The traffic officer glanced at the bodyguards in black suits around them before sternly addressing Justin.“You’re the ones blocking the entrance to Jupiter Land and causing the traffic jam, right? You’re in the wrong here, too.”“I apologize, officer. My younger sister is being difficult,” Justin said, nodding toward Sam to offer the officer a cigarette.The officer declined.“Don’t waste your time with these useless gestures. This is a warning. Pay attention next time!” With that, the officer walked away.Emily saw her chance to slip away behind the officer. But William quickly blocked her path, and Sam once again positioned himself by the car door.“Miss Yates, please.”The car sped down the road, heading toward the airport. With the flight time approaching, they were driving fast.Emily was stuck in the backseat, keeping as much distance as she could from Justin. She was already pressed up against the car door, fearing that Justin might snap again.“Justin, what do you w
Justin still hadn’t had enough of her, and his body still craved her. Once he lost interest, he would let her go naturally.Emily regretted falling into his trap. Now, all she could do was stay by his side and wait until the contract expired, then leave.At this moment, she had no idea what Justin was really planning.Whether it was his scent or the car moving too fast, Emily started feeling carsick. She felt incredibly nauseous.“Pull over! I’m going to throw up!” Emily slapped Justin’s arm.Justin, who had been resting with his eyes closed, was irritated at the disturbance. “We’re on the highway. How am I supposed to pull over? Just hold on.”She couldn’t hold it anymore!With a sudden “Ugh!” Emily threw up all over the car. Some of it even splashed onto Justin’s suit pants.“Emily!” Justin shouted angrily.The car reached the airport. Justin quickly opened the door, stepped out, and waved his hand in front of his nose, trying to get rid of the unpleasant smell.“Emily, was
After arriving at the hotel in Jacksonburg City, Emily suddenly felt hungry again.“Justin, are you hungry? How about ordering some takeout?” Emily flopped onto the sofa and started browsing takeout options on her phone.Justin set his briefcase down, his tie already off from the plane ride, and he began taking off his suit jacket.“Are you a pig?” he asked, clearly skeptical.With that, he headed to the bathroom to take a shower.Emily rolled her eyes at him as he walked away.When Justin climbed into bed, ready to sleep, Emily opened the takeout and started eating at the dining table.After finishing, she took a shower and came out to find Justin already fast asleep in bed.She walked over, grabbed the blanket, and tried to pull it off him, but it wouldn’t budge. Annoyed, she kicked him.It took a while, but she finally managed to yank the blanket over to her side.Justin lay on the bed, bare-chested.“Freeze to death,” Emily muttered under her breath.She grabbed the bla
“Well, he looks the part but acts disgracefully,” Emily muttered to herself.At the RC Corporation branch office, Justin insisted that Emily accompany him on his inspection.Wearing high heels and carrying a briefcase, Emily stood behind Justin like a secretary, listening as he spoke with the branch manager.They toured several key departments, and Emily followed Justin around all morning. Finally, around noon, the inspection was over.After lunch, Justin had a meeting in the afternoon. Emily was finally able to rest. She hadn’t worn high heels in days, and after walking around all morning, her feet were sore.She sat on the sofa in the lounge to relax. Spotting some pastries and snacks on the coffee table, she grabbed a few and made herself a cup of coffee.The lunch had been arranged by the branch manager, but the food wasn’t to her taste, so she hadn’t eaten much.While snacking and casually scrolling through her phone, she overheard some gossip from outside. Curious, she put
“Who took your photo? Don’t think that just because you’re close to the CEO, you can make baseless accusations without any evidence!” the male colleague snapped, refusing to admit it.“I-I…” Female Colleague B, stammered nervously, unable to come up with an excuse.Emily raised her phone confidently. “I overheard your entire conversation just now and recorded it. Taking photos of others without their permission and without a legitimate reason constitutes harassment. It’s a violation of privacy and could be considered a criminal act.”She pointed her phone at them. “If you don’t delete the photos, I can call the police and let them handle it.”Emily hadn’t actually recorded anything. She was just bluffing. But in public places, maliciously photographing others without consent or proper justification was indeed an invasion of privacy.Terrified, Female Colleague B trembled as she said in a shaky voice, “I’ll delete it! I’ll delete it right now!”She raised her phone, deleted the ph
Justin opened the male colleague’s social media app.“What’s the password?” he demanded.“Mr. Yates, I... I didn’t upload anything. I swear!” the male colleague finally realized how much trouble he was in, trembling with fear. “Do I need to repeat myself?” With a shaky voice, the male colleague gave Justin the password. Justin logged into the account and didn’t find Emily’s photos but did come across pictures of other women. It seemed they hadn’t been uploaded yet. He had no interest in the other photos and handed the phone to Sam. “Get someone from the IT department to wipe all the photos,” Justin said coldly. The male colleague hunched over, pale-faced, his eyes dull, looking like his world had just collapsed. “If you can’t manage this branch properly, I won’t hesitate to replace you!” Justin said, his voice sharp as he addressed the branch manager. The manager bent slightly and hurried to explain, “Rest assured, Mr. Yates, I will handle the branch well. This
