The CEO’s Substitute Lover

“Really? Then I’m in for a treat today!” Elda picked one up and tasted it.

“How was it? Wasn’t that an eye-opener!” Eldwin wasn’t modest at all, but the way Elda was eating with gusto proved Eldwin’s strength.

“Delicious, the best dumplings I’ve ever had! I didn’t expect it, you have such a great skill.”

Hearing Elda’s compliments made Eldwin’s heart swell with joy. He was worried about eating alone and having no appetite for lobster, but then Elda came over, and it was great! No need to eat alone!

“By the way, did you come over to see me this late at night for something? How did you find this place?” This was Eldwin’s old house, and he hadn’t come back to live there since he went to work for the Drye Family, except occasionally when his son stayed for ten days or half a month during the winter or summer holidays.

“Mrs. Drye told me all about it!” Elda knew Eldwin didn’t like to make people feel indebted to him, so Elda put on a light-hearted face and said, “I was so happy to hear Mrs. Drye say you’d resigned!”

“Wow? Why? Are you glad I am unemployed?” Eldwin snickered, deeply afraid that Elda would want to give him his money back.

“No, no. How could I have such bad intentions! Didn’t you help me get a shop at the high school and give me the money to run it? You know I’m just a woman from the countryside, I’m not skilled at anything, I only know how to cook, I don’t know how to run a shop that size. As soon as I heard you had quit your job, you still don’t know that I came late at night to look for you? That’s why I came here!” Elda took a notebook from her bag and the bank book that Eldwin had given her earlier.

“Eldwin, look, here’s that money you gave me, and here’s a record of how much I used it! Look at it!”

“What are you doing, Elda, are you going to pay me back and then draw a line in the sand between you and me?” Eldwin asked Elda anxiously, not even wanting to look at the books.

“I’m happy to hear that you’ve resigned. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to manage the shop well, but now that you’ve resigned too, I’m thinking that you’ll help me manage the shop. I’m giving you the reigns and you’re making me your partner, so you can see if I am making some profit? Besides, having you on guard gives me peace of mind.”

Eldwin finally caught Elda’s drift this time.

“Elda, if you say that, you are treating me like an outsider! If you call me brother, it’s my responsibility to take care of you. Take the money and go about your business without worrying about what’s going on, if you need me, I’ll be right there!”

“Eldwin, I need you!” Elda’s, blunt I need you, and Eldwin almost choked on the dumpling in his mouth. Cough, cough, cough!

“You need me?” What could have been a nice mundane statement made Eldwin extra happy and he felt giddy!

“Yes, my shop needs people like you to help me, as long as you’re there, I’m sure our shop’s business will be booming!” When Eldwin heard Elda’s explanation, it was like cold water was poured on him.

“Eldwin, what’s the matter with you! Why are you so out of sorts all of a sudden?” Just now Elda had seen him in high spirits. How could he be like this in an instant?

“No… I’m fine, I’m listening, go on!” Eldwin was at a loss, having that little feeling of frustration! It was as if Elda couldn’t grasp it.

“I’ve already thought about it, I’ll run the kitchen, you’ll run the outside, including some interviews with food and such, you’re better at it than I am, I just want to list out this job description with you, you and I will be responsible for it separately, and we’ll run this shop together. Eldwin, what do you think?”

“That’s a good idea, tell you what, you leave these for me, I’ll research on them tonight and I’ll tell you when once I’ve laid out the plans!” Eldwin carefully plied Elda with dumplings.

“You’ve lost a lot of weight, eat more! Is there something bothering you lately? Although you’re pretending like nothing is wrong with you, the scowl on your face can’t fool anyone, you’ve been frowning like that since you came in, I thought it was just about that shop thing, but it seems there’s more to it than the shop! What’s bothering you? Tell me about it, maybe I can help you out!” Having worked with her for so many years, Eldwin could tell Elda’s every move, and any emotion on her face, and Elda was used to this concern.

“You have all-knowing eyes, to see it like that! It’s not a big deal, it’s just the stuff with Octavia and Ms. Lilian. I… got overly angry when I went to see Octavia today and struck her, I’m feeling really bad about it.”

“Why are you so impulsive? You can’t hit your own child!” Eldwin knew well the temperament of that girl Octavia Gills, and he was sure that that incident would not be as Lilian Drye had said.

“You don’t know what Mrs. Drye said when she came to me, but anyway, Octavia really shouldn’t have come between Lilian Drye and Tredan Davi, I feel it’s not going to end well between Octavia and Tredan Davi. How can there be a place for an ordinary family like ours in a prestigious family like the Davi’s? I couldn’t persuade Octavia. I just couldn’t, and in my anger, and desperation, I hit her! Do you think I’m too cruel as her mother?” Elda knew in her heart how much Octavia Gills had given and sacrificed for the family, but she should never have fallen in love with the wrong person.

