Emma Johnson was playing billiards. When she saw Mia Lewis glancing at her watch, she couldn't help but wonder if she was in a rush.
"No. It's just that Elijah said he might come by after his surgery today. I think it's almost evening. I was hoping he could make it for dinner."
Emma couldn't help the excited expression that lit up her face when she mentioned Elijah.
"Elijah is coming? How did he know?" Emma was a little surprised.
"I went to the hospital two days ago to have the gauze removed from my legs. Elijah came to see me. I told him about our trip to Maple Ridge Hot Springs Resort this time."
"I see. But since he's performing surgery, the timing is uncertain. Maybe he'll just finish the operation. He doesn't have to come before dinner." Emma knew that Elijah's surgeries were always long and required intense concentration. He would need to rest afterward.
"Well, I was hoping we could have dinner together." Mia's voice was filled with disappointment. Emma exchanged a knowing glance with Olivia Davis and gave her a subtle smile. The meaning was clear.
Her eyes inadvertently fell on Emilia Clark, who was sitting in a chair drinking sour plum soup. She saw Emilia holding the cup with both hands, the straw in her mouth, but she wasn't drinking. Her eyes looked a little dazed, as if she was lost in thought.
"Emilia, is the sour plum soup bad?" Emma looked at Emilia and asked. Emilia snapped back to attention, looked at Emma, and then shook her head. Emma just thought she was thinking about something personal, so she stopped asking and continued playing billiards with Olivia.
Emilia thought about what she had just heard from Mia, and a trace of regret filled her heart. If she had known Elijah was coming, she wouldn't have done what she did.
Forget it. It's done. Let it be.
It's just that she hadn't seen the person who should have been here. It was normal for Elijah to be delayed because of the operation, but that other person should have appeared in the afternoon?
Without Emma and the others knowing, Emilia secretly glanced toward the entrance of the lounge a few times. But each extra look only disappointed her more.
At dinner time, Mia saw that Elijah still hadn't appeared. She let out a disappointed sigh. Emma and Olivia told her some jokes, and it wasn't easy to get her mood to brighten again.
Everyone went to dinner with smiles on their faces.
Brookhaven General Hospital.
Elijah Clark successfully finished the operation, changed out of his surgical scrubs, and walked into the corridor. Through the window, he could see that the weather outside was getting dark. He knew that by the time he drove over today, Mia might already be asleep.
"Dr. Clark. We're having a dinner party tonight. Would you like to join us?" One of the female nurses, Sophie, looked at him expectantly. Elijah turned around and smiled at her gently.
"No, I have personal business. You all have a good time."
Ignoring the disappointment on the nurse's face, Elijah left the hospital. He drove toward Maple Ridge Hot Springs.
Emma finished her hot spring bath in the evening and went back to her room to rest. She thought of Liam Williams. She wondered what he was doing at that moment. So she dialed his cell phone.
After a while, Liam picked up.
"Are you at home?" Emma didn't expect that would be her first question. It sounded so much like a nagging wife. Fortunately, Liam couldn't see the blush on her face.
"Why, don't you trust me?" Liam said in a teasing tone.
"No. I just want to know what you're doing." Emma's voice carried an undeniable hint of playfulness. Liam's mood in his study improved as well. They chatted for a while before hanging up.
Outside the study door came the sound of a cat meowing and the helpless sighs of the servants. Liam stood up from his chair and pushed open the study door. He saw Xiaobai at the door of their bedroom, pawing at it, as if trying to get in.
The maid, Charlotte Harris, was squatting down, trying to make the cat understand that the person it was looking for wasn't in the bedroom.
"What's the matter?" Liam spoke slowly. Charlotte quickly stood up.
"It's Xiaobai. She thinks Emma is in the room, so she keeps staying here and refuses to leave."
Xiaobai heard Liam's voice and turned her head to look at him. Then she haughtily turned her head away. She had no intention of paying attention to this cold person. She wanted her mistress, Emma.
"Put her in the bedroom." After that, Liam closed the door to his study. Soon, the noise outside disappeared. Even though Emma wasn't inside, her scent was still there, which would calm the little creature down.
It seems Emma didn't adopt her for nothing. When she's gone, the cat still knows how to look for her.
Shortly after she hung up the phone, Emma was ready to sleep in bed. Suddenly, she heard a strange sound coming from the window. She quickly got up, pushed the window open, and looked at the swaying branches outside. There was no sound except the howling of the night wind.
Maybe I'm overthinking it. Emma couldn't help but think.
Then she pulled the curtains shut again. She reasoned that since she was on the second floor, even if something were out there, it wouldn't be a problem. But just as she was about to turn off the light, the light in the room went out automatically.
In the darkness, Emma was puzzled about what had happened. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Emma, are you in there?" Emilia Clark's voice carried a hint of fear. Emma quickly got out of bed, using her phone's flashlight to fumble her way to the door. She opened it and sure enough, saw Emilia's frightened face.
Outside in the corridor, it was pitch black. One by one, people came out of their rooms, everyone talking about what was going on.
Mia and Olivia quickly came to meet Emma in the same room.
"I heard from the resort staff that the main power line was cut by someone. They're looking for someone to fix it now, but there are spare generators in the lounge. So the lights are still on there. I think we'd better go there. It shouldn't be long before it's fixed."
After listening to Mia, Emma thought that was the only option. So they all went to the lounge together. At that moment, many people had come down, and the manager was apologizing to everyone one by one.
Just as they were waiting for a while, Emma suddenly saw Daniel Taylor at the door. He seemed to be looking for someone in the crowd, and then his eyes landed on her.