Emily turned towards him, wrapping her arms around his well-defined arm, gently nuzzling her face against it. "Thanks for believing in me," she murmured, her voice light as air, her skin smooth and radiant against his.
Her casual touch seemed to have an unintended effect on Murray, even beneath the bath towel…
…
What happened afterward was a blur for Emily. There were no memories of a grand dinner on the mountaintop or a candlelit meal. It seemed like she was hastily fed something before being pulled into a night of intense "physical training" by Murray.
The next day, wary of her walk revealing too much to those who knew the signs, she did not return directly to school. With graduation imminent, she didn't want to stir up any more rumors.
Her graduation defense for the art program was scheduled in mid-May, with her thesis already submitted in early April. During thi
Murray placed a finger to his lips and chuckled softly, "Go on, tell me more."Not wanting to dwell on the sycophantic principal any longer, Emily switched the topic. She surveyed Murray from head to toe, smiling, "Aren't you hot?"The weather was splendid, with the sun shining brightly and the temperature likely around 27 to 28 degrees Celsius.Murray was dressed in a three-piece suit, its fabric a luxurious baby alpaca wool, which seemed overly formal for the occasion.Murray smiled and unbuttoned his suit jacket, handing it to Cornelius. He stood in a cream-white shirt and an apricot-grey waistcoat. Unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt, he casually rolled up the sleeves to his elbows, revealing his well-defined forearms. His long, straight fingers, with prominent knuckles faintly blushing beneath the pale skin, trailed blue veins that climbed from his hands to his exposed forearms, a sight of striki
"Ah?" Emily was momentarily stunned.Murray had already ascended the steps, insisting Cornelius pass Emily's mortarboard to him. He placed it upon her head, carefully adjusting the slightly skewed collar of her gown.He donned his suit jacket, tying his tie with meticulous precision, every button fastened impeccably. Gone was the arrogant air of a man with his hands thrust in his pockets, unsure of his opponent. Now, he stood with his hands neatly crossed in front of him, spine straight, the very picture of propriety.Emily pursed her lips, a hint of panic as she fussed with her hair, unconsciously straightening up and subtly inching closer to him.Thus, the pair posed for a "grand" photo in front of the library, their first truly meaningful photo since meeting.Cornelius, armed with a DSLR camera, snapped several shots. Eager to see, Emily reached for the camera only to have Murray snatch it away first. His towering height and long limbs gave him an advantage, leaving Emily to stand
Eyes locked in a mutual fury, the atmosphere teetered on the brink of hostility.Murray suddenly let out a light chuckle, straightening up and glancing at the white roses in Emily's hands. He approached Ronald, giving a light cough before speaking with a look of regret, "White roses symbolize pure, unique, and supreme love for one's beloved. Thus, they are only meant for the one you love the most.""Ron, your flowers may be expensive, but they lack this special meaning, and naturally, they can't compare."With these words, a silence fell over the three of them.Emily and Elton shared a glance, the unspeakable awkwardness.Ronald, repeatedly rejected by Emily yet not daring to offend her, was already boiling with rage. Murray's words only added fuel to his fire, directing his anger towards Elton.Especially knowing he was the man from Emily's diary, Ronald's fury burned even brighter. However, the angrier he got, the quicker he calmed down. He carelessly tossed the flowers on the step
Emily flicked her cigarette butt into the trash bin beside the flowerbed. "No more. Nobody knows I smoke, and I don't want to give it away."Ronald raised an eyebrow, giving a meaningful "Oh" in response.Emily smiled, "How about we be friends?"Ronald also smiled, "Sure."...When Emily entered the café, Elton was on a phone call. He waved at her as she approached.Emily walked over, hearing Elton say into the phone, "Emily's here. Let me ask her."Elton pulled the phone away from his ear but didn't hang up. He asked Emily, "My dad is asking about your graduation today. Are you free tonight to have dinner with everyone at home?"Emily grinned, "Of course, it's a happy occasion that definitely calls for a celebration at home.""Dad, you heard her. Tell Dora to prepare some of Emily's favorite dishes." He ended the call.Checking the time, Emily suggested that Elton have lunch at the school cafeteria, as it
At six o'clock, dinner was ready.Emily walked to the dining table and naturally sat at the end. Devin, seated at the head of the table, glanced at Odelia and gestured for her to switch seats with Emily. Odelia, not daring to protest, grimly moved to Emily's place.The table was indeed lavish, with most dishes being Emily's favorites.Before the meal, Devin raised his glass, "Congratulations to Emily on her graduation."Elton and Mignon also raised their glasses in congratulations, while Odelia just rolled her eyes, showing no participation.Devin, ignoring Odelia's reaction, turned to Emily with reddened eyes. "Emily, if your father were still here, he'd be so proud of you."Emily despised Devin's hypocritical, knowing how he had wronged her father. Her heart filled with hatred, and her grip on the wine glass tightened to the brink of shattering it. She long
