Ch. 301..305: The Adorable Twins and Their CEO Daddy Chapter 301-305
Chapter 301
“Long time no see, Miss Swift. What are you doing here?” Eliana greeted Nicole politely.
Wasn’t Cheryl the leading actress of the play? Why was Nicole, who was always at odds with her, here?
“I’m here as a guest performer. What about you? Why are you here?” There was slight confusion in Nicole’s eyes.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Eliana averted her gaze. How could she tell her former boss that she was now working for her archrival?
“Cheryl ordered a bracelet from the Moran Group. I’m her designer. She asked me to come here today.”
Eliana hesitated for a while but finally decided to tell the truth.
Nicole raised her eyebrows in surprise, but there was no dissatisfaction on her face. But Esteban, her agent, immediately frowned and looked unhappy.
“I didn’t expect you to be so good at compromising, Miss Pierce. You’re still willing to work for Cheryl regardless of previous grievances. Didn’t she cause you a whole lot of trouble in the past?”
Esteban’s words were so harsh that Eliana didn’t know how to answer. After his last remark, an all too noticeable pause followed.
“Esteban!” Nicole glared at her agent. She said in a serious tone, “Why are you so narrow-minded? Eliana is just an employee. She doesn’t get to choose clients.”
Eliana didn’t expect that Nicole would stand up and speak for her. She didn’t know what to do.
Nicole then turned around and offered Eliana an invitation.
“Miss Pierce, despite our dispute before, after our last cooperation, I’ve seen that no matter who you style or design jewelry for, you always perform very well. I appreciate your work ethic and spirit. I hope we get to work together again in the future.”
Eliana couldn’t help feeling moved by Nicole’s praises. They meant a lot coming from someone like her.
Staring at Nicole’s eyes, Eliana could tell that she was being serious and sincere.
Eliana didn’t expect that after their previous cooperation, Nicole would consider her a friend. It was such a pleasant surprise.
“Of course. I actually look forward to it.”
With a smile on her face, Eliana shook hands with Nicole.
At that moment, the two of them had a feeling of appreciation toward each other.
“You said Cheryl asked you to come here. Where is she? Why hasn’t she come to meet you? Is she trying to make things difficult for you?”
Nicole knew her sworn enemy well.
“No, no, I just arrived. Cheryl asked me to go to her dressing room. I was trying to look for it,” Eliana explained.
“Oh, I see. Let me point you to the right direction then.” Nicole raised her hand and pointed out Cheryl’s dressing room. “It’s this way. Turn left at the first corner, take a few more steps, and then you should find it.”
“Thank you so much.”
Eliana felt lucky and grateful that she had run into Nicole. Otherwise, she would’ve wasted a huge amount of time looking for Cheryl.
When she was about to walk away, Nicole suddenly stopped her.
“Eliana, I have to remind you that Cheryl is very vindictive. If you have ever offended her in any way, you must be careful.”
In Nicole’s opinion, if Cheryl knew that Eliana had worked for her before, she wouldn’t let Eliana go so easily. She might even be plotting something terrible.
Feeling a tightening sensation in her chest, Eliana kept Nicole’s words in mind.
Eventually, Eliana found Cheryl’s dressing room. She knocked on the door and then realized that it was ajar.
She pushed the door open and stuck her head through the crack.
“Hello? Anybody here?”
Eliana went straight in.
Cheryl wasn’t in the room, but there was a familiar person sitting there.
It was the man with whom Cheryl had been having an affair.
“You’re the beautiful lady that I’d seen last time. Fancy meeting you here. It must be my lucky day.”
The man’s eyes lit up when he saw Eliana, and he strode toward her immediately.
Reflexively, Eliana stepped back. Her heart began to race.
Before she could walk back out, a large group of reporters rushed into the room. Camera flashes lit up the room in an instant, sending Eliana in a daze. Everyone took photos and videos of her and Cheryl’s lover.
“Miss, what’s your relationship with Mr. Willard Hancock of Harmony Group?”
“Did you know that Mr. Hancock has a wife and children? You’re a third party that’s destroying a man’s family.”
Eliana was stupefied.
Who was Willard Hancock? What third party?
What were they talking about?
