It was exhausting. And completely not worth the effort.
So she told Liam she wanted to visit her parents that evening. She also wanted to see the little dog, Snowball, that her mother had recently adopted.
Under normal circumstances, Liam would have agreed immediately. But today, he lifted his eyes, and a flickering light shimmered in his deep, pool-like gaze. Though it vanished like a shooting star, Emma caught it.
She simply assumed Liam was preoccupied with something else, and that the coldness in his eyes hadn't faded in time when he looked up.
"Going back to your in-laws' place?"
Liam's index finger tapped slowly along the edge of the table. Though the sound wasn't loud, it felt as if he were knocking directly on her heart.
Emma suddenly regretted finding this excuse. After all, what if Liam offered to go back with her? She had come up with this excuse because Liam had been going out every night lately and wouldn't be eating at home.
But if he didn't have dinner with a client tonight, that would be terrible.
Seeing Emma's hesitant nod, Liam naturally saw through her lie. A chill settled in his heart, and he couldn't help but laugh at himself. It was such a simple multiple-choice question, and for Emma, she naturally knew where to choose.
Look at himself, still holding onto a sliver of hope. Still hoping she might change her mind, that she might completely stay by his side.
Ridiculous.
"Alright. I have other plans tonight. I can't go back with you. Say hello to your parents for me."
Liam spoke slowly, a gentle smile on his face, but it seemed light and cold. Perhaps it was because of the snow falling outside the French window.
Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled and agreed with Liam. Then she tidied up her desk, put on her coat, and left.
Liam remained seated in his chair, watching the woman's retreating back. The peace in his eyes suddenly sank, replaced by an indescribable coldness and malice.
Although Emilia was busy with the documents in her hands, she still paid attention to the sounds coming from the president's office. When Emma came out of the office, she immediately stood up from her seat. A perfectly appropriate curiosity was on her face as she looked at Emma.
"Emma, why did you come out alone? There are still more than twenty minutes until work ends. Why didn't the president go with you?"
"Oh, I have some personal errands to run."
Emma smiled, not really understanding Emilia's curiosity. After all, Elijah and Mia hadn't even exchanged a single word yet, even though it seemed like there was great hope now. Before they were officially together, it was hard to say anything.
Emilia nodded obediently and let Emma leave.
Back at her own desk, Emilia didn't immediately look at the documents placed on the table. She secretly glanced around. Although it was almost time to get off work, the other secretaries were still busy with their tasks. No one would notice her.
So she safely took out her phone, selected a contact from her address book, and sent a text message.
After seeing the reply, Emilia knew her task was complete. As if nothing had happened, she put her phone back in her bag and rearranged the documents in her hands.
She couldn't help but wonder if today would be the last time she saw Emma. Or rather, if it would be the last time she saw her in this city.
Emma drove her car and started calling Elijah. But the tone told her the other party was busy. Emma had no choice but to leave a message.
"Elijah, I'm driving to Maple Street now. When I get there, I'll wait for you at the usual place."
Then she hung up and drove to her destination.
Emma didn't know that not long after she hung up, in his office, Liam was picking up his phone and dialing her father's number.
"Son-in-law, what's the matter?" James asked, surprised to see his son-in-law's call. His heart couldn't help but tighten. "Is something wrong with Emma?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to see you and your wife with Emma in a couple of days. I was wondering if you two would be home."
Liam casually mentioned a date a few days later, and James told him they would be free. He also said he would prepare a big table of food and asked Liam what he wanted to eat in particular. After chatting for a while, Liam finally hung up.
Looking at the phone that had been hung up, Liam's thin, cool lips turned an extremely red color. His self-mocking smile was as bloodthirsty as a wild animal, revealing a hint of danger.
He already knew the answer, so why did he make such a fuss on the phone?
Liam, you're really stupid.
The man's evil eyes flashed with a cold, sharp light.
"Son-in-law, when are they coming? Call in advance. It's fine to call on the day they come. It's not like we don't know that we old folks usually have nothing to do," Sophia asked strangely when she saw James hang up.
"I don't think Emma and her son-in-law are quarreling," James guessed.
"No way. My son-in-law is so good to Emma. Maybe Emma is being willful again."
As the saying goes, the more a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, the more pleasing she finds him. Sophia had long regarded Liam as her own son. What's more, her judgment wasn't bad. Every time Liam came back with Emma, his concern for her didn't seem like an act. She always knew her daughter best and thought the problem lay with her.
"I'm not sure. Ah, after all, the couple has only been married for less than a year. It needs to be worked out," James said with emotion.
"Even so. But I think the most important thing now is that my daughter should have a baby earlier. You also know that my son-in-law is the president of Pinnacle Corporation, and the Williams family is a famous family. As the eldest son-in-law, if they don't have a child earlier, they will be under great pressure in the future," Sophia sighed.
"What time is it now? You still think it's ancient times," James couldn't help but feel helpless about his wife's old-fashioned ideas.
"This rule can't be changed in any era. You forget how much you expected of your grandson when we went to Sunrise Manor last time and my father-in-law chatted with us. He is already an enlightened father-in-law. After all, it's such a big family business."
After listening to Sophia's words, James couldn't help but fall silent.
Although they were very happy that their daughter had found an excellent son-in-law, it wasn't so easy to be a rich wife. Although the son-in-law was very kind to their daughter, who could guarantee whether he would be as good as he is now in ten or twenty years?