Sean grabbed Justin’s arm and yanked Emily’s wrist free from his grasp.Justin looked momentarily stunned, releasing her without a fight.Sean quickly pulled Emily behind him, stepping between them to shield her.“Bullying? Seriously?” Justin thought. She was the one who had slapped him. Who was bullying who here?And when did that even count as bullying?Back then, in those intimate moments with Emily, when things got passionate, was that bullying her?Those times he had been even more forceful making love to her, did that count as him bullying her?And what about the scratches she had left down his back? Was she bullying him then?Now she was huddled behind Sean, looking like she had been terribly wronged. What was that supposed to mean?Were she and Sean romantically involved now too?For the first time, Justin realized how well Emily could play the helpless, vulnerable card, putting on a pitiful act as if she had been mistreated. Watching her like that infuriated him. S
Though Sean’s jacket was soaked, its dark color still provided decent coverage.“Cough... cough...” Emily’s face was flushed as she choked on the pool water, coughing repeatedly. Sean patted her back gently, helping her clear the water from her airways.“I’ll help you back,” Sean said once she’d caught her breath. “You should take a hot shower and change into some dry clothes.”“Alright...” Emily rasped, her voice a bit hoarse from the coughing.The server who had accidentally pulled Emily into the pool also swam to the edge and climbed out. He repeatedly bowing and apologizing. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see where I was going. I... I’ll cover the cost of your dress.”He didn’t seem to realize she had hurt her wrist. “Please, just don’t file a complaint. I’ll get into big trouble with my manager.”Holding Sean’s jacket close around her, Emily felt a sharp pain in her wrist from the earlier pull. Now that she was out of the water, the panic had faded, but the stares from the onlook
Emma walked away from the pool, her arm hooked around Justin’s, her steps light, and a smile playing on her lips.She was pleased. Rumors would spread quickly, and by the time they reached the Smith family, there would be no chance for someone like Emily to ever fit in. Emily was destined to be nothing more than a hidden mistress, someone who would never see the light of day.*In the hallway leading to their rooms, Emily walked side by side with Sean.“Thank you for helping me back there!” Emily said sincerely. Ever since her accident, she had been afraid of water, and the suffocating feeling of falling into the pool had really shaken her. She also hadn’t known that the Smith family was behind the resort’s development.“That server…” Emily began, unaware of the deal between the server and Emma. She thought it had been a simple accident and wanted to speak up for him.“That server will definitely be let go,” Sean interjected. “Not every guest is as forgiving as you are. If he
Justin stormed off, seething with anger. “Emily, you’re something else!”She could actually jump into bed with other men without any restraint. Acting all self-righteous in front of him, only to throw herself at someone else behind his back. Was she really incapable of being without a man?He tugged irritably at his collar, his strides long and furious as he made his way through the hallway. At the corner, he nearly collided with a woman dressed in a revealing outfit.She stumbled against him and silently cursed whoever was so careless. However, when she looked up and saw Justin, her expression softened, and a blush crept onto her cheeks. She had noticed him by the pool earlier and recognized him as the CEO of RC Corporation. However, he had another woman with him earlier. As the CEO of RC Corporation, he was a much bigger catch than any of the other guys around the resort.“Oh, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going and ran right into you!” she apologized sweetly.
“Mm.” Zac nodded, showing little reaction. He wasn’t buying Emma’s sweet act. The two of them had never gotten along well, and now they walked side by side in silence. The carpeted hallway muffled their footsteps, creating an awkward tension between them.Zac eventually broke the silence. “How’s your recovery going? You seem a bit weak, and you’ve got some sweat on your forehead. You should really focus on resting and eating well until you’re fully recovered. Don’t overexert yourself.”He didn’t particularly like Emma, but he knew how much Justin cared for her. If anything happened to her health, Justin would likely hold him, the attending doctor, responsible. And that would mean extra work and overtime for him. Justin was unreasonable when it came to the people he cared about, especially Emma, who was practically his one true love. Zac just hoped Emma would have some sense and stop pushing herself with her fragile, undernourished body. He wasn’t thrilled to see her out and ab
“Who…who bit you?” Emma’s voice trembled as she asked.Justin was at a loss for words, his face tense. He shot a glance at Zac, silently pleading for help. Zac, who had been enjoying the unfolding drama, raised an eyebrow in surprise.“Seriously, man?” Zac thought. “You ditched Emma, your supposed one true love, to sneak off with another woman and even got bitten as proof? Now you want me to cover for you?”Justin’s gaze didn’t waver, clearly hoping Zac would jump in.With a resigned sigh, Zac figured he would better step in. That was what good friends were for, after all. Adjusting his silver-framed glasses, he flashed a small smile and looked at Emma. “Emma, that mark on Justin’s neck? Yeah, that was me,” he said casually. “Hope you don’t mind,” he added with a hint of amusement.Justin’s eyes narrowed, shooting Zac a glare that could cut steel. “I needed you to cover for me, not make it worse!”Zac, unfazed, avoided Justin’s gaze, feigning innocence. “Hey, it was the best
