When Justin arrived, the atmosphere froze. After a brief silence, Emily responded indifferently, “We weren’t talking about anything important.” “Not something she wants me to know?” Justin wondered. “What could she discuss with Sam but not with me?”His gaze shifted to Sam, who awkwardly rubbed his nose before, for the first time, lying to the CEO. “Miss Yates and I were just talking about the drinks in the break room. She said they were really good.” “Really?” Justin’s lips curled into a faint smile, though his tone carried a trace of jealousy. “Perfect timing. I have a dinner event tonight. I’ll bring you along, and you can enjoy more drinks. Drink as much as you like.” Emily was speechless. *That afternoon, Emma knocked on the door of Justin’s office. “Come in,” Justin said. Emma entered, her gaze quickly scanning the room. Not seeing Emily, she swiftly hid her curiosity and walked over to Justin’s desk, handing him a file. “Justin, I’ve been learning a lo
“I didn’t mean to see anything. I was just passing by. Please step aside,” Emily said coldly. Jack chuckled slyly. “What’s the big deal? Come join us. I won’t tell Mr. Yates.” The secretary, apparently accustomed to situations like this, stepped aside to make room for Emily. Emily’s gaze hardened. “Mr. Griffin, since you know who I am, you should also know that I’m not someone you can mess with.” She glanced around, realizing her exit was blocked. With no other options, she brought up Justin.Jack let out a cold laugh. “The only person I wouldn’t dare touch is Emma. But you? Who do you think you are? From what I’ve heard, women in your position only care about money. Whatever Justin’s paying you, I’ll double it.”He smirked and thought smugly, “As long as I get her in bed, who cares about paying her? I could just record a compromising video and use it to keep her in line. Women are all the same in bed anyway. But since she’s someone Justin has been with, I’m curious to see w
Justin noticed Emily had been gone for a while and instinctively reached for his phone to call her. The first unread message was from her, “I went home.” She didn’t wait for him. Why didn’t she wait for him? His mood instantly darkened, and the lively atmosphere at the table quickly cooled. Sensing the shift, the others wisely wrapped up the gathering and ended the dinner early. When Justin arrived home, the house was dark. Not a single light had been left on for him. “She’s avoiding me now?” he thought bitterly. But what could he do? He had already realized he couldn’t live without her. Justin turned on a warm light and stood by the bed, staring at Emily’s sleeping face for a long time before leaning down to plant a kiss on her forehead. Afterward, he headed to the closet for his pajamas and went to take a shower. The scent of alcohol and smoke washed away, replaced by the fragrance of the body wash Emily had bought. Feeling refreshed, he slipped into bed and pu
Jack couldn’t get Emily out of his head. Even during meetings at work, her figure kept intruding into his thoughts. After the meeting ended, instead of returning to his office, he wandered around the building, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. He didn’t find Emily but instead ran into Emma. His gaze swept over Emma from head to toe, comparing her to Emily in his mind. He shook his head subtly. “Not as striking as Emily,” he silently remarked. Still, his greasy fingers stroked his chin as he thought to himself, “She may not be as enticing, but she could still scratch the itch.”With a sly smirk, Jack adjusted his suit and approached Emma. His eyes lingered on her inappropriately as he spoke. “Miss Xander, I hear you landed the Wilfred project. Quite impressive. Looks like I’ll have to start calling you Director Xander soon.” Emma responded politely, “You’re too kind, Mr. Griffin. I’m just here to learn from the experience.” “If you ever need guidance, feel free to come
After finishing her meal, Emily felt thirsty. She searched the lounge and office for water but couldn’t find any, so she headed to the break room to grab a bottle of mineral water. On her way back after taking a couple of sips, she overheard a conversation. Someone was gossiping about her and Jack. Judging by the voice, it sounded like the secretary who had been with Jack the previous evening. “Don’t be fooled into thinking that the woman the CEO’s been bringing around is some saint. Last night at the dinner, she and Mr. Griffin were all over each other. She’s practically cheating on the CEO behind his back,” the secretary, Tina York said with a snide tone. “Seriously? With someone like Mr. Griffin? Isn’t the CEO way more attractive?” another voice replied. Tina continued with dramatic flair, “What’s so strange about that? I mean—” Her sentence cut off abruptly as she turned a corner and nearly ran into Emily, who was walking out of the break room. Caught red-handed goss
Emily made a quick stop at a mall’s makeup store to apply a light, everyday look. She had rushed out earlier that morning without any makeup, and after her shower, even the remnants of her foundation were gone.While there, she also picked up some pastries to bring as a gift for Wilfred, remembering he had mentioned enjoying them during their last conversation.Once ready, she called a car and headed to the address Wilfred had sent her.The destination was a street in the elegant Mistletoe neighborhood, surrounded by French-style villas. The romantic and elegant architecture immediately made her think this must be where Wilfred lived.When she rang the doorbell, it was Wilfred himself who opened the door. To her surprise, upon entering, she realized she was the only one he had invited. Emily had initially thought this was a private art exhibition and expected a small gathering of guests. She felt a fleeting moment of surprise but quickly composed herself. An assistant took th