Chapter 302
The swarm of reporters blocked the door of the dressing room.
But shortly after the reporters showed up, the man named Willard quickly fled the scene under the cover of his bodyguards.
Now the only person all the reporters could target was Eliana.
Eliana thought that the media deeply misunderstood her presence in Cheryl’s dressing room. She wasn’t Willard’s mistress.
“No, you don’t understand. I don’t know that man. I don’t know Mr. Willard Hancock at all. I’m here for Cheryl.”
She tried hard to explain herself to the clamoring crowd, but no one listened to her.
The reporters were still asking various questions all at once. The sheer chaos their voices created drowned out Eliana.
Eliana could only protect her eyes from the constant flashing of the cameras.
“Enough!”
At this time, a female voice suddenly silenced the crowd.
“Don’t you have rules to adhere to as journalists? This is a shooting site, not a place for you to barge into and make a fuss just to get a scoop. Any member of the media that dares to disturb anyone from the shooting crew are going to be held responsible.”
In an instant, everyone turned around.
It was Nicole who spoke. She came over aggressively with a legion of bodyguards behind her.
All of a sudden, the reporters fell silent.
Nicole’s bodyguards dispersed the crowd and carved a path for Nicole and Eliana.
“Why didn’t you leave?”
Looking at her savior who appeared out of nowhere, Eliana almost burst into tears.
Nicole was so cool.
Nicole reached out for Eliana’s hand and dragged her out.
Considering Nicole’s identity as a famous star and the massive size and strength of her bodyguards, the reporters could only watch and kiss their big scoop goodbye.
Nicole towed Eliana all the way to her car.
As soon as the two of them got in, Nicole ordered the driver to drive away.
Sitting in the car, Eliana leaned against the seat and breathed a long sigh of relief.
“I finally escaped.”
Then, she seemed to remember something. She suddenly sat up straight and took out her phone to call Cheryl.
The line just kept ringing, and no one answered.
Staring at her phone in her hand, Eliana gnashed her teeth together and knitted her brows.
“You were doing useless work. You were framed by Cheryl.”
With a sneer, Nicole took the phone from Eliana and hung up.
“I know.”
Eliana closed her eyes and chuckled mirthlessly.
Her mind was in a mess. Obviously, someone had sent her into a trap today. Except for Cheryl, she couldn’t think of anyone else who would do such a thing.
But there was another question whose answer she couldn’t figure out.
“Why do you think Cheryl did that? Is it because I know her secret? Is that enough reason for her to go through great lengths just to set me up?”
“More than that.”
In such a short time, Nicole had figured out Cheryl’s intention for framing Eliana.
“You know what, there are many netizens who suspect that Cheryl only secured the female lead role in the play because of her sugar daddy. I think that’s why she set you up. Not only does she get to take her revenge on you, she also puts an end to the rumors about her having a sugar daddy. Two birds, one stone.”
Hearing that, Eliana felt her blood run cold.
She had thought that Cheryl wouldn’t dare do anything to her because she knew her secret.
She didn’t expect that Cheryl would turn the tables on her.
Eliana thought that she was having a really bad day, but she would soon find out that she was barreling toward something even worse.
“Bad news, Eliana! Check Facebook!”
Nicole put her phone in front of Eliana.
The news had already taken social media by storm, and the photos of Eliana and Cheryl’s sugar daddy, whose name was Willard, were all over the Internet.
In the comments, a group of online rumormongers were defending Cheryl and slandering Eliana.
Some people who didn’t know the truth had even begun to dig up Eliana’s background and past.
Chapter 303
Eliana’s phone rang continuously, but she was caught in a whirlpool of thoughts, which prevented her from answering it.
Clearly, it was the paparazzi calling her.
If they dug any deeper into her life, they could easily find out that she was a mother of two kids, and that the father was a gigolo.
When that happened, she would have to face unimaginable consequences.
Fearing the consequences, Eliana immediately called Nana.
As soon as the call was connected, Eliana heard Nana’s anxious voice.
“Why did it take you so long to call me, Eliana? What happened? Do you know that you’re a trending topic on Facebook? People are saying that you’re a mistress! Did those people try to hurt you?”
Nana was really stressed after she learned the news. She actually took a day off from work to relax, but she couldn’t even rest for a while.
