Chapter 288
Chapter 288
Hudson and Eliana continued walking along the riverbank as though his ender question about divorce had been nothing more 1997 passing thought.
Put Eliana knew better. Her father was fimild by nature. He would never casually being up divorce because he was too afraid allerding
Belinda. The fact that he had asked at all meant the thought was truly there.
At that moment, she felt a surprising sense of relief. She and Belinda had never shared the kind of close mother daughter bond most facities
did. Otherwise, she knew she would never have been able to look at this situation so calmly.
‘This is Hannah’s problem to deal with, Eliana thought. ‘She’s the one who’s been spoiled and coddled by them since birth
When they reached the end of the walkway, Hudson stopped. “All right, I should get to the office now,” he said
Though they had spoken little along the way, Hudson found the silence strangely comforting.
Eliana might not flatter him the way Hannah did, but at least she never lashed out and wounded him with cruel words.
The only regret was that there always seemed to be an invisible wall between them.
She would call him “Dad” and walk with him to ease his mind, but she might never truly open her heart to him. That kind of distance, gently
on the surface yet cruel in reality, was something he could not even bring himself to blame her for.
Just then, Eliana noticed a vending machine nearby. “Dad, wait a second,” she said.
“Okay,” Hudson replied, watching as she fed change into the machine and selected a bottle of water.
She handed it to him. “It’s hot out. Drink more water.”
Hudson hesitated and then realized she was looking at the sweat that had gathered on his forehead.
He accepted the bottle. “Thanks. I should go now. My car’s close by. If you’re busy, don’t bother seeing me off.”
Eliana stood still and nodded. “Okay.”
Seeing that she truly was not going to walk him out left Hudson feeling a little wistful, but at least it was real. Eliana wasn’t like Hannah. He
never had to question whether her actions had some hidden motive.
On the drive back, Linsey glanced at him in the rearview mirror as he sipped from the bottle. “Mr. Burke, you should cut back on drinks like
that. They’re not good for you.”
Hudson nearly choked from the unexpected remark. He wiped his mouth before saying, “Eliana bought this for me. Just let me enjoy it.”
Linsey said nothing after that.
Hudson looked down at the bottle again and then asked with a trace of unease, “Linsey, do you think a child who grows up witho “nough love will end up hating their parents?”
Her expression did not change. “That question’s out of my pay grade. Try another.”
Hudson was at a loss for words. He let out a quiet sigh instead. “Honestly, I didn’t need to ask. I already know the answer…
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Meanwhile, Eliana was about to take the elevator back up to her department when her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She pulled it out and saw a message from Isaac. She opened it immediately.
A group selfie filled the screen, accompanied by a cheerful line of text.
Isaac: [Ellie, we’re on a field trip today, yeah!]
Seeing Isaac flashing a peace sign and smiling brightly alongside his teachers and kids made Eliana smile as well.
When the elevator doors opened with a soft ding, Eliana stepped out and returned to her department. “Mark, Donna,” she said to two of her colleagues, “get ready. This afternoon we need to secure a hall for Ms. Jenson to use for the charity auction in two weeks.”
Mark frowned. “But Ellie, Ms. Jenson doesn’t just want any hall. She wants a government–owned venue! Isn’t that asking a bit much?”
Eliana thought it over and then said seriously, “She’s the client. If she’s asking, we have to at least try. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll figure out
another solution.”
“Fair enough.” They both agreed she had a point and decided to take on the task.
That afternoon, the three of them arrived outside the government hall. Two tall, imposing security guards stood at the entrance with rifles in hand, making the building behind them look even more solemn.
Mark and Donna immediately felt their stomachs sink.
“This is ridiculous. Ms. Jenson is setting us up for failure,” Donna muttered.
“Exactly. We’re not government employees. How are we supposed to get in?” Mark added. “Those two guards keep staring at us with those blank faces. What if they think we’re terrorists and open fire?”
Eliana could see they were getting more anxious by the second. “Don’t panic.
I’ll go
ask the guards if we can be let in.”
“Good luck, Ellie!” Donna whispered. “And if all else fails, just tell them Mrs. Russell
Eliana gave her a small smile and shook her head before heading toward the guardhouse.
Inside, two burly guards were smoking. One of them immediately stubbed out his cigarette when he saw her, stood, and adjusted his hat. “Who are you here to see?”
“Excuse me,” Eliana said politely, “is there any way I could get inside?”
“Do you even know what kind of place this is?“/
“Of course,” she replied calmly. “That’s exactly why I’m asking you for help.”
The guards exchanged a look. She seemed young and a little naïve, her voice sweet enough to soften their attitude.
One of them finally said, “There are three ways to get in. One, show a government–issued work badge. Two, show proof you’re family of an employee. Three, present an official written notice authorizing your visit. Do you have any of those?”
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Eliana shook her head.
“Then you need to leave.”
As he spoke, he noticed Mark and Donna lingering outside and called out, “And tell those two friends of yours to stop standing there like
traffic cones. What if a car needs to get through? Move them along!”
The other guard, a much rougher sort, grabbed his baton and started shoving Eliana toward the door.
Caught off guard, Eliana stumbled out of the guardhouse, nearly falling. Mark and Donna rushed over, helping her regain her balance. “Hey, was that really necessary?” Donna demanded angrily. “You could have just told her to leave!”
The guard Eliana had first spoken to stepped in. “Bruno, let it go.”
But Bruno ignored him, shoving his baton at Mark’s face. “What, you want to cause trouble now? I’ll have you all arrested and locked up if
have to!”
Mark gritted his teeth. “We’re just asking if we can come in. We didn’t break any laws!”
“Hey, if I say you broke the law, then you broke the law,” Bruno barked arrogantly. “My nephew is a friend of Mr. Jean’s assistant. He always does what I tell him.”
Mark’s patience snapped. “Do you even know who she is?” he demanded, gesturing at Eliana.
Bruno gave her a dismissive once–over. “Why would I care who she is? Don’t tell me she’s Mr. Jean’s daughter or something.”
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