"Now that everyone's gone, what are you staring at?"
The moment Emma Johnson left with Liam Williams, Noah Taylor's gaze lingered on her retreating figure. Isabella Miller's voice cut through the air like ice, laced with a cold sneer.
Noah turned his head, glancing at Isabella's mocking expression. He said nothing.
The two of them left Amelia White's coffee shop. Isabella headed straight to a business event, while Noah returned to his workplace. When Isabella came home that evening, she spotted Noah's car already parked in the driveway. A cold, bitter laugh echoed in her heart.
It was rare for him to come back this early. The memory of that morning only fueled her anger. Without a second thought, she grabbed a nail and stabbed it into Noah's tire.
Back inside the villa, she found Noah staring at a diamond necklace inside a jewelry box. Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Didn't you say that necklace was for a client? Why is it still in your hands?"
Noah hadn't expected Isabella to return so early. He instinctively tried to hide the necklace away. But Isabella's hand was quicker—she snatched the diamond necklace from his grasp and hurled it to the floor.
"Don't think I don't know. You bought that for that bitch, Emma. But now she doesn't even want it. And here you are, treating it like a treasure. Who do you think you are? Besides me, who gives a damn about you?"
"Shut up."
Noah's face twisted with fury. He stared at Isabella, who had turned sharp and venomous before him. She was no longer the sweet girl he once knew. Now, she was nothing but unreasonable. He had no desire to argue with her. He simply picked up the necklace from the floor, slipped it into his pocket, and strode out of the villa, slamming the door behind him.
"Go to hell."
Isabella grabbed a cushion from the sofa and hurled it toward the entrance. Hatred blazed in her eyes like wildfire. She heard the sound of a car engine starting outside, and her gaze turned icy cold. Her beautiful face twisted into something ugly and distorted.
In the middle of the night, Emma woke up feeling thirsty. She got up to get a glass of water. Just as she took a sip, a wave of nausea hit her. She pressed a hand to her chest, struggling to suppress the urge to vomit.
The next morning, Liam made her favorite tomato and egg noodles. Emma barely managed a few bites before the same sick feeling from the night before returned. She set down her chopsticks, her appetite gone.
Emma thought she might just be exhausted from the past few days. But Liam grew worried and wanted to call Dr. Julian Moore to check on her. Remembering what had happened before, Emma felt this was nothing serious. She didn't want to make a mountain out of a molehill, so she stopped Liam.
Later that morning, she went to the office. Soon after, her phone rang. It was Isabella.
"Cousin, what should I do? What am I going to do?"
Isabella's voice was on the verge of tears. Emma listened to her sob for several minutes, thinking something terrible must have happened to make Isabella so hysterical.
Once Isabella's emotions seemed to settle, Emma finally asked.
"Isabella, what's wrong?"
"Noah is in the hospital. The doctors say he's dying."
Isabella choked out the words. Emma froze, stunned. It took her a long moment to process what she had just heard.
How could Noah have gotten into an accident? She had seen him just yesterday morning. And as far as she knew, Noah had no sudden illness. How could he be lying in a hospital bed?
"Isabella, which hospital are you at?"
"Brookhaven General Hospital."
"I'll be right there."
Emma hung up the phone. Liam had already put on his coat. He had overheard Isabella's frantic words.
"Come on, I'll drive you."
Emma nodded, not refusing.
They arrived at the hospital to find Isabella and her agent waiting outside the emergency room. The agent was trying to comfort the tearful Isabella. Emma's heart felt heavy. Even though she resented Noah now, she had never wished for him to die.
"Cousin."
Isabella looked at Emma as if she had lost all sense of direction. Emma stepped forward, sat down beside her, and took her hand, offering what comfort she could.
"Noah went out last night and never came back. I thought he was just busy. But this morning, I got a call from the hospital. Cousin, what am I going to do?"
Isabella leaned on Emma's shoulder, sobbing.
Just as Emma was about to console her, the light above the emergency room door suddenly went out. Emma accompanied Isabella as she rushed to ask the doctor what had happened. The doctor shook his head solemnly, indicating that he had done everything he could.
Isabella completely lost control. She burst into the emergency room. Seeing Noah lying motionless on the operating table, she rushed to his side, calling his name over and over. Emma couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't bear to watch anymore and leaned into Liam's arms.
"Isabella, Isabella, what's wrong with you?"
The agent called out frantically. Suddenly, Isabella collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Emma called for the nurse. The emergency room descended into chaos. Thankfully, Liam was there to help, or Emma would have been overwhelmed.
Isabella remained unconscious for several hours. It was almost noon when Noah's father finally arrived.
They couldn't believe their son had left them so young. When they heard that Isabella had woken up in the ward, they stormed in like madmen, beating her wildly. A few reporters had gathered outside, sensing a story. Before they could enter, they saw the two elderly people charging in.
They beat Isabella mercilessly, cursing her as a homewrecker.
"You shameless slut! When my son was about to marry Emma, you seduced him. And now you've killed him! Give me back my son, you heartless bitch!"
Noah's mother screamed at Isabella, her fists pounding against her. Isabella could only cry, unable to defend herself. The agent and Emma rushed forward to restrain the elderly couple.
Seeing a reporter secretly snapping photos outside, Emma quickly moved to handle the situation. But how could they let go of such hot news? Just as Emma was feeling overwhelmed, Liam stepped forward. He asked Christopher Martin to give each reporter a generous red envelope—enough to buy their silence. Only then did they manage to calm the brewing storm of scandal.