Noah Taylor left the room, pulling the door shut behind him.
Isabella Miller pressed her palms against her face.
Tears glistened in her eyes. She lowered her head, staring at the gauze wrapped around her wrist, a cold smile curling on her lips.
Hmph. Noah Taylor, do you really think I'd believe your lies? Your heart no longer belongs to me.
But I won't let you be with Emma Johnson. Not only that—I'll make sure Emma divorces Liam Williams. She won't stay a wealthy wife.
Emma Johnson, I want you dead.
In the chilly air, Isabella clenched her teeth and muttered under her breath.
"I just don't understand why Isabella is so extreme. Even if she broke up with Noah, it's just a heartbreak. Why does she have to act like she's dying? If something really happened to her tonight, wouldn't I be the one to blame?"
Emma Johnson's voice was filled with anger and frustration. She couldn't help venting to Liam Williams in the car.
"Don't worry about what she thinks. You were kind enough to come here today."
Liam placed one hand over Emma's clenched fists. His broad palm warmed her.
Emma could only sigh. Lately, she felt like she didn't know her cousin anymore. In the past, Isabella always tried to humiliate her. Now, she kept apologizing for past mistakes. But things were already broken beyond repair. Did Isabella really think she could erase all the harm she'd caused?
Emma shook her head, refusing to dwell on it.
The next day, news of Isabella's wrist-cutting suicide attempt spread like wildfire. Within a day, she had gained countless sympathizers.
At the same time, the history between Emma and Isabella was dug up again. But thanks to Liam's influence, it was quickly suppressed. There wasn't much public backlash. Isabella's agency claimed it was her personal matter, unrelated to anyone else. So Emma didn't face the same criticism as before. Still, Isabella gained a huge fan following from this incident.
Because of this, Isabella's popularity skyrocketed, and her workload increased.
When William Thompson saw the news about Isabella, he couldn't help but sneer. He still remembered their last meeting. That woman looked like an icy beauty, always keeping people at arm's length. But his experience told him she was far from simple.
He recalled that when he'd hinted at his intentions, Isabella hadn't agreed, but she hadn't refused either. She'd looked at him with a beautiful smile and asked slowly,
"If one day I need your help, Mr. Thompson, will you give it to me?"
Of course, he'd promised. But he never expected that the favor she'd call in a few days later would be used for—
Still, a woman like that only intrigued him more. A woman too simple to enjoy was boring, wasn't she?
William immediately ordered a large basket of flowers sent to Isabella. At home, Isabella stared at the flowers from William, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Her beautiful eyes flickered with unknown thoughts.
"Who sent the flowers? Such a big basket."
Noah returned and asked curiously, without any hint of jealousy.
"William Thompson, the chairman of Summit Group. I did a show for his company before. It's just a courtesy."
Isabella made up an excuse. She knew William had bad intentions toward her, but she didn't want Noah to know. Besides, Noah probably wouldn't care much anyway.
"Summit Group?"
Noah thought about it. William Thompson owned the biggest nightclub in the city. Although his company wasn't as big as Pinnacle Corporation, it was still one of the best. And William was a man who walked both sides of the law. Maybe if Noah got close to him, his future would be brighter.
His family wasn't poor—they owned a villa—but his father was just a nouveau riche. In this city, money without power was useless.
If he could get in with William, not only would business be easier, but he'd also have the capital to compete with Pinnacle Corporation.
Then, he was sure Emma would see him again. Compared to Liam, he and Emma had seven years of love and countless memories that Liam could never match.
Staring at the flower basket, Noah began to form his own plans.
The next day, when Emma went to visit Emilia Clark, she noticed that Emilia's face had a bit more color than the day before. Curious, she asked why.
"I found a suitable bone marrow donor," Emilia said with a smile.
Emma was genuinely happy for her.
"That's wonderful. You'll be healthy soon."
Emma held Emilia's hands. Emilia nodded, smiling. But Emma didn't notice the flicker of hesitation in Emilia's eyes—a hesitation that quickly disappeared.
"Sister Emma, thank you for caring about me all this time. Especially when my mother was so devastated. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't comforted her."
Emilia handed Emma a glass of water, expressing her gratitude.
Emma wasn't thirsty, but she took a sip and set it down. Disappointment flickered in Emilia's eyes.
"It's nothing. Just a small gesture."
"By the way, Sister Emma, I heard from the people in the next ward that there's a new cake shop across the street from the hospital. The cake is delicious, and the juice is great too. If you have time, shall we go try it?"
Emma thought she had plenty of time, so she agreed. Besides, the cake shop was very close to the hospital, so it wouldn't be a burden on Emilia's health.
They went together.
When they arrived, it was afternoon, so there weren't many people. They found a seat by the window. During their chat, Emma excused herself to the restroom. Emilia used that moment to drop a white pill into the orange juice Emma had just ordered. The pill dissolved like an effervescent tablet, leaving no trace.
When Emma returned, she picked up the orange juice and drank nearly half of it. Emilia finally relaxed.
She began to think about how to get Emma to keep taking the pills if she didn't drink water again.
What Emilia didn't notice was that outside the window, across the street, a figure was silently watching her.
Those eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth. When the figure saw Emilia drop the pill and Emma drink it, a satisfied smile finally appeared on their face. It seemed that Emilia, though a sick girl, was still very useful.
Soon, after confirming everything, the figure disappeared around the corner of the street.
Just as quietly as they had arrived.