Although their faces weren’t shown in the news articles, there was only a thin blur that was covering their faces, which barely hid their identities.
It was also mentioned that the woman involved in the scandal was a designer at the Moran Group, and anyone who knew Eliana could tell that it was her from just a glance.
If the media really revealed Eliana’s identity, then their family could never see another peaceful day.
“Calm down and listen to me, Nana. Go straight to the kindergarten and pick up the kids. I don’t think they should go to the school until this dies down. I want you also to stay home at all times and take
care of them.”
While saying that, Eliana was also trying to calm herself down because if she lost her composure, she would be putting her children in danger.
“That’s exactly what I had in mind too. I already picked up Aileen and Adrian from school as soon as I heard the news. But what about you? Do you have any ideas on how to solve this matter?”
As anxiety grew bigger and bigger in Nana’s heart, she was on the verge of tears. How could her best friend’s life become so miserable?
Ethan had kidnapped Eliana the day before yesterday, and now, she was being slandered online as someone’s mistress.
After all, no one would be able to take continuous blows like that.
“I’m fine, Nana. You know me well, don’t you? I’ve been through a lot in life to know what to do, so don’t worry about me and just take care of the kids for me. I will handle the rest,” Eliana comforted her as though nothing bad was happening.
But the moment she hung up, her expression darkened. She was too worried to even think straight.
It was her first time dealing with such a problem, and even though she seemed confident on the surface, she was really clueless.
Nicole, who was sitting beside her, became shocked when she heard her mention about kids over the phone.
‘So she actually has kids, huh?’
Although she was a bit curious about the matter, she did not ask about it because she knew that everyone had secrets that they would rather no one found out.
“Eliana, don’t panic. People might be searching the internet for information about you. And your house might not be a safe place anymore, so I think that it’s best if you move out to a different place sooner than later. You can find a safe house and lay low until the mess dies down a bit.”
Nicole offered her a sincere suggestion.
“Move? Is it that serious?” Eliana asked.
With a serious expression, Nicole handed her phone to Eliana and said, “Take a look at it yourself.”
With each passing minute, more people were becoming curious about the exposure of Willard’s mistress.
And the netizens cursed Eliana without even knowing the whole story.
“All the mistresses will die a miserable death!”
“Such villains need to be punished for destroying people’s families so casually!”
“I can’t just sit by and watch that bitch ruin someone’s life. Is there any way to find out that shameless slut’s identity and help out the wife?”
Every post and comment that Eliana read made her more terrified.
She even saw a post about Nicole helping her. It was one of the trending searches online.
With a look of guilt in her eyes, Eliana raised her head and glanced at Nicole.
But before she could say anything, Nicole said, “You don’t have to worry about me. I have already experienced such things before, but I must warn you that this situation will only get worse and not better. Unless… Something bigger happens, and diverts everyone’s attention.”
Upon hearing that, Eliana felt like she was falling into an endless abyss of darkness.
What could she possibly do to calm the raging storm now?
All of a sudden, an idea occurred to her.
Maybe… She could ask for Maurice’s help. With his power, she might be able to solve the problem.
However…
Before she could even finish pondering, her phone rang again.
Looking at the screen, she saw that it was a call from Erica, whom she had not seen or spoken to in a long time.
Eliana was confused. Why was Erica calling her at such a critical time?
Chapter 304
Was Erica just calling her to gloat?
Eliana didn’t want to answer the phone, but Erica didn’t give up and kept calling.
Eliana had no choice but to pick up the phone.
“Finally you get your retribution! Tell me, Eliana, did you ever think about finding yourself in this situation?” Erica’s voice was sharp, and her cackle was harsh.
Hearing her through the phone, Eliana could imagine how she was beaming with triumph.
“Is that all you want to tell me? If it is, I’m hanging up now.”
When Eliana was about to hang up the phone, Erica suddenly said, “Do you think I should make you more popular by telling the media about your two little bastards? I’ll make your whole family famous.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
Eliana felt her heart leap to her throat. She clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on her phone.
“Would you like to find out?” Erica asked in a voice that dripped with menace. “But you know what, I’m feeling a bit generous today, so I’m going to give you a chance. Come meet with me before too many people become familiar with your face. Don’t tell anyone else about our meeting, or I will expose you immediately.”
