Chapter 52
Emma's apartment wasn't big. One bedroom, one living room, and barely enough space between them to call the corner with the table a dining area.
Adrian sat there now, watching Emma talk on the balcony.
She was dressed as casually as ever in a yellow T-shirt and shorts, looking a little like an unusually pretty Minion. The breeze lifted strands of her long hair, and even without makeup, she was unfairly pretty.
Adrian propped his chin on both hands, watching her with a smile that slowly widened.
Emma had deliberately lowered her voice, probably so he couldn't hear.
Unfortunately for her, Adrian could read lips.
He had no idea what Lawrence was saying, but Emma's side of the conversation was enough.
She didn't like Lawrence.
She'd mentioned Isabelle.
Something about an agreement. A contract.
Piece by piece, Adrian assembled what he believed was the truth.
Lawrence must have hired Emma to pretend to be his girlfriend so he could make Isabelle jealous.
Which meant Emma and Lawrence had never really dated.
More importantly, Emma had never actually liked Lawrence.
Which meant the person she'd really liked all along was obviously Adrian.
Who else could it be?
Adrian's mood soared.
Now Lawrence had apparently fallen for Emma and wanted to turn their fake relationship into a real one.
And Emma had rejected him.
Lawrence Vance was rich, handsome, and came from one of the most prominent families around, and Emma had still turned him down.
She really was something else.
Adrian's gaze lingered on her a little longer.
Emma, meanwhile, glanced toward him from the corner of her eye every so often, making sure he wasn't sneaking closer to listen.
She had no idea that facing him while speaking quietly was actually making his job easier.
Then Lawrence suddenly went silent.
Emma had been halfway through dinner when the call came, and she was still hungry.
"Mr. Vance, if that's all, I'm hanging up."
The roast chicken was getting cold.
Cold chicken was never as good.
At the Vance villa, Lawrence's lips parted.
Before he could say anything, the call ended.
He stared at the phone.
Then his arm slowly dropped to his side.
His fingers loosened.
The phone slipped.
The housekeeper's heart nearly stopped.
He lunged forward and caught his phone before it hit the floor.
Safe.
A smile of relief appeared on his face before he quickly forced it away.
He'd heard the entire conversation.
He'd never expected Emma to be so clearheaded—or so ruthless.
The housekeeper looked carefully at Lawrence.
"Mr. Vance?"
Lawrence had been standing the entire time, but whatever had been holding him upright seemed to disappear all at once.
He sank onto the sofa.
"Leave me."
The housekeeper hesitated, then quietly walked away.
Part of him wondered whether he should text Emma and try to talk some sense into her.
Being Lawrence Vance's real girlfriend didn't exactly sound like a terrible deal. Lawrence wasn't stingy, either. Most people wouldn't object to a comfortable life.
Still, after what he'd just heard, the housekeeper wasn't sure Emma would appreciate the advice.
Lawrence leaned back against the sofa and hooked a finger beneath his tie, pulling it loose.
He stared blankly at the ceiling as that old, tearing ache returned.
Once again, it felt as though no one had ever truly chosen him.
When Emma returned to the living room, Adrian was grinning like an idiot.
She rolled her eyes, sat down, and immediately went back to eating.
Adrian watched her for a moment.
"Emma, are you broke?"
Emma frowned.
"You figured that out because the dinner rolls are two days old?"
Adrian went silent.
He slowly looked down at the roll on his plate.
There was only one bite left.
It looked fine.
White. Normal.
Probably safe.
Emma flashed him a grin.
"Relax. It's only two days old. Mine was a little stale, so I cut off the hard part."
Adrian stared at her.
Then at the roll.
So that was why hers had a clean cut along one side.
After a moment, Adrian took another bite.
If Emma could eat it, so could he.
Though why she was eating stale bread when she clearly had money was beyond him.
"We're friends, right?" Adrian tried again.
Emma gave him a suspicious look.
"Just friends."
