His Contractual Mistress

Remained calm in his seat, Bryan tried hard not to mind the couple flirting in front of him. They were talking in low voices, which still reached his ears. Vincent would whisper, and Hailee would giggle. 

At the look of them, they were perfect for each other. And this thought is killing him. 

As he cannot stand any longer, Bryan decided to talk to Ray in his small office in this restaurant. When he was in Sydney to watch Eva, almost every day, he was here to eat his meal in private, as he avoided staying in the same room as Eva. 

He only endured that she was around for the time being. And soon, finally, he could get rid of her.

Bryan coughs to get the couple's attention to announce his plan. He smiled awkwardly and said,

"Hail, I'll go talk to Ray. I will ask him not to accept more customers but empty the restaurant soon." 

"Oh, great idea! I'm thinking the same too." She immediately agreed. "Um, Bryan… About Eva, let me be the one to reach out to her and give this restaurant's address. She contacted me earlier using her number, pretending to be you. So I think she still believes that we haven't met yet."

Bryan clenched his fists. Eva is trying to pull a string that she could meet Hailee herself. And what then? What is she planning? Is she going to confront Hailee or hurt her? She hated her so much. Eva might do that. 

"Okay, Hail." Bryan nodded, then left, walking toward a corridor with a sign that AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

Now that Bryan left them alone. Vincent shared the news his dad told him. Hailey was astounded.

"Recently, Howie Gu had confessed a lot with some shocking revelation. He admitted he is the father of the child Eva is carrying through the insemination procedure." 

"Why would Eva do that? Is it to trick Bryan? But how about the child? Wouldn't it look Asian as both Howie and Eva were? How would Eva explain that to Bryan if the child would not look like him or have an Australian look?" 

Vince is pondering briefly; he agreed with Hailey. "You are correct, Wifey. Now that you've mentioned that, it was indeed wrong. Something is fishy about that." 

"Maybe Eva did it because Liam ordered as planned to trick you?" her suggestions that once again, Vince concurred. 

He ponders over the things Hailey had mentioned just now. There was a possibility that Liam wanted Eva to carry out a plan to destroy his relationship with Hailey. Maybe Eva would attempt to sleep with him and then claim she got pregnant with his child. 

And everyone won't be surprised since they are legally married abroad. So how would Eva do that? Is it during their meeting to talk about their divorce? 

Well, gladly, she is head over heels in love with Bryan. Eva compromises Liam's plan and sticks to her craziness to have Bryan to herself. 

Vince heaves a long sigh. If Liam succeeded in destroying his relationship with Hailey, what will happen to them then? 

Now it scared him. Good, Liam is in jail now, and he has no other way to get parole or a short sentence. He will be in prison for the rest of his life. 

Thank god, in the future, there will be no Liam, and soon Eva. And so, the issue between him and Eva must end today.

Even the Elders from the Alliance. He is ready to face them and fights them if they plan to separate him from Hailey. 

"Hubby, you were thinking so deeply. Are you worried?" 

Vince snaps himself back. He stared at Hailey's beautiful face, whose concern lingering in her eyes. He shook his head as he carries on,

"Dad is working on Eva's warrant of arrest. If they were granted today, by tomorrow, a few agents will come and take Eva back to P Country for investigation of her involvement in Liam."

"Oh. Then we have to make sure she won't learn about that. After our talk, I think Bryan would explode in anger. But we need Bryan to keep preventing her from leaving Australia and hiding somewhere. Good thing, Liam could not keep her from you." 

"You are right, Wifey. We need to tell Bryan everything soon." After saying that, Vince placed a warm kiss on the tip of her nose. 

Hailey always finds it sweet about Vince. His small gestures always warmed her heart. 

"After you and Eva got divorced, it's time to talk, dad. After that, we have to meet the Elders," said Hailey, who couldn't hide the worry in her eyes. "Are you ready, hubby?"

Vince brushed her cheeks and comforted her. "Don't worry too much. I will do everything to prove to your father and the Elders that I deserve to stay next to Princess Hailee Davies."

