Chapter Seventy Four

Even after Emily had read that sentence three times, it remained just as terrifying.

Make sure there are no guards at the Carter residence by midnight.

When that command was written, her parents were still alive. Beneath the order was Margaret Carter's signature, and someone had made sure they wouldn't be protected.

"Tell me they've checked it," Emily requested.

Sophia's voice remained cautious. “They have validated the signature, but they are still looking into the document's origin. We are unable to ascertain whether Margaret was aware of your parents' impending deaths,” she said.

Emily put her hand on the side of the table. The quietness felt unbearably heavy, and the flat seemed too warm all of a sudden. Margaret took her in after the first guardian because incapable of taking care of her, managed her fortune, and decided what she should learn about her family.

Emily had years of protection from someone who could have aided in destroying if the document was real.

"Could you give me a copy?" Emily asked.

Sophia said, "I will bring it along with me when I am coming back." "Please do not approach Margaret until we have more information," she added.

Emily nodded in agreement to what Sophia said. She knew sleep would be hard to come by that night.

When Sophia arrived at the apartment, Damian was already there. Sophia decided to give them some privacy. He had left Knight Global after discovering the document, and the tension in his face indicated to Emily that he had been thinking about it throughout the entire trip.

He read the directive quietly.

"Margaret's authority could have been used by Victor to set this up," Damian concluded. "That would explain why her signature appears on something connected to your parents' killings," he continued.

"Or maybe she was fully aware of what she was doing," she replied.

"I do not want it to be true," he said as he glanced at her.

"Me neither," Emily replied.

Despite being close enough to touch, there was still something dividing them. Emily yearned for him to hold her close and assure her that she would not have to endure another betrayal by herself. Damian wished to inform her of his fear of losing her. But none of them mentioned it.

Instead, they focused again on the document.

"We need to find out who gave Margaret those orders," Damian said.

She kept a close eye on him. "What happens if the proof points to her?" She responded.

"Then we will follow it wherever it leads," he said.

Although it seemed like a promise, she sensed the underlying reluctance.

The doorbell rang before she could react.

Sophia went to see who was at the door. When she opened it, Ryan was standing outside. He looked through the door and saw Emily sitting on the chair. He then looked beside her and saw Damian sitting next to Emily. And immediately, his expression became tense.

"I read about the paper," Ryan said. "After the investigators interviewed her about the transfers, my mother's attorney contacted me," he said.

"Have you come to lend a hand?" Damian asked.

"I came because Margaret is my mom, and if she was involved in what happened to Emily's parents, I need to know why," he replied.

Damian's face grew serious. "Whenever your family is at risk, you just seem to find your conscience," he said.

Ryan stepped closer to him. "And it seems you believe that loving Emily gives you the authority to pass judgment on everyone who is close to her," he responded.

Emily said, "Enough," with boldness.

The two men became quiet immediately.

She was tired of their rivalry, the past that kept dragging her backwards, and the feeling that every answer came with another price.

"Ryan, if you have any information, please share it. And Damian, if you want to assist me, stop turning every conversation into a confrontation. This has to do with my parents," she said.

Ryan was the first to look away. "My mother kept financial records from way back. Her lawyer can help me get them," he said.

"Well, go ahead," Emily answered.

Before meeting her eyes once more, Ryan paused. "I never intended for you to experience pain," he assured her.

Emily felt the usual ache, but it had lost its hold on her and was unable to push her towards him.

“There is a difference between not wanting me to feel pain and actually causing me pain,” she said.

Ryan's look changed. For a second, the guy who had formerly been familiar with every aspect of her existence seemed unable to give an answer.

Under his calm face, Damian watched them with a spark of envy. Emily noticed him, but she did not approach him to erase every doubt he had not yet conquered.

Ryan eventually walked in the direction of the entrance. "I will get in touch with the attorney tomorrow," he told Emily and walked out.

Damian remained uncommonly quiet after his departure.

Emily said, "Are you wondering if I still have feelings for him?"

He turned to her. "Do you have any regrets about picking me?" Damian asked.

Her heart almost seized. He has finally said what he has been thinking all these while.

"I don't like what we have now become. It seems like fear has overtaken trust,” Emily said.

Damian looked away.

Neither of them got any closer.

Sophia's phone then started ringing. Before putting it on speakerphone, she took a moment to listen.

The investigator had discovered the entry that corresponded to the initial command in an outdated security log. It revealed who asked for the guards to be removed.

As Sophia repeated name, Emily clung to the table.

It was not Margaret Carter.

It was her husband, Ryan's father.

There was a handwritten permission from Victor Knight beside his name.