After finishing with the iodine, Zac wrapped the bite mark with a large adhesive bandage. “You two really know how to make things complicated, don’t you?” he muttered, tossing the packaging and used swabs into the trash.Justin’s face darkened in irritation. “Is that it? You just came here to nag?”“Alright, alright, I’ll drop it,” Zac conceded, raising his hands in mock surrender.Just then, Zac’s phone pinged with a message. He checked it, a grin spreading across his face, “Hey, didn’t you get a bunch of sparklers for Emma? Where’d you stash them? I could use a few.”Still in a foul mood, Justin wasn’t interested in gossip. He gave a quick nod towards a suitcase, barely looking up. “The code’s four zeros.”Zac opened the suitcase, found the sparklers, and pocketed a few. “Thanks,” he said, making his way to the door. As he left, he looked back and added, “And, uh, you might want to change that shirt. There’s blood on it.”Although Zac wasn’t a fan of Emma, he couldn’t just le
Emily accepted the bag. “Thanks.” She hadn’t expected Sean to be so quick. She had only just added him on her contacts, and he had already arranged for the medicine to be delivered. Without fuss, she took the bag and sent him a quick thank-you message on her phone. As she opened the bag, she noticed it didn’t just contain anti-inflammatory ointment. There were also packets of cold medicine and some sleep aids. Cold medicine? Tonight was as warm as summer, unlike the past few days when it had been cooler at night. The water wasn’t cold either, so she didn’t see the need for it. But the sleep aid was thoughtful. After her accident, she had developed a lingering fear of water, and being suddenly pulled into the pool had shaken her. This might help her settle before bed. She was impressed at how thorough Sean had been.The doorbell rang again, and when she opened it, there stood Sean, holding another bag of medicine with a smile. “Sean!” Emily exclaimed, surprised. She had tho
Not long after Emily replied to Mrs. Zimmer’s message, her phone buzzed again. This time it was Helen.“Hey, remember that little takeout place near my college? They’ve expanded and turned it into a full-fledged restaurant. It’s their grand opening today. After my afternoon classes, I’m grabbing double portions of their signature spicy fish and bringing it over for dinner!” Helen followed up with another message, “I’ll also get your favorite fried snacks and beer, extra spicy with sweet dipping sauce.” They both had similar tastes, especially when it came to bold, flavorful comfort food. Most people wouldn’t think twice about it, but Justin’s refined palate had no appreciation for such “casual” food. He also didn’t let Emily eat it. So whenever Justin was tied up with work or traveling, Emily and Helen would sneak off to enjoy their guilty pleasures. Over time, the two had tried nearly every takeout joint and food truck in Lincourt City. Still, nothing quite compared to
Emily looked puzzled. “You’re great too.”Unintentionally, she handed Justin a *nice guy* card. Receiving the *nice guy* card left Justin feeling frustrated. He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, his mind obsessing over her words. The next morning, Emily slept in until 8 a.m. When she woke, Justin was nowhere to be found. He must have gone to work. After washing up, she sat down to have breakfast. *In the special project meeting room, Emma sat discussing key points of the project’s development. Suddenly, a foul odor filled the room, making her feel nauseous. At first, she managed to suppress it, but soon, she couldn’t hold back and gagged audibly. The sound was jarring in the otherwise serious atmosphere. “Mr. Quinn, I need to step out to the restroom,” Emma said, quickly leaving the meeting room. Once she was gone, the team members didn’t hold back their complaints. “How are we supposed to get this project done when she’s like this all the time? It’s
It must have been Justin who orchestrated all this. Only he had the power and motivation in Lincourt City to swiftly bring Jack down. The official announcement of Jack’s termination from RC Corporation was delivered to all employees via email as a warning. Emma scrolled through her mouse, her expression darkening. She hadn’t expected Justin to go this far for Emily. “But what about me?” she thought bitterly. “What did I mean to him three years ago?”The office buzzed with chatter about Jack’s sudden dismissal. First, Jack’s secretary, Tina, was let go, and now Jack. Employees speculated wildly, suggesting it was part of internal power struggles among the upper management. Unbeknownst to them, Justin had already locked down the news of Jack’s involvement in Emily’s kidnapping. As Emma walked through the open office area, she heard fragments of gossip. As someone who knew the truth, their baseless assumptions irritated her. Wearing a sharp business suit and high hee
