After Elijah finished speaking, his warm gaze sharpened, watching Emma's expression carefully, afraid to miss even the slightest flicker.
"Choose again?"
Emma hadn't expected Elijah to ask her that. She'd never considered such a question before.
Even though she always knew she would divorce Liam someday, she'd never thought about who she might marry afterward.
"I don't know."
Emma dropped her head, her clear eyes lost in thought. Her slight hesitation, however, gave Elijah tremendous encouragement. He suddenly felt his chances were better than he'd imagined.
Because he could see that Emma wasn't truly happy in Liam's house. Her personality was too strong, too free. How could she ever feel completely at ease in such a prestigious family? Naturally, she would have more concerns than others.
Keeping his thoughts to himself, Elijah didn't press the matter further. Instead, he changed the subject, telling Emma about a movie he'd watched last night.
Emma didn't suspect anything. She quickly shifted her attention to the new topic.
In a corner not far away, a man in a hat, fake beard, and black coat shook his head in disappointment. No wonder the boss had sent him personally. It seemed he had some understanding of this subordinate. Even if Elijah planned to leave, he would never force Emma to go with him.
With such hesitation, how could he ever win a woman over?
In the end, the boss would have to handle things himself. Behind the sunglasses beneath the black hat, a pair of deep-sea blue eyes gleamed with calculating cunning.
That night, Emma lay in the bathtub, recalling the question Elijah had asked her during the day. She couldn't help feeling restless. Was she happy? Maybe. But how long could this happiness last?
Amelia's words lingered in her mind like a curse she couldn't shake. She couldn't ask Liam about them. She didn't even have the courage to confirm. Emma felt she was becoming less and less like herself. When had she become so cautious and thoughtful?
After a long while, she finally let out a deep sigh. She stepped out of the tub and dried herself. Looking at the fading marks on her body in the mirror, she blushed slightly.
But a wave of melancholy washed over her. By the way, she was almost out of birth control pills. She would need to buy another pack in a couple of days.
The next day dawned bright and clear, no different from any other.
Emma, exhausted from Liam's relentless attention all night, struggled to get out of bed. Seeing the fresh marks on her body, she couldn't help cursing Liam under her breath.
Thank goodness it was winter and she could wear high-necked clothes. If anyone saw the hickeys on her neck, she would die of embarrassment.
Even if she didn't die laughing, she would lose all face.
After washing up, Emma went downstairs for breakfast. Liam was already seated, waiting for her. When he saw her coming down, he personally spread strawberry jam on her toast. His movements were gentle, his eyes full of satisfaction. His energetic demeanor stood in stark contrast to Emma's exhausted appearance.
Emma shot him an angry glare. The corners of her eyes seemed to hook him, making Liam's gaze darken. If it weren't for the family breakfast, he would have carried her upstairs and demanded more.
Across the table, Amelia's attitude toward Emma remained indifferent, but at least she called her "sister-in-law." Emma suspected she only did so because of Liam. When Liam wasn't around, even if Henry was present, Amelia wouldn't address her that way.
Right now, Amelia was excitedly discussing something with Henry and Liam. She had recently found an abandoned property she was optimistic about. She planned to hire someone to renovate it and turn it into an art gallery. Emma knew Amelia had considerable artistic talent, which was evident from the decoration style of her café. It was said that Amelia's biological mother had been an art teacher at a university, though she died when Amelia was young. Still, Amelia must have been influenced by her, so it wasn't surprising.
Henry actually hoped Amelia would familiarize herself with the company's operations and planned to let her gain experience in various departments. But since Liam didn't plan to let Amelia join the company for now, Henry had to give up the idea.
Since she wanted to open an art gallery, he would certainly support her. Henry always felt guilty toward Amelia's father. Although things were complicated back then and couldn't be explained in a few words, Amelia's father had ultimately taken a bullet for him. No matter what, he would do his best to ensure Amelia lived happily.
In the future, if she found a husband who truly loved her, he could finally face Amelia's father in the afterlife.
Emma didn't join the breakfast conversation. She finished her meal quietly and went to the company with Liam. At noon, since Liam had to meet clients, Emma planned to have lunch with Emilia. But Emilia blushed and said she had something to do at noon. Emma wasn't curious about her business. What she was curious about was Emilia's expression.
She had never seen Emilia like this. She couldn't help wondering who that person was.
But it definitely wasn't a woman.
So she couldn't help feeling that winter had passed in the blink of an eye. Could spring be far behind?
She smiled meaningfully as she watched Emilia leave. This made Emilia a little uneasy. She wondered if Emma had seen through something. If Emma knew who she was going to meet, she would be in danger.
Forget about continuing to work at Pinnacle Corporation.
But based on her understanding of Emma, she wasn't that scheming. So she decided she was probably overthinking things.
Just before leaving work, Emma received a text from Elijah's phone. He said he wanted to discuss something with her. It was about Mia.
Emma thought Elijah was going to tell Mia something but didn't know how to make her happy. So he planned to find a friend who knew Mia to brainstorm together. Thinking that Elijah might be with Mia, Emma couldn't help feeling happy.
She looked at the man sitting in front of the office desk, frowning slightly. He had been like this for the past couple of days. She didn't know what had caught his interest so much. But it was obvious he wasn't in a good mood.
Although she and Liam were honest about her relationship with Elijah, to avoid Liam, who was in a bad mood right now, preventing her from meeting Elijah, Emma thought it was necessary to tell a lie. She didn't want to argue with Liam anymore.