Chapter 348

The atmosphere was strangely tense. Eason appeared as if he was about to speak, hesitating and seemingly holding back words he was on the brink of saying.

Susan cracked a knowing smile and said, “You know, I just remembered I left something at home. I’ll go grab it.”

Susan quickly grabbed Ben, pulling him to his feet. She then started giving Penny frantic, meaningful glances, desperately trying to communicate something without words.

The typically intuitive Penny appeared unusually unaware of Susan’s subtle cues this time. She was entirely engrossed in observing Emma, her gaze unblinking and steadfast.

“Penny,” called Susan, a bit perplexed.

Penny didn’t respond.

Penny was lost in her thoughts until Susan’s tug brought her back to the present moment.

“What’s up?” Penny managed a strained smile.

“Hey, come with me to grab something from next door?” Susan asked with a smile.

“What is it? Just have the servant bring it over,” Penny didn’t want to understand Susan’s hint.

She was adamant not to leave Eason and Emma alone together!

Penny was determined to play dumb.

That’s when Eason spoke up, “Penny, go with Susan. Help her find the thing.”

Penny looked sharply at Eason.

Penny thought, ‘Did he actually want me out of the way too?”

Penny’s face turned deathly pale.

“Alright, give me a hand here,” Susan said cheerily, oblivious to the underlying tension. Giggling, she tugged Penny along.

Penny didn’t resist, allowing herself to be led away in a daze.

It was the Landor residence next door.

Upon entering the house, Susan teased, “Hey Penny, you seemed totally lost in space today. Clearly, those two wanted some alone time. We shouldn’t be hanging around like awkward third wheels.”

Penny pursed her lips, looked at Susan, and asked, “Do you know Emma?”

Susan nodded and said, “Yeah, she’s on my team. Funny enough, Eason only met her because of me.”

“You?” Penny suddenly turned to Susan, her gaze tinged with an odd curiosity.

Susan’s eyes sparkled with amusement, “Totally. If those two end up together, Eason definitely owes me one.”

Penny took a deep breath, emotions swirling inside her.

Initially, she felt a pang of self–blame. She regretted giving Emma a chance, cursing her own smarts for turning against herself.

But now, she realized she had only made a minor mistake.

Penny thought, ‘The real culprit, clearly, was Susan. If it weren’t for Susan, Eason would never have met Emma. Not meeting Emma, naturally, there would be no story to follow. So, all of this was totally stirred up by Susan.”

Penny understood that holding a grudge against Susan might not be entirely justified.

Penny thought, ‘But if not Susan, who else could I blame? Blame Eason or blame myself?‘

She had to vent this deep–seated resentment somewhere.

Emergency Cams ‘Oh, Susan, I broke through my own reservations to befriend you, and this is how it plays out? I could relinquish it all: the love from our parents, even the prestige of being a princess, and hand it right over to you. But why? Why did you have to bring Eason and Emma together? Sure, nothing’s happened between them yet. But just imagining them alone, sharing who knows what secrets… It sets off this fierce anger in me, a desire to tear everything apart.‘

A flash of fierceness passed through Penny’s eyes.

Susan happened to see it.

She was momentarily stunned, wondering if she had seen it wrong.

Susan rubbed her eyes and looked again at Penny.

Penny retained her gentle composure and inquired softly, “Susan, why did you stop? I’m eager to hear more about how they got to know each other.”

Susan smiled and thought, ‘Indeed, I had been mistaken. How could Penny show such an expression?”

Susan said with a smile, “There’s actually not much to it.” And she started to explain.

Penny was all ears, with the intensity in her eyes deepening by the moment.

At the hall of Nicholas’s, only Eason and Emma were left.

Eason gazed at Emma, who was silently looking down, and let out a soft sigh.

He really regretted what happened yesterday.

He thought to himself, ‘The text message is definitely one of Penny’s pranks. But Penny’s my sister, and I can’t just throw her under the bus. Then there’s Emma, who’s really sensitive and shy. If I admit the text was just a joke, wouldn’t it be like I’m intentionally embarrassing her?‘

Eason knew he couldn’t do that to her.

So, there was only one way out.

Emergency calls only b He had to own up to the text and admit his feelings for Emma. It was the perfect solution.

Eason found himself unexpectedly taken with someone. The image of Emma’s tearful eyes from the day before lingered in his mind, and surprisingly, he wasn’t at all opposed to these newfound emotions.

“Miss Garcia,” Eason took the initiative, “I’m sorry about what happened yesterday.”

Emma’s face paled. In a low voice, she said, “There’s nothing to be sorry about. It was my mistake to take a joke seriously.”

She thought to herself, ‘I should have known better. How could someone like me be liked by anyone?‘

Emma sat silently, her small frame almost vanishing into the shadows.

Eason felt a pang of discomfort.

He thought, ‘Penny’s actions were out of line. As her brother, I had to make it right.”

Eason said, “But it wasn’t a joke.”

“It wasn’t?” Emma was stunned, looking up at Eason.

Eason said earnestly, “I didn’t admit it right away because I got scared.”

‘Scared?‘ Emma was confused.

Eason started his story with a straight face, “Yeah, you know. When you said you couldn’t go for me, I got worried. Pushing any harder seemed like it might just send you packing. So yeah, I played it off like that text was nothing.”

Emma listened, completely taken aback.

She thought, ‘Is that really what happened?‘

Eason nodded, “Trust me, I’m telling the truth. Please forgive my moment of cowardice.”

Eason’s eyes were clear and sincere.

Emergency calls onlyM Emma felt a sudden rush of excitement, her heart racing unexpectedly.

Emma couldn’t help but ponder, “Did Eason genuinely have feelings for me? Was there someone out there who genuinely wanted to be fond of me? And to top it off, it was the very guy I had a crush on.

Could I possibly be this fortunate?”

“Even though you’re not into me, as long as you’re single, I have the right to pursue you,” Eason said earnestly.

Emma lowered her head, her face blushing fiercely.

She thought, ‘Did Eason mean he wanted to pursue me?‘

After that, Eason seemed to say something else.

But Emma was so ecstatic that she couldn’t make out anything else.

In her mind, she kept replaying Eason’s words about pursuing her.

The feeling in her heart was bittersweet and incredibly complex.

During that meal, Emma couldn’t even tell how she got the food down.

After dinner, Eason took the initiative to drive Emma home.

Outside her apartment building, Eason spoke softly, “You may head home. I’ll wait for a bit.”

Emma nodded hastily and fled home.

Back at home, she turned on the light immediately and then stood by the window.

Downstairs, Eason was still there.

Seeing the light in her room, he finally got into his car and drove off.

Emma watched him somewhat dazedly.

Emergency calls onlyM 0 Until Eason’s car completely vanished into the dark, she withdrew her gaze.

She puckered her lips, lost in contemplation, thinking, ‘Eason’s into me. It felt surreal.’

In that instant, a mixture of fear and anticipation welled up inside Emma.

She kept thinking, ‘Is it possible for me to find such vibrant colors in my bleak world?‘