Callum was stunned as he did not expect Emily to be so ruthless. He sat in the private room in a daze for a while before giving a call to his men. “Keep an eye on her and see what business does she have in B City. I need to know every single detail about her.”
Emily knew that there was no hope to persuade Abbie further after the rather tense meet-up. However, she was not ready to give up yet as she had come all the way from Misurton.
She decided to find Michael since Abbie was no longer a feasible option.
Emily thought about her next move while driving towards Michael’s law firm.
On the other hand, Valeria called William and complained about the unpleasant meeting, “Honey, Azalea’s aunt with the name of Emily Poland came to meet with Abbie. She is such an annoying person and has the exact same personality as Azalea!”
William burst into laughter and said, “Sweetheart, calm down. It’s logical for her to side with Azalea since she is her aunt. Why are you being so mad?”
“I have a feeling that she would not give up that easily. Is there a possibility that she may want to stir things up with Michael?”
“Michael doesn’t even know her. It won’t make any difference even if Azalea’s aunt tried to persuade him. Don’t worry about it!”
“That’s true, but I would like to make things much clearer once again. Emily may exaggerate things on how miserable Azalea currently is. He is expected to toughen up and there is no room for reconciliation with Azalea. Abbie has given him countless opportunities to mend things up and now he has to think clearly about his next move. Abbie will cut ties with him if he is still involved in Azalea’s matters.”
William chuckled once again and said, “You called just to let me give Michael a heads up, right? We have been a couple for so long and I am aware of what is in your mind. Don’t worry as I would advise Michael about that matter. He shall not take Emily seriously and take a clear stance about his relationship status.”
William frowned after ending the call with Valeria. He glanced at Marcus and said, “Emily has always been a low profile person and avoids the spotlight, hasn’t she? Don’t you think that it’s bizarre for her to meet up with Abbie just to help Azalea out?”
“You’re right, it does seem a little strange. She has been living a quiet life throughout these years. Her social circle is small despite working as a translator. Why would she act out of the box for Azalea?” Marcus was also feeling confused.
William frowned and said, “She was the one who sought Rammos’ help last time, right? However, she decided to help Azalea on her own this time. Could there be a secret behind her actions?”
“Mr. Howard, what is on your mind?”
“You do recall the incident that happened when she was pregnant, right? She is not the mother of Angel but my uncle does not have any other lovers apart from her. We have yet to know Angel’s true identity. Besides, is it true that Emily’s child had passed away? I am not convinced by it though.”
“Are you suspecting some connection between Emily and Azalea? However, Azalea looks neither like Emily nor Callum. Don’t you think so?” Marcus questioned.
“You do have a point as Azalea does not have any resemblance of them at all. I may have guessed it wrongly then.” William shook his head before speaking further, “I shall give Michael a call as I expect him to refuse meeting with Emily. However, I need him to have a chat with her as he might eventually discover something useful judging by his quick-wittiness.”
Michael’s law firm was more than thirty kilometers away from the Wolf Group Hotel. Emily eventually arrived and parked her car before entering the law firm.
The receptionist called to enquire about the appointment between Emily and Michael. Their meeting had been confirmed and Emily was taken to the guest room.
The staff came in with a glass of water for her. Michael finally came into the room several minutes later. He did not have his blazer on and was dressed casually in a white shirt. He neither tied nor buttoned his neckline but he still looked dashing.
Michael walked to the sofa next to her and took a seat. He nodded to Emily politely and greeted, “Hello!”
Emily had a displeased look on her face upon seeing him, the cause of Azalea’s misery. She cut straight to the chase, “Hi there, Michael! My name is Emily Poland and I am the aunt of Azalea. I came to have a word with you about my niece. She has been in a mess and has been starving herself for several days. Michael, don’t you think that you should do something about it?”
Michael had a calm expression on his face and replied, “What? Miss Poland, I find your question to be rather strange. Azalea and I are not a couple and we are not attracted to each other. What does her haggardness have anything to do with me?”
“Are you denying the romantic relationship that you had with her? Michael, I shall remind you once again that she used to be your fiance!”
“I assumed that you have read the official statement that I have published not long ago, right? There is nothing between us from the very beginning. Azalea was the one who suggested we get engaged as a mean to help me out as a friend. I took her advice but it looks like I have overestimated her kindness. She turned out to have something else planned in mind.”
Michael was telling the truth but Emily did not believe it at all. He wanted to have a clean start by distancing himself from Azalea. He was such a jerk!
Emily was upset but managed to suppress her anger. She elaborated, “You can’t just sit back and watch even if she is a stranger, can you? Besides, Azalea has been very kind and sacrificed greatly for your sake. How could you have the heart to watch her in a miserable situation?”
Michael was feeling confused upon seeing how Emily was so concerned about her niece. Azalea was not close with Emily based on his understanding. Besides, Azalea had never mentioned to him about this aunt of hers before.
It was peculiar for Emily to speak up for her niece. He finally understood why William felt that something fishy was going on between them.
Emily was just her aunt and besides, Azalea’s mother did not even show up. Why would she be so worried about her niece? He questioned with an annoyed look on his face, “Miss Poland, what is your purpose of meeting with me then?”
“I hope that you could pay a visit to Azalea. She needs to be comforted and persuaded to turn things back to normal.”
“No, thank you!” Michael outright refused her request.
“She has done so much for you. Can’t you support her as a friend?” Emily was increasingly furious upon seeing how Michael did not take her niece seriously.
He sneered and replied, “Miss Poland, I shall make things clear to you once again. Both Azalea and I are just friends from the very beginning. She came to me and proposed the idea of becoming my fake girlfriend just to make my mother feel at ease. However, she needed something in return as well. I was expected in giving her full support to become famous in the entertainment industry. I accepted her idea as it did sound like a win-win situation. We are just business partners who benefit from each other.”
“Michael! You don’t deserve Azalea at all. How pity of her to fall in love with such a ruthless man like you!”
“What? Miss Poland, do mind your language. You are not the reason that I was willing to meet with you. My relationship with her has nothing to do with you, don’t you think so? Azalea has a mother and it seems that she is rather calm about your niece’s private life. Isn’t it ridiculous for you to be so worried about Azalea when you are just her aunt?”
Michael continued speaking while ignoring the gloomy expression on her face, “I have agreed to have this meetup session as I am returning the favor of a particular person. Miss Poland, you do know who I am talking about, don’t you?”