"Good."
After a long pause, Liam finally uttered that single word.
The following day, Emma and Liam went to The Waterfront for lunch. They hadn't expected to run into Elijah there.
Liam fixed his gaze on Elijah, his eyes dark and unreadable.
"What a coincidence. Why don't we all have lunch together?" Mia suggested with a smile as she spotted Emma and Liam.
Once the four of them were seated at the table, Emma could feel the atmosphere growing noticeably tense. Even the smiles on their faces seemed forced and unnatural.
"Emma, did you see yesterday's news report? Even though Mia had warned us beforehand, hearing the reporter describe it in such detail really sent chills down my spine. I think I'll start heading home early from now on," Mia said, oblivious to the strange tension between the two men. She continued cutting into her steak while updating Emma on the recent string of disappearances that had been making headlines across the city.
"Of course I saw it. It's absolutely terrifying. Yesterday, Liam came home and tapped me on the shoulder from behind instead of just calling out to me. I literally jumped off the sofa. Watching that news report is no different from watching a horror movie," Emma replied.
While Emma and Mia chatted, Liam kept his eyes fixed on Elijah. Elijah, however, appeared completely unruffled, as if nothing was amiss.
"Don't you have anything to say about it? As a doctor, this kind of thing should make you the angriest," Liam said slowly, his sharp gaze boring into Elijah.
Elijah looked up, meeting Liam's eyes with an innocent, almost pure expression.
"Of course I'm angry. That's why I truly hope the police can resolve this quickly, so everyone can stop living in fear, don't you agree?"
Liam stared at Elijah, a cold smile playing on his lips. After a long moment, he finally spoke again.
"It will be resolved. And the monsters behind these attacks will get exactly what they deserve."
A flicker of something passed through Elijah's eyes. Then he smiled and said nothing more.
Emma looked between the two men, sensing there was something deeper hidden in their exchange. But she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She could only watch them with confusion, silently hoping they wouldn't end up in a conflict.
Throughout the meal, Emma felt on edge. But thankfully, once they finished eating, the three of them said goodbye to Mia and walked out of The Waterfront together.
"Emma, let's have dinner again sometime," Elijah said, looking directly at her and completely ignoring Liam standing beside her.
Emma gave a dry smile, unsure how to respond. Saying yes felt wrong, but saying no also felt awkward. She was caught in a difficult position.
In the end, she managed to brush it off vaguely and said goodbye to Elijah. Once inside the car, Emma couldn't help glancing at Liam beside her. His expression seemed cold and distant. Though his eyes were fixed on the road ahead, he appeared lost in thought. Emma had no idea what was going through his mind. She could only hope it was about company matters, not something involving Elijah.
Back at the office, Christopher arrived shortly after them.
"Sir, the acquisition of William's assets has been intercepted. We only managed to secure his real estate holdings," Christopher reported, handing a document to Liam.
Liam scanned the contents and let out a cold laugh. Curiosity piqued, Emma leaned over to look. Her eyes landed on the words "Oasis Holdings."
"Did Daniel buy them?" Emma asked in surprise. The reason she thought of Daniel was because she knew Kennedy didn't have the capability to pull this off. As the primary heir of Oasis Holdings, Daniel naturally had the authority to divert a large sum of money for this purpose.
"Yes, it was him," Liam confirmed, his tone absolute.
"But why would he want to buy William's assets? I haven't heard that Oasis Holdings needs to expand its industrial chain recently," Emma said, a puzzled expression on her face.
Liam could guess Daniel's intentions, but he had no intention of sharing them with the woman beside him. Some things were better left unsaid.
"Whatever his purpose, even if he has the ability to acquire William's assets, he doesn't have the appetite to fully digest them."
"What do you mean?" Emma blinked, looking at him.
Liam was momentarily distracted by her confused yet adorable expression. He couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her soft cheek. "Maybe he just wants another partner. Before Pinnacle Corporation could make a move, he bought William's assets and plans to return them as a favor. There's no way William would ignore such a huge debt of gratitude. As I said, his underground influence in this city can't be underestimated, even if his business ventures have taken hits. As long as his underworld connections remain intact, he'll always have a chance to make a comeback."
Emma felt embarrassed by Liam's sudden display of affection. Couldn't he at least consider their surroundings? Christopher was still standing right there.
But Liam's words quickly made her forget about that and focus on William and Daniel again.
"If they really join forces, it won't be good for Pinnacle Corporation," Emma said, her face showing clear concern.
Liam was pleased to see her worry. It made him feel like she still cared about him deep down.
"Don't worry. Even if they team up, it won't make a difference to me."
Looking at Liam's calm expression, Emma knew he had the ability to handle any crisis. Otherwise, how could William's despicable tactics have only caused minor damage to Pinnacle Corporation without striking at its core? Anyone else would have been crushed by now.
That thought put Emma at ease. Even though William was cunning and treacherous, and now had Daniel by his side, with Liam's capabilities, it wouldn't be easy for them to defeat him.
"Then I can rest easy. But you still need to be careful. You can never be too cautious when dealing with snakes who strike from the shadows," Emma warned him, sounding just like a devoted wife.