Chapter 14: The Gift of Misunderstanding

Chapter 14: The Gift of Misunderstanding

After the auction ended, Emily sneaked out before the group photo session.

She felt too guilty.

She couldn't shake the feeling that the photo on her phone was like a bomb, ready to explode and reveal everything to everyone at any moment.

Just as she reached the door, a black, extended Cayenne silently stopped in front of her.

The car window slowly rolled down, revealing a man with deep-set eyes. His black gaze, filled with an unreadable emotion, was fixed on her.

"Get in the car."

Emily turned her face away coldly, her steps never faltering. Her high heels clicked rhythmically on the ground as she strutted, a clear message of "I'd rather walk home, even if my legs break, than board your damned ship!"

Seeing her arrogant stance, Ethan said nothing more. The Cayenne restarted and began to follow her, maintaining a leisurely pace, as if to accompany her wherever she went.

After only a couple of minutes, Emily couldn't take it anymore.

These were the shoes she wore for walking the red carpet, with suede soles that were already starting to wear down on the rough ground.

Walking alongside a Cayenne in these shoes was painful…

Emily glanced down at her pale feet, and just as she stopped, the car door behind her opened.

The man got out, walked a few steps, and was soon in front of Emily. He looked down at her silver high heels with an eight-centimeter heel, which had already left a bloody mark on her delicate Achilles tendon.

"Get in the car!" This time, his tone was much firmer.

Emily crossed her arms and refused to look at him.

"Media will be out soon," Ethan raised an eyebrow, "If you don't get in, I don't mind carrying you."

Emily glared at him, her chin tightening. Her nostrils flared as she circled around him, haughtily making her way to the car door.

Ethan lifted his gaze slightly, following her to the other side and sitting down. He didn't immediately instruct the driver to start the car. Instead, he took out a delicate square box and handed it to Emily.

"Take it with you."

Emily immediately recognized what it was and recoiled as if it was a hot coal. "I don't want it!"

Just seeing that pendant made her think of the photo.

And thinking about that photo made her palms start to sweat.

"You, you…" Emily's voice was low, a mix of anger and reproach. "Why do you have such a photo!"

Her ears began to burn. "And why is it on your phone…"

Ethan watched as her cheeks turned red, a low chuckle escaping his lips.

"It's encrypted," he said, raising his eyes to look at her. "Don't you remember?"

His tone carried a hidden meaning. "You asked me to keep it."

Emily: "!"

Emily was mortified. "That's not me, you're making things up!"

"How can it not be you?" The man smiled at her, his long eyes glinting with mischief.

"You said I was often away on business, and that women would try to get close to me. You also said I wasn't allowed to get close to other women, not even to look at them…"

Ethan was also surprised at how easily he recounted her exact words.

His flat, emotionless tone carried a hint of sarcasm. "So, you insisted I keep this photo, saying I should look at it whenever I missed you, so I…"

He tilted his eyes, laden with significance.

Emily felt a shiver down her spine, her mind racing. "Huh?"

Ethan licked his lips and smiled.

"So I could relieve myself."

Emily: "!!!"

"I didn't!" Emily denied loudly, covering her ears with her hands.

No, no, no, don't say it!

Images were already flashing through her mind!

Emily felt on the verge of tears. "I… I don't remember…"

Ethan seemed to enjoy watching her in this embarrassed and awkward state. He raised his eyebrows and placed the jewelry box back into her hands.

"You can keep it and think about it slowly."

Emily's entire body was in rejection. She raised her hands as if afraid of contamination.

"Chairman Harrison, you should keep it yourself!"

She suddenly remembered something and curved her red lips into a sarcastic smile. "Aren't you supposed to be creating new stories?"

Ethan was momentarily stunned, his gaze shifting.

"Can't wait already?"

Emily was at a loss.

She stared at his playful black eyes, her mind spinning, and her face flushed.

What does "can't wait" mean?

What am I waiting for?

What does "again" mean?

Before she could react, the partition in the front seat of the car suddenly rose!

Emily was shocked. She smacked the partition. "Hey! What are you doing!"

Jason, oblivious to the situation, put on his headphones, as if he could already see the increased quarterly bonus waving at him :)

Emily's cheeks, flushed with both anger and embarrassment, deepened. She turned around and met Ethan's gaze again.

