envious of others.”

Please! She was also very adept at using sarcasm!

As predicted, Lilian became enraged immediately. “About whom do you speak?”

“This is not about you. Don’t compare yourself so eagerly to my remarks.”

Eliana extended her hands wide in a fun gesture.

“You! How long can you remain complacent, Eliana? When Mr. Moran abandons you, don’t weep too much!”

Lilian stormed out in a rage after failing terribly.

Eliana’s peace of mind vanished as soon as Lilian walked out the door. Harriet and Maurice’s intimate encounter just now kept replaying in her head.

The attractive guy and the beautiful woman were an ideal pair.

However, Eliana was unaware that the minute she bowed her head, events did not unfold as she had anticipated.

Maurice reacted quickly as Harriet stumbled over, and he ducked without hesitation.

Harriet landed squarely… On Corbin’s body after he dodged her.

Corbin was still dazed when Harriet laid her head on his shoulder and he smelled a heavy scent, almost making him throw up!

So he had no choice but to abandon his gentlemanly demeanor and shove the frail lady out of his way.

Harriet stumbled, and her feeble visage became frozen.

She wasn’t expecting things to go the way they did.

Corbin apologized for his reaction, “Miss Stone, I’m really sorry about that. I wasn’t intending to push you. However, the fragrance on your body… Achoo!”

He sneezed before he could finish what he was saying.

The sneeze was stronger than many words.

Maurice went away without so much of a glance at Harriet.

“Please wait, boss.”

Fearing that his nose might be harmed for the second time, Corbin also fled the scene.

Only Harriet was left in the hallway, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Cheryl’s agent, Janetta Clark, phoned Eliana shortly after that. She informed Eliana that Cheryl was presently filming and invited her to the set in order to discuss the bracelet’s specifics.

Work was work. Despite the fact that Eliana felt a bit uneasy about going to the shooting location with bracelet sketches to discuss with Cheryl, she decided to go nonetheless.

She nearly fell asleep at the shooting scene after waiting for many hours, but no one had come to speak to her.

She couldn’t just wait.

Since Cheryl would not approach her, she would seek her out.

Eliana stomped her feet and smiled to boost her spirits. She made the decision to go out and find Cheryl on her own.

However, the shooting area was vast and crowded. Eliana became confused and stumbled into an isolated area not long after.

A coquettish feminine voice sounded out of nowhere.

“Why haven’t you seen me yet, honey?”

Then came the sound of a deep masculine voice.

“That’s because my wife is a mean-spirited tyrant and a stickler for her own rules, Babe. But I’m all here now.”

“So what! I don’t give a hoot.”

“I get what you mean, okay? Let me kiss you, honey…”

What a scandal!

Eliana was nearly sickened by the arrogant snort, but the sweet feminine voice sounded familiar.

Eliana could not resist peeking out to have a look. She shouldn’t have looked!

Cheryl, the lady she was seeking, was the one having an affair with a married guy.

Eliana just discovered something significant.

She wanted to escape at the mere notion of this.

However, the moment she turned around, she received a phone call.

The calm area was rocked by the abrupt sound of her phone ringing.

Chapter 274

“Who…” Cheryl and her sugar daddy, who were engaging in something intimate and inappropriate, suddenly snapped back to their senses.

They separated in panic and whipped their heads to the direction where the ringtone was coming from.

Being glared at by two pairs of eyes, Eliana felt stressed.

She started stammering. “Please go…go ahead. I didn’t see anything.”

In the current situation, the best course of action was to leave, and that was exactly what Eliana did. She ran like she was on fire.

Cheryl, who was rattled, could only stare after Eliana and knit her brows. Why did that woman look so familiar to her?

“Why do I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before?” Cheryl murmured.

Hearing this, the middle-aged, balding man next to her, who looked ordinary at best, suddenly asked curiously, “Honey, do you know that woman who just walked in on us? Who is she?”

Just now, the balding man’s lust had been aroused further by his glimpse of Eliana’s beautiful face. When he heard the question that Cheryl asked herself, he became a little restless.

He thought that since Cheryl was familiar with the beautiful stranger that just interrupted them, the stranger might be running in the entertainment circle, too. If that was the case, then he might have a chance to get close to her.

Cheryl knew her sugar daddy very well. When she saw him staring after Eliana with drool practically dribbling down the side of his mouth, she knew that the greasy old man desperately wanted a piece of her. Cheryl could only bite down her resentment.

Eliana was already far away from the scene she just left, but her phone was still ringing.

It was an unknown number. Eliana answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi. Is this Miss Pierce? This is Ethan.”

What? Ethan!

Why was he calling her?

“I’d been too impulsive before, Miss Pierce. I know now that you’re not the one who harmed my father. I’m calling because I want to ask you out. I want to apologize to you face to face.”

Ethan sounded sincere.

Eliana felt relief wash over her heart, but she answered flatly, “There’s no need for that, Ethan. Consider the air between us cleared.”

“Actually… I have some information about the Pierce Group that my father gave me before. It’s another reason I want to meet up with you. I want to hand the documents to you in person. They seem to have something to do with the culprit behind the Pierce Group’s bankruptcy. Maybe they can help you.”

“Do you really have the documents?” Eliana blurted out.

“Yes. Let’s meet this weekend. I’ll text you the address. But come alone. I don’t want anyone else knowing about this.”

“Why?” The moment Ethan insisted on secrecy, alarms went off in Eliana’s head.

“Well… I’m holding some highly sensitive pieces of information. I will get in trouble if they fall into the wrong hands.” Ethan sounded convincing when he expressed concern for his own safety.

But Eliana was still suspicious.

