Joel had told him, specifically, to follow Emily wherever she was going to and anytime.
“If you notice anything suspicious or an idiot approach them, don’t hesitate to call me and send me the address of where they’re at.” Joel clicked his tongue.
“Ye.” Stone bobbed his head as he drove behind Emily’s car.
Funnily enough, Emily was taking Little Pumpkin to a restaurant and the restaurant was not far from Empire World Corporation.
Emily held Little Pumpkin’s hand as they walked into the restaurant and took their sits. Emily handed the menu over to Little Pumpkin.
“Ramen.” Little Pumpkin looked up at his noona after skimming through the menu.
(A/N: ramen means noodles)
“Ramen?” Emily couldn’t believe her ears.
“Uhn” Little Pumpkin nodded his head.
“Why ramen?” Emily raised her brows.
“Noona… I’m used to eating other dishes but not ramen.” Little Pumpkin puckered his mouth.
“Oh” Emily nodded her head.
Her poor darling. Whereas when she still living with her family, they always are ramen all the time.
Emily ticked ramen and handed the menu over to the waiter.
“Ramen for me too.” She stated.
The waiter bobbed his head and walked away. Soon enough, he was back with their order. Emily and Little Pumpkin took their chopsticks and dug in.
“Little Pumpkin blow on it okay? It’s hurt.” Emily breathed out through her mouth.
“Nde” Little Pumpkin smiled.
The duo continued to eat their food without any distraction until…
“Hello.” Emily and Little Pumpkin looked up and stared at the man before them.
“Hi,” Emily replied as she swallowed the food in her mouth.
“May I sit?” The man smiled.
As Emily was about to reply, she felt cold, as if a pair of eyes was piercing through her back flesh. She quickly turned back and looked around, she didn’t see anyone watching her and even the man behind them had a newspaper to his face so…
Little Pumpkin who had seen his uncle stared at him intently. What was his uncle doing behind them?
Joel shook his head at his nephew and taking the cue, Little Pumpkin frowned at the man in front of him and broke into tears.
“Wah wah wah”
“Little Pumpkin what’s wrong?” Emily quickly forgot about the man and attended to Little Pumpkin.
Little Pumpkin looked up at the man and burst into tears.
Emily looked up at the man and took the hint that it was the man that was making him cry.
“I’m sorry but you need to leave, you are scaring him,” Emily stated politely.
The man stared at the little boy in bewilderment, he didn’t do anything to him…
“But can I at least have your phone number?” he asked.
“WAH WAH WAH!!!” Little Pumpkin increased the volume of his tears.
“Please you need to leave,” Emily spoke out hastily.
If her darling continued to cry, he would get a headache.
Dejected, the man walked away.
“It’s okay Little Pumpkin, he’s gone.” Emily patted Little Pumpkin’s back.
Immediately, Little Pumpkin stopped crying.
“Continue with your food darling.” Emily smiled.
Little Pumpkin nodded his head and looked in his uncle’s direction.
Joel nodded his head at him and Little Pumpkin gave him a look that said YOU OWE ME ONE, MAN.
Joel smiled, he used his mask, stood up on his feet, and took long strides out of the restaurant.
Unconsciously, Emily looked back and saw that the man with the newspaper was no longer there but his newspaper was on the table. She shrugged.
After they were done, Emily paid and led Little Pumpkin out of the restaurant and almost immediately they walked out, a limousine parked right in front of them.
Emily pouted her lips and furrowed her brows and the glass was being winded down.
“Kaja.” Joel smiled.
“Uh? Joel,” Emily raised her brows.
“Wae?” Joel smirked.
“Were you the one…” Emily had not completed what she was about to say when she heard someone call her name.
She looked to her side and saw her knight in shining armor walking towards her.
“Annyeon” she waved her hand as Vincent stood beside her.
“Uhn, annyeon” Vincent smiled.
He looked around and his eyes landed on Joel who was gallantly sitting in the limousine. Their eyes collided.
They stared at themselves like they were going to kill each other anytime soon, each of them throwing daggers at the other. After a while, Noah pocketed his hands.
“Hello, best friend.” Vincent blurted out.
* * *
“We stopped being best friends years back.” Joel twitched his lips as they sat in the restaurant.
His bodyguards and Vincent’s surrounded them protectively. The people in the restaurant had been sent out and the restaurant had been locked from the inside for the CEO’s privacy.
Till now, Emily was still dumbstruck! Best friend?! Her knight and the CEO used to be best friends? Woah!