His eyes were even darker, like a bottomless black pool. There was something familiar yet clearly tinged with another meaning—like a predator assessing its prey, with a desire for conquest…

Emily's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively reached for the car door, relieved to find it unlocked.

Like a frightened little rabbit, she hurriedly scrambled out of the car.

Ethan watched as the jewelry box remained on the seat, hesitated for a moment, and then followed her out of the car.

He handed the jewelry box to her for the second time. "Take it with you."

He didn't understand why he was so insistent that she take the pendant.

Perhaps it wasn't just the pendant she refused.

But also the memory associated with it.

And the memory of him…

Emily's refusal was firmer. "I said I don't want it!"

As they were pushing and pulling, a white nanny car pulled up behind them.

They turned to see a red dress appear from the automatically opened car door.

Olivia stepped out, her red dress covered by a coat. She tightened her coat and looked between Emily and Ethan.

"Hey, why aren't you going home yet?" Olivia asked Emily, her tone familiar and natural.

Emily: "?"

Olivia didn't look at Ethan. She walked straight up to Emily. "Didn't you say earlier that your husband was waiting for you at home?"

Emily was stunned. "Huh?"

She instinctively looked at Ethan, confused.

My husband… is still this person, right?

Ethan looked at the two women in front of him, his lips pressed tight.

"Don't be like that!" Olivia grabbed Emily's hand and laughed, though her smile seemed a bit forced. "Hurry up, or your husband will get anxious."

As she spoke, she squeezed Emily's hand and gave her a subtle wink.

Emily finally understood. She played along, pretending to realize, and said, "Oh, my husband just sent me a message urging me…"

Emily followed Olivia to the nanny car, casting a final glance at the man behind her.

Ethan stood still, watching her intently, his expression dark and unreadable.

Looking into his narrow, dark eyes, Emily understood the meaning:

Woman, how many husbands do you have? :)

As Olivia pulled Emily towards the nanny car, they passed by the extended Cayenne, and the car's owner suddenly spoke up.

"Wait a moment."

Ethan threw the jewelry box onto the roof of the car, his tone harsh. "Take it."

Emily: "…"

So he wouldn't let her leave until she took it?

And what was Ethan's attitude? It seemed as if he was doing her a favor.

Is he having one of his grand gestures again?

"I don't want it!" Emily's tone was sharper as she pushed the box away. "Stop being so self-important!"

Ethan's gaze grew colder, his jaw tightening. Emily didn't flinch, staring back at him with a line of determination on her lips.

The tension was palpable, ready to snap at any moment, when suddenly—

"Hey, Emily, what are you doing?"

Olivia's voice, soft and sweet with a slightly teasing edge, cut through the silence as she playfully punched Emily.

Emily felt a shiver, her head turning in surprise as Olivia smiled and addressed Ethan.

"Chairman Harrison, don't mind her," Olivia said with a forced sweetness. "Emily doesn't know the value of such fine things. I've known her for so long, and she's clueless about these things. You might not understand, hehe…"

Ethan: "…"

Emily: "…"

Seeing Ethan's frozen, icy expression, Emily suddenly feared he might say something like, "Oh, I understand a bit, since I slept with her for two years."

"She doesn't know. Giving her such a good thing is a waste!" Olivia glanced at Emily, her reproach seeming genuine but her eyes betraying a hint of conspiracy.

After a pause, she hesitated and continued, "But, whether it's a gift or anything else, it should be a mutual feeling, don't you think…"

Emily bit her lip, stifling a laugh.

What a mutual feeling.

Although Olivia clearly misunderstood, Emily couldn't help but recall that day in the office when Ethan had whispered, "So, do you want to be seduced…"

Emily felt a flush on her cheeks. She fluttered her lashes and instinctively looked at Ethan.

The moment their eyes met, she could almost instantly tell that he was recalling the same memory.

Ethan's deep-set eyes looked at her, his voice low and intense. "You—"

Emily quickly grabbed

Olivia's arm and said, "Let's go!"

As they hurried towards the nanny car, she could feel Ethan's gaze on her back. She felt a strange mixture of embarrassment and excitement.

The car door closed with a soft thud.

Ethan turned back to his own car.

The black Cayenne, like a silent observer, followed behind them, leaving only the sounds of its engine in the crisp night air.