Emma Johnson sat in her seat, feeling a wave of boredom wash over her. She watched Liam Williams stare blankly into space for an entire morning.
At noon, she assumed Liam would head out to meet clients, giving her a chance to grab lunch with Emilia Clark. But Liam had no such plans. Instead, he asked Christopher Martin to book a restaurant and took Emma out for a midday meal.
It was pure coincidence that they ran into Ethan Davis and Olivia Davis at the restaurant. Still, Emma hadn't expected Ethan to stir up trouble even during lunch.
"Emma, over here!"
Spotting Emma, Olivia greeted her cheerfully, brushing aside the irritation Ethan had caused her. Ethan noticed Olivia's enthusiasm toward Emma and felt a strange pang of unease settle in his chest.
"Liam, I heard you canceled the project with Oasis Holdings. Is that true?"
Over the meal, Ethan brought up the topic with Liam.
"You're well-informed. Yes, I've decided to end our cooperation with Oasis Holdings."
Liam admitted it without hesitation.
"Actually, I was close to forming a partnership with them myself, but I got the sense that Kennedy Taylor plays dirty. So I backed out. Besides, the Taylor family is tearing each other apart over the inheritance. It's risky to partner with them when you don't know who'll end up in charge."
Ethan shared his own perspective.
Neither Emma nor Olivia was particularly interested in the men's conversation. Olivia leaned in and whispered to Emma.
"Listen, Emma, your husband really cares about you. The moment he found out Kennedy was scheming against you, he took her down hard. That woman has been a big name in Silverdale's social scene for years. Now she's learned a harsh lesson. I heard everyone knows she offended the CEO of Pinnacle Corporation. Soon, half those so-called powerful friends around her will disappear."
Emma looked surprised.
"I don't think so. Liam just canceled the deal with her. He didn't actually do anything to her, right? He didn't tell others not to work with her. How could that affect her social circle? Besides, Kennedy is still attractive. People wouldn't just ignore her."
Olivia stared at Emma, a little exasperated.
"You've been married to Liam for this long, and you still can't see it? The only reason people flocked to Kennedy was because she landed that billion-dollar contract with Liam the moment she returned. Everyone knows Liam is a sharp businessman. He wouldn't easily make such a huge deal with someone he'd never worked with before. Especially someone with her background—an illegitimate daughter. No matter how successful she becomes, that stain never washes off. Unless she actually inherits Oasis Holdings and becomes the next leader, those men circling her will never see her as wife material. They're just after one thing."
Emma found Olivia's analysis hard to swallow, but deep down, she knew it was true. The world was never as beautiful as it seemed. Especially in high society, a pretty face meant far less than the status of a legitimate heir.
It was sad, but it was reality.
Emma felt a flicker of sympathy for Kennedy, but it vanished when she remembered how Kennedy had tried to destroy her reputation.
Some people seemed pitiful, but only because they'd done things they shouldn't have. They didn't truly deserve sympathy.
During the meal, Liam personally placed dishes onto Emma's plate, making Olivia sigh with envy.
Seeing this, Ethan followed Liam's lead and, for the first time, awkwardly tried to put food on a woman's plate.
When Olivia saw the broccoli on her plate, her face fell, and she tossed it onto the table.
"I don't eat that."
Ethan stared at Olivia, who refused to even look at him.
Emma couldn't help but smile.
"Mr. Davis, Olivia doesn't like broccoli."
Watching Ethan's sudden realization, Emma found his reaction amusing. She wondered if these two love-hate rivals would ever end up together.
After lunch, they returned to the office. Christopher Martin updated Liam on the investigation into the blogger.
"His name is Mason Reed. He used to be a deputy editor at an entertainment weekly. Two years ago, he reported that a famous actor was vacationing in Europe with a woman holding a child, claiming the actor had been secretly married for years. The actor sued him, saying he was just meeting his own sister. Mason got fired, and no one in the industry would hire him after that. Now he makes a living by taking private photos of celebrities and selling them to tabloids. He's the one who photographed you and Mrs. Williams that night."
Christopher handed the file to Liam. Emma leaned in to look at the information about Mason Reed.
She remembered this case. The news two years ago had caused a huge stir. The actor Mason had exposed was incredibly famous, and the scandal had ruined his reputation so badly that he couldn't even get magazine shoots anymore.
That was why Mason had ended up like this. Partly because his report was too outrageous, and partly because he'd truly offended someone he shouldn't have.
"Did you find out who hired him?"
Liam wasn't interested in Mason Reed. What he wanted to know was the person behind him.
"Yes, but Mason's employer was very careful. He said the person called him anonymously, using a voice changer. So it's hard to identify who it was. And when the employer paid the deposit, they left the cash in a box at a designated spot for Mason to pick up. We can't trace the person through any bank account."
Listening to Christopher, Emma realized how difficult this was. Even if they caught Mason, they still had no clue about the mastermind. She wondered who would go to such lengths to hurt her.
"Alright, I understand. Prepare for a press conference in the next two days. Tell Mason that if he clearly explains the whole story at the press conference, I'll consider reducing his prison time."
Liam thought for a moment before giving Christopher his orders.
"Yes, sir. I'll make the arrangements right away."
With that, Christopher left to carry out Liam's instructions.