"Well, I think it's time for dinner. I was planning to join you. Are you free?"
"Sure, just wait until I'm finished here."
He spoke to Emilia Clark, who waited patiently and quietly. While Elijah Clark was busy, she went to change out of her white coat and picked up the jacket hanging on the rack. Emilia's voice came from behind him.
"Elijah, today Xiaowei brought a cute little kitten to the office. Everyone in the Executive Secretariat loved it. It's a shame she took it to her mother's house at noon."
Emilia chatted about her day with Elijah, which was exactly why he agreed to have dinner with her. Because Emilia always kept him updated about Emma Johnson.
"Why take it back to her aunt's place?"
Elijah was sharp. If even Emilia could sense something was off, he naturally caught it immediately.
"I'm not sure. Maybe the president's family won't allow it. Ah, even though Xiaowei is the president's wife, she can't always do as she pleases."
Emilia spoke as if she were just making an observation, but she clearly saw Elijah's back stiffen. Even without seeing his face, she knew how dark his expression must be right now.
"Xiaoyue, tell the kitchen to serve. Your brother called to say he's having dinner out with your sister-in-law, so he won't be back."
Old Mr. Henry Williams came out of the study and saw Amelia White instructing the servants to reheat the food in the kitchen. He spoke to her.
Amelia's face was full of disappointment, but she could only nod reluctantly in front of the old man. Inside, however, she couldn't help feeling upset.
When Emma Johnson and Liam Williams returned, they saw a servant applying ointment to the wound on the back of Amelia's hand and replacing it with fresh gauze.
Seeing this, Liam stepped forward and asked with concern, his tone unavoidably gentle.
Emma looked at her and bit her lower lip. Finally, she moved closer.
"Xiaoyue, does it still hurt now?"
Emma looked at the three scratches on the back of Amelia's hand, which had already scabbed over, and asked with some concern.
"It doesn't hurt anymore. It's very ugly, but Dr. Julian Moore said it will disappear in a few days. By the way, sister-in-law, where's your pet?"
Amelia noticed that Emma's hands were empty and looked at her with confusion.
"I've sent it away. After all, I can't have you getting hurt again."
There was actually a hint in Emma's words, but Amelia didn't seem to catch it. Her face just darkened.
"Sister-in-law, the kitten didn't mean it. I don't think it will hurt me again. You should bring it back."
Bring it back? Who knew what might happen again. Since Emma had already noticed something was off, she naturally wouldn't take that risk.
But she didn't say that out loud. She just looked at Amelia with a smile.
"It's fine. Anyway, it's with my parents now. It's better off there than with me. Besides, I don't go home often these days. Having Xiaobai with them will keep them company."
When Amelia heard that Emma had sent the kitten back to her parents' home instead of a pet shelter, her eyes flickered slightly. Then she nodded with a smile.
After the servant finished treating the wound, Amelia stood up from the sofa. Perhaps she stood up too quickly, because she stumbled unsteadily in Liam's direction. Liam caught her firmly in his arms, preventing her from falling.
"Brother, why do I feel a little dizzy?"
Amelia was in a daze, feeling dizzy, and couldn't get up from Liam's embrace.
"Go call Dr. Julian Moore. Have him check on the eldest young lady."
Emma watched Amelia in Liam's arms, looking so thin she seemed almost weightless. A complex feeling stirred in her heart, along with an unspeakable unease.
Liam directly picked up Amelia and went upstairs. He carried her back to her room and laid her on the bed. Emma naturally couldn't go straight back to her own room, so she accompanied Liam and waited until Dr. Julian Moore arrived.
"Miss Amelia isn't as fit as she used to be because she's been eating too little. She needs to keep up her nutrition now. I'll give her an IV drip of nutrient solution first. Once her nutrition is supplemented, the dizziness won't happen again."
In short, Dr. Julian Moore's diagnosis was that Amelia was malnourished.
This inevitably reminded everyone of her two months in Switzerland. Especially Emma, who felt an invisible sense of self-blame and a faint guilt in her heart. That was why she had simply sent Xiaobai home without investigating further.
"Brother, I'll be fine."
Seeing Liam's worry for her, Amelia felt very happy. Although she tried to comfort him, her voice sounded a little weak. It lacked the vitality and calmness it once had, like a beautiful scenery.
She was like a delicate flower, making people feel that a gust of wind could blow her away.
"I'm also responsible for this. Don't say anything more about it."
As expected, Liam still felt some regret. Although he had wanted to teach his sister a lesson, he hadn't expected her to end up like this. It was hard not to feel more pity in his eyes. Liam stayed by Amelia's bedside, watching until her IV drip finished. Then he stayed with her, chatting until Amelia fell asleep. He covered her up and left.
When he turned around, he was surprised to see Emma standing there the whole time.
"Why haven't you gone back to your room yet?"
Emma didn't know where the bitterness in her heart came from at that moment. Just looking at Amelia and the way she looked at Liam reminded her of some things from before. Although Liam had his back to her and she couldn't see his expression, she could imagine it. At that time, Liam must have been gentle, because his voice was patient.
Emma didn't respond to Liam. Instead, she turned around and left Amelia's room.
Liam didn't know what was wrong with Emma. He just told the servant to turn off the lights in the room and then left.
That night, Emma lay in bed, but she couldn't sleep again. The man lay beside her, but she felt so far away from him. It seemed like there was always a gap between them. He couldn't cross it, and she was still stuck in the past.
In this family, she had never truly felt a sense of belonging.
When Liam habitually reached out to pull Emma into his arms, she didn't meekly lean against his chest like before. Instead, she moved his hand away, turned over, and faced her back to him. She kept a certain distance from him. Liam looked at Emma's rejection, and his eyes darkened slightly.