The mere thought that Emma might be with Elijah again made his chest tighten with unbearable pain.
But to get the clues he needed, he had to accept it. This time was different from before. If things went well, they might even catch Elijah red-handed. Such a golden opportunity couldn't be wasted. If he refused to let Emma go to Milano, it would only raise Elijah's suspicions and put him on guard.
No matter how things turned out, Liam still wished Emma wouldn't be involved in any of it.
Emma had Christopher buy tickets for Emilia too. After all, she still needed an assistant to accompany her. There were some things she simply couldn't handle alone.
That evening, Emma packed her luggage quickly. The next morning, Liam personally drove her to the airport.
Once they boarded the plane, Emilia looked at Emma with envy.
"Emma, I'm so jealous of you. Mr. Williams is really good to you."
Emma just smiled at that. After all, what she and Liam had wasn't what outsiders thought.
"You'll meet a man who loves you too someday. Someone who'll cherish you like you're the most precious thing in the world."
"I wonder when that'll happen."
Emilia's face was full of longing.
"Maybe you'll meet him this time in Milano? Could be the start of a beautiful long-distance romance."
Emma said to Emilia with a teasing smile. Emilia's cheeks flushed pink. After chatting and laughing for a while, the two women eventually drifted off to sleep in their seats.
When they woke up, it was already dark outside. It was almost evening now, and they had arrived in Milano.
Emma took Emilia to the hotel, planning to rest well tonight. Then tomorrow, when they were fully refreshed, they would invite the Aurora Band to be their guest performers.
Just then, her phone rang. She saw the caller ID—it was Elijah.
"Elijah, what's up?"
Emma answered the phone.
"Nothing much. Just wanted to know how the wound on your forehead is healing."
"It's no big deal. The gauze is off now, and I cover it with my bangs. The scar is barely visible."
The medicine Dr. Moore had prescribed was excellent. The recovery was remarkable, almost miraculous. Emma had even applied it all over her face. Over the past couple of days, she felt like her skin had been completely renewed.
"That's good. I'm in Milano right now, so I can't come back to the city immediately. When I get back, can we meet?"
Elijah's gentle, refined voice came through the phone. Emma's lips parted in surprise.
"Why are you in Milano?"
She asked, astonished. What a coincidence.
"I'm performing surgery on Mayor Reed, together with my mentor here in Italy. Didn't you see the news?"
Elijah answered.
At that moment, Emma suddenly understood why Liam had looked at her the way he did when he heard she was going to Milano. He must have seen the news and known that Elijah had brought Mayor Reed here for surgery.
So that was it.
She didn't know if Liam had misunderstood her intentions. But they were together every day. If Liam thought she knew about Elijah being here, he wouldn't have agreed to let her come to Milano.
"What a coincidence. I came to Milano on business too. I just arrived."
Emma couldn't help but smile as she spoke to Elijah.
"What? Is that really the case? Where are you now?"
Elijah's voice was filled with barely concealed joy as he asked for her address. Emma told him where she was staying, and Elijah said he would drive over to pick her up soon.
Emma wanted to tell him not to bother. After all, he was about to operate on the mayor. Rest was crucial. She still had two days left in Milano—it wouldn't be too late to meet before she left. But before she could say anything, Elijah had already hung up.
Emma felt a little helpless, but she figured it was just a meal. It wouldn't take long.
Turning around, she was about to ask Emilia, who was lying on the bed, to get ready. She planned to bring Emilia along when Elijah came to pick her up.
But looking at Emilia, who was fast asleep, Emma thought she must be exhausted after the long flight.
So she didn't wake her. She changed her clothes. When Elijah called to say he had arrived downstairs at the hotel, she quietly closed the door of the room and went downstairs, a Chanel bag slung over her shoulder.
What she didn't know was that the moment she closed the door, Emilia, who had been lying on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes. In the darkness of the room, her gaze seemed somewhat sinister.
"Emma, over here."
When Emma came out, Elijah was standing by the car. He spotted her almost immediately and quickly raised his hand to wave. Emma walked toward him with a smile.
"Actually, it would have been fine to meet after you finished Mayor Reed's surgery. You need to keep yourself in good shape. Brain surgery is no joke."
Emma's tone was warm, like a caring older sister from next door. A dark light flickered in Elijah's eyes. But the smile at the corner of his mouth remained bright.
How could he not be happy? It was rare to meet her in Italy. Besides, his main purpose here was to sign an arms deal. That's why he had persuaded Mayor Reed to come to Milano for surgery. He had bribed his mentor to perform the operation himself, so he could slip away in the middle of it to meet his partner. That way, no one would suspect anything.
But he wouldn't tell Emma that.
"Don't worry. If I wasn't completely confident, why would Mayor Reed choose me to operate on him? It's rare for you to come to Milano. There's so much good food here. Come on, what do you feel like eating? I'll take you to the most authentic restaurant to taste the real deal."
Elijah asked Emma with a smile.
"No matter how authentic it is, I don't dare eat too much at this hour. If I get fat, that won't be good."
In front of Elijah, Emma always felt she could say anything without holding back.
"On the contrary, I think you've been too thin lately. A little more weight would suit you better."
Elijah's words weren't just flattery—they came from the heart.
But Emma just took it as him trying to cheer her up and couldn't help but smile. She didn't read into the hidden concern behind his words.
Emma chose spaghetti and decided not to eat any meat that evening. So Elijah took her to a particularly authentic Italian restaurant. Even though Emma kept reminding herself not to eat too much at night, she still couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food and ended up eating quite a lot.
Elijah looked at the woman in front of him, unable to hide the infatuation in his eyes. If only they could sit like this together every day.