Isabella Miller buried her face so deeply that no one could catch the fury blazing in her eyes.
The icy aura around her seemed to freeze her in place. She silently stared at the sleeping man, her fists clenching tighter by the second.
Emma Johnson, you pushed me to this.
I will make you pay.
Windsor Manor.
Just as Emma Johnson was getting ready to head out, Amelia White knocked on the door and walked in without waiting for permission.
"How are you doing, sister-in-law? Father and I are heading straight to Las Vegas Entertainment City later. If you need anything, make sure to reach out to us."
"I know, Xiaoyue. Take good care of Father today."
"Of course, don't worry. I will." Amelia's promise came easily.
But after taking a few steps, she stopped and turned back. "Sister-in-law, are you sure you can really take care of my brother? He has such a terrible temper. I'm worried you might not be able to handle him." Amelia tried to sound casual, but her words carried a hidden meaning.
Emma wasn't foolish. She caught the implication immediately.
To be honest, she had been terrified of that man at first.
She had witnessed Liam Williams' explosive rage more than once.
If Amelia had said this a few months ago, Emma would have agreed without hesitation.
Who could tolerate Liam's violent temper?
But now?
Emma had long since learned just how dangerous this man could be. He had nearly cost her her own life.
Emma narrowed her eyes slightly. "Xiaoyue, it seems you know Liam better than I thought. But don't worry. I'll take good care of him. Besides, I'm well aware of his temper. I'm getting used to it."
Amelia hadn't expected that response. Her eyes widened in disbelief, though she quickly masked it with a cough. "Then I'm relieved, sister-in-law. You're so good to my brother."
With that, Amelia glanced at the wide bed in the room, her eyes flickering with envy and jealousy.
This woman got to sleep beside her brother!
Emma watched Amelia leave, a strange unease settling in her chest.
But when she looked up and saw Amelia's innocent expression, she sighed inwardly.
Maybe she was just being paranoid.
She picked up her phone and checked the time. It was noon Beijing time.
Almost time to go. The makeup session would take about two hours.
Right on schedule.
Emma slipped her phone into her bag and headed downstairs.
For some reason, the text message from Noah Taylor suddenly crossed her mind.
No sadness. No regret.
It was good. Noah had finally let go of the past.
And she had finally moved on from that shadow.
Emma and the driver, Matthew Clark, arrived at the Mona Lisa wedding dress shop around one o'clock.
Olivia Davis and Mia Lewis were already waiting for her.
There was no rush. Emma accompanied them to pick out bridesmaid dresses before finally sitting down for her own makeup.
"Weiwei, let me ask you something. Are you feeling especially nervous, excited, or thrilled right now?" Olivia sat beside her, exaggerating her tone.
"Cut it out. It's just a wedding. Why would I be that dramatic?" Emma pretended to be relaxed, though her heart had been a mess for a long time.
"Yeah, Jingjing, don't scare her. Weiwei is easily spooked. If you keep talking like that, her legs might go weak." Mia chimed in, sounding like she was defending Emma, but her tone didn't feel entirely friendly.
Olivia had grown up with Emma. Her thoughts were always written all over her face.
You're not nervous?
"So... who's the best man today? Weiwei, do you know?" Olivia's voice came from behind.
"Oh, you know Ethan Davis, don't you?" Emma finally had a chance to get back at Olivia. Everyone knew Olivia's biggest fear was her boss, Ethan Davis.
"I already guessed that. I thought Liam might pick some fresh young thing as the best man so I could have some fun teasing him. But now? The devil himself is the best man. That instantly killed my interest."
"You think too much. A dark and dangerous man like Liam wouldn't have the kind of fresh meat you're looking for. But honestly, I don't think Ethan is as bad as you say. Sure, he's a bit of a playboy..." As she spoke, Emma suddenly remembered the scene at the Plaza Hotel last time.
It was clear there was no shortage of women around him.
Rich people really knew how to play. Changing women was as fast as changing clothes.
"You probably don't know this, but the thing I hate most in life is playboys. They're scum." Olivia said quietly, the mention of Ethan making her whole mood sour.
Mia hadn't met the Ethan they were talking about, so she sat quietly, listening and occasionally adding a word.
Suddenly, the quiet wedding dress shop was filled with the laughter of three women.
"I need to tell you something important, Jingjing. Did you know the Williams family has a daughter?" Emma thought of Amelia inexplicably and swallowed before continuing seriously. "She's not blood-related, but she was adopted by Henry Williams a long time ago. Her name is Amelia White..."
"What?" Olivia and Mia said in unison, their eyes wide with surprise.
Olivia frowned. "I've never heard of anyone like that. Why haven't you mentioned this before?"
"I only saw her last night. Liam never told me before. I'm just wondering, how could there be someone I didn't know about?"
"What's she like? Does she seem easy to get along with? I'm worried she might bully you..." Mia could barely finish her sentence.
"She's okay. Liam said she's just a little spoiled. She looks small and has a sly look in her eyes. She's not that annoying, but..." Emma paused and continued, "it seems she's very close with Liam's two brothers."
"Isn't that normal? They're siblings after all. Are you worried about them being too close?" Olivia said with a hint of disgust.
"It's because they're so close that I feel the atmosphere is a little strange..." Emma didn't know what was wrong with her, but she felt Amelia wasn't that simple.
Especially the way she looked at Liam. Was she imagining things?
Was she really overthinking this?