âAhh, it hurts!â Janie exclaimed as she hugged Emmeline and burst into tears. âEmma, itâs really you, Iâm so happy! Youâre finally okay!â
âYes, Iâm back, and I wonât be separated from you guys ever again,â Emmeline replied, also feeling overwhelmed with emotions.
âOkay, okay,â Benjamin said, patting the two womenâs shoulders. âLetâs sit down and talk. All this hugging and crying is giving me a headache. Women can be so troublesome.â
The two of them finally sat down at the coffee table, holding hands.
Meanwhile, Sam was busy brewing coffee.
âWhatâs with the disguise?â Janie pointed at Emmelineâs mustache. âI didnât even recognize you.â
âItâs all because of Abel,â Emmelineâs gaze dimmed. âYou know he drank Worryfree.â
âI know,â Janieâs heart sank. âThatâs why he didnât stay on the island to watch over you and came back like this. But Emma, you canât blame him. During that time, Mr. Abel risked his life for you. Mr. Adelmar had no other choice but to resort to such a plan. Otherwise, Mr. Abel would have really died.â
âI know,â Emmeline replied. âI wonât blame anyone. Itâs just that fate played a cruel joke on me. I survived, but Abel lost his feelings for me.â
âYou two can still work on rebuilding your relationship, you know?â Janie suggested optimistically.
âSigh,â Emmeline sighed. âIâm not so sure. Abel is a man who is naturally without desire. I really donât have much confidence.â
âYou have to have faith,â Janie held her friendâs cold hand. âThese things take time.â
âForget about me,â Emmeline wiped her tears. âHow about you and Ben? Whatâs going on?â
âUs?â Janie glanced at Benjamin. âStill the same.â
âAhem!â Benjamin cleared his throat twice.
Emmeline understood what was going on in Benjaminâs mind, as she always did. She decided to drop the topic.
Just then, Benjaminâs phone rang with a ding.
He looked down and saw that it was Ethan calling.
âEmma,â Benjamin said, âshould we tell your brother about your situation?â
âNot for now,â Emmeline replied. âYou know how my brother is. If he finds out that Abel has lost his feelings for me, he will definitely confront him. And before you know it, the whole world will know about it.â
âThat means weâll keep it from him for a few more days,â Benjamin said. âHe keeps asking me how his little sister is doing.â
Emmelineâs nose tingled, and her eyes started to water. She knew her brother loved her more than anything and would never change.
âI already told your brother that youâre recovering well,â Benjamin continued. âSo he wonât worry so much.â
âOkay,â Emmeline said. âThatâs probably for the best.â
With their coffee finished, Sam announced that lunch was almost ready and they headed upstairs.
Emmeline and Janie also entered the kitchen.
Before long, a sumptuous lunch was served and everyone sat down to eat.
After lunch, Benjamin and Janie returned to Adelmar Group, while Emmeline went to her bedroom to rest.
She lay on the bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Finally, she decided to go to Ryker Group.
Although Abel was not fond of Emmeline, he treated âEmmettâ very well.
Emmeline longed for Abelâs tenderness.
Emmeline got up, freshened up her makeup, grabbed her car keys, and planned to drive herself.
Once at the parking lot, she realized that she had forgotten where she parked her car before the accident.
She wandered around the parking lot, trying to find her car, when suddenly a big hand covered her mouth from behind, and she was dragged into a car.
Emmeline was about to resist when she caught a whiff of a sweet fragrance, and everything went black.
When she woke up, she found herself lying on a large sofa, feeling weak and limp all over.
The scene around her was unfamiliar, and she sat up abruptly.
âAwake?â came a hoarse voice from above her head.
Emmeline jumped in surprise and turned around to see a tall, muscular man standing behind her.
He was dressed in a black suit, had a rugged mustache, and had a sinister look on his face. It was Adam.