Emily sat in the car and thought it through. Since she couldn’t escape for now, she might as well take care of herself, starting with a full stomach. There was no point in getting angry. Being mad wouldn’t solve anything. Finding a way to leave was the real priority.Her mood shifted quickly. When they arrived at the mall, Emily headed straight to the food court. It wasn’t a busy time, so the restaurant was quiet. Justin wasn’t hungry, but Emily devoured her meal with such intensity that someone might think he hadn’t been feeding her. After finishing her meal, Emily started shopping, swapping out her heels for a comfortable pair of flats. It was Justin’s first time accompanying a woman on a shopping trip. Not knowing what else to do, he followed behind, swiping his card to pay for everything and carrying her bags. Seeing that he could both pay and carry, Emily made sure to rack up his expenses, even picking up gifts for Helen and Mrs. Zimmer. She considered buying
Emily felt a sharp discomfort and raised her hand to slap the "bug" bothering her. “Smack!” Her hand landed hard, and the bug vanished. She wanted to go back to sleep.Unbeknownst to her, Justin had been kissing her neck. He hadn’t slept well the entire night. Even though Emily hadn’t touched him, her presence beside him, with her steady breathing, had been a constant temptation.By morning, his restraint had completely unraveled, and he couldn’t help himself any longer, deciding it was time for some early-morning "exercise."But before he could go further, Emily’s hand smacked his face.Already frustrated, his anger flared further. “Emily!” Justin growled, his voice deep and furious.Startled awake by his shout, Emily groggily snapped back, her morning irritability flaring. “What’s your problem?”She realized she was in the bed and immediately figured Justin must have carried her there. Annoyed, she sat up, intending to leave, but Justin grabbed her and pulled her back down.
Sean tightened his grip on his utensils, his knuckles turning white, barely suppressing the anger from being called out so directly. “I’ll grow. I’ll fix all of this in time,” he said through gritted teeth, his voice firm but strained. “You might grow, but Emily doesn’t need to waste her time waiting for you,” Wilfred replied calmly. Sean’s suspicion only deepened. Wilfred was clearly interested in Emily. “If I can’t give her happiness, what makes you think you can?” *Meanwhile, Zac left Heidi’s room once he was sure she was fully recovered. Walking from the hallway to the main hall, he scanned the crowd but didn’t see Emily anywhere. Had the Yates family driven her off? If Emily had gone to vent to Helen, Zac was sure Helen wouldn’t let this slide. The mere thought of Helen causing trouble for him sent a chill down Zac’s spine.Spotting Justin in the crowd, Zac waited until he wasn’t surrounded by others before approaching. “Where’s Emily? Did she leave? Aft
“Miss Yates?” Wilfred turned to Emily after Sean declined the invitation, his tone polite yet insistent. Emily hesitated, caught in a dilemma. She wanted to hear more about Haley’s artistic inspirations, but turning down Sean’s dinner offer only to accept Wilfred’s would feel wrong. Sensing her discomfort, Wilfred added with a calm smile, “Please, don’t feel obligated. I simply dislike owing favors.” That made sense. Though Emily didn’t know much about Wilfred’s background, his presence at Heidi’s exclusive birthday celebration hinted at significant influence. People of his stature likely avoided debts that could lead to unreasonable demands. But if anyone owed a favor here, it was Emily. Wilfred had helped her earlier by speaking up in her defense. With that thought, she spoke up. “Actually, it should be me treating you to dinner, Mr. Wilfred. After all, you helped me back in the room.” “Well then,” Wilfred said with a light chuckle, “as we say back in Haven State, i
“Mr. Wilfred,” Emily nodded politely. “What’s going on?”“Oh, we’re out of gas,” Wilfred replied with a small chuckle. “Trying to figure out how to get down the mountain.”The Mandale Hotel was nestled halfway up a coastal hill.“My apologies, Mr. Wilfred,” his assistant interjected, clearly embarrassed. “I completely forgot to refuel.”Emily hesitated, feeling awkward. She wanted to offer them a ride since Wilfred had just helped clear her name. But then she remembered that she hadn’t driven here. She had come with Sean.“You can ride with us,” Sean offered smoothly, breaking the tension.“That’s very kind of you. Thank you,” Wilfred said with a warm smile.The four of them climbed into the car. Sean took the driver’s seat, and Wilfred’s assistant quickly claimed the front passenger seat, leaving Emily and Wilfred in the back.Sean couldn’t help but feel a twinge of annoyance. He had wanted Emily in the front with him, not chatting away with Wilfred in the back.“So, Miss Yat
