Unlike Sunrise Manor, this place was huge but strangely empty.
Emma Johnson pulled on a robe and walked to the staircase. She spotted a unfamiliar servant in the living room, pushing a vacuum cleaner.
"Ma'am, you're awake. Mr. Williams left breakfast in the kitchen. I'll get it for you now."
A temp worker, she thought as she descended the stairs. She hadn't expected Liam to arrange that. After everything last night, she was surprised he'd remembered to prepare food before leaving.
The servant brought out the meal, and Emma ate slowly at the table. She wasn't worried about being late. She knew Liam hadn't assigned her any work yet.
So she figured this trip was basically a vacation. But going out today wasn't realistic. Liam would be busy all day, and she was still recovering from last night. Her lower back ached. Her legs had felt like jelly when she got out of bed.
It almost felt like the aftereffects of anesthesia.
So she decided to take another nap. She just didn't have Liam's stamina. After every time they were together, she was always the one left exhausted.
At three in the afternoon, Emma woke up again. She stretched, finally feeling rested. Soon after, her phone rang.
"I'll be back for dinner. Wait for me at home."
Liam's voice was rushed. Emma heard voices in the background and knew he was busy. She said a quick goodbye, and he hung up.
Thinking about the breakfast he'd made, even though she'd eaten it as lunch, she could still feel his thoughtfulness. She wanted to repay him by cooking a nice dinner.
Too bad she wasn't a great cook. She couldn't make a feast.
But she could make a few simple, tasty dishes. So she went downstairs, full of energy, and asked the temp worker to take her to the nearby market.
After shopping, she spent over an hour in the kitchen. Dinner was finally ready. Emma waited patiently for Liam to come home.
Two hours later, she told herself he must have been delayed by work.
Three hours later, she couldn't make excuses anymore. She finally called his phone. It rang for a long time. No one answered.
Emma wondered what was going on. She didn't think anything bad had happened.
Ten minutes later, someone finally picked up.
But the voice that answered made her freeze.
"Hello? Who's this?"
The woman's voice on the other end stunned Emma. She checked the caller ID. It was Liam's number.
"Who are you?" Emma asked.
"Never mind who I am. Who are you? Why are you calling this number? Do you know who owns this phone?"
The woman sounded drunk. Her voice was arrogant.
"Of course I know. I'm calling my husband's phone."
Emma's voice turned cold. The woman didn't seem to care.
"Oh, you're Mrs. Williams. I'm so sorry. Mr. Williams can't take your call right now."
"Where is he?"
Emma heard loud noises in the background. She asked coldly.
"Where else? The Sapphire Lounge. Listen, Mrs. Williams, you can't keep such a close eye on your husband. I read that you come from an ordinary family. You're lucky to have married him. My advice? Stay home and be a good wife. Don't worry so much."
The woman's words grew more insulting. She was clearly drunk. Emma didn't want to talk to her anymore. She hung up.
She looked at the food on the table. She laughed bitterly at herself. How could she be so naive? Liam had said he'd come back for dinner. She'd gone to the market. She'd cooked for over an hour. She'd waited for three hours.
But in the end, he'd gone to a nightclub and forgotten all about it. Why was she so stupid?
Men's words could never be trusted. The moment you believed them, you got hurt. Emma, you deserve this. You believed him. This is your punishment.
Emma got up from the table. She couldn't stand to look at the food anymore. She walked straight upstairs.
"Ma'am, aren't you going to wait for Mr. Williams?" the servant called from downstairs.
"No. Throw all the food away."
Emma's voice was cold and distant. The servant looked at the full table, reluctant to throw it away.
What Emma didn't know was that at that very moment, the top floor of The Sapphire Lounge was completely silent. It was nothing like the usual lively atmosphere. You could hear a pin drop.
"Which one of you answered my phone?"
Liam sat on the sofa, his lips pressed into a thin line. He stared at the two trembling young women with icy eyes.
Christopher Martin looked at Liam and felt like his head was about to split. Tonight shouldn't have happened. But it did.
Liam had come to The Sapphire Lounge for a meeting. There was a business conference room on the top floor. One of the partners was a shareholder here, so they'd chosen this place. He'd been meeting with Mr. Hanson in a private room. Hanson's son had caused trouble yesterday, so Hanson had come to apologize.
But Liam wasn't interested in meeting him. He'd already decided to cut Hanson out of the project this morning. So he had to deal with this local big shot tonight. And Hanson had arranged two young ladies for him. It was too much. He'd excused himself to use the restroom.