Emma felt as though she had slept for an eternity. When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself lying in a room at Sunrise Manor.
She remembered being at the villa on Sunset Peak. How had she ended up back here in the blink of an eye?
She had no recollection of returning. Thinking back to what happened on Sunset Peak, it all felt like a distant dream.
"You're finally awake."
The door swung open, and a cheerful voice filled the room. Emma turned her head to see Liam entering.
"What happened to me?"
Looking at Liam, Emma still felt a bit dizzy, but she managed to stay alert.
"You were kidnapped by a crazy woman three days ago. After that, you developed a fever and have been bedridden until now."
Liam stepped forward and pulled the blanket up over Emma. She couldn't tell if it was her imagination, but she felt like Liam had lost some weight. Her fever must have been serious this time—it took her three whole days to wake up.
She was even seeing things wrong.
"That crazy woman?"
Emma caught the meaning behind Liam's words and asked quickly.
"Yes. Her husband was sentenced to death, and she miscarried the child she was carrying for over a month. She couldn't handle the blow and eventually developed intermittent mental illness."
Liam explained patiently, reaching out to touch her forehead. Thankfully, the fever had gradually subsided. God knew how he had spent these past few days. If Elijah hadn't said Emma's fever would last at least a week, he would have thought she might never wake up.
For the past two days, he had barely eaten. He had even moved his office to the manor, just to stay by her side and be the first to see her open her eyes.
After hearing Liam's explanation, Emma understood why the woman had tortured her that way. With a mental disorder, some strange behaviors were understandable.
She looked up, her eyes as clear as a spring but as deep as a blue pool. She stared at Liam for a long time without saying a word.
"What's wrong?"
Liam picked up the cold medicine from the side table, planning to give it to Emma. But he noticed she was looking at him thoughtfully.
"I've realized you never seem to stick to your original career."
Liam felt a jolt of shock at her words, but his face remained calm as he looked at her.
"Why do you say that?"
"If you were just the president of Pinnacle Corporation, how could you investigate the criminal who sold fake drugs that caused deaths? That's the police's job."
Emma took the medicine from Liam's hand, hesitated for a moment at the bitterness, then swallowed it with her eyes closed. She drank a large glass of water to suppress the taste.
Many experiences from her childhood had taught Emma that if she wanted to get better quickly, she had to obediently take her medicine and injections. Otherwise, she would only end up taking even more bitter medicine later.
So when she was awake, she was always cooperative when it came to taking medicine.
Liam breathed a sigh of relief and pretended to be casual.
"I just found out by chance and informed the police. It's not surprising—even an ordinary citizen would do such a thing."
Liam thought Emma would believe that.
But she just gave him a sidelong glance, as if he were a child trying to fool her.
"Do you think I'm three years old? This is a big case. If a man has the ability to sell illegal drugs from abroad, how could he hide for so long without connections and skills? How could you just stumble upon him by chance? Don't try to fob me off with a plot that only appears in Hollywood movies."
Liam fell silent, realizing he couldn't refute her.
After a moment, he spoke again slowly.
"I think you're a bit wasted as the editor-in-chief of New York Fashion Magazine. With your analytical skills, you'd be more than qualified to be a lawyer."
Liam said it sincerely.
"I don't want to be a lawyer."
Emma rejected the idea without hesitation.
"Why?"
"To be a qualified lawyer, sometimes you have to wipe out your conscience. I'd rather stay as the editor-in-chief."
Liam didn't argue with her logic, but he didn't say anything more about it either.
"Anyway, it's none of my business what you do. You're not going to find out who I really am, no matter what."
Emma felt a little tired, so she lay back down, pulled the blanket over herself, and planned to sleep.
"You're so confident."
Liam's voice came from beside her. If she had been paying close attention, she would have heard the complexity and conflict in his tone.
"Of course I'm confident. I'm a law-abiding citizen. When I cross the street, I personally help old ladies. How could I ever do anything illegal?"
Emma closed her eyes, yawned, and responded casually.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Liam's mouth, but it was filled with bitterness and helplessness.
After all this time together, how could he not see Emma's character? She was a typical woman with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Most of the time, her mouth was unforgiving, but her heart was kind.
But sometimes, the truth was always cruel. Even if she wasn't directly involved in illegal activities, she was tangled up with key figures who were. What Liam feared most was the day Emma would be used as a weapon and do something irreparable.
So he needed to keep an eye on her at all times—not just to monitor her contact with Fox Hunt, but also to ensure her safety.
That way, even if a year later she learned the truth and resented him, at least he could rest easy knowing she was safe.
"Brother, is sister-in-law asleep?"
A cautious voice came from outside the door. It was Amelia's voice, soft but still audible.
"She's already asleep. If you need anything, wait until she wakes up next time."
Liam's voice was low, afraid of waking Emma.
"I just wanted to see her, but it's nothing important. My sister-in-law is so unlucky—things always go wrong for her. And that day I broke my foot, I think everyone misunderstood her. I'm afraid she'll be angry with me."
Amelia's voice was filled with unease and worry.