Chapter 3

Emma's POV 

Once I got into my small car, I sat for a whole minute, just breathing deeply, 

What was Ryan doing here? And how on earth did he find out where I was? Does he know about James? 

No, of course not, or he would have asked me. 

He must not come to know about him. I shook my head and called James. 

" Hey, honey! " 

" Mom, why were you not picking up the call? " 

" I am sorry, I was in a meeting. " 

" I am missing you, Mom. I do not want to stay here, please keep me with you. I can study there. " 

" I am too busy to take care of, my son. But soon, I will do something about it. " I lied to him. I might have thought of getting him back here, but now that Ryan was here and I quit the job, I would have to find a job, or I would not be able to pay his fees. 

Under no situation could I bring him back here as Ryan would not leave me alone for some time. 

Trying to steady my trembling hands enough to start the engine. My entire world had just been upended, and the shockwaves were still reverberating through my mind, leaving my head buzzing.

I should have called Hazel and Henry last night. Actually, I’d meant to—but my flight from France had been delayed, and when my friend offered me a bed for the night, sparing me the hassle of driving across London in rush hour, I accepted gratefully. We had a bath, shared a meal, and polished off one of the bottles of wine we’d brought back...

"Damn, damn, damn..." I muttered under my breath, turning around to pick up the bag of gifts I’d carried in earlier. I placed it beside the enormous rucksack in the middle of the back seat, which was surrounded by bags of wine and boxes of Belgian chocolates I’d brought back as presents. Shrugging off the jacket to the suit I’d borrowed from my friend, I flung it onto the passenger seat and finally started the engine.

I had to see Henry. It was ironic, really, that all this had happened during the first real holiday I’d had in years. I thought miserably about the timing as I navigated my car out of the small car park and onto the busy main road.

The urge to see Henry was overwhelming, so when I reached their cottage, I stopped the car in front of the house. It was ten o’clock by the time I pulled up outside their large three-storeyed terraced house in a wide, pleasant street. I gathered the gifts I’d brought for both Henry and Hazel, took a deep breath, and pressed the doorbell.

Hazel opened the door and immediately enveloped me in a warm hug, ushering me inside. She led me through the house to the back garden, where Henry was seated.

“Aww... It’s so good to see my favorite girl, how is James?” Henry said, smiling as he saw me. I returned the smile, though it felt a bit forced.

A few minutes later, I found myself seated in a cushioned cane chair in the garden, a box of tissues at my elbow and a steaming cup of coffee in front of me.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cry on you…” I apologized, dabbing at my eyes.

Hazel bent down and pulled me closer to her maternal bosom, while Henry shook his head from his spot opposite me. “It’s our fault, really. It must have been such a shock for you. Apart from leaving a message for you to ring us when you got home, and the letter, of course, Henry didn’t want to spoil your vacation. You needed it. Did you have a nice time with James?” Hazel added as an afterthought.

“Lovely,” I replied, dismissing ten days of fun and laughter with a single word.

“And you only found out about the merger when you went in this morning?” Hazel asked anxiously. I nodded.

“And did Ryan explain it fully?” Henry asked now. I shook my head.

“I couldn’t have refused, offers like that don’t come every day. Besides...” He paused, glancing at Hazel, who nodded encouragingly. “I haven’t been too well recently, and this seemed like a chance to get out of the rat race and have a few years enjoying ourselves before we’re too old.”

“What do you mean, ‘not too well’?” I was shocked. Henry was the last person who’d ever admit he was less than one hundred percent fit.

“We haven’t told the children, for the same reason we didn’t tell you—we didn’t want you all worrying yourselves to death. But that time three months ago when he had a week off with the flu, it was actually a minor heart attack. Very minor,” Hazel added hastily, trying to downplay it. But I was still stunned.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked faintly. “I could have helped.”

“I wanted to,” Hazel said quickly. “But you know Henry. He loves you like one of our own, and he didn’t want you worrying—”

“Or fussing,” Henry cut in wryly. “Hazel did all the fussing that was necessary, believe me.”

“How long has this takeover been on the table?” I asked numbly, feeling as though the ground was shifting beneath my feet.

Henry was ill, with heart trouble? My God!

“The offer came the day you left for your vacation. It seemed good, and when it became concrete, I jumped at it. It was almost double what the business was worth. I don’t know why he offered so much. He’s a financial expert; he must have assessed our worth in seconds. So why did he do it?”

Because... Anyway.

“Anyway, he’s the future, and I’m the past. You can’t fault the man’s business acumen. I just want to enjoy the rest of my life with Hazel,” Henry said, his voice heavy with finality.

“I see.” My heart sank deeper and deeper.

It had been Henry who’d insisted on the opt-out clause, and I’d accused Ryan of everything. I told them how I’d reacted, and they were upset, horrified, bewildered—blaming themselves. I tried to make them believe it was the best decision they could have made. I would talk to Ryan again and apologize.

Oh, but I’d rather die than work with him.

I reached my home—a small, but well-furnished one-room apartment. After changing into something more comfortable, I climbed into my bed, thinking it might be time for a change of place and job. At thirty-one, I’d have to start from scratch again.

Financially, I was secure thanks to my other dream profession. I was a well-known fashion designer, but I’d had to leave that life behind and run because of a couple of MCPs. My father, my brother-in-law, and Ryan. But mostly Ryan. And now that he had found me... I couldn’t stay here any longer.