"Hello? Is that you, big brother?"
The phone was answered almost immediately, which made her think Amelia always kept her phone close.
Amelia's voice on the other end carried a hint of excitement. Liam answered calmly.
"Yeah. You called me yesterday. What's up? How's your stay at the sanatorium?"
Liam didn't explain why he was only calling her back now, and Amelia didn't press. Just knowing he remembered to call made her happy enough.
For Amelia, an occasional call from Liam meant as much as three daily calls from Benjamin.
It was clear which one mattered more.
"It's okay, even though the treatment isn't working. Brother, I miss you so much. It's less than a month before I can come home. Do you miss me?"
Amelia's voice was thick with affection, almost like a little hook. If anyone else heard it, they might have been distracted. Unfortunately, she was talking to the wrong person.
"Seems like the medical facilities there aren't up to par. In that case, you can come back early. I'll arrange for someone to pick you up."
Liam didn't respond to her question. Instead, he simply informed her of his decision, nearly a month ahead of schedule.
"Brother, are you coming to get me yourself?"
Amelia's voice dropped with disappointment, and she pressed further.
"I'll be busy with company matters then. I won't have time to pick you up."
"Company business... just let someone else pick me up, big brother. It doesn't matter to me."
Amelia said this thoughtfully. But as soon as she hung up, she couldn't help throwing her phone across the room.
Just then, a nurse walked in with medicine. The phone hit her left eyelid, and soon it began to swell.
"Ah, my eye!"
The white tray in the nurse's hand clattered to the ground, medicine rolling everywhere. Amelia heard the nurse's scream and looked over impatiently. She then called for the bodyguard Liam had sent to watch over her, ordering him to get rid of the nurse.
"Give her some money."
Amelia's tone was dismissive, without a trace of guilt. The nurse wanted to argue, but she couldn't match the bodyguard's strength. In the end, she was dragged away. When she saw the large sum of money Amelia gave her, she fell completely silent.
It was afternoon when Emma woke up. Her stomach's first protest forced her eyes open. She got out of bed and went downstairs to find Liam sitting on the sofa. A laptop sat on the coffee table, and it looked like he was in a video conference.
So she tiptoed down the stairs, careful not to disturb his work. Liam had sharp eyes and spotted Emma the moment she came down. He thought she would sleep for another two hours, so he was surprised she woke up so soon.
He sped through the rest of the video conference, wrapping it up early.
"Come on, let's go out to eat."
After the video call ended, Liam closed his laptop, stood up, and smiled at Emma.
At that moment, Emma was chewing on an apple, flipping through one of the magazines Liam had ordered for her. She was reading New York Fashion Magazine. Hearing his voice, she looked up.
"Isn't this New York Fashion?"
Liam walked over to Emma and glanced at the magazine in her hand.
Emma nodded.
"Yeah. It's a shame that after I left, the quality dropped so much. When Ava called to complain, I thought she might be exaggerating. But I never got around to buying a copy. After reading the cover today, I can see the editor Mr. Joshua hired really isn't that good. Looks like it's hard for you to get a good return on the sponsorship money you put in each year."
Emma took another bite of her apple, shaking her head with a sigh.
Listening to her, there was a sense that the golden days were over, that it was no longer their era. Liam's smile deepened. He could guess what was going through Emma's mind.
New York Fashion had grown under her care. From obscurity to where it was now, Emma had played a huge part. So whether the current editor-in-chief was capable or not, she would never see them in a good light.
Sometimes he couldn't help wondering if Emma resented him for making her leave New York Fashion. But whenever that thought came, Liam pushed it away.
He would rather deceive himself than face the truth.
The two of them arrived at the restaurant. It wasn't meal time, so there weren't many people. Seeing Liam and Emma suddenly appear, Aunt Rose was delighted.
"I didn't expect to see you two again so soon. Come on in."
Aunt Rose greeted them warmly. Emma and Liam walked inside but didn't see Uncle Theo. They asked where he was.
"He went for a walk by Emerald Lake with his friend Frank. He should be back soon."
Aunt Rose said as she prepared food for them.
After waiting half an hour, Emma couldn't resist starting to eat the delicious dishes Aunt Rose had made. Aunt Rose looked at Emma fondly, then said to Liam.
"A girl who eats so well is blessed. Looks like you've found yourself a good wife."
"I think so too."
Liam said to Aunt Rose with a smile. This made Emma a little embarrassed. Did eating well really make her a good wife? That just meant she was easy to please.
Oh well. That's how older people saw things.
It was understandable.
While the three of them were eating and chatting, Aunt Rose's phone suddenly rang. She picked it up, and after a few words, her face changed.
"What did you say? They're accusing our old Theo of causing trouble? Frank, how is that possible?"
Aunt Rose's voice grew agitated. Emma and Liam both put down their chopsticks and asked what was going on.
It turned out that when Uncle Theo and his friend Frank were out walking, a group of young people were street racing. The car was driving too fast, and Uncle Theo couldn't dodge in time. He got flustered, twisted his ankle, and fell to the ground. Although the young people braked, they were furious. Instead of admitting responsibility for Uncle Theo's fall, they accused him of trying to scam them.
They even started cursing, and Uncle Theo argued back. When Frank saw how aggressive the young men were, he felt things weren't looking good. He quickly called Aunt Rose, asking her to find someone to come help.