Emma Johnson coughed nervously, her throat dry. As Liam Williams's face darkened with fury, she could only pray silently that he wouldn't see through her lies.
"You weren't at the office at all. I went there at noon. Your colleague said you left this morning and never came back. Where did you go?" Liam gave her a chance. Why did she have to lie?
He chose to trust her again and again, and this was what he got in return.
Alexander Wilson's words echoed in his mind: Emma Johnson, that woman, can't be trusted.
Liam's head throbbed. The first thing he did after leaving the Park Hotel was to find Emma and demand an explanation.
He needed answers—something to help him sleep at night.
Instead, he got a crueler truth.
Emma wasn't in her office.
The city was so vast. When he was most anxious, helpless, and in pain, he couldn't find the one person he wanted.
Yet the city was also so small. When he was angriest, most desperate, and needed to vent his frustration, she appeared right in front of him.
Emma was terrified seeing him like this. Who would have thought he'd actually go to the company to find her?
Her biggest regret was lying and getting caught. Not even the heavens could save her now.
"I... I went to see a friend at noon. You... can I help you?" Emma asked softly.
What could be so urgent that Liam would come to New York Fashion Magazine himself?
Liam didn't answer. With a sharp smack, he tossed the paper in his hand onto the coffee table. The loud noise made Emma flinch.
His face was dark, his eyes dangerous. His jaw was clenched so tight Emma thought she could hear his teeth grinding.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Liam... you should have called my cell phone. I was near the office," Emma tried to explain, hoping to stop things from spiraling further.
Liam suddenly stood up and snorted. "It's dead."
"Huh? Let me check..." Emma lowered her head and rummaged through her bag. She found her phone—completely dead.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she turned the screen toward him. "No battery... Sorry, I didn't notice."
Liam stared at her coldly. His serious expression suddenly twisted into something bitter. "Oh? No battery?"
His tone sounded like both a statement and a question.
Then he glanced at her one last time, shoved his hands into his pockets, and lazily walked upstairs.
Emma Johnson, you can act even more convincingly.
When you can't make up a lie, you just blame it on a dead phone, right?
Liam's hands clenched into fists in his pockets. The moment he turned his back to her, his face went completely dark.
Emma stood at the bottom of the stairs for a long time. Finally, she bit her lip, gathered her courage, and went up.
When she reached their bedroom door, she took a deep breath. If she could, she really didn't want to go in.
But she knew what would happen if she did.
First, whatever had made Liam come to the company in person was definitely serious.
Second, how furious must he be after the CEO of a major corporation couldn't find her?
Third, she had no idea how long he'd been waiting for her in the living room. And on top of that, she had lied.
If she counted all her mistakes, given Liam's fierce temper, she'd be lucky to escape with her life.
Emma gently pushed the door open and peeked inside. Liam was sitting on the off-white sofa, staring at her coldly, a cigarette burning between his fingers.
She felt guilty under his gaze. She walked to the dresser with her head down, took off her bag, and removed her coat.
"Emma, let's talk." The room was already cool, but Liam's voice dropped the temperature to freezing.
Knowing she was doomed, Emma placed her coat on the bed and walked slowly to stand across from him. "I'm sorry... I didn't know you'd come to the company today."
"Don't apologize. If you haven't done anything wrong, you don't need to say sorry. If you have, you know the consequences. Apologizing won't help." Liam's deep, husky voice sent chills down her spine.
It felt like one wrong move and he'd tear her apart.
Liam looked at her and repeated his earlier question. "What were you doing outside? And with whom?"
"I went out to meet a friend. You don't know him," Emma answered truthfully.
Wasn't she supposed to stop lying?
She was telling the truth this time.
But the information was vague. She had many friends, and Liam naturally didn't know all of them.
Hearing this, Liam couldn't help but laugh bitterly. See? This is the woman you wanted to trust. She's full of nonsense. Even now, she's still hiding things.
Meeting a friend?
How vague. It seemed the person she met was important.
Liam took a long drag of his cigarette. His bloodshot eyes were filled with a terrifying intensity, and the whole room turned icy.
She would never know how many chances he had given her. Again and again, she pushed his limits, turning his once-soft heart into something cold and angry.
Fine.
Then don't blame me for being too harsh.
Liam didn't speak. He just stared at Emma solemnly. After taking off her coat, she was only wearing a plain white cotton T-shirt. Something seemed off...
Then his eyes locked onto the red bracelet on her wrist. He had never seen it before. The bright red color contrasted with her pale, slender arm, but Liam felt nothing good about it.
It was like it was mocking him. Mocking how she had used her innocent face to hurt him again and again.
His gaze was like a sharp knife, fixed on the red chain on her hand, as if trying to pierce through it.
Liam stayed silent. Emma started to panic. She lifted her eyes slightly and saw him staring intently at something on her body.
Following his gaze... Emma realized he was staring at the red bean bracelet on her left wrist.