MasukEmily and the waiter both turned stunned.Charles Adam stood there, his expression dark with fury. Nancy was beside him, her face pale.The waiter’s grip loosened instantly.With a snap of Charles’s fingers, four men in black suits appeared behind him.“Oh no,” Emily whispered, closing her eyes.This was the last thing she wanted. To be seen by him like this. To be exposed in front of everyone.“Sir,” the waiter stammered, “I just caught a gatecrasher. She was sneaking in to eat for free.”No one laughed now.The waiter’s confidence crumbled under Charles’s stare.Nancy stepped forward and gently draped a shawl over Emily’s shoulders. Her voice was soft, careful, almost kind.“Let’s get you cleaned up.”Emily nodded, unsure of Nancy’s intentions but too tired to argue. All she wanted was to disappear. To escape the humiliation.She followed Nancy away from the crowd, never looking back.Not at Charles.Charles did not move at once.The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating, until i
“As your only friend in this university,” Stanley added, his tone sharp and demanding.Her heart pounded.It was true. After Brian left, Stanley was the only one who approached her. The only one who stayed.But that did not mean she could give this up.Not this.This was the only thing she had earned purely for herself.Slowly, Emily clenched her hands into fists. Her jaw tightened. When she looked up, the softness in her eyes was gone.“Listen, Stanley,” she said firmly. “I may not have wished for it, but it was given to me because I earned it. Not because of the Adams.”She took a steady breath.“They had nothing to do with my grades. And you don’t know my story, so you don’t get to judge me.”Stanley’s eyes widened.For a moment, he seemed almost stunned by her response.Then his lips curled into something cold.“Then I hope you’re ready,” he said quietly. “Because whether you like it or not, I will take that honor from you!”He stepped back.“Just wait!”Without another word, Stan
Emily sat in one of the quiet corners of the university library, a thick book open in her hands.She had been staring at the same page for several minutes.The words blurred together, refusing to make sense.All she could think about was Charles.His interview.His calm answers.The way he spoke Nancy’s name without hesitation.The way he spoke about Emily as if nothing had ever existed between them.Then her mind betrayed her again, pulling her back to the other version of him. The man from the night before. Gentle. Careful. His hands warm and sure, his voice low as he told her to rest.She hated herself for it.No matter how hard she tried, she could not erase him from her thoughts.She tightened her grip on the book, forcing her eyes back to the page, but the letters refused to stay still.“Get it together,” she whispered to herself.Just then, a shadow fell across the table.“Ms. Emily Greyson?”Emily looked up.A man in a dark suit stood in front of her, posture straight, express
Emily’s graduation was coming.So was her marriage.The two events hovered over her days like shadows she could not shake. The wedding was scheduled just days before her graduation, close enough that it felt intentional, as if someone wanted to make sure she had nowhere left to run.No time.No excuses.No escape.That afternoon, the mansion felt unusually quiet.Emily sat on the couch in the living room, her legs tucked beneath her as she absentmindedly stroked her cat’s fur. The television played softly in front of her, tuned to the most popular TV station in the country. She knew what was coming even before the host announced his name.Charles Adam appeared on the screen.She exhaled without realizing she had been holding her breath.He sat on a brown leather sofa inside the studio, composed and elegant as always. The navy blue suit fit him perfectly, the color flattering his pale skin. He looked polished, controlled, untouchable. Like someone born for cameras, for admiration, for
That night, Emily could not sleep.She tossed from one side of the bed to the other, the sheets tangled around her legs, her mind far too loud for rest. Every time she closed her eyes, he was there.Charles’s smile.His smirk.The way he stood so effortlessly tall.The way his hands felt on her skin.And worse than all of it, the memory of his body. Hard. Warm.She groaned and turned onto her back, staring at the ceiling.“I hate this!” she muttered.She had sworn she would not fall for him. She had said it boldly, confidently, right to his face. And yet now, in the quiet of the night, all she could think about was Charles Adam.“Pull yourself together, Emily,” she whispered harshly. “He is an enemy. He will never go against his family.”She repeated it again and again like a spell, but her heart refused to listen.Frustrated, she curled her fingers into her hair and tugged hard.“Ah!” she groaned. “Charles, get out of my head and let me sleep!”When the room only answered her with si
For a long second, neither of them moved.Then Charles lifted his hand and held her chin delicately between his fingers, guiding her face up just enough for their eyes to meet. They were so close now that Emily could feel his breath, warm and steady, brushing against her skin.“I do not want to hurt you,” he said quietly.There was no teasing in his voice this time. No arrogance. Just sincerity.That was what unsettled her the most.He looked different like this. Softer. More dangerous. His eyes were calm, earnest, almost gentle, and it made her heart stumble in a way she had not prepared for. She hated that she liked the sound of his words. Hated that some part of her wanted to believe him.Her heart felt it.But her mind refused to follow.Charles Adam could be kind. He could be sincere. And he could still be lying.She swallowed and forced herself to hold his gaze. “Do not be,” she said, steadying her voice. “I already know the golden rule of this marriage.”She paused, letting the
On this day, she experienced a lot of tension.Emily felt so exhausted that she decided to bend it out through drinking.Lixie’s party was a great avenue to overcome the stress and pain in her heart due to Old Master Frederick’s criticism.“Come on, Brian. I want to introduce you to my parents.” Li
She couldn't show her father.She would rather take the blame for everyone than approach her shameless father.Brian on the other hand was also problematic.He was protecting Emily from his parents.If one of them would know that Emily was in his school, her father would surely know about her.As f
Emily was the first girl who dared to touch his body and he let her only to forget what she had done.It pissed him off.Charles pinned her on the wall’s surface.His eyes hinted displeasure.Emily's breathing instantly hitched.She was stunned for a moment then panic hit her nerves to shiver treme
Emily could not believe Warren’s words. “Warren, I’m serious. No joking, please. I just want us to be…” Intending to kill the awkwardness of the air inside Warren’s room, Emily smiled and said but then quickly cut by him.“Emily, is it because I’m crippled?” In a deep tone, Warren asked directly c