Ethan had changed too fast. The last time they saw each other, he wanted to hurt her badly to avenge his father, but now he was sticking his neck out for her. It was an anomaly.

And anomalies didn’t usually present in good situations.

However, Ethan’s offer was so tempting that Eliana couldn’t pass it up, even if it meant she’d potentially be stepping into a lion’s den alone and unarmed.

Gritting her teeth, she replied, “Fine. I’ll come see you. Just let me know where.”

“Okay. See you this weekend.”

After that, Ethan hung up.

Eliana held her cellphone in her hand. A voice inside her screamed at her that something was amiss, but she wasn’t about to let go of an opportunity to find out the truth just because her trust issues were doing a number on her.

What should she do?

Should she tell… Maurice about this?

At this critical moment, Eliana suddenly realized that she had already taken Maurice as her support.

Chapter 275

Janetta, Cheryl’s agent, was looking for Eliana who was still unable to come to a decision.

Because of the pink diamond necklace, Janetta knew that Eliana was on familiar terms with Nicole.

Now that Eliana was in charge of designing Cheryl’s bracelet, Janetta wanted to take this opportunity to make things difficult for her at every turn.

This time, she called Eliana and asked her to come to the set, but purposely made her wait for a few hours until going to see her.

Unexpectedly, when Janetta went to meet Eliana, she found that the latter had disappeared. After walking circles around the area, she finally found Eliana, who was standing in a daze in a corner.

“Eliana, why are you hiding in this corner? Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you? Is this how the Moran Group treats its clients?” Janetta snapped, folding her arms over her chest.

“I’m really sorry. I got lost just now,” Eliana said, though there was not even a note of sincerity in her voice.

Suppressing her anger, Janetta clucked her tongue and said, “Fine, I’ll let it go this time. Cheryl is waiting for you. Follow me.”

Eliana had no choice but to tear her thoughts away from how to handle Ethan and follow Janetta to see Cheryl.

Cheryl was sitting in the dressing room, sulking on her own.

There was a quick knock on the door, followed by Janetta walking in and telling her that the jewelry designer had arrived. Without so much as raising her head or greeting the woman who had just entered the room, Cheryl just reached out and took the design drawings from her.

As she thumbed through the drawings, she furrowed her eyebrows tensely and began to complain.

“This one is too gaudy; this one is too plain; this one is too weird; this one is too ordinary, and this one looks very cheap…”

All in all, there was not a single piece of jewelry design that she liked.

After reaching the last drawing, Cheryl angrily threw the whole stack of papers on the table.

“Are you kidding me? It’s all rubbish. The pink diamond necklace you designed for Nicole looks a hundred times better than any of these drawings. What? Is it that you think I’m not as beautiful as Nicole, so you don’t want to design good jewelry for me?”

Eliana knew that she shouldn’t raise her voice against a client, so she took a deep breath and patiently explained, “Miss Gibson, all our clients are important to us, and we pay equal attention to every one of them. The reason why the pink diamond necklace was so outstanding was because there happened to be a priceless pink diamond as the focal point at that time.”

“So are you saying that Nicole deserved such a priceless diamond and I don’t?”

Cheryl was so furious that she got up from the chair.

It was only then that she took a clear look at Eliana’s face.

“It’s you!” Cheryl screamed, horrified by the fact that the designer in front of her was the same woman who had caught her with her sugar daddy earlier.

“Well… Nice to meet you, Miss Gibson,” Eliana said awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed.

After all, it turned out that half an hour ago, she had accidentally discovered her new client’s big secret. And now, she still had to work for her.

“Janetta, I don’t want this lady to design the bracelet for me. I don’t think she’s a good designer. Call the Moran Group and ask them to send me a new designer right now!”

Burning with rage at the memory of Eliana discovering her secret earlier, Cheryl immediately took her as her enemy.

‘It’s bad enough that this designer caught me earlier, but she’s also familiar with Nicole. It’s not safe for me to keep her around me,’ Cheryl thought to herself.

But Eliana was no pushover. She knew clearly that Cheryl wanted to take this opportunity to vent her anger.

“Miss Gibson, I advise you to rethink your decision. Just now, I saw a woman who looked like you with a middle-aged man. What is it that they were doing? Ah—”

“Shut up!” Cheryl interrupted sharply, wishing she could cover Eliana’s mouth with her hand.

She was so frightened that her face turned pale.

“Oh, well, I forgot,” Eliana said with a light smile, playing dumb.

She knew that Cheryl understood what she was saying.

“Fine, let’s have it your way. Janetta, I changed my mind. She can stay here. Give Miss Pierce my design requirements right now!” Cheryl said through gritted teeth.

Her beautiful face was twisted in anger.

She couldn’t stand the thought of letting someone like Eliana threaten her, but she also had no choice but to bear it. After all, Eliana knew her secret.

When Janetta saw Cheryl give in to Eliana after just a few words from the latter, her curiosity was naturally aroused.

Janetta had been with Cheryl for a long time and knew her like the back of her hand, but even she couldn’t handle her sometimes. ‘It’s like witchcraft,’ Janetta thought to herself.

Eliana didn’t know how Cheryl would react to her threat, so she was relieved to hear that she could stay and design the bracelet for her.

She held out her hand to Cheryl and said, “I will design your bracelet as you wish, Miss Gibson. I hope we can cooperate.”

If Cheryl didn’t cooperate with her, Eliana would play her trump card.

The implication wasn’t lost on Cheryl, who forced a smile on her face as she grasped Eliana’s hand and shook it. Of course, on the inside, she was burning with hatred for this woman who dared to come out of nowhere and threaten her.

The verbal agreement between the two was as fragile as a glass bottle.

Looking at the sullen expression on Cheryl’s face, Eliana knew that this project would not go smoothly.