“What?” Emily was stunned.Wilfred lowered his gaze, a soft smile masking the sadness in his eyes. “I apologize if I was too forward.”“Haley is a renowned artist. Someone with my reputation couldn’t possibly take over her work,” Emily replied with a self-deprecating smile.Wilfred didn’t press the matter further.After finishing their tour of the studio, they descended the staircase. Emily figured it was time for her to take her leave. The sound of her low heels on the wooden steps echoed, “click, clack”. Wilfred broke the silence with a casual question, “The first time I saw you was at the Yates family banquet. Are you a relative of the Yates family?” Emily shook her head, keeping her eyes on the steps. “No, we just happen to share the same last name.” He nodded, then asked more directly, “The man from the Smith family who was with you that day—is he your boyfriend?” Caught off guard, Emily froze for a moment. “Could he be interested in me?” she wondered briefly befor
Emily smiled and nodded, placing the fruit basket on the bedside table. “It’s fine,” she said gently. Richard’s enthusiastic “Sis!” really had a sibling-like warmth to it, and to her surprise, she didn’t find it off-putting. Richard squirmed in protest against Wilfred’s firm grip, trying to free himself. However, one warning glance from his older brother was enough to make him sit still and behave. Putting his phone away, Richard was just about to speak when Wilfred beat him to it. “This is my younger brother, Richard,” Wilfred said, introducing him. “And this is Miss Yates—Emily Yates.” Emily nodded politely in Richard’s direction. *Elsewhere, Helen had a day off from classes and was on a date with Zac at the movie theater. They were cuddled up, waiting for the show to start, when her phone buzzed with a message. Glancing at the screen, her expression instantly soured. She frowned, muttered a curse under her breath, and shoved the bucket of popcorn into Zac’s ha
“You—” Helen shot up from the bed, her face flushed with anger. She pointed a trembling finger at Emma, who was crying like a helpless victim. She was unbelievable. She could turn black into white with just a few tears and a sob story. Helen was so furious she couldn’t even find the right words to curse her. Instead, she turned to Justin, glaring at him. He wasn’t going to fall for her lies again, was he? Zac noticed his wife losing her composure and quickly tugged at the hem of her dress, signaling her to calm down and sit back down. Then Justin suddenly shifted his focus, his sharp gaze locking onto Emma. “Then who is Nadia Lawson?”Emma’s breath hitched.“Na… Nadia Lawson? I don’t know her!”She shook her head frantically, forcing herself to keep her gaze steady and not dart around.Nadia Lawson?!They had even uncovered that name?She couldn’t admit it.She had to deny everything.Nadia had been one of the people who escaped with her that night.But
Piece by piece, the evidence was laid out. How Emma had funneled money through laundering schemes into offshore accounts. The exact timestamps of each transaction. The amount transferred to the hired gunman. Even the text messages coordinating the hit. Every detail pointed directly to Emma. The evidence was undeniable. Justin had never imagined she was capable of something like this. The fragile, helpless image she had always portrayed was nothing more than a carefully crafted mask. He wasn’t a fool—he wouldn’t have held his position if he were. But that fleeting moment when she had saved his life, and the guilt of losing her overseas, had blinded him. Because of that, he had put her on a pedestal, convinced himself she was good. And that blindness had kept him from seeing just how ruthless she really was. Behind Justin, Zac was in complete shock. The level of calculation and deception Emma had displayed was something even they, as businessmen,
Even Haley looked at Evelyn in confusion. “The person who orchestrated the car accident and tried to kill my daughter has been identified.” Evelyn spoke calmly, watching everyone's reactions closely. “Justin, don’t you want to know who the culprit is?” Justin’s gaze sharpened. Of course, he wanted to know who was behind the attempt on Haley’s life.Emma’s body went rigid. She stopped crying and stopped making excuses. The grip on her handbag tightened, fingers clutching the chain with tension. Her eyelids fluttered slightly as she glanced warily at Evelyn. There was no way she could have found out. She had been meticulous. The money had gone through multiple layers of laundering, never directly moving through any domestic banks. Even RC Corporation’s own financial institutions showed no suspicious transactions. If Justin’s resources hadn’t uncovered anything after all this time, then Evelyn couldn’t have either. With that thought, Emma’s racing heart slowly set
