Chapter 749: Chapter 749: It’s Not Polite Not to Reciprocate

Brandon Piers came out of the bathroom, his phone vibrating nonstop. He glanced at the screen; it was an unfamiliar number, but he guessed who it might be and answered.

“Brandon Piers, you finally decided to take my call. What exactly do you mean by this?” Eva Bell had been unable to reach Brandon for days, and she was in a state of rage, feeling humiliated as if her own son had tricked her.

“Oh, if I had known it was your call, I wouldn’t have answered.” Brandon responded lazily and then hung up with a snap.

As soon as he hung up, another number flashed on his phone. Brandon answered, “Speak.”

“I’m sorry, Second Young Master. Madam is causing a scene. She grabbed the delivery guy’s phone.” The security team leader in charge of Eva Bell reported nervously.

“Send her back to the manor tomorrow.” Brandon thought for a moment. Eva staying at the hotel was not a permanent solution. If the media caught anything, it could cause a lot of trouble. Better to send her back to the manor and let Grandpa watch her.

He hung up the call and dialed Grayson Piers.

Elder Piers had just been enjoying some melon, knowing his grandson had been kicked out by Abigail tonight. He was staying at Hughes’ place, being despised, and sleeping on a bed covered with Pinky Strawberry sheets. Just thinking about it made Elder Piers gleeful.

But his laughter was cut short by a call from Brandon.

Grayson Piers was puzzled. A call from his grandson at this hour? Probably no good news! He immediately put his phone on silent and continued lurking in a chat group. But then a message popped up. Grayson opened it curiously and saw it was from his grandson: “I know you’re awake. Tomorrow I’m sending Eva to the manor. You watch over her.”

He had anticipated bad news from his grandson, but he didn’t expect it to be this troublesome. Grayson decided to pretend he didn’t see it, but Brandon sent another text: “Don’t pretend you didn’t see it. My phone shows the message as read.”

Elder Piers was taken aback, feeling a bit awkward. “She causes so much trouble. You want her to move in to torment my old bones?”

“Couldn’t it be you tormenting her?” Brandon raised an eyebrow. He had noticed that Eva was brazen in front of him but somewhat cautious around Grandpa. Imprisoning her in a hotel would only invite unnecessary gossip. Better to keep her at home; any drama would stay within the family.

Grayson was furious at this suggestion and called directly, “She’s a handful. You think I can torment her? Are you kidding me?”

“Grandpa Smith and Aunt Smith will be returning to the country soon. I’ll invite them to stay at the manor.” Brandon ignored Elder Piers’ complaints.

Grayson was confused, “What does inviting Eva to move in have to do with those two coming back?”

“Though Eva and Hayden Bell weren’t born of the same mother, they were very close. Eva has always felt guilty about Hayden’s death. Aunt Smith’s initial business was funded by Eva as an angel investor.” Brandon explained. Eva could handle everything excellently as long as it didn’t involve her father.

“So, you think if she knows Abigail is Clara Smith’s daughter, she’ll stop opposing you two?” Elder Piers didn’t know much about Bell’s secret child. If Abigail weren’t his daughter, he would never have remembered her.

“Heh, you guess.” Brandon had seen the temperaments of Old Mr. Smith and Clara Smith. If they knew what Eva had done to Abigail, the manor would become very lively.

He thought for a long time. His mother’s issues were tied not only to his father but also to the Bell family’s poor parent-child relationships and his mother’s growing environment. Even at her age, she didn’t know what love was. She always craved love but constantly pushed it away.

If he kept taking aggressive measures, it might provoke her further, leading her to do something crazier to Abigail. He couldn’t truly harm his mother, so it was better to address the problem in a different way.

Although the idea of using love to change her seemed laughable, adding Eva’s guilt towards Clara Smith might yield a different outcome.

Elder Piers was stumped by his grandson’s “you guess.” “Get out, get out, go sleep on your Pinky Strawberry sheets.”

Feeling proud of his perfect retort, Brandon was speechless.

Fuck. Pullan, that oaf, always managed to ruin his gentlemanly image!

Elder Piers, pleased to have stumped his grandson, quickly hung up the phone, not giving Brandon a chance to retaliate.

Brandon took a deep breath and called Pullan. “You don’t like posting on social media? Take a selfie on your pretty bed sheets and post it. Make it visible to all.”

Pullan, who was about to fall asleep, jolted awake. “Second Young Master…”

“You have one minute, or face the consequences.” Brandon snapped and hung up.

Across the villa.

Abigail had ended her video call with Brandon but couldn’t sleep. She kept checking the messages the man had sent and his most colorful selfie. Her lips kept curling upward. Eventually, she thought it was only fair to reciprocate, so she took a selfie and posted it, making it visible only to Brandon.

She then aimlessly browsed through posts but didn’t see any reply from Brandon. Instead, she saw Pullan’s new selfie right above her own, which confused her. Staring at Pullan’s koala-like face taking up most of the screen, she could see his little lemon-leaf-patterned bed sheets in the background. They weren’t much better than Brandon’s Pinky sheets. But that wasn’t the point. The point was Pullan’s expression of resigned defiance, his small eyes filled with reluctant resistance.

Abigail could easily guess Pullan had been forced.

When she posted her own selfie earlier, it hadn’t seemed like a big deal. But after seeing Pullan’s, she felt silly and quickly deleted hers.

Just as she deleted it, Brandon’s message came in: “I haven’t saved it yet.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Abigail pretended not to understand.

“Your selfie just now. Send it to me alone next time.” Brandon said domineeringly. When he was checking Pullan’s selfie, he initially saw his little piggy’s photo first. He had lied about one thing though; he had already saved her picture.

“In your dreams,” Abigail replied, hugging her head with the quilt to sleep. She had achieved her aim. Whether he saved it or not, she didn’t care.

Brandon looked at Abigail’s three words and could almost imagine her expression. His lips curled into a smile. He sent her the photo he took just earlier, texting, “Just kidding.”

Abigail glanced at it and snorted alone in bed for a while, then contentedly fell asleep.

…

In the villa’s farthest corner.

Joshua Piers held a paintbrush, listening absentmindedly as his assistant finished reporting, “Brandon has returned to the villa?”

“Yes, he’s staying at Hughes’ place.” The assistant cautiously glanced at the woman on the boss’s canvas and replied carefully.

Joshua wasn’t surprised. “I see. You may go.”

“Yes,” the assistant responded and left.

The only sound left in the room was the swishing of the brush.