Emma hadn’t been intimate with Justin yet, and this was the one subject she absolutely couldn’t stand being brought up, especially not by Emily.Emily and Justin’s first time had been awkward. He was inexperienced, almost like a fumbling teenager, and his skills were lacking. But with time, he had grown more experienced and skilled.Snapping out of her thoughts, Emily’s eyes turned cold as she faced Emma. “If you’re so fond of used men, Miss Xander, you can have him.”With that, the elevator doors slid open. Emily stepped inside without sparing Emma another glance.As the doors closed, Emma’s face twisted in barely concealed fury.Inside the elevator, Emily cast her gaze downward, pressing the button for her floor with disinterest. Emma wasn’t worth her attention.When the elevator reached the ground floor, the doors opened to reveal Sean waiting outside. “Why are you here?” Emily asked, surprised. Sean looked mildly aggrieved. “I knew you’d try to sneak out without telling
“I heard about the incident and simply shared what I witnessed. I hope it helps with your investigation,” Wilfred said politely. Standing at 6'3", Wilfred easily looked past Justin’s shoulder to meet Emily’s gaze. He offered her a gentle smile and a nod of acknowledgment. Though Emily didn’t know Wilfred personally, she appreciated his willingness to testify on her behalf. Returning his nod, she smiled back in gratitude. “I’ve said all I know. I’ll take my leave now and let you handle your affairs,” Wilfred concluded, preparing to exit the venue. “Sam…” Justin began, intending to have his assistant escort their guest. “Justin, allow me to see Mr. Wilfred out,” Steven interjected, stepping forward eagerly. "Mr. Wilfred, let me accompany you," Steven offered with a tone of respect laced with flattery. "Thank you," Wilfred replied graciously. As they departed, Wilfred turned back briefly, giving Emily one final nod.Watching this, Emma tilted her head with feigned
“The surveillance footage caught it all!” Heidi exclaimed, tossing the tablet onto the floor near Emily.The thick carpet softened the impact, but the tablet landed screen-up, playing back the recorded footage. On the screen was a scene of Emily sitting on the sofa.“What do you have to say for yourself now?” Heidi demanded furiously.Zac, growing increasingly anxious, jumped in to defend Emily. “This doesn’t prove she poisoned anyone. It just shows she sat on the sofa. There’s no footage of her actually tampering with anything.“Besides,” he continued, “there were multiple glasses of wine. How would Emily even know which one Heidi would take?”Emily glanced at Zac with a look of gratitude.Heidi, however, was unmoved. “Zac, whose side are you on?” she asked, her frustration boiling over.“I’m on your side, of course,” Zac replied, his tone firm and righteous. “We can’t let the real culprit go unpunished. But maybe the poisoning wasn’t caught on camera, or the method used was so
Emily left the restroom, thinking about Justin’s promise to arrange a car for her to leave. She didn’t want to stay at the party any longer and decided to wait quietly in a corner while texting Sean to let him know she was heading out. As she waited, she noticed a group of people hurriedly carrying someone away from the area where she had been sitting earlier. The distance made it hard to see who it was, but she didn’t give it much thought.Bored, Emily continued waiting. Before Sam contacted her about the car, Sean appeared instead.“Why are you leaving so early, Emily? Are you still mad at me for tricking you into coming? I didn’t mean to upset you. I just didn’t want you clinging to Justin!” Sean’s voice was full of concern.Emily had been angry earlier, but her frustration had subsided. In truth, it was the hope of escaping Justin’s grasp that had lured her here. She now realized that leaving would be something she had to figure out on her own.“I don’t enjoy events like this
Zac placed some of the food residue in a bag for testing and instructed the hotel staff to clean up the mess on the floor. “How’s my mom?” Justin asked, his worry evident. “She’s out of danger for now but we’ll need to put her on an IV drip shortly.,” Zac replied, his tone reassuring. Hearing this, Justin finally exhaled in relief. “It appears to be poisoning, but we’ll need to test the food residue at the hospital to confirm,” Zac said, his expression grave. “From her symptoms, it seems like organophosphate poisoning.” “Organophosphate? You mean… pesticide?” “Yes. Fortunately, the dose she ingested was small enough to allow for rescue.” “Who could be so malicious as to try and kill Heidi?” Stella blurted out. “Can’t you keep quiet?” Justin’s uncle, Steven Yates, shot her a warning glare. Stella scoffed and rolled her eyes at her husband but didn’t press further. At that moment, the ambulance arrived at the hotel. The sirens were turned off to avoid drawin
“I was taking a dump,” Emily replied bluntly.Emma was momentarily stunned, her expression freezing. How could Emily be so uncouth, speaking so crudely?Without waiting for a response, Emily stepped past her and walked away.Emma glanced at the restroom entrance, her teeth gritting in frustration as her hand clenched tightly into a fist.*On a sofa by the side of the banquet hall, a group of well-dressed socialites sipped wine and nibbled on desserts while chatting. As soon as Emma left the room, their restrained conversation turned into gossip."Heidi, I must say, your son, Justin, is incredibly devoted. Three years, and he still can’t let go of Emma, even managing to bring her back into his life," one of the women remarked.The high-society circle wasn’t that large and any tidbit of gossip quickly spread.Heidi set her wine glass down, her expression sour. “Honestly, I wish he weren’t so single-minded. I don’t care if he finds someone of similar status or if it’s a business