At midday, Emma drove to Elijah's house, just as she always did.
Given his recovery, he'd be back at the hospital in two days. She cooked him a meal and sat across from him at the table. Watching him eat, she hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.
"Elijah, what kind of girl are you into?"
Elijah was caught off guard by her sudden question. He nearly choked on his food, coughing hard.
Emma looked at his handsome face, now slightly flushed from the coughing fit. She wore a helpless expression. Was her question really that shocking? Did he have to react so dramatically?
She poured him a glass of water. Elijah gulped it down in one go, finally calming his throat.
"Why would you suddenly ask me that?" he asked, his warm eyes filled with confusion as he looked at her.
"Just curious. I've never heard you mention liking anyone. And I've never known you to have a girlfriend. Or did you actually date someone in Italy? A blonde European girl? Is that why I don't know?"
Emma answered while guessing, her curiosity piqued.
"No, I've never dated a European girl."
Elijah poured himself another glass of water and drank it, hiding the darkness in his eyes.
"Then you must have a type, right? You're not getting any younger. Even if you don't plan on getting married right away, you should at least give it a try."
Emma sounded like an eager parent, a hint of frustration in her voice.
"There is someone I like. But she belongs to someone else now."
A flicker of pain passed through Elijah's eyes before he spoke slowly.
"Ah? No wonder I always wondered why you never had a girlfriend. But you can't keep this up forever. She's already taken. Are you going to wait indefinitely?"
Emma wanted to tell him not to give up on the entire forest for just one tree, but seeing the dark light in his eyes, her heart softened. She couldn't bring herself to say anything harsher, afraid it would hurt him too much.
"I won't wait forever."
Elijah's words were ambiguous. He didn't tell Emma that he would try to win her back. His life was too short. He didn't have another seven years to waste.
"That's good."
Emma was genuinely afraid he wouldn't be able to move on. Otherwise, she wouldn't know how to bring up Mia.
"By the way, what do you think of Mia?"
Elijah looked up at Emma. If he had been wondering why she suddenly brought this up, now he understood. She wanted to set him up with Mia.
"Mia is a good girl."
It was a fair statement.
"Do you like her? I don't believe you can't see how she feels about you."
Emma stared at him, pressing for an answer.
A complex look appeared in Elijah's eyes. He wanted to tell Emma that he didn't like Mia at all. She was the one he liked. But he was afraid that if he said it now, she would run away from him. Then he would have even fewer chances to see her.
"Some things... let them take their course."
That was Elijah's only answer. But Emma felt she had glimpsed into his heart. Maybe he did have feelings for Mia, but it just wasn't the right time yet.
She didn't ask any more questions. Saying too much might make him resentful. Since there was potential for them to develop, she could help by turning down Daniel's offer when she got back.
For the rest of the meal, Emma was noticeably more relaxed. Elijah, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.
He could barely eat.
Emma drove back to the company and saw Liam already sitting in the office. He looked a little uncomfortable but didn't ask her anything. She believed he had gone to see Mia.
She told Liam about the possibility of Mia and Elijah getting together. Liam slowly raised his head, his dark eyes fixed on Emma's bright ones.
"Is that so? I wonder if I'll get to eat the wedding candy of your two good friends by the end of the year?"
"The end of the year is too soon. But next year should be about right."
Emma smiled, lost in her fantasy. From Liam's words, she could tell he had given up on the idea of introducing his girlfriend to Elijah.
Liam had indeed given up. When he calmed down, he realized that even if he introduced someone, it wouldn't help. It wouldn't make Elijah remove Emma from his heart. So he just went along with her words.
In the afternoon, Liam had a meeting with a client. He went with Christopher, while Emma stayed in the office to work on the charity project.
Not long after, Emilia knocked on the door, her face tense and anxious. Emma let her in and asked what was wrong.
"No, Emma. Our company's construction project in Ridgefield District is being disrupted. A bunch of people are there with iron bars and hammers, and they refuse to leave."
"What?"
Emma couldn't help but stand up. She hadn't expected anyone to dare cause trouble in broad daylight. But Liam wasn't in the company at all. He was discussing a partnership with a client. She couldn't disturb him now.
After thinking it over, Emma put on her coat and headed straight for the door.
"Emma, what are you going to do?" Emilia asked, puzzled.
"Liam can't come back right now, but someone needs to go over there and handle this. Call the person in charge over there. I'm going now."
Emma opened the office door and told Emilia.
"Emma, it's too dangerous for you to go alone. Let me come with you."
A flash of determination crossed Emilia's eyes, and she quickly trotted to catch up with Emma. Although Emma didn't want her to come, she had no choice but to take her since she insisted.
On the way, Emilia called the person in charge of the construction site. Half an hour later, Emma and Emilia arrived.
At the moment, more than a dozen people with iron bars were surrounding the construction site. They all looked fierce. The site manager stood opposite them with the workers, the two sides locked in a stalemate.
Emma got out of the car and told Emilia to call the police. Emilia took out her phone but didn't dial.