Emma usually loved scrambled eggs with tomatoes, or a bowl of tomato egg noodles. Back when she lived in the Sunset Community apartment, Liam would often make that for her. But ever since they moved back to Sunrise Manor, he hadn't cooked it for himself in a long time.
That was why Emma had assumed he would never cook for her again.
Yet here he was, on this very night, personally frying a plate of tomatoes and eggs just for her.
Staring at the steaming dish, Emma's eyes grew complicated. They had both agreed to keep a clear boundary between them. In recent days, she had even started paving the way for their future divorce. But after returning home tonight, something uncontrollable had shifted. The cold silence that usually hung between them had softened, and they were sitting here together, sharing a rare moment of peace.
Emma couldn't figure out the man sitting across from her. Why did his gaze sometimes feel so icy? Yet at other times, he could be so gentle with her.
"Brother is so good to his sister-in-law, cooking for her himself. I've never gotten that treatment before."
Amelia's voice rang out from the kitchen doorway. Emma looked back and saw her smiling face, though the strange glint in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"You're no worse at cooking than I am. It's late. Go upstairs and get some rest. You've been coming home late these past few days, so you must be tired."
Liam looked at Amelia with a gentle smile. His words were full of concern, but he didn't follow up on her comment by promising to cook for her someday.
Instead of paying Amelia any more attention, Emma picked up her chopsticks, took a small bite of the dish Liam had made, and brought it to her mouth. Then she scooped up the rest of the rice from her bowl and began eating slowly.
Seeing her like this, Amelia's almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly. Then, a charming smile spread across her face as she walked into the kitchen, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and came over to Emma.
"It looks like my sister-in-law is really enjoying this. I want to taste my brother's cooking too, to see if it's as delicious as it looks."
With that, she scooped up a huge mouthful. Emma felt like Amelia was trying to take half the plate. Watching her cherry-red lips struggle to fit the food in, Emma thought to herself, This is a classic case of eyes bigger than your stomach.
Suddenly, Emma remembered something. The words were already on the tip of her tongue, but it was too late.
She watched as Amelia's cheeks bulged and her eyes filled with tears from the heat. Emma couldn't help but stare at her.
"It was just taken off the stove. It's still really hot. Did you burn your tongue?"
Amelia didn't spit the food out. Instead, she immediately grabbed a glass of ice water and gulped it down, finally soothing the burning sensation in her mouth.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Didn't you eat dinner?"
Liam looked at Amelia with a hint of reproach, while she stared back at him with a wronged expression. Emma smiled to herself, wanting to tell Liam that it wasn't about the food. Even if this dish were made of fire, as long as he had cooked it, Amelia would still risk burning her tongue off just to try it.
But Emma was also a little curious. Had he never cooked for Amelia before?
So, did that mean she was the first woman he had ever cooked for? Unless he had done it for the female soldiers back in the army.
Emma couldn't quite describe the feeling that washed over her. But thanks to Amelia's little stunt, her appetite had unknowingly improved. She finished the entire plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and the rice in her bowl was nearly gone. When she finally put down her chopsticks, she didn't look as miserable as she had before.
Amelia had already gone back to her room upstairs. Before returning to his own bedroom, Liam took another look inside Amelia's room. Emma didn't care, and she didn't bother asking what they had talked about. Unless it was absolutely necessary, she preferred to stay out of Amelia's affairs.
Because too many experiences had proven that sometimes her concern only made things worse for Amelia. She didn't know if it was because she and Amelia just didn't get along, but either way, she tried to avoid it whenever possible.
As for what Amelia thought of her, Emma had stopped caring a long time ago.
If Amelia was destined to hold a grudge against her from the very beginning, no matter how hard Emma tried, nothing would ever change.
It took half an hour for Liam to return to the bedroom. Emma had no idea what he and Amelia had talked about that took so long. But by the time he came in, she was already half-asleep. She felt the mattress sink behind her as Liam stretched out his arm and pulled her into his embrace.
Emma didn't turn around and burrow into his arms like she used to. But she also didn't push him away like she had in the past few days.
It was a peaceful night.
The next morning, Emma planned to drive herself to the company. But Liam stopped her and told her to get into his car instead. Then he instructed Matthew, the driver, to take Amelia to the coffee shop.
"You're the owner of the coffee shop, not a clerk. There's no need to go so early. You can go later."
Amelia watched as Liam left the house with Emma, and in the end, she didn't get into his car. But when she got into her own car, she habitually sat in the back seat.
"Why don't you sit in the front?"
Liam looked at Emma and asked.
"It's more spacious."
Emma answered simply, not telling Liam that it was because Amelia had already sat there, so she didn't want to.
Liam didn't say anything more. They drove to the company together.
Regarding the company's end-of-year event, Emma decided to ask Emilia Clark to be her assistant. Even though she had lost her jewelry at the last press conference, it had nothing to do with Emilia. Her abilities were well-recognized by Emma. So when she asked Liam to borrow her, he agreed without hesitation.
Because Emilia had been recommended by Emma, she was able to work in the Executive Secretariat. But usually, Liam would habitually assign the more important documents to his long-time secretary. So compared to others, Emilia wasn't as busy.
When Emilia heard that Emma wanted her help, no matter what angle she looked at it from, she was more than happy to agree.
In the afternoon, just as Emma was planning to have Emilia accompany her to pick out some props for the event, she suddenly received a call from Isabella.
"Cousin, can you come see me?"
Isabella's voice sounded a little pitiful. Emma wondered what was wrong with her.
"What's the matter?"
Emma asked.