After saying that, Erica hung up the phone, leaving no room for Eliana to bargain with her.
Erica’s vicious words echoed in Eliana’s ears. She was so anxious that she’d started shaking.
“What’s wrong, Eliana?” Noticing that Eliana had turned white as paper, Nicole patted her on the shoulder.
It wasn’t until then that Eliana snapped back to her senses.
“Nothing. I was just thinking about something.”
Eliana didn’t dare to tell Nicole the truth. She couldn’t gamble with her two children like that.
Soon, her phone beeped, signaling a new text message.
Erica sent her the address.
“The third private room of Twilight Cafe, No. 327 Downwind Road. Come on time. I won’t wait for you if you’re tardy.”
“Nicole, can you do me a favor? Can you send me to No. 327 Downwind Road right now? I have something very important to do.”
Holding her phone tightly, Eliana began sweating profusely.
Something was wrong. Judging by the expression on Eliana’s face, Nicole thought something bad must have happened.
Frowning, she asked Eliana what was going on, but Eliana kept silent.
Nicole had no choice but to compromise.
“It’s okay, Eliana. Esteban, let’s go to No. 327 Downwind Road right away.”
With Nicole’s order, the car quickly drove to the appointed place.
When they arrived, Eliana said thanks in a hurry and went straight to the cafe.
She found Erica sitting in the third private room, and she appeared to be growing impatient.
“Wow. You showed up quickly,” Erica mocked.
“What does it take for you to keep your mouth shut, Erica?”
Eliana came straight to the point.
“It’s very simple. All I want is for you to marry the biological father of your children. Then, I want you to take your little family, leave this place, and never come back. Once you do that, I promise to shut my mouth and let you live in peace. I’ll even help you subdue the media.”
Erica’s conditions confused Eliana.
“Are you insane? How could I possibly find the escort who fathered my children and marry him?”
Eliana stared at Erica, her eyes wide with disbelief. She couldn’t believe that Erica just asked her to do something that was next to impossible.
What an absurd request!
How could Erica ask her to marry Preston?
And if Preston and Maurice were one and the same, how could she marry him when he was halfway across the world?
Erica didn’t think there was anything wrong with her demands.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already located him for you.” Then she turned to the door and ordered, “Come in!”
As soon as she finished speaking, a tall, muscular man in sexy, tight-fitting clothes sauntered into the private room.
“Do you remember him? He’s the escort you had a one-night stand with. I especially chose a strong one for you so that you would feel satisfied.”
With a complacent look on her face, Erica introduced the man to Eliana. He was an escort she had carefully chosen.
Looking at the man who just walked in, Eliana felt her mind fall into shambles.
How could he be the man she had sex with all those years ago?
She remembered clearly that she spent that night with Preston. She was sure.
Although she wasn’t sober at that time, she was certain that the father of her children had a scar on his chest.
Chapter 305
“You are lying. He is not the gigolo that I remember. Stop with this nonsense and leave me alone.”
With a disgruntled face, Eliana strongly rejected the weird man presented to her by Erica.
The stranger’s ugly appearance was a stark contrast to the good looks of Aileen and Adrian. How could the three of them be related?
“Erica, I don’t know how you convinced this man to pretend to be the gigolo back then. But I’m telling you, there’s not a chance in the world that I’ll marry him.”
“You’re one stubborn woman, aren’t you? It seems that you won’t admit to anything until you see any evidence. Sam, go ahead and tell her who you are.”
Erica smirked confidently. How could the person she had personally chosen be wrong?
The strange man named Sam took a few steps toward Eliana and glanced at her from head to toe. With an evil smile on the corner of his mouth, his eyes were filled with lust.
“Miss, I remember meeting you like it was only yesterday. After all, all my clients over the years are mostly rich middle-aged women. It was my first time having a young and beautiful customer like you five years ago. I couldn’t believe my luck. You were so alluring that I was more than willing to sleep with you even if I didn’t get paid. We had a blissful and passionate time that memorable night. Why don’t you just come clean and admit it to us now?”
