Chapter 42: The Unexpected Christmas Gift

Chapter 42: The Unexpected Christmas Gift

When Ethan offered his private jet, Emily was initially inclined to refuse. After all, today he had unilaterally revealed their relationship status to her employees without consulting her, which was something she was already mentally cursing him for. And now, he wanted to further undercut her authority by opening this obvious backdoor for her?

It was a blow to her dignity as the boss.

But Emily couldn't come up with a better alternative. Booking a flight to Japan herself? During the Christmas and New Year peak season, the earliest flight she could get was tomorrow night, and it would be in economy class. Plus, she had clothes, equipment, and props to bring along—a private jet was undeniably more convenient for all that.

While Emily was still weighing her options, her employees, with Jason's assistance, were eagerly loading equipment and luggage onto the private jet, practically skipping with joy.

Emily: "…"

These traitors.

Her employees had their own rationale. Before, Chairman Harrison was the big boss, the untouchable figure at the top. But now things were different—Chairman Harrison was the husband of their boss, which basically made him family.

And when it came to family, there was no need for formalities.

If Chairman Harrison was family, then his assistant Jason was practically a close relative. After sharing such a monumental secret, having a hotpot meal together, and even bonding over bathroom trips, the camaraderie between the studio employees and Jason had quickly heated up. The group now openly chatted and gossiped with Jason without reservation.

"So, Chairman Harrison and the boss aren't officially divorced yet? The paperwork's still in progress?"

"Can you believe it was the boss who insisted on the divorce?! My admiration for her just skyrocketed!"

"Realizing how amazing your ex-wife is after the fact—classic case of 'the grass is greener.' Even billionaires aren't immune to it! Men…"

"Chairman Harrison pulling out all the stops with private jets and fancy studios—how can anyone resist that? I bet the boss will—"

"That's what you think! Alisa is from a distinguished background. These things mean nothing to her. Besides, isn't she getting closer to Ryan lately? I say, for a woman like her who has beauty, brains, and billions, happiness is what matters most. And who can resist a top-tier young heartthrob?"

"Yeah, but can a young heartthrob compare to a billionaire? Plus, Chairman Harrison is ridiculously handsome too!"

"But Ryan's also rich. And besides, the boss has her own fortune—why would she care about his?"

"True, I saw the boss and Ryan having a great time together last time. But did you see her even talk to Chairman Harrison properly earlier?"

"Whatever, I'm team Chairman Harrison!"

"Ryan clearly has the upper hand now!"

Emily stood behind the curtain, black lines forming across her forehead.

Was it too late to silence them all? :）

She finished washing her hands and stomped back to the front cabin, her face a mask of indifference.

The man sitting across the aisle from her hadn't noticed her inner turmoil. He was engrossed in the laptop before him, his eyes fixed on the complex charts and documents displayed on the screen, his expression one of deep thought.

Emily noticed that the midnight snack the chef had delivered remained untouched. Ethan had been up all night without sleep, and the way he stared at the screen, with his already deep-set eyes looking even more sunken, made his fatigue evident.

Emily suddenly recalled the makeup artist's earlier comment about Ethan's good looks. She found herself sneaking another glance at the man beside her.

Yes, to be honest, his looks were indeed impressive. Especially his profile, which was flawlessly defined—perfect enough to be a textbook example of a "profile kill."

The "profile kill" model closed his laptop and raised a long, elegant hand to rub his temples, sighing softly.

Emily quickly averted her gaze, pretending she hadn't noticed how drained he looked from all his work.

She sipped her soup, and a thought crossed her mind—when he flew overseas to gather evidence for her, did he look just as worn out then?

It was strange, Emily mused. Since their divorce, their interactions seemed more frequent than ever before.

Even though she didn't want to admit it, she had noticed a change in Ethan. Whether it was handling the studio's crisis, painting that oil portrait, or flying her to Japan on his private jet tonight—he certainly paid more attention to her now than he used to.

Of course, he was still a bit of a jerk, and increasingly dog-like. :）

But Emily wasn't entirely unmoved.

Still, whatever emotional reaction she had wasn't enough to drag her back into the fire pit of their past.

The assistant's words from earlier rang true:

She was beautiful, talented, and had billions. Her happiness was what mattered most.

No way was she going to let Ethan stress her out again.

In fact, losing her memory had its perks.

Yet, there were times when Emily wondered if she had lost more than just five years of memories. Perhaps she had also lost the capacity to love and feel passion.

Even though there were misunderstandings and hurt between them, she might never be able to like someone else with the same reckless abandon as she had five years ago.

Sigh, she was probably destined to become an emotionless goddess.

A very wealthy goddess…

Emily shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

"If you're tired, you should rest."

She turned her head to see Ethan looking steadily at her.

The man spread a blanket over her seat and glanced at his watch.