Elton, as always, sought Emily's opinion first.Tired of their tedious tug-of-war, Emily didn't wait for Mignon to speak and expressed directly that she wanted to live independently."I'm 22 years old. I can't rely on you for everything. I need to learn to be independent," Emily said, fighting back her distaste to sound as pleasant as possible."I've arranged to rent a place with my roommate. It's economical, and we can look out for each other."Upon hearing this, Elton immediately objected. "Living with a roommate is different from school. Once you start working, your schedules won't align, and it can be uncomfortable. You don't need to worry about rent. I've saved some money over the years. I can't afford a mansion, but I can certainly buy you an apartment in the central district."Emily glanced at Yan's mother and daughter, who, as expected, looked visibly upset at the thought
Emily found it hard to gauge Devin's motives. With Boyce dethroned, it seemed odd he wasn't concerned about it but instead focused on minor details.She answered, "He said it's up to me."Standing up from his chair, Devin stepped forward and patted Emily's shoulder, his tone probing, "Does that mean your relationship with him might become strained?"Suppressing her discomfort, Emily explained, "Even if I don't move out, he doesn't visit the villa every day. My main concern is Elton will be suspicious. If he finds out about the deal behind all this, I fear…"She looked up at Devin.Devin's lips trembled imperceptibly. He knew his son's temperament all too well. If Elton discovered that Emily was the price for his CEO position and the Cromwell family's current status, there would be hell to pay."You're doing the right thing, the right thing indeed. Elto
The call momentarily took Emily aback. "May I ask what document this is about?""It's not something we can discuss over the phone. Could you please visit our office when you have time?""Alright." Hanging up, Emily felt an inexplicable sense of unease, standing still for a moment.Only when Elton called out to her from the car, "Emily," did she snap out of her daze and quickly walk over.Once in the car, Elton asked, "Why were you standing there so long after the phone call?"Emily forced a smile, "Just a friend needing some help.""That's good," Elton said as he leaned over to grab a paper bag from the back seat and handed it to Emily. "I saw these while driving to the hospital yesterday and thought of you. See if they still taste the same."Emily opened the bag to find it full of small rabbit-shaped biscuits. Her eyes welled up unexpect
In the coffee shop, Murray pushed aside his sugar-added coffee, a gesture Stacey noticed as her hand paused, spoon in mid-air. "What's wrong?""I never add sugar to my coffee," Murray said with a smile."Before..." Stacey started, then stopped, realizing the significance. What used to be was in the past; now it was a different story."Why did you ask me to come here?" Stacey dropped the spoon into the cup, a droplet of dark brown liquid splashing onto the white saucer, starkly visible.Murray looked puzzled. "Wasn't it you who invited me?"Stacey, half amused and half irritated, pulled out her phone, tapped a few times, and pushed it toward Murray.A message inviting her for a meeting, signed by Murray, flashed on the screen.Murray frowned; he had received a similar message from the same number. He dialed the number from Stacey's phone, which was quickly answered. "How is it going? Did Murray show up? Talk it out. After so many
"Is it well peeled?" Holding up the neatly peeled apple, Emily smiled with her eyes curving into crescents. "Look, I didn't break the peel even once."Elton opened his mouth but suddenly found himself at a loss for words. An invisible wall stood between them, unseen yet palpably separating them."Mr. Cromwell, may I come in?" Sandy stood at the door with her laptop, her arrival seemingly a rescue for Elton."Come in."Emily stood up. "If you need to discuss work, I won't intrude."Elton politely insisted it was okay for her to stay, but Emily mentioned that now that she, too, worked at the company, it was proper to follow protocol.Elton didn't press her to stay any longer.Before leaving, Sandy gave Emily a knowing wink, and Emily nodded in understanding.Once outside the hospital, Emily searched on her phone for the nearest mall. She planned to do some shopping. Ronald had called her, pleading for her to attend his mother's b
Entering the office, the supervisor perused Emily's file, her brows knitting into a tight knot. This resume was the most outlandish she had ever seen since joining the company. However, the more outlandish it was, the clearer it became that this girl was no ordinary employee.She gestured for Emily to sit, her tone softening slightly, "Your team members have formally accused you of malicious competition."As Emily predicted, those two must have claimed that she had hidden other members' reports to favor her own.Emily remained expressionless. "Was it Lydia or Karen?"The supervisor was taken aback by her directness. "Both of them have made allegations.""Oh," Emily nodded, meeting the supervisor's gaze calmly, "I assume you investigate such claims."The teacher's eyebrows lifted in surprise; the young lady didn't seem like a novice in the workplace. "Indeed, at Bucapital, a major company, we don't target any employee based solely on an accus