Adrian smirked. "Then if your friend has a problem, you'll help him, right?"
"Just say what you want."
Adrian picked up his chair and moved it from across the table to right beside her.
"You know my mom keeps trying to arrange a marriage for me."
Emma kept eating.
"So?"
"I don't want one." Adrian leaned closer. "Pretend to be my girlfriend. If my mom thinks I'm already seeing someone, she'll stop trying to set me up."
Then he added the part he knew had the best chance of getting Emma's attention.
"I'll pay you. Name your price."
"No."
Immediate.
Merciless.
Adrian's mouth fell open.
Emma wasn't suicidal.
Mrs. Mercer already disliked her. If Emma showed up claiming to be Adrian's girlfriend, the woman might personally launch her into traffic.
Adrian's lips turned down.
He nearly blurted out the obvious question.
Why could she pretend to be Lawrence's girlfriend but not his?
He stopped himself.
Emma and Lawrence had just ended their arrangement and apparently wanted nothing to do with each other anymore.
Maybe Emma was refusing because she didn't want the same thing to happen between them.
The thought cheered Adrian up considerably.
"Fine," he said, trying and failing to hide his pout. "I'll wash the dishes later."
For someone who'd grown up with people doing practically everything for him, Adrian was remarkably willing to lower his standards when it came to chasing a girl he liked.
Emma didn't hesitate to take advantage.
"Great. Mop the kitchen floor too."
"...Fine."
Fifteen minutes later, Emma grabbed Adrian by the collar and threw him out of the apartment.
The door slammed in his face.
Adrian immediately started knocking.
"Emma! Emma! I didn't do it on purpose! I'll buy you new dishes!"
He'd been washing up when a cockroach appeared.
Adrian had panicked.
One jerk of his hand later, several dishes had hit the floor.
Those dishes had been with Emma for years.
She was attached to them.
Adrian Mercer was never setting foot in her kitchen again.
Later that night, Emma had just showered and climbed into bed when a text arrived from the Vance family's housekeeper.
There was a photo attached.
Lawrence sat slumped against the sofa in his black suit, his long legs spread in front of him and his loosened tie hanging crookedly around his neck. He looked exhausted, disheveled, and annoyingly photogenic.
Emma studied the picture for a couple of seconds.
Then replied.
At the Vance villa, the housekeeper smiled automatically.
What a nice young woman.
Then he remembered the point of the conversation and quickly stopped smiling.
Emma thoughtfully replied:
The housekeeper stared at the screen.
Wednesday afternoon, Emma rode her scooter to the city's largest shopping mall.
Verve Beauty's flagship store occupied a prominent space on the ground floor, and today's event was being held in the open atrium nearby.
The place was packed.
Word had spread that several influencers and celebrities would be appearing, and plenty of shoppers had gathered just to see what was happening.
Emma had gone viral briefly after the incident with Leo, but the internet moved fast. Most people here wouldn't recognize her on sight, so she hadn't bothered disguising herself.
She'd simply gotten dressed and come over.
Her plan was to make her way toward the staff area.
The crowd had other ideas.
Emma tried to move sideways, got caught in a wave of people pressing toward the stage, and somehow ended up being pushed all the way to the front row.
Emma stared at the stage.
Well.
This was helpful.
The event had already begun.
At center stage, the host finished the opening remarks and smiled at the crowd.
"We've invited some amazing creators today, along with a mystery guest. And that's not all—we have one major surprise appearance that hasn't been announced anywhere. You'll find out who very soon!"
Behind the temporary stage, Julian Sterling waited for his cue.
His silver hair had been styled for the event, and a small silver stud in his ear caught the stage lights whenever he moved.
From where he stood, he had a partial view of the crowd.
Julian glanced out once.
Then froze.
His eyes lit up.
Emma.
She was standing in the front row.
Julian's appearance today hadn't been announced. There had been no promotional post, no teaser, nothing that would have told his fans he was coming.
And yet Emma was here.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
She came.