"We still have an hour before we land. You should sleep a bit."

Emily quietly pulled the blanket over her legs. She glanced at the tired look on Ethan's face and pursed her lips. "Why are you… coming to Japan too?"

She glanced at his laptop. "You've got your own work to do."

Why bother flying all the way with her?

Ethan gave a casual "Oh," as if it were no big deal. "I was heading to London today anyway. This route goes over Japan, so it's no trouble."

Emily: "…"

So much for flying with her.

Just hitching a ride, huh? :）

Emily turned away, pulling the blanket up to her chin. She didn't want to talk anymore.

As she lay there, eyes open and lost in thought, a slender hand suddenly appeared in front of her.

Ethan held out a small card, which she took and examined. It had only a phone number on it.

"If something like today happens again and I'm not around, call this number," Ethan said, tapping the digits on the card. "He'll arrange a plane for you."

Emily gave the card a brief glance before handing it back. "No need."

Ethan didn't speak for a moment. Then, in a soft voice, he called her name. "Emily."

"Can you please stop pushing me away?"

Emily hesitated, turning to look at him.

He gazed back at her with those deep, dark eyes.

"I know I was wrong before. I'm really trying to change now."

His voice was low, his mouth tugging downward in a way that made him look more like a guilty golden retriever than a persistent teddy bear.

"I know you might not forgive me, but would you be willing to give me a chance?"

"I know I'm not there yet," he said, his lips pressed tight, his expression like a schoolboy promising his teacher to do better. "But I'm working on it."

**

Emily's team arrived just in time, with no delays for the cover shoot. The editor-in-chief of *Iris* arrived in Japan the next day, profusely thanking Emily once they had the photos in hand.

After everything was settled, it was the day before Christmas.

Given the situation, Emily decided to give her team half a day off, letting them enjoy Christmas Eve in Japan before heading back home the next day.

Her employees cheered at the hefty bonus they received and eagerly set off to celebrate. Emily, however, didn't join them. After two days of intense focus, she wanted nothing more than to lie down and relax in her hotel room.

Once everyone was gone, though, she started to feel a little sorry for herself—spending Christmas Eve all alone in a foreign hotel was undeniably a bit pitiful.

Emily aimlessly scrolled through her social media, feeling more and more isolated with every post she saw.

Jessica was in a quaint Christmas town in Finland, having a blast with reindeer and Santa Claus. Olivia posted a collage of her candlelit dinner, featuring a photo of her and Eric holding hands, with a dazzling gemstone bracelet on her wrist…

Everyone else seemed to be having such a wonderful Christmas Eve.

Except her, lonely as a snowflake…

Just as Emily was sinking deeper into her self-pity, her doorbell rang softly.

"Who is it?"

"Emily."

The familiar voice came from behind the door. "It's me."

Emily paused for a moment before walking over to open the door.

"What are you doing here?"

Ethan didn't answer her question. Instead, he offered a slight smile.

"Merry Christmas."

As Ethan stepped inside, Emily couldn't help but notice that something was different about him tonight.

He wasn't wearing his usual business attire. Instead, he had on a knee-length, light coffee-colored coat that complemented his tall frame and broad shoulders. The collar of a soft white sweater peeked out from beneath, giving him a much warmer, gentler look.

Ethan glanced around the room before turning to Emily. "Have you eaten?"

Emily nodded.

Ethan pulled a small, square velvet box from his pocket and handed it to her.

Emily immediately recognized the jewelry brand she liked. After a moment's hesitation, she unt

ied the silk ribbon.

Inside was a pink diamond bracelet, clearly custom-made. Emily didn't remember seeing anything like it in the brand's collection.

The design was simple yet elegant—a fine platinum chain holding a single, radiant pink diamond. On closer inspection, the diamond had been cut into the shape of a tiny apple.

Definitely custom-made.

Diamonds aren't usually cut like this—it's too wasteful. Especially not pink diamonds.

Emily picked up the pink card inside the box and saw the handwritten message in black script:

To 77:

You are the apple of my eye.

xx

The apple of my eye.

My dearest love.

Emily's heart skipped a beat.

Just five minutes ago, she had been envying her friends' Christmas celebrations, feeling sorry for herself in her loneliness.

And now, someone had shown up at her door, bringing her a stunning bracelet with a note that said, "You are my dearest love."

Her mood shifted from desolate to strangely elated…

Ethan said nothing as he took her hand and fastened the bracelet around her wrist.

Her delicate wrist, adorned with the pink diamond bracelet, looked even more graceful.

Even after securing the bracelet, Ethan didn't let go of her hand.

But Emily, after staring at the bracelet for a few seconds, quickly withdrew her hand.

She spoke softly, "Thank you."

Ethan's gaze softened as he looked at her.

"Come on, I want to show you something."