“Elda, all right, all right! Don’t be anxious, Octavia is a good kid, she won’t blame you. I understand your perspective as a parent, you are afraid that it is not proper for her to stay in that big house, plus Qin Wan has been kind to you, and Octavia has made you feel ashamed to face the Drye Family by doing this, right? But Elda, it’s not up to the Drye Family or you to decide what happens in a relationship, it’s not up to Octavia Gills to decide what happens, nor is it up to Lilian Drye to decide what happens to her. It’s not for us elders to interfere with relationships!” Eldwin knew that Octavia Gills must be in pain at the moment, and he was thinking of her.

“Don’t think too much about it, your grandchildren will have their luck! I’ll go and talk to Octavia someday!” Elda nodded, Octavia listened to Eldwin and in Octavia’s heart, Eldwin was like a father to her!

Octavia’s moans of pain alerted Domino, who had been looking after her all night.

“Feeling your headache yet? Do you feel the serious consequences of abusive drinking? Let’s see if you dare to drink so uncontrollably next time!”

Looking at Domino’s deep, dark circles around her eyes and hearing her words of complaint, Octavia Gills guessed that she must have done a lot of embarrassing things last night! She had no face to look at Domino and grabbed the white pillow next to her to cover her face.

“Ah… sorry Domino, I didn’t mean to! Did I do something embarrassing last night?” Looking at Octavia Gills cowered under a pillow, Domino got a little angry, “Octavia Gills, I’m telling you, we’re not going to be good girlfriends anymore. I… I Domino am breaking off my friendship with you today!”

“Come on, Domino, did I do something to you when I was drunk? Can’t I just apologize to you and be done with it? Come on, don’t be mad!” Octavia Gills threw down the pillow that was blocking her face and ran over and hugged Domino’s thigh, “My mum’s cutting me off and you’re here to cutting me off too, I’m going to have a breakdown!”

“What? Does Auntie want to disown you? Why? What did you do to make her say such a crazy thing and say such bewildering things?” Domino seemed to be able to understand why Octavia Gills had been so broken and upset last night. Domino just couldn’t think of any reason why Octavia Gills’ mother would say something like that, after all, Octavia Gills had given so much to her family!

Observing Octavia Gills’ silence, and looking at the deep frown on her face was driving Domino crazy!

“Octavia, what do you mean? When you were drunk, you wouldn’t tell me what hit you, and when you sobered up, you still wouldn’t tell me what happened to make you so torn up. You better tell me what is happening? What do you take me for Octavia?”

“No, no! Domino, Domino…” Octavia Gills could see that Domino was angry.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

“Not what? You’re too much Octavia, you are not even telling me something this big is happening to you, how can you bear it all by yourself? Wouldn’t that make me look bad as your good best friend and sister?” Domino thought Octavia Gills should talk to her about all her grievances, she didn’t want to see Octavia Gills pretending to be strong, Domino could see it in her eyes and heart.

“My mother said that the Drye Family helped our family during a difficult time, that it was a mistake for me to be with Tredan, that I shouldn’t have taken Tredan away from Lilian, that I was like a third party in someone’s relationship, and that even if I persisted in following Tredan, it wouldn’t end well. Tredan’s house is not for me, an ordinary rural person, and it’s not the kind of house I thought it would be!” What her mother had said was something Octavia Gills had been thinking about for a long time, and she knew and understood that she and Tredan Davi were so far apart!

“Silly you! You take everything others say to heart, these are not Tredan’s words! Who can say what is right? It’s the 21st century, how can you be as pedantic as your aunt? Only the two people involved in a relationship would best know what’s going on. Besides, didn’t Tredan say that it was Lilian who lied first, and he mistook her for the one in his heart? And now, you could be together after all the twists and turns! If it wasn’t for the Drye Family’s lies, Tredan would know from the start that it was you who he fell in love with when he was a young boy. Who can say who is right and who is wrong? Your happiness is in your own hands, you don’t have to care about anything!” Domino’s heart went out to Octavia Gills, even the strongest of hearts would be exhausted after all she has had to endure on her frail shoulders!

“But my mum says my brother will have his operation next month, and once my brother’s operation pulls through, she wants me to go back to Japan and cut ties with Tredan, or she will pretend she never had me as a daughter! The Drye Family is my family’s benefactor, and mum says virtue can’t be repaid by grudge. She said the Davi Family’s path is not mine to follow!” Her mother was right, Tredan Davi was from a noble family as she was a child from the countryside.