"By the way, why hasn't my sister-in-law come back yet?"
Amelia White glanced at the clock hanging on the office wall and asked Liam Williams.
"She should be back soon."
Liam also checked the time, wondering how many dishes she had made today. He couldn't help feeling a bit of anticipation—the meal Amelia had cooked was even slower.
"Brother, why are you eating so little?"
Seeing that Liam had only taken a few bites of the sweet and sour fish and hadn't even touched the rice, Amelia asked, sounding disappointed.
"Your sister-in-law will be back soon to make lunch. I'm waiting to eat with her."
Even though Liam had eaten the lunch Amelia had prepared for him, he didn't plan to finish it all. Hearing his words, Amelia paused, and the smile on her lips turned a little forced.
Although her brother hadn't said it outright, Amelia understood that he mainly wanted to eat what Emma Johnson made. But she quickly composed herself, putting a cheerful expression back on her face.
"Really? I've heard my sister-in-law's cooking is getting better and better. I'll get to taste it soon."
It wasn't until after lunch that Emma finally returned from outside. Seeing her empty-handed, Liam looked at her with a hint of suspicion.
"You didn't cook?"
"No."
Emma replied lightly, then glanced at the dishes on the table and smiled at Amelia.
"Amelia, the food you made looks really appetizing. Your brother is lucky to have a sister like you."
Amelia smiled back at Emma, her expression even sweeter.
"Sister-in-law, why don't you have some? Did you have lunch?"
"I ate in the cafeteria. You two go ahead. I'm going to rest in the inner room."
Emma said, looking a bit tired. Amelia nodded, and Emma went inside.
Once the door to the inner room closed, Amelia looked at Liam and whispered.
"Where did she cook? Brother, if I hadn't made lunch for you today, you would have gone hungry. It seems I'll have to cook for you every day from now on. You can't skip lunch."
"No need. You're still recovering. Don't tire yourself out. Just today is enough. You don't have to come tomorrow."
Liam's expression darkened. When he spoke to Amelia, his tone was no longer as gentle as before. But Amelia didn't seem to mind. Seeing his irritation, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
Back inside the inner room, Emma buried her face in the pillow but couldn't fall asleep. She let out a deep sigh, feeling a bit annoyed. After a long while, she forced herself to close her eyes.
But half an hour later, she still couldn't sleep. Since sleep wouldn't come, she decided to get up. She climbed out of bed, opened the door, and went back outside.
At that moment, Amelia was packing up her lunchbox, preparing to leave. Emma hadn't expected her to stay this long. She thought Amelia had already left.
Seeing this, Emma decided it wasn't a good time to go back to her desk right away. She personally escorted Amelia out of the company.
As they got off the elevator, they stopped in the middle. A woman in her thirties stepped in. She saw Emma and Amelia and greeted them.
"Director Reed, you look much better without your glasses."
Amelia smiled elegantly, chatting with the sophisticated woman in front of her. Although Emma didn't speak, she kept a polite, light smile on her face. But inside, a storm was brewing. She pretended nothing was wrong as she walked Amelia to the company entrance. On her way back, she sat down on the sofa in the lobby lounge, staring blankly for a long time, unable to snap out of it.
Two receptionists noticed Emma sitting alone on the sofa and exchanged worried glances. They whispered to each other, wondering if something had gone wrong with the president.
After a while, Emma slowly got up from the sofa and stepped into the elevator. Instead of going straight to the top floor, she went to the Strategic Planning Department and found its director—the woman she had just met.
"Madam, is there something I can help you with?"
Director Reed, who had just returned to her department, hadn't expected the president's wife to come see her in person. She assumed it was about work.
Director Reed stepped out into the hallway, and Emma asked her a question. When Director Reed heard it, she was momentarily stunned, but after thinking carefully, she answered.
"I've been wearing contact lenses for a few months now. Why do you ask, Madam?"
Director Reed looked at Emma, confused.
"Actually, my eyes are a bit nearsighted too. Your contact lenses look blue and very pretty. I wanted to know where you bought them. I'll go check it out when I have some free time."
Emma made up an excuse. Director Reed enthusiastically gave her the store's address. After thanking her, Emma let her go back to work.
Once she stepped into the elevator, the smile on Emma's face instantly faded. If she remembered correctly, after Amelia lost her memory, she had only come to the company occasionally and had never met Director Reed.
It was months ago that Director Reed had started wearing glasses.
Emma didn't want to believe it, but she had to doubt it. Was it just a coincidence? She remembered the doctor saying that, under specific circumstances, triggered by a specific person, Amelia might recall something. Maybe it was just a fleeting fragment of memory.
She felt that this alone wasn't enough to prove anything. Even though a storm was raging inside her, she didn't share her doubts with Liam. She decided to wait and see how things unfolded.
But even so, Emma felt a chilling cold spreading through her body. It left her unable to calm down for a long time.
Back in the office, she stared at the half-written business plan on her desk but couldn't focus on the content.
"What's wrong?"
Liam noticed Emma's strange behavior. Even though he was still a bit upset about what had happened at noon, he couldn't help asking. Her dazed expression worried him.
"Nothing."
Emma turned to look at Liam, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.
Liam's gaze darkened. He wondered if she was thinking about Elijah Clark again.
But since Emma didn't say anything, he didn't press further.
The two of them worked in silence until it was time to leave. Emma and Liam left the company together. When they reached the entrance, they saw Amelia already waiting at the door, holding her bag.