Daniel was just as surprised as Emily. He had not expected to meet Emily under these circumstances. His heart was beating fast, and he tried to act normal, as if he didn’t know her. However, in his heart, he felt a little confused about how Emily and Alice knew each other.
“Have you been waiting long?” Daniel asked Alice, his voice sounding flat. His eyes avoided eye contact with Emily, trying not to show his surprise.
“I’ve been waiting a long time. I thought you wouldn’t come,” Alice replied, fabricating a story even though she had also just walked out of the boutique. Her eyes briefly met Emily’s, followed by a small smile that emphasized the lie she had told Daniel.
“Alice, I’ll be going,” Emily excused herself in a quiet voice. “I still have to pick up my daughter,” her voice sounded a little shaky.
“Uh, wait a minute,” Alice said, reaching out to hold Emily’s arm.
“What’s wrong?” Emily asked.
Alice smiled cheerfully and said, “Oh yes, Daniel, this is Emily, my new friend. Emily, this is Daniel, my boyfriend.”
Hearing Alice’s words that Daniel was her boyfriend shocked Emily so much that her eyes turned red, but she endured all the pain that came over her. “I’m Emily,” she said as she extended her hand, her voice sounding cold.
Daniel took Emily’s hand and introduced himself, “Daniel.” His eyes looked at Emily with a look that was hard to interpret.
“Alice, I have to go now. I’m sorry,” Emily said.
“Ah, alright. Thank you so much for today,” Alice replied with a smile. “See you soon, Emily.”
“Bye,” Alice said as she waved to Emily, who returned the gesture before hurrying to her car.
Once inside her car, Emily quickly wiped away the tears that almost fell down her cheeks. It broke her heart to see Daniel with another woman. While Daniel seemed to move on effortlessly, Emily felt trapped in the shadows of the past.
Emily still remembered the suffering she had endured, especially during the challenging experience of giving birth to Grace without the presence of a father. Emily’s own biological father was responsible for the tragic death of Daniel’s parents, intensifying her feelings of deep sorrow and self-blame for their intertwined fates. The burden of guilt had long haunted Emily, and Daniel’s decision to end their relationship as a form of retaliation had shattered her heart.
“Does the daughter of a murderer not deserve happiness?” muttered Emily with a bitter smile, laughing at her fate with a heart-wrenching laugh. She closed her eyes for a moment, envisioning the innocent face of Grace, her beautiful little daughter. “I have to be strong for you, Grace,” she whispered.
Finally, Emily started the car engine and drove the car out of the boutique’s parking lot.
***
Daniel looked sharply and coldly at Alice, who was sitting beside him in the car.
“What?” Alice asked. “Why are you looking at me like I’m your meal?”
“Since when did I become your boyfriend?” asked Daniel. His voice sounded flat, without a hint of emotion.
Alice fell silent for a moment before finally answering. “You’re going to be my boyfriend,” she replied in a low, reassuring voice. “I love you and will try to get your attention so that you will become my boyfriend.”
“Stop it, Alice. You’re younger than me by over ten years. I have no interest in you.”
“You’re truly devoid of feelings” Alice said, her voice slightly depressed, but still cheerful. “You’re not only rejecting me on the grounds of age, but also hurting me by saying that you’re not interested in me.”
A sweet smile spread across Alice’s lips, her eyes twinkling with determination. “But no matter. This will make me even more motivated to get you.”
Looking at Daniel, who did not respond to her words, Alice sighed. “Have you ever loved a woman? Honestly, I’m very curious.”
Daniel’s gaze was fixed on an endless point, as if lost in Alice’s question about the woman he loved. He had never once forgotten Emily from his mind.
“Or perhaps you’re in love with a woman right now?” asked Alice, her voice trembling slightly, wanting to find out the real answer.
“Nothing,” Daniel replied coldly.
“Then there’s no harm in me pursuing you, is there?” said Alice, her sweet smile returning, but with a hint of persistence in her eyes this time.
“I only see you as my little sister, nothing more,” Daniel replied, still with an expressionless look on his face. His tone remained flat, as if trying to dismiss Alice’s hopes.
“You’ve been quite cruel to me. Is it just because of the age difference that you’re rejecting me? If I were the same age as my sister, would you consider being my boyfriend?” Alice asked.
“Perhaps,” Daniel responded curtly.
Finally, after a while, they arrived at Alice’s house.
“Would you like to come in first?” asked Alice, her eyes filled with anticipation as she glanced at Daniel.
“No need. I have to go back soon,” Daniel replied.
“Alright then,” Alice replied, about to get out of the car, but suddenly she remembered something. “Oh yes, do you have time this week?”
“What is it?” asked Daniel.
“I want to invite you to my birthday party,” Alice replied, her sweet smile expanding, but this time, there was a hint of doubt in her eyes. “You’ll come, right?”
“I can’t promise, but I’ll try,” Daniel replied.
“I was hoping you would come,” Alice said with a sad look, her eyes looking at Daniel expectantly.
“All right,” Daniel replied, finally softening a little, but his face remained flat.
“You’re coming, right?” asked Alice, wanting to reconfirm Daniel’s answer. Daniel nodded slowly in answer to Alice’s question.
“Alright, see you later,” Alice said as she got out of Daniel’s car. Before entering his house, she waved her hand at Daniel, a big smile etched on her lips, like there was no burden at all.
A few years ago when Daniel resigned from the CEO position at W Company. He met his father’s best friend, Mr. James, who had two daughters, one of whom was Alice. After that meeting, Mr. James treated him like his own child, in stark contrast to the treatment he received from his own biological uncle and aunt.
Daniel’s mind drifted to his meeting with Emily earlier, making his fingers massage his furrowed mid-brow. He desperately wanted to escape from Emily so as not to endanger the life of the woman he loved, but fate seemed to be very cruel to him. After a long sigh, Daniel drove his car away from Alice’s house.
***
The next day, Emily arrived at the company where she worked. She stepped into her new office, a small room with a simple desk and a brand new computer. A big smile was etched on her face, a sense of pride and a little nervousness mixed within her. This was her first day at work. After all this time, she had been focused on taking care of Grace at home.
“Welcome, Emily!” greeted Mr. Ryan, her boss, in a friendly manner.
“Thank you, sir,” Emily replied with a respectful bow, a little nervous as this was her first time working in an office after so long.
“Feel free to ask if there’s anything you don’t understand,” Mr. Ryan continued.
Emily nodded, trying to calm herself down. She wanted to show her boss that she could do a good job.
Mr. Ryan pointed to a folder on the table. “In there are some documents you need to study. They are business proposals and information about our company. You need to understand them well so you can present them to potential investors.”
Emily nodded firmly, realizing the great responsibility she was taking on. She took the folder and started reading it carefully. She knew she had to familiarize everything about the company if she wanted to secure her position, especially since the task at hand was to persuade an investor to invest in the company.
“I will give you this week to convince our potential investors to invest in our company. If you fail to do so, as I have explained before, then you will not be eligible to work here as an investment manager,” Mr. Ryan explained firmly.
Mr. Ryan said, “The investor is someone who has extensive experience in the business world. I’m sure you have a good relationship with him and can use that relationship to gain his trust,” he explained with confidence.
Emily responded with a nod, but in her heart felt confused. She tried to think of who Mr. Ryan was referring to, but couldn’t come up with a definitive answer.
“He used to work as the CEO of a large company,” Mr. Ryan explained, giving her another clue.
When she heard the last clue from Mr. Ryan, Emily connected the clues given by Mr. Ryan and finally realized who the investor actually meant.