CWMBR 163

Chapter 163

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"What exactly is he teaching?"

"Well, about proper performance etiquette and how to behave as an audience member…………………”

Bridget stared intently at the employee, who was stammering with a look of embarrassment, then pressed her hand to her forehead.

"I was told not to report this to the CEO, but I couldn’t very well not do so."

“Yes, I understand. Thanks for letting me know.”

The employee, who had been moving her eyes nervously, quickly bowed and left.

Bridget looked out the window. Ain was nowhere to be seen among the audience members streaming out. According to the employee, he was probably in some corner, lecturing the young audience members.

Even though she’d heard it directly from the staff member just moments ago, she couldn’t quite picture it. Ain Wise, rounding up kids who were running around to teach them about theater etiquette and proper behavior?

It didn’t seem like he’d do anything to harm the Grand Theater or Bridget, but it was still news she couldn’t just sit back and ignore. Eventually, Bridget stood up. Sighing, she slowly retraced her steps in her memory.

Had it been a mistake to snap at Ain when he asked when Gilum was coming down, telling him he wouldn’t be coming down for the time being? No, perhaps the real problem was that she hadn’t corrected his absurd misunderstanding in the first place.

He was firmly convinced that Bridget was pregnant. The fact that he immediately assumed she was suffering from morning sickness upon seeing her nauseous state likely meant he was also aware of the news regarding Eris’s birthday party. Bridget knew better than anyone how it would look that she had attended as Gilum’s partner and even rented a room to stay the night.

Since her divorce, Bridget had been constantly receiving advances. What she had assumed were fleeting glances of interest lasted longer and were more persistent than she had expected. She had been thinking she needed to create a suitable misunderstanding to put an end to such attention, and Eris’s birthday party happened to come along. It was said that Wayna, having watched Bridget agonize over Eris’s insistence that she bring a partner, had let the information slip to Gilum. Gilum immediately told Bridget that he would be her date.

“It’s fine for me since I don’t live here, but will that be okay with you, Ms. CEO?”

She recalled Gilum’s sheepish smile. She had thought so before, but he really was a good person. However, the fact that he was just a “good person” made her uncomfortable. How should she put it? Maybe it was because she couldn’t get any more comfortable than a certain point?

Gilum never crossed the line in front of Bridget. He showed just enough friendliness to avoid being a burden, and if rejected, he backed off without a word. That attitude was entirely out of his consideration not to put any pressure on Bridget, but for Bridget, there was something a bit frustrating about it. After all, you can’t exactly reject a confession you haven’t even received. She wondered if he might be hoping they’d just stay friends, but when he said he wanted to be her partner, his intentions were clearly different.

So she turned him down, but this time, Gilum didn’t back off immediately. When Gilum brought up Ain’s return to emphasize his own importance, Bridget sensed that the time had come to define this relationship clearly.

Bridget asked Gilum about the feelings he had been reluctant to voice all this time, and she turned him down. Gilum didn’t seem particularly surprised by her refusal. Perhaps deep down, he had already suspected it would never be accepted. His offer to become her partner and help her, despite being rejected, was his final gesture of goodwill. This time, Bridget didn’t refuse.

“Of course. I’m the one who should be sorry to you, Mr. Gilum.”

“Well, I’ve resolved to throw myself into my work for the time being. Whatever rumors circulate, they won’t affect me much.”

He muttered casually, rubbing his face with an awkward smile.

“To forget the pain of a broken heart, you have to keep yourself busy.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. If anything, I’ve been a nuisance for far too long.”

Gilum smiled bitterly, then suddenly lowered his voice and asked,

“By the way, are you doing all this because of that man?”

There was only one person Gilum could be referring to. Bridget cast her eyes down and replied slowly.

“It’s not exactly that…”

Given Ain Wise’s recent actions, Gilum must have heard about them. Knowing more of the background than anyone else, he looked at Bridget with concern. Bridget shook her head impassively.

“It’s been bothering me, so I’d been thinking I’d have to do this at some point.”

“That’s difficult.”

She had learned to control her emotions quite well by now. Her reply must have been perfectly composed, with not a single flaw. Yet Gilum furrowed his brow as if he had sensed something.

“It seems some emotions don’t fade with time—they only grow stronger.”