After speaking his words, Sam licked his lips erotically as if he was having flashbacks of their fiery sexual encounter.
Seeing him like this, Eliana felt sick to her stomach.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Stop spreading lies and stay away from me!”
Eliana immediately backed away, repulsed by Sam’s undisguised desire for her.
Even under the constant pressure and witness testimony, this bitch was still playing tricks.
Erica sneered at Eliana’s argument. Her patience was running dangerously thin.
“Eliana, stop denying the truth. I know it’s difficult to admit it, but here I am, trying to make things easier for you. I’m even kind enough to find a father for your two little bastards. To further sweeten the deal, I can also give you a generous sum of money to take care of your living expenses. If you were smart, you’d better grab this offer and live abroad with your gigolo husband. Don’t let me see you again.”
How despicable! Erica had called her children bastards again.
The insult finally pushed Eliana over the edge. Her children were her whole world. No one was allowed to hurt them, not even through words.
The expression on Eliana’s face became calmness in a snap. She suddenly rushed forward and slapped Erica in the face with all her might.
The severe blow sent a loud and sharp echo across the area.
“Eliana, how dare you hit me?”
Clearly wincing in pain, Erica was shocked by Eliana’s actions.
“You had it coming! Respect my children, or I’ll slap you again.”
Consumed by her anger, Eliana raised her hand fiercely, ready to strike once more.
Erica didn’t expect Eliana to hit so hard, so she dodged in fear of getting hurt again.
Because of her sudden movement, a black object slipped out of Erica’s ear and fell to the floor. Eliana’s eyes suddenly lit up.
‘Damn it!’
Erica’s face changed dramatically. With a worried expression, she immediately squatted down to pick the thing up.
To her dismay, Eliana acted quicker and beat her to it.
‘Wait a second. Erica had been wearing a Bluetooth headset all this time?’
In an instant, Eliana’s questions had finally been answered.
She now understood everything.
No wonder something felt amiss.
Erica despised her very much. If she had a chance, she would kill her without hesitation. How could she come up with such a complex plan to force her to get married and give her a sum of money to live abroad?
It turned out there was a cunning manipulator behind the scenes who instructed Erica to get close to her.
“Give that back to me right now, Eliana!”
Seeing the Bluetooth headset was in the hand of her enemy, Erica hurriedly tried to take it back.
But it was too late.
Eliana had already put the Bluetooth headset on her ear.
It was now her chance to finally discover the identity of the mysterious manipulator behind the scenes.
“Erica, why are you not speaking? Are you still there?”
It was a woman on the other end of the line. Eliana’s jaw dropped in shock.
Her voice sounded vaguely familiar. It was the same voice of the woman who had sent someone to follow Eliana and the children last time. And she had heard the voice somewhere.
Without a doubt, Eliana knew she was now closer than ever to finding out the truth.
As long as the woman spoke a few more words, Eliana would definitely recognize her.
Holding her breath, she waited for the woman to say something.
But it seemed that the woman on the other end of the line sensed something was wrong and quickly hung up the call.
‘No! I almost had her.’
Taking off the Bluetooth headset, Eliana questioned Erica loudly, “Is the woman on the call responsible for this deal? I assume she ordered you to come here and confront me.”
A trace of guilt flashed across Erica’s eyes. Eliana had her trapped.
“Of course not! No one tells me what to do. I came up with the idea myself.”
As expected, Erica would never reveal the truth. She was not stupid. Once the fact was exposed, she would suffer greatly. Aside from the money, there was so much more at stake here. She could not afford to fail.
Eliana gritted her teeth in frustration. She had thought that Harriet was already a tough nut to crack. But then she met Erica.
Because the sly woman was still unwilling to divulge any useful information, things suddenly seemed hopeless for Eliana.
She tightly clenched the Bluetooth headset in her hand and trembled with anger.
Seeing that Eliana was at her wit’s end, Erica regained her arrogance and sneered, “I’m such a gracious person that I’ll give you enough time to think about my offer. Be at the Civil Affairs Bureau in the morning the day after tomorrow with your decision. If you don’t show up, I will announce to the whole world that you are not only a shameful mistress but also have two children with a gigolo. Let’s see how you will deal with the consequences then. It sucks to be you, doesn’t it?”