“Emily, what happened to your leg? Did you get hurt again?” Emma’s expression was full of concern.However, deep down, she was secretly pleased. “Why hadn’t it broken completely?” she thought to herself. No one responded to her. Ignoring the silence, she kept talking to herself. “Today was the day Aunt Heidi’s case was officially closed. I went with Justin to the funeral home to settle everything for her. On our way back, he said he wanted to come check on you.” Emma provoked as she spoke, carefully watching Emily’s reaction. In her eyes, the so-called great artist, Haley, was still the same foolish, clueless Emily from five years ago. But Haley remained indifferent, her gaze calm and unreadable, showing no sign of anger. Surprisingly, Justin reacted even more strongly than she did.He immediately denied it. “Haley, I didn’t take her to the funeral home. She followed me there on her own. I didn’t even know she had come to the hospital.” His words hit like an invi
After turning off the engine, Emma got out of the car and walked to the elevator. The screen above showed the most recent stop—the VIP luxury inpatient ward. She pressed the button and took the same elevator Justin had just used, arriving on the same floor. Meanwhile, Justin made his way past layers of security and reached the hospital room door. William, familiar with the routine, stood guard at the entrance, watching as his boss stepped inside. Pushing open the door, Justin expected to find only Haley inside. But instead, there were four people in the room, and the atmosphere felt off—like a lively conversation had suddenly come to an abrupt stop. He greeted calmly, “Mrs. Walker.”Evelyn, sitting by the hospital bed, knew that Justin had just lost two family members in a row. She didn’t want to add to his pain, so she simply nodded in acknowledgment without saying more. His arrival cast a brief silence over the room. No one resumed their conversation. Sensing th
However, Haley couldn’t leave the hospital just yet. Emma was still a threat, and until she was dealt with, Haley didn’t want to risk putting Chase and Alex in danger. The safest way to protect them was to eliminate the threat at its source. After all, Emma still had no idea she had two sons.“Have you decided what to do about Emma?” Evelyn asked. Of course, she hadn’t come to the hospital just for a visit. She had already learned the results of Richard’s investigation at home. Now, she was here to hear Haley’s plan. The daughter she had raised wasn’t some naive girl sheltered from the real world. “Mom, I want to handle this myself.” Haley replied firmly. She had always preferred to handle things on her own, especially when it came to Emma. Their feud ran deep, going back five years. If she had known back then just how ruthless Emma could be, she never would have let her live after regaining her memories. If it weren’t for Justin saving her this time… “Al
Evelyn shot Helen a quick look. Helen immediately shut her mouth. Turning back to the screen, Evelyn spoke in a coaxing tone. “I called you from upstairs, but no matter how much I called, you wouldn’t wake up. So, I had no choice but to come to the hospital alone.“If you don’t believe me, you can ask your Uncle Richard,” she added, completely straight-faced. Alex turned to Richard, who was sitting beside him. “Uncle Richard, is that true? Did Grandma really try to wake me up?” Richard was speechless for a moment. “Yes, I saw it. You were sleeping like a little pig,” he added.“Ahhh—!” Alex wailed dramatically. Chase sighed, unable to watch anymore. How could his little brother be this gullible? Even such an obvious lie had fooled him? “Alright, enough wailing.” Evelyn cut in, handing the phone over to Haley. “Your mom’s right here. You two can talk.” She knew that Alex just missed his mom. There was no need for extra words—letting them see each other was t
It was early afternoon, and Alex was taking his nap. As he slept, he had a nightmare. He dreamed that his mommy had fallen, broken her leg, and became permanently crippled. In the dream, he burst into loud sobs. His crying quickly drew the attention of Chase and Richard, who rushed into the room. “What’s wrong, Alex? Why are you crying? Did your leg cramp up in your sleep?” Richard asked anxiously, immediately reaching out to rub Alex’s leg. Since Alex trained every day, he sometimes got leg cramps while sleeping, especially during growth spurts. But ever since he had been given a few doses of their lab-developed nutrient shots, the leg cramps had stopped. Even so, Richard was worried. His hands didn’t stop massaging as he tried to soothe him. He was the only adult in the house today. Just in case something unexpected happened, he had brought a few nutrient shots with him. He got up, ready to grab one. Before he could, Alex reached out with his chubby littl
Lily had grown up with Heidi and knew her sister’s proud and domineering personality all too well. There was no way she would have taken her own life over some woman her son was involved with. The reporters online were full of nonsense. It wasn’t as if her husband, Henry, had cheated on her. He had been dead for years. She was the matriarch of the family. Was she really supposed to be bullied to death by some random woman in her son’s life? Lily didn’t believe it. At the same time, she blamed Justin for not keeping his personal affairs in check. How had his mess managed to drag her sister into it? Still, no matter how much she resented the situation, she couldn’t say it out loud. After all, Justin wasn’t her son. The media loved to stir up rumors, but gossip always needed a spark to ignite. If those two women didn’t exist, would the reporters have had anything to write about? “I understand, Aunt Lily. My mother would never take her own life. I’ll find out the tr