"Starting to check up on me now?" Murray teased as he playfully kissed Emily, pausing between each peck.Emily dodged his kisses with a smile, "If you're avoiding answering, you must have had dinner with a woman."Murray pinched her cheek lightly, "Even if there were women at the dinner, they were business partners. Does gender really matter?""Fair enough," Emily said, pushing his shoulders to sit up. "I have a question for you."Seeing her serious expression, Murray couldn't help but smile."Be serious, don't laugh," Emily chided, tapping his shoulder.Murray composed himself, waiting for her question."If, and I'm just saying if, someone made you choose between me and Stacey, who would you pick?"Murray frowned, "What kind of childish question is that?""Just answer me," Emily urged, shaking his arm.Murray squeezed her hand firmly, his voice cold, "I'd choose to eliminate the person forcing me to make that cho
Caught under the intense gaze of such a handsome man, Donna couldn't bring herself to look up, her face flushing like pomegranate seeds.Emily, noticing Humphrey's look, immediately understood his intentions. She swiftly pulled Donna behind her, speaking firmly, "I'm warning you, don't even think about it."With a puzzled expression, Donna thought to herself, 'The boss is interested in me? Is this really happening?'She discreetly poked Emily's waist, internally pleading, 'Please don't stop the boss from showing interest in me.'Emily, misunderstanding Donna's gesture as fear of offending Humphrey, reassuringly patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm here. He won't dare do anything to you."Humphrey raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to get a better look at Donna. As someone experienced in reading women, he was well aware of what they desired and confident in his allure.Humphrey snapped his fingers at Donna, tilting his chin suggestively,
As Elton left with Odelia, he avoided Emily's gaze. However, Emily stopped him with a smile, "You should go to the hospital first."Elton looked up, meeting her smiling face. She spoke with concern, but her eyes lacked their usual sparkling brightness. Suddenly, his steps felt unbearably heavy, as if they were laden with lead."Are you coming or not?" Odelia impatiently tugged at his sleeve.Regaining his composure, Elton sighed, hunched over, and slowly shuffled out."If you want to cry, just let it out," Humphrey, lounging on the sofa, his arm supporting his head, said to Emily with an amused smile.Emily sensed a change in the atmosphere after the two left. Humphrey's demeanor shifted from malicious mockery to a gentle familiarity, unintentionally lowering her guard.Standing for so long, her legs had become numb. Emily moved to sit on the sofa opposite Humphrey, her tone calm, "Why should I cry?"Humphrey, lips curled in a meaning
As he spoke, Humphrey paused briefly, his gaze unabashedly sweeping over Emily."Out of the two, one must stay with me today. As for who stays, you decide."He leaned back into the sofa, seemingly amused by his own game. Resting his chin on the back of his hand, he chuckled lightly.Emily looked at Elton, seeing him clench his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with anger.Clinging to Humphrey's leg, Odelia complained, "I'm your girlfriend; how can you say such things in front of me?""Girlfriend?" Humphrey laughed so hard his shoulders shook. He wrapped an arm around her, his voice soft but his eyes chillingly cold, "I have many pets, but certainly no girlfriend."Odelia turned pale, incredulous, "You see me as your pet?"Humphrey laughed again, "You're not even a pet, to be precise, a toy.""No, that's not true. You've
Emily donned a sleek, all-black ensemble, complete with a baseball cap, and just before stepping out, she clipped a pen to her waist.In the car, her thoughts were in turmoil. She hardly knew Humphrey, but it was clear that he was not someone to be trifled with.Yet, Elton had insisted on keeping the Cromwells in the dark. Contacting the police would blow their cover, so she pondered texting Murray for help but ultimately decided against it, not wanting to drag him into this messy affair.Parking on the Road, she didn't head straight for the back streets. A glance around revealed two traffic officers at the street corner, offering a slight reassurance.She then fished a tiny pepper spray from her pocket, holding it tightly in her palm, before venturing into the dark alley. Fortunately, it was short, and she emerged quickly.Outside, she spotted a tall, lean young man leaning agai
After work, Emily stepped out of the skyscraper, not wanting to return to the villa. She walked slowly along the sidewalk, the city lights just beginning to twinkle. The streets bustled with traffic, and the colorful lights on the overpass lit up like a rainbow arching over the city.The CBD, every inch of it worth its weight in gold, seemed like two different worlds by day and night. The aroma of various street foods wafted from the carts lining the road, stirring up a voracious appetite in passersby."The hustle and bustle of life, it truly soothes the soul," Emily thought, looking up and taking a deep breath. Then, she pulled out her phone and ordered a takeaway for two, hoping to share it with Donna.However, Donna was out at a dinner party.It seemed every time Emily called Donna. Lately, she has been at some social events. Emily couldn't help but wonder what kind of entertainment company Donna