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
Sometimes, the three of them played cards together, but other times, Helen would slip away to meet up with the new guy she had just met.Over the past couple of days, Emily had gone out of her way to avoid Justin, and luckily, they hadn’t crossed paths again.In the parking lot, Helen’s car was still damaged from the accident and had been towed for repairs. Sean offered to arrange a car and driver to take them home.Helen was impressed. “Wow, Sean! I didn’t expect this. You’re really stepping up!”Sean had been quick and generous with the compensation, and arranging a car for their ride home was a nice touch. After spending these last few days with him, Helen, who wasn’t one to hold a grudge, had completely forgiven him.Sean flashed a bright smile, his youthful face beaming. “It’s the least I could do.”He called his friends over to help load Emily and Helen’s suitcases into the trunk. If he hadn’t had plans with his buddies, he would have driven Emily home himself.Emily and H
“Let me help you pack, Justin,” Emma offered cheerfully.“Alright,” Justin replied casually, though he felt a bit uncomfortable letting someone else handle his things. He didn’t want to make her feel self-conscious by saying anything, so he just let her go ahead. It was just a few clothes, after all.Once Justin’s suitcase was packed, Zac arrived with his own luggage to meet up with him. The three of them headed out together.On the way, Zac was constantly checking his phone, grinning from ear to ear as he responded to messages, clearly in a great mood. When they reached the parking lot, Zac and Justin said their goodbyes, each heading to their own car, as their routes back were different.Justin acknowledged him with a nod. Carrying both his and Emma’s suitcases, he walked over to the car. His bodyguard, William, pulled up, got out, and took the luggage to load into the trunk.“Mr. Yates, the car is ready,” William announced.Justin nodded. William opened the back door and wai
Justin didn’t offer any explanations, and Emma didn’t ask for any. They both understood the unspoken things between them, and as long as Justin chose her, that was all that mattered.Over the past few days, Justin had been by her side almost constantly. Aside from necessary work obligations and sleeping separately at night, they had spent nearly all their time together. However, there was one thing that left Emma feeling unsettled.Despite being together, they hadn’t made any real progress physically. The most they had done was hold hands or share a few light embraces. It wasn’t that she was in a rush to take things further. She still had other matters to address first. What truly bothered her was that Justin hadn’t clearly defined their relationship.Without an explicit confession or being officially declared as his girlfriend, she felt like she was stuck in a gray area. To her, it was essential to secure a defined role as his partner. Only after Justin acknowledged her publicly
Justin looked at Emma’s thin face, his brows furrowing with concern.“She’s way too skinny,” he thought.Glancing at his watch, he said, “I’m out of time. I need to go.”“I’ll walk you out,” she offered.Emma walked him to the elevator, watching as the doors closed and he disappeared from view. She returned to her apartment, shut the door, and immediately pulled out her phone.The first thing she did was search for hospitals online, deliberately avoiding Lichfield Hospital. She found a public hospital and booked an appointment for a Hymenoplasty. The confirmation appeared on the screen, and she let out a satisfied chuckle, her eyes glinting with a hint of triumph.Meanwhile, back in the car, Justin leaned back in the seat, exhausted, as William drove. Justin rubbed his temples and sighed deeply, clearly worn out. He hadn’t been sleeping well these past few nights. Every time he managed to fall asleep, he would dream either about Emily falling into the pool, with him unable to r
Harry was using a shell company to tap into RC Corporation’s resources and connections to run his own ventures. It seemed he was planning to launch his own international trade company to compete with RC Corporation. Ten billion dollars? That was a bit on the low side. Harry must have privately invested shares into LS Enterprise.“Deny the loan and return the appraisal report along with the file,” Justin instructed, handing the documents back to Sam. “No need to include the investigation results.”He was still giving his uncle some leeway, choosing not to expose his misdeeds directly.“Yes, Mr. Yates.“The urban development project we bid on with the Northport city government has been completed, and the inspection is scheduled for the 21st. You’re invited to attend.“And there’s a lunch meeting with the CEO of YY Global on the 20th, and the afternoon is open, so we can arrange a private flight to Northport,” Sam continued, glancing at his watch. “In about fifteen minutes, there’s
Harry's eyes flashed with malice. After hearing Harry’s suggestion, Justin glanced at him briefly before shifting his gaze to Mr. Ziegler, who looked smug. “So, this is the plan after the loan was denied?” Justin thought. As the Vice President of RC Corporation, Harry had been trying to siphon off company funds through a shell company. It seemed his uncle was getting sloppy with age.Over the years, Harry's projects had become less and less profitable, while he been lending more and more money to his questionable friends. Justin had turned a blind eye, largely out of respect for his grandfather. If it weren't for that, Harry would have been removed from his position a long time ago, replaced by someone more competent.“Mr. Ziegler certainly has experience, but he’s been overseeing the traditional sectors. A project focused on developing new energy technologies is better suited to someone younger,” Justin replied calmly, his authority undeniable.Despite being publicly oppose
“The antacid is gone. Bring me a new box,” Justin said, his voice weaker than usual. He had always assumed the company kept it in stock and hadn’t given it much thought.Sam stood there awkwardly, clearly hesitant to speak.Justin frowned impatiently. “What are you waiting for? Go get it.”After a moment of deliberation, Sam finally spoke up, “Miss Emily was the one who always arranged the antacid for you.”Every time Justin was close to running out, she made sure to have more ready ahead of time. Now that he and she were no longer together, naturally, she wouldn’t be sending any more. But Sam was tactful enough not to say that part aloud.Justin froze. He hadn’t realized Emily had been quietly taking care of that for him.“I’ll go get some medicine right away,” Sam quickly offered, noticing the shift in Justin's expression.Left alone in the office, Justin’s gastric pain grew worse as frustration began to creep in. He had resolved to erase Emily from his life, to act as if she
“Being the boss sure comes with a lot of responsibilities and stress,” Mrs. Zimmer said with a warm smile.Since Justin hadn’t come back yet, Emily decided to pass the time by turning on the TV. She connected her phone to the screen and started streaming a drama. Sitting on the couch with Mrs. Zimmer, they shared some fruit while waiting.Seven turned into eight, then eight-thirty. By the time it was almost nine, Justin still hadn’t shown up.Mrs. Zimmer yawned repeatedly and stretched her legs, shaking off the numbness from sitting too long. “Do you think he’s caught up in a last-minute meeting and can’t make it back? He’s done that before.”Justin occasionally had meetings that ran late, but he usually arranged for Sam to call ahead and let them know. He would never leave them waiting like this without a word.Emily pulled out her phone. “Let me call him and check.”The dial tone rang endlessly, but no one picked up. Frowning, she walked to the window, looking out at the glowin
If Emily found out about this, what would happen? Justin couldn’t bear to imagine it. A sudden wave of fear washed over him at the thought of her learning the truth. That night, Justin had been drunk at the gala. He had no memory of how he ended up in the room or how anything happened with Emma. The only thing he remembered was waking up the next morning to find Emma lying naked beside him, the sheets messy and stained with blood. “Justin, it’s not your fault, it’s mine,” Emma had said tearfully the next day, her beautiful eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I took the morning-after pill, but if I had taken it a bit earlier, maybe none of this would have happened.” She wiped her tears as they began to fall, her voice trembling as she blamed herself. Her tone softened, becoming almost pitiful. “I know you’re with Emily now. I don’t want to be the reason she misunderstands you or comes between you two. I’ll…I’ll terminate this pregnancy…” Emma was in tears, sobbing so hard
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