"I will never allow them to bully you," said Hailey, wearing her heart in her eyes. 

"And I will not allow them to put pressure on you when you are in your first trimester of pregnancy. I want Hailee Hillson Davies for the rest of my life, and so I am willing to swim into the hell."

Now that he knew who his ancestors were, his weapon was to win against the Elders; with that, they cannot separate them from each other. 

*

Meanwhile, inside Ray's office, Bryan is pacing back and forth. His palms clenched into fists on his side. 

He looked at the monitoring screens hanging on the wall. He could witness Hailee and Vincent Shen making out in their seats. 

Once again, his heart crushed into pieces. Jealousy is eating him; honestly, he wanted to pound the innocent screen in front of him so that he could no longer witness these intimate scenes they were showing in public. 

Bryan breathes out harshly. He wished it was just a dream that Hailee was in another man's arms. But it isn't. And what he is fussing about because he's experiencing the same heartbreak Hailey had felt a year ago. He regretted it, of course. And now, he even regretted why he allowed Eva to destroy the wonderful friendship he has with Hailee.

After the night of the scandal, he should focus on getting back to Hailee and not letting himself get entangled with Eva all over again and again. But what did he do instead? He keeps going back to Eva. 

Now, why would he feel devastated if Hailee keeps rejecting him?

It was all his fault. He's the one to be blamed for why he's hurting. And why he could no longer get everything back to its place. Now it simply was taken away by someone because of his idiocy. 

Yes, he is because he could not decide what he really wanted until it was too late.

"Bryan? I'm done preparing lunch for Miss Davies." Ray announced the moment he stepped into his office.

"Good, thank you, Ray. Anyway, we want to rent your place for an important matter we have to do later." From staring at the monitors, meaningfully, Bryan cast a glance at Ray. "I need not explain it to you."

"Of course. I will send my service crew home but let those I trusted most stay behind if you need a hand."

"Okay. Whatever happens later, I hope it will remain here." 

"I assure you. I have high respect for Davies," said Ray with sincerity in his words.

Bryan nodded with satisfaction, then he declared, "I'm going to use your office for monitoring. More people will come over later but will stay hidden here."

Ray has questions hanging in his head, but he knew that he better not voice them out. Besides, he knew Bryan for almost his entire life, and he was well aware of what kind of influence the Davies Group had here in Australia and the whole world. 

Who wants to provoke that man? Unless you are seeking death, then do it! Ray thought to himself. 

Bryan extended his arm and patted his shoulder. "Thank you, Ray."

"You're very welcome. Tell me if you need anything or what job you want us to do." 

"Okay, I will definitely inform you."

Ray nodded lightly. He excused himself to talk to his employees to instruct them on the particular tasks later in the evening.

Now that he was again alone in Ray's office, Bryan made a couple of calls for his men to do something. He instructed them to bring some devices to place in some area of the table restaurant for them to listen to whatever Hailee and Eva will talk about. 

Until now, he keeps wondering about that. Why does it need them to talk without the other's presence? What secrets is Eva hiding from him, but it seemed Hailee was aware of it? 

Can it be about a year ago? It's not worth digging up the past any longer. But he honestly didn't clarify that one yet to Hailee the night he met Eva to give her the money. 

But then they were both drugged, and someone filmed them. 

That happens one week before their wedding. It's a fucking week. Hailee should become Mrs. Anderson if he didn't meet up with her and set her up. 

It's a big scandal to Dream City investors. So he takes all the blame and lets Hailee and everyone hate him. 

But meeting Eva in secret that night is alone a betrayal to Hailee. He should have told her about Eva reaching out to him for help. But he didn't trust Hailee that she would understand. He doubted her more. 

Now he is paying the price. And so he'll do everything if Hailey needs him in any way. However, how long could he numb his heart to bear the pain and jealousy lingering in his chest after seeing Hailee being intimate with another man? 

Because the truth is, it's killing him. 

Bryan shrugged his thoughts and self-reflection and self-pity that only causes him to be broken all over again.