What he was referring to might have been feelings about Ain. But Bridget, feeling a sudden pang of guilt, replied quickly.

“If the emotion that’s growing stronger is anger, isn’t that a bad thing?”

“There’s no emotion harder to shake off than that. That’s a real problem.”

It was a conversation exchanged half in jest, but for some reason, the phrase “hard to shake off” stuck in her mind.

Would things have been different if they had simply loved and parted ways cleanly, like other couples? In a relationship that had started in such a mess from the very beginning, all sorts of chaotic emotions were tangled together—so much so that innocent love couldn’t withstand it. Even resentment and anger that couldn’t be cut off with a simple “I loved you.”

Could all of this really ever be resolved?

Lost in thought, Bridget walked steadily down to the lobby and made her way to the spot the staff member had mentioned. At the end of the lobby corridor, she saw a tall man surrounded by a few children.

“If you run into someone and hurt them, your parents will have to pay for the medical bills. They could even go bankrupt because of the huge medical costs.”

“Come on, bankruptcy? That’s ridiculous.”

“Well, maybe if it were a sturdy man like me it is okay, but if you were to bump into a frail pregnant woman, the guilt of that couldn’t be paid off with medical bills alone.”

Ain was in the middle of lecturing the children, completely unaware that Bridget had appeared. Bridget, who had unintentionally overheard his speech, couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

How on earth was that supposed to be teaching them about performance culture and proper audience etiquette? His logic was a complete mess, to boot.

“If you do bad things, the ghost will………………”

“What are you doing?”

When Bridget, arms crossed, interrupted him, Ain turned around with a start. Facing the man whose expression had softened so much it was hard to believe he’d been sternly warning the children about ghosts just moments ago, Bridget was left speechless.

“Your parents must be waiting. Go home now.”

The children, who had been rolling their eyes, immediately turned around at her words. They gave Bridget a perfunctory nod and dashed down the hallway. Ain, who just moments ago had been listing all the reasons why they shouldn’t run, reflexively opened his mouth at the sight, but quickly shut it again under Bridget’s stern gaze.

“Are you trying to interfere with my business now?”

“No, that’s not it. I was just trying to warn them because running around in the lobby, which is already crowded, is dangerous.”

“Kids are just like that.”

“Teaching them proper etiquette for the occasion is only natural.”

Perhaps because what he said wasn’t technically wrong, his demeanor was quite confident. Judging by his attitude, he seemed determined to keep this up for the entire duration of the children’s play. Just imagining it gave her a headache, and as she pressed her fingers to her forehead, Ain’s expression hardened slightly.

“Next time, I’ll handle it in a quieter place where no one will notice. Please go rest now.”

“If anyone heard that, they’d think you were committing a crime. What do you mean, ‘take care of it without drawing attention’?”

“Because having me hanging around could be mentally taxing for you…”

“Yes, that’s true.”

As Bridget nodded, Ain’s expression grew even more gloomy. However, he didn’t back down and stubbornly used reasons.

“Still, at least until Gilum comes down, let me know if you need anything. You don’t have a personal maid or an attendant, so feel free to make use of me. It’s better than pushing yourself too hard and collapsing.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Bridget’s expression—it was clear he was genuinely concerned for her.

“I’ve heard that riding in a carriage for long periods is dangerous, so working from home for the time being might not be a bad idea… Of course, I’m not trying to meddle in the Grand Theater’s operations, but carriages are notoriously bumpy. You’re already suffering from severe morning sickness, so wouldn’t it be better to be cautious about using such a dangerous mode of transportation?”

“So that’s why you were digging in the middle of the night to keep the carriage from shaking?”

Bridget, who had been standing with her arms crossed, asked casually, and Ain looked at her, seemingly flustered. He apparently hadn’t expected Bridget to know about his actions.

Bridget didn’t really want to know either. She wouldn’t have found out if a servant working at her mansion hadn’t spotted a suspicious figure loitering around with a pickaxe and shovel and reported it.

Even though it was a dark night, Bridget recognized him just by his silhouette and quietly watched what he was doing.

Even so, she couldn’t figure out what on earth he was up to. She considered calling the police to have him removed, but decided against it. The next day, when she saw the path cleared of every last pebble, she realized what he had done.