"Elijah, what's wrong with you?"
Emilia Clark stared at the sudden chill that had swept across Elijah's face, her own features creased with worry.
"It's nothing. Emilia, go back and get some rest."
Elijah snapped out of his daze, offered her a brief reassurance, then turned and walked away down the corridor. Instead of heading upstairs to his office, he stepped straight into the elevator, still in his white coat.
Emilia watched the elevator indicator light descend. A faint, fleeting smile touched the corner of her lips before vanishing.
Emma Johnson was just about to settle in for the night when her phone rang. Seeing Elijah's name on the screen, she frowned. It was already evening. What could be so urgent?
She answered, and his voice came through, thick with anxiety.
"Emma, I'm parked outside Sunrise Manor right now. Come out. I need to see you."
"See me? Why?"
Emma was confused.
"I heard you were hurt."
Instinctively, Emma reached up and touched her forehead. Before she could even wonder how he knew, his voice came again, more urgent.
"Emma, are you scared of something? Don't be. I'm right here. If you can't come out, I'll come in right now."
Emma had no idea what had gotten into Elijah. She wasn't afraid of anything.
But it wasn't a good time for him to come inside, so she agreed to go out and meet him.
Just as she hung up, she turned to grab a coat and froze. Liam Williams was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her with a knowing smile in his eyes.
"Liam?"
"What's this? At this hour, who are you going out to see?"
He had clearly heard every word of her conversation with Elijah. Emma knew there was no point trying to hide anything from him. After all, this was Sunrise Manor—his territory.
"Elijah heard I was hurt from somewhere and came to see me. I can't exactly refuse to meet him."
Emma looked at Liam, embarrassed. It was just a quick meeting outside. There was no need for him to be so guarded.
"What if I say no? You stay home and rest. I'll go see him for you."
Before Emma could respond, Liam slammed the door shut, leaving her alone in the bedroom.
Emma stood there, stunned. What was he doing? It was just a quick meeting with Elijah. Was this really necessary?
She walked over to the door and tried the handle. It was locked. Emma was dumbfounded. Liam really didn't want her to see Elijah. But whenever those two met, it always ended badly. If she wasn't there to mediate, she had no idea what might happen.
She started pounding on the door, but she suspected the servants had been given orders. She could clearly hear footsteps passing by, but no one came to unlock it.
Meanwhile, Liam had reached the entrance of Sunrise Manor. He spotted a car parked a short distance away. Elijah was leaning against it, his usual calm demeanor gone. He was still in his hospital coat.
Hearing footsteps, Elijah turned around, a flicker of hope in his eyes. But when he saw Liam, his face fell.
"What are you doing here?"
"Why wouldn't I be here?"
The air crackled with tension between the two men.
"If you want to see my wife, shouldn't you ask her husband for permission first? You may have known her since childhood, but she and I are the ones who are closest now."
Liam's cold, deep eyes were like a frozen lake. He was practically grinding his teeth.
"Closest? You've only been married for such a short time. How could you possibly have a bond like the one Emma and I share? Besides, in my heart, I've never considered you her real husband."
Elijah's eyes were full of provocation, more blatant than ever before. Liam let out a cold laugh, his gaze dripping with contempt.
"It's a done deal. Our marriage certificate is legally binding. Denying it is just wishful thinking on your part."
Elijah could no longer contain his rage. He lunged forward, throwing a punch at Liam's face. But Liam was faster. He dodged effortlessly and landed a solid blow to Elijah's jaw.
Elijah staggered back, tasting blood in his mouth. He spat it out and glared at Liam.
Liam's lips curled into a dangerous smile.
"I thought you were just a doctor. But you've got some skills. Impressive."
A dark glint flashed through Elijah's eyes before disappearing. He smiled back at Liam.
"Just for exercise. If Mr. Williams has any experience studying abroad, he'd know that Chinese students always pick up a few sports to stay in shape. Otherwise, it's easy to fall behind."
"That makes sense."
Liam raised an eyebrow, his sarcasm unmistakable. Elijah didn't care about that now. He fixed his gaze on Liam.
"If you really care about Emma, why do you keep putting her in danger? I need to see her today. I need to know how badly she's hurt. Liam, don't try to stop me. You won't succeed."
His voice was a low, dark warning. Liam was unimpressed.
"That depends on whether you have what it takes."
A cold autumn wind swept through, but it was nothing compared to the chill radiating from the two men.
Back in her bedroom, Emma was frantically twisting the doorknob, sweating with anxiety. Half an hour had passed. There was no way Liam and Elijah had just been talking for that long. They must have gotten into a fight.
She had to get out. But that damn Liam had even taken the key to the bedroom door. She couldn't jump from the balcony.
That would be suicide.
"Sister-in-law, are you in there?"
A clear voice rang out from outside the door. Emma's eyes lit up. Finally, a ray of hope.
"Yes! Amelia, can you open the door for me?"
Emma called out to Amelia White.
"Why is the door locked?"
Amelia didn't open it right away. Instead, she asked curiously.
"I had a fight with your brother. He locked me in out of anger. I can't get out. Can you help me?"