She stared at the two men, silently, from where she sat beside the CEO.
Little Pumpkin had been driven back to the villa by one of the CEO’s guards, with Emily’s car as ordered by Joel.
“Well, I wasn’t the one who betrayed my best friend.” Vincent forced out through clenched teeth as he and Joel stared directly at themselves.
“I never betrayed you!” Joel’s eyes were beginning to turn red.
Emily furrowed her brows, she wasn’t understanding anything… to the best of her knowledge, it seemed like the CEO had betrayed her knight but then again, maybe he didn’t- cause he said he didn’t… Now, Emily’s head was turning.
She reached for the glass that looked like a glass of water to her and downed it in one go.
The two men hastily looked in her direction… what did she think she had just drunk.
“Yah!” Joel rolled his eyes.
“Why do you have such a wild appetite for alcohol?!” he sneered puffily.
“Huh?” Emily belched.
“Yahaishh!” Joel clicked his tongue.
“Mianhae” Emily’s eyes were starting to malfunction due to the alcohol.
Joel knew the effect of the alcohol was starting to tell on her. He sighed.
Vincent looked between Joel and Emily, what relationship did they have?… the girl was working in EWEI and the man was the CEO of EMPIRE WORLD CORPORATIONS… when the girl started working in EWEI, it had been so sudden.. the video of Annies fans throwing eggs at her had also suddenly disappeared from the internet and he was sure Joel had done it… and he had once seen her walk down from Joel’s house… There was something between the two … Vincent nodded his head.
Joel rolled his eyes and stared back at Vincent
“I’m leaving.” He fluttered his eyelashes.
“I’ll take her home.”Vincent pointed at Emily.
“There’s no need. She lives with me.” Joel stood up on his feet and carried Emily who was already speaking gibberish.
The guards parted way for him as he made to walk out of the restaurant.
“Wae?” Vincent cupped his cheek with his left hand.
Joel stopped in his tracks.
“Because she’s my woman.” He replied and walked out of the restaurant.
He gently placed Emily in the limousine and sat next to her while the driver drove off.
From where he was sitting, Vincent couldn’t believe his ears; his woman?… The girl he was beginning to fall for was Joel’s woman? He poured himself a glass of wine and gulped it.
“Boss..” Gabe sighted his boss as he walked into the restaurant and walked towards him.
“She’s with him.” Vincent swallowed and poured himself another glass.
Gabe sighed as he watched his boss… he was just too pitiful.
“Boss we have to go.” He took the glass from Vincent’s hand and helped him up.
?️?️?️
“CEO Joel!!!” Emily grinned.
Joel smiled as he watched Emily perform on the bed.
“You should get some sleep.” Joel tucked her in and turned around.
“CEO Joel!” Emily called.
Joel turned back.
“When I get rich, I’ll marry you!” Emily grinned.
She clapped her hands and mouthed other inaudible words.
Joel stared at her for a while and turned back. He switched off the light and walked out of Emily’s room.
Joel smiled to himself as he sat on his bed… when she gets rich she’ll marry him …. chuckles.
?️?️?️
The following morning, as usual, Emily woke up with a banging headache. Before he left for the office, Joel had instructed the chef to prepare her chicken soup.
After she finished the soup, Emily took her bath and got dressed for work.
???
People around watched the black car that had been driven into the industry… it was exactly the CEO’s model. Just that it was black and the CEO’s was red.
“It’s the CEO”
“The CEO is here!!”
Words traveled around quickly and soon, people were gathered at the entrance including the middle managers, waiting for the CEO to step out of his car.
As soon as Stephanie heard that the CEO was around, she had redone makeup and rushed down to meet the CEO … the last time she came she wasn’t around in the industry.
Everyone waited patiently for the CEO to step out of the car in anticipation.
Emily carried her bag from the car and looked through her window… why were there so many people at the entrance?… she tilted her head as she stared at them. They were all looking in her direction … were they setting her up again?… were they going to pour hot water on her this time around?… she shook her head.
Emily breathed in and out gustily before opening the door. She did the cross sign and huffed, praying silently. She took out her first leg and turned off the engine of the car.
“Does the CEO wear female shoes now?”
“The CEO is wearing heels!”
People’s eyes were almost popping out of theirs sockets as they stared at her black wedge. Stephanie furrowed her brows, the CEO would wear wedges.
With her handbag in her hand, Emily took out her right leg, balancing her two feet on the ground before helping herself out of the car. She shut the door and locked the car.