Emma Johnson stumbled, caught off guard, and hit the floor hard.
The edge of something sharp scraped her hand, and blood began to bead along the cut.
“Look what you’ve done! You hurt my cousin. Get your manager out here right now. I’ll make sure she fires you.”
Isabella Miller’s eyes blazed as she stared at the wound on Emma’s hand. She looked ready to tear the young woman apart. The girl seemed genuinely shocked by what had happened. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I tripped on something. I almost fell myself. It was an accident, I swear.”
“An accident? You still caused this. What about my cousin’s hand? Can’t you see she’s bleeding?”
Isabella had spent years in the entertainment industry. She’d seen every kind of act there was. And she wasn’t one to be pushed around. She was usually the one doing the pushing.
The girl couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. She raised her arm to cover her face and sobbed quietly. Emma, who seemed like a fresh graduate, knew the girl hadn’t meant any harm. She stepped in to calm Isabella down.
“It’s just a scratch. I’ll be fine. There’s no need to call her manager.”
Hearing this, Isabella had no choice but to let it go. Since Emma was the one who got hurt, if she wanted to drop it, the matter was settled.
The girl kept thanking Emma over and over. Emma told her to be more careful next time, and that was the end of it.
Emma wanted to rinse the cut with cold water, but there was no bottled water left in the green room. She stepped out to find a bathroom. Only Isabella and Amelia White remained in the room.
Not knowing where the restroom was, the girl who had bumped into her offered to show her the way.
“I’m really sorry about all this.”
“You’re so kind, Mrs. Stuart. If my boss had found out, I would have been fired. This is my first job after college. I’ve only been here a few months.”
The girl was genuinely grateful. Emma gave her a small smile.
“I was in a hurry, but I really did trip over something. That’s why I fell. It’s strange, though. I didn’t see anything by the door. Well, I didn’t get a good look.”
The girl scratched her head. She had a boyish manner about her, a bit rough around the edges.
Emma’s eyes flickered with a thoughtful light at her words. But it vanished just as quickly.
They turned a corner in the hallway, heading toward the bathroom. That’s when they saw it. A black snake was coiled in front of them, its forked tongue flicking in the air. Its sharp, awl-like eyes were fixed directly on Emma.
Emma’s heart skipped a beat. She remembered that snakes were drawn to the smell of blood. Had the wound on her hand attracted it? Snakes had an incredibly keen sense of smell, so it wasn’t surprising it had shown up here.
A chill ran down her spine. She stood frozen, as if turned to stone, not daring to move. She could only watch as the snake flicked its long, red tongue and slithered closer.
“I thought I wouldn’t find you. But you came out on your own.”
Emma was terrified, bracing herself for a bite. Then she heard the girl beside her speak.
Emma was stunned.
She had never seen anyone catch a python with their bare hands before. Especially not a girl who seemed so gentle. When the girl grabbed the snake precisely by the back of its neck and lifted it up, Emma’s eyes widened with pure admiration. She looked at the girl as if she were a hero.
The girl felt a little embarrassed by Emma’s stare and grinned.
“My family lives in the countryside, up in the mountains. I’ve been catching snakes since I was a kid. Did I scare you?”
Emma shook her head vigorously, even though she had been terrified just moments before. She couldn’t help but admire the girl’s courage. The girl said she needed to take the snake back to the woods, so she said goodbye to Emma. After she left, Emma thought about the snake’s cold, piercing gaze and still felt a shiver run down her spine.
At the same time, a few pieces of the puzzle clicked into place in her mind. Her eyes grew sharp and cold.
“Cousin, you’re back.”
Isabella saw Emma return from the bathroom and took out a band-aid. She carefully placed it over the clean wound on Emma’s hand. After that, the three women headed to the restaurant.
Throughout the meal, Emma didn’t mention the snake she had encountered in the hallway. She acted as if nothing had happened, eating dinner with Isabella and Amelia as if everything was normal.
On the drive back to Sunrise Manor, Emma watched Amelia in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke. “Amelia, I almost got bitten by a snake today.”
“Oh? Sister-in-law, are you okay?”
Amelia’s surprised tone sounded completely fake to Emma’s ears. Emma smiled coldly to herself, but her face remained calm.
“Of course I’m fine. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here having dinner with you. Luckily, the girl who tripped me knew how to catch snakes. If it weren’t for her, I might have been bitten. They say its venom hasn’t been fully treated yet. I might be in the hospital right now.”
After Emma finished speaking, she saw Amelia in the mirror fall silent for a moment before she finally replied.
“That was very lucky.”
“Yes, it was. But I’ve been wondering. How did that girl suddenly fall down? I remember you were the only one behind me.”
“Sister-in-law, are you accusing me?”
Amelia looked at Emma with an expression of disbelief.
“I’m just saying that a lot of things seem too coincidental. I never said you did it.”
“But that’s exactly what you’re implying.”
Amelia’s usual clever and quiet demeanor vanished. She stared at Emma with thinly veiled anger.
“I know that look, Amelia. Do you know something? Before you lost your memory, you hated me. So when you had amnesia and your attitude toward me suddenly changed, I was flattered. But it never felt right.”
Emma spoke slowly, her voice still calm and steady.
“Is that so?”
Amelia let out a light laugh, but there was no curiosity in her eyes.
Inside, though, she was wondering why Emma had suddenly said that. Had she seen something? Amelia couldn’t help but feel a surge of caution.