"Why are you here? I thought I told you to stay home."
Liam Williams's voice was cold, his displeasure evident.
"And why shouldn't I be here? It's not like I'm bedridden or disabled."
I didn't understand it myself. I had come here intending to have a calm conversation with Liam. But the moment I opened my mouth, the words came out wrong.
Liam studied me carefully, his gaze so intense it felt like he could see straight through to my soul. I avoided his eyes and walked over to the coffee machine instead. I made him a cup and placed it on his desk.
He didn't touch it.
I let out a helpless sigh and finally spoke.
"Liam, we were both too impulsive this morning. I came here to talk things through with you properly. What happened last night was just a simple misunderstanding. I don't know what you think you saw, but I want you to hear this from me. If there was anything going on between Elijah and me, I wouldn't have met him the way I did. Don't forget, I was at the villa because of Amelia. Running into Elijah was pure coincidence. And I'm almost certain there was something wrong with that bottle of red wine. Otherwise, how could I have slept so deeply? I'm going to Brookhaven General Hospital later to get a full checkup. There should still be traces of the drug in my system. If you think I'm lying, you can come with me."
My eyes were clear and unwavering as I looked directly at Liam. My honesty seemed to catch him off guard. He stared at the bright light in my eyes, as pure and clean as moonlight.
The anger in his expression began to fade.
"Fine."
He looked at me and nodded.
Deep down, I knew he was already wavering. But he still needed to be sure. Once the truth was confirmed, he would have to find out who was really behind all this.
I called Elijah and told him about my plan to get tested. After thinking it over, he decided to come with me.
When the results came out, Liam stared at the report with a dark expression.
"It seems Mr. Williams needs to figure out what's really going on. Since Emma became your wife, you should have protected her from all this. But she's been used and framed over and over again. I honestly think the worst thing that ever happened to her was becoming your wife."
Elijah sneered at Liam, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"And you think she'd be safe and sound if she was with you?"
Liam's eyes, deep as a bottomless pool, locked onto Elijah like blazing fire. Elijah's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but think of his own hidden identity. His eyes darkened.
When we walked out of the hospital, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I turned my head and saw the handsome man beside me staring at me with a complicated expression.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
I reached up and touched my cheek, thinking I might have gotten something on it.
"No. Emma, I'm sorry. I should have found out the truth before jumping to conclusions."
"It's okay. You know the truth now, don't you? The only thing left is to find out who's behind all this."
"I'll take care of that."
Looking at my smiling face, Liam's emotions were a tangled mess. Even though he knew I was innocent in this case, he still couldn't help wondering about my true intentions. He always wanted to know what place Elijah held in my heart.
Because if there were no feelings involved, why would I keep helping Elijah over and over again? In the previous two arms deals, I had shown up every single time. Even though Liam didn't want to believe it, he couldn't stop himself from doubting.
He was afraid he would never know the answer.
He was also afraid to find out. Maybe the day he learned the truth would be the day he put shackles on my hands.
After returning to the company, Liam called Christopher Martin.
When Christopher arrived on the top floor, he was a nervous wreck. He kept thinking about the terrifying iceberg face the CEO had worn during the morning meeting, and how he had torn apart every single business proposal. It made Christopher feel like he was walking on eggshells.
Was he about to get rejected again? When Christopher pushed open the office door, he was surprised to see the CEO's wife there too.
Shouldn't she be resting at home? Did she come here on her own?
Christopher was confused. He knew Emma had come in the morning, but he had been stuck in meetings all day, revising the proposal. He didn't even know the CEO had been out for hours.
Liam handed him an address.
"Go and investigate every single servant in this villa. Find out who they've been in contact with recently. Especially in the last week or so. Report back to me once you have the information."
Liam gave the task to Christopher. Christopher hadn't expected this. He had been mentally preparing himself to get chewed out again.
"Yes, sir. I'll get on it this afternoon. By the way, this is the revised business proposal I showed you this morning. I've made all the changes you requested. I think it should be fine now."
After agreeing, Christopher handed the revised proposal to Liam.
"The original one wasn't that bad. There's no need to change it. Let's just use the original plan."
Liam didn't even glance at the proposal Christopher had spent hours revising. Christopher stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the CEO whose tone was so indifferent. He felt like a reed swaying in the wind, completely unsteady.
CEO, that's not what you said this morning. You pointed out a ton of problems, and they were all valid. How come, after a few hours, when I've finished revising everything, you're telling me the original plan was fine all along?
Christopher's heart was screaming in agony, but he only dared to roar internally. He didn't dare say it out loud. Because he knew that even if he did, the CEO wouldn't bother explaining himself. It was just a pity that Christopher felt like he had been hit with a ten-thousand-point damage.
"Is he okay? I feel like he looked completely crushed when he walked out."
I said to Liam, a little puzzled.
"He's fine. He gets like that sometimes."
Liam's tone was completely casual, with no trace of guilt in his heart. I looked at him, so indifferent, and couldn't help but feel sorry for Christopher. It wasn't easy working for a CEO like Liam.