Emelia’s Pov Amelia’s voice, sharp with disbelief, cut through the stunned silence, "Liam! How can you say such a thing? Nora has been with us, a part of this family, even before Emelia came! How can you just… disown her like that?"Liam finally tore his gaze from Nora, turning to face Amelia. His expression was still unreadable, but there was a steely resolve in his eyes, "Because what she did, Mom, was unforgivable. And what Emelia is and has done since she came here, despite everything, proves her worth far more than Nora ever could." He gestured vaguely between me and Nora, "Nora has consistently sought to harm Emelia, to sabotage her, to drive her away. Emelia, on the other hand, has endured it all with a strength I've never seen. If Nora could scheme to make me believe that Emelia tried to kill me and even scheme to make her school embarrassed if Emelia could be gotten rid of, what else can't she do? From the beginning, Emelia had been framed by Nora! Why can't you see that?!”
Emelia’s Pov I jerked slightly. Did I just hear correctly? Did Amelia just… Did she just admit to me not being a RedField? I turned my gaze to her, my eyes dark, “What do you mean by that? I'm not a real RedField? Not only that, Nora is the one who belongs in this family? Why is that? Explain what you mean clearly.” I started, narrowing my eyes at her. Amelia gulped loudly, “I…” She looked like she didn't know what to say nor how to explain herself. By now, everyone was already staring at her, waiting for her to explain herself.“Didn't you hear Emelia? We are all waiting for your explanations on what you just said. Don't waste our time, mom.” Elijah pressed on, his voice cold. “I mean… What I meant was that… Emelia came here just a few months ago. She's not fit to be a RedField and can't certainly be accepted as one. Coupled with everything she had done even before she was sent to the mental hospital and how Nora was the complete opposite of her, it clearly shows that Nora is more
Emelia's POVThe air in the room was thick with tension, heavy with the weight of Elijah’s words. My parents, Edward and Amelia, looked like they wanted the floor to swallow them whole. Nora, beside me, seemed to shrink in her seat, her face pale.“My assistant has told me everything which has happened since I had gone abroad to head the company and I'm very disappointed by everything I've seen so far,” Elijah started, his voice cold, sharp enough to cut glass. “Not only did you neglect Emelia despite the amount of warning that I gave after I left, you also ignored her, and treated your fake daughter like a jewel while making Emelia seem like trash. I watched the footage of Emelia getting beaten after being accused of stealing Nora's jewellery. Why didn't you investigate before accusing her? Did you ever think that maybe, Emelia could be innocent? You were only trusting whatever Nora told you, despite all the loopholes?” His voice got louder the more he spoke, each word a hammer blow
Emelia’s Pov “Emelia?” Liam's voice broke me out of my reverie and I turned back to stare at him, my gaze lingering for a moment. “When did you come back?” He asked, he still looked very sleepy. Why did he wake up if he was still sleepy? “Just now. You've gotten discharged from the hospital?” I asked, it was a stupid question but I didn't know what else to say anyways. “Yes. The nurses said I can be cleared to go. I'm being quite nice. Also, Elijah asked me to bring you to him, he said he needed to talk to you about something. He said it was very urgent.” Liam paused for a moment, he wanted to say something but looked unsure. I sighed, “Just go ahead and say whatever it is that you want to say.” “Well… Jeremy and Damien are in the house as well. It's more like we are having a family meeting. Nora will be there too.” “A family meeting?” I repeated. Liam nodded and I frowned, “Why? Did something happen?” “Well, Elijah got wind of what dad did to Grandfather. He was able to figu
Emelia's POVThe first thing I registered was the soft, unfamiliar texture of the sheets beneath me. Then came the warmth, a solid, comforting heat radiating from my side. My eyelids fluttered open, adjusting to the dim morning light filtering through unfamiliar curtains.And there he was. Kaidon.He was sprawled on his back, a picture of peaceful slumber. His chest, broad and sculpted, rose and fell with each steady breath. No shirt. Just smooth, sun-kissed skin stretched taut over hard muscle. My gaze traced the faint lines of his abs, down to the waistband of his sweatpants. He looked so utterly relaxed, so vulnerable, a stark contrast to his usual guarded intensity.A strange, insistent urge bubbled within me. Slowly, tentatively, I reached out a hand. My fingertips brushed against his chest, the warmth immediately seeping into my skin. His skin was so soft, yet firm, and I could feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath my touch. A shiver, not of cold, but of something else
Kaidon’s Pov“Sweetheart?” I repeated, my voice a mix of surprise and a growing sense of dread. Emelia was a clinging vine, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck, her legs hooked around my waist. The strong scent of alcohol wafted from her, confirming my worst fears. She was completely intoxicated."You're here! I missed you!" She chirped, her voice muffled against my shoulder. Then, without any warning, she tilted her head back and pressed her lips to mine.My mind went blank for a second, then snapped back to attention. This wasn't right. I gently but firmly pushed her away, detaching her from me. She stumbled back a step, looking disoriented."Emelia, you're drunk." I stated, the words coming out more curtly than I intended, but the situation demanded directness.Her lower lip began to tremble, "No, I'm not!" She insisted, though her swaying posture argued otherwise. She tried to step closer, her eyes wide and watery, "Don't leave me, Kaidon!""I'm not leaving you." I said, tryin