In the CEO’s office of RC Corporation, William stood respectfully in front of Justin, delivering his report. “Those men are a group of street thugs. They’re unemployed and survive by scamming people and committing petty crimes. After leaving the hospital last night, they used a public payphone to contact someone.“Tracing the number, we found the other party used a disposable phone card. When we looked into the bank account records tied to the payment, we discovered the funds were transferred internationally and then wiped from the records. Even after recovering the data, the identity linked to the account belonged to a local overseas resident.”The office was dimly lit, with Justin sitting behind his desk. He tapped his fingers lightly on the surface. “So, they’re experienced and left no trace behind,” he said in a low voice. William nodded silently. After a brief pause, Justin instructed, “Start by investigating the people around me.”Emily was an orphan with no known ene
“Come and go as you please? Do you think this is a playground?” Justin’s calm voice carried an unmistakable authority. The three men froze, their bodies stiffening as fear took over, their legs stopping in place on instinct. “W-what do you want?” one of them stammered, his voice trembling. Justin’s commanding presence was overwhelming, making their hearts pound with terror. They braced themselves, convinced Justin would order the bodyguards to deal with them. Their imaginations ran wild, and they were so scared they were nearly shaking. But to their shock, Justin simply let them go. *On a narrow side road outside the hospital, the three men huddled together, their faces filled with frustration. “What now, boss? The plan didn’t work. We couldn’t take the woman, and now we won’t get paid,” one of them muttered bitterly. “Damn it!” the leader of the group sighed heavily. They had been hired to pose as Emily’s biological father and abduct her. The plan was to a
Thinking about the promises they had been given, the men had no choice but to sit and wait.Justin had just finished a team meeting about the collaboration project with Wilfred and was on his way back to his office. As he walked, he felt his phone vibrate—a message from Zac. Glancing at it briefly, his brows furrowed instinctively. Sliding the phone back into his pocket, he handed the file in his hand to Sam.“I need to step out for a while. Reschedule the afternoon team meeting to an online session tonight.”“Understood, Mr. Yates,” Sam responded efficiently.Just then, Emma hurried after Justin with a file in her hands. “Justin, I have a question about something. I need your guidance.”Justin stopped briefly but didn’t take the file from her. Instead, his gaze shifted to Sam. “I’m heading out. If you have any questions, Sam can handle them.”With that, he strode toward the elevator, his pace quickening.“Oh…” Emma watched him disappear down the hallway, her gaze reluctant an
Biological father? Emily had lived as an orphan for the past three years, and she had never heard anything about her biological parents looking for her. Where did this ‘biological father’ suddenly come from? *“What’s all the noise about? Can’t I get a nap around here?” Richard, a night owl who often stayed up late and caught up on sleep during the day, groggily emerged from his room, running a hand through his disheveled hair, irritation clear on his face. One of the men spotted him and immediately said, “Young man, you’re just in time! Help me out here. The patient in this room is my daughter. I want to take her home, but these two thugs won’t let me. Where’s the justice in that?”He glared angrily at the black-suited bodyguards. “What you’re doing is illegal! If you don’t let me take my daughter, I’ll call the cops!”Richard, already grumpy from being woken up, scoffed. “Just because you say she's your daughter doesn't make it true. Stop making up nonsense and get los
Richard returned to his room, hacking into Jack’s accounts on his custom-built computer. After gathering the information, he forwarded it to Wilfred. Stretching lazily, he pulled the curtains closed and sprawled out on the bed for a nap.*After losing the argument with Justin over who would stay to keep Emily company, Helen decided not to head straight home. Instead, recalling Zac’s earlier complaints, she changed direction and made her way to the director’s office.“If Zac’s still working, that’s his luck. If he’s not, it’s not my fault I didn’t catch him,” she thought with a smirk.To her surprise, the ever-dedicated Zac was still working overtime.When she walked in, Zac looked up, genuinely surprised. “What happened to babysitting your inseparable twins? What brings you here? Feeling guilty for ignoring me?” he teased, feigning a resentful tone.“I wanted to, but your good buddy kicked me out,” Helen said, collapsing dramatically onto the couch.“So, it’s my friend’s fault,
Justin took off his suit jacket and sat nearby, watching them play cards for a while. Occasionally, when Emily hesitated over which card to play, he reached out and helped her choose, much to Richard’s frustration. “That’s not fair! You’ve got backup!” Richard protested. “You can get help too,” Justin replied calmly, sitting behind Emily with an air of composure. With Justin’s assistance, Emily grew more confident, her gameplay becoming increasingly bold. During the game, Justin realized none of them had eaten dinner yet. He hadn’t eaten at Heidi’s villa earlier, as he had rushed back to the hospital, and now he was feeling hungry as well. Taking charge, he volunteered to handle dinner arrangements. Justin, who typically relied on Sam to order food, naturally picked up Emily’s phone since he didn’t have the necessary apps on his own. When the food arrived, the three of them set their cards aside to eat. After dinner, Helen tried to stay the night, but Justin promptly