"Liam, you can't be so rough."
Even though the mattress was plush, she hated being treated like an object.
"What's the matter? Did you actually twist your ankle?"
Liam Williams fixed Emma Johnson with a sharp, clear gaze.
He had seen right through her. Emma had been hoping to fool him, but that plan was now dead in the water.
"I was faking it. Who told you to fight so viciously with Elijah? I really don't understand what's going on with you two. Every single time, it's like you're mortal enemies. Even if you don't like him, for the sake of him being my childhood friend, can't you at least be civil?"
Emma simply confessed and voiced her thoughts.
"Civil? How can you be so sure I was the one who started it?"
Liam stared at her coldly.
"How could Elijah possibly start a fight? It must have been you."
Emma didn't give it a second thought. She was certain Liam had thrown the first punch.
"Oh really? Do you want me to show you the security footage from the door?"
Liam's voice dropped, turning low and icy. Looking at his grim expression, Emma couldn't help but doubt her own assumption.
Was it really Elijah? No, how could he possibly start a fight with Liam first?
She had known Elijah for so many years and had never seen him initiate a conflict with anyone.
"Believe what you want."
Liam watched the hesitation flicker in Emma's eyes, and an inexplicable rage ignited in his chest. He didn't want to stay in the bedroom. He knew perfectly well that no matter what happened between him and Elijah, Emma's loyalty would always lean toward Elijah's side.
Watching Liam storm out of the room with a dark face, Emma felt a pang of guilt, as if she had said something wrong. She wanted to go after him and apologize, but then she thought it wasn't that big of a deal. After a long internal struggle, she decided to stay put.
The consequence of not going was that Liam slept in his study that night. Emma tossed and turned in her bedroom, unable to sleep a wink.
Perhaps it was because the light in Liam's study stayed on all night. A servant mentioned it to Oliver, the butler, who then informed the old master, Henry Williams.
So at breakfast, Henry scolded Liam. Facing his father's misunderstanding, Liam remained silent and didn't argue. Emma felt a little sorry for him.
However, faced with the old man's eagerness for a grandchild, Emma found it hard to understand. She and Liam couldn't have children. After all, there was only a little over half a year left before their marriage ended.
If they had a child, things would get too complicated. It would only cause more trouble.
So she silently apologized to the old man in her heart.
At work, Liam said nothing. Emma remained quiet. The heavy, cold atmosphere in the car put a lot of pressure on Frank, the driver. He figured the president and his wife must have had a fight this morning. They might not notice it, but the people around them could barely stand it.
After arriving at the office, Emma called Emilia Clark to the break room. She had thought about it all night and realized that the only way Elijah could have found out was through Emilia.
So far, her best friends, Olivia Davis and Mia Lewis, didn't know. Only Emilia, who worked at the same company, knew. So she asked Emilia.
"I told Elijah. Emma, did he come to see you? When I told him yesterday, he didn't even go up to his office. He went straight to your house to see you. He really cares about you."
Emilia blinked her innocent, simple eyes at Emma and admitted it without hesitation.
Why did this feel like a stab in the gut? Emma looked at Emilia's honest face and couldn't bring herself to say a single word of blame. After all, Emilia hadn't done anything wrong. She had just happened to run into Elijah after her check-up last night and casually told him about Emma's situation.
How could she have known that it would lead to a fight between Elijah and Liam?
Oh, forget it. She had only come to confirm, not to blame Emilia. Emma finished her coffee, feeling a bit down, and was about to leave the break room with Emilia.
Just then, her phone rang. It was Olivia Davis.
"Where are you, Emma?"
"At the office. What's up? You sound anxious."
Emma asked.
"How can I not be anxious? I'm so angry I've got blisters on my lips. Open Weibo right now. You're trending. And your husband and Elijah—someone took photos of them and posted them online."
Olivia told Emma the news she had just heard. Emma listened, still a bit confused. But Emilia, who was listening nearby, quickly logged onto Weibo on her phone.
"Emma, what's going on? Did Elijah and the president really fight over you last night?"
Emilia showed her phone to Emma.
Emma saw the number one trending topic on Weibo: "Mrs. Williams Caught Cheating; President Fights Her Lover in a Rage."
For a moment, her mind went completely blank.
What was all this? It was ridiculous.
Emma looked at the photos. There was one of Liam and Elijah fighting. Another showed Liam squatting on the ground, his brow furrowed tightly. There were only two photos, but they were enough to cause a huge misunderstanding.
Just looking at the number of views on Weibo made Emma dizzy. Her temples throbbed violently.
Just then, two employees from the company came in to make coffee. When they saw Emma, their eyes were clearly filled with gossip. They had obviously seen the Weibo post.
"Don't worry, Emma. You still haven't told me why Elijah fought with the president."
Emilia's voice snapped Emma back to reality. She felt two pairs of eyes locked on her from behind. It was clearly not a good place to stay. She pulled Emilia along with a blank expression and left the break room.
A voice came from behind them.
"That man's name is Elijah Clark."
Emma let Emilia go back to the finance department, telling her that the two men had just had a misunderstanding. Emilia didn't ask any more questions and obediently returned to her department.
Emma almost ran in her high heels to the elevator and rushed back to Liam's office.
"Liam, something's wrong. Check your phone. We're trending on Weibo!"