Chapter 54: Confrontations and Revelations

Chapter 54: Confrontations and Revelations

As soon as Ethan heard the word "blind date," a sinking feeling hit his stomach.

He quickly lowered his eyes to look at the woman in his arms.

Emily was still resting her head on his chest, her large almond eyes looking up at him—giving him a look of death.

Ethan could barely process what his grandfather was saying on the other end of the line. He muttered a few dismissive words and quickly hung up the phone, only to find his arms empty in an instant.

The warmth and softness he had been holding onto vanished, leaving an inexplicable sense of loss.

Ethan didn't have time to dwell on it. He used his unbandaged arm to push himself up, quickly getting out of bed.

"It's not what you think."

Emily slipped her feet into the slippers beside the bed. "I'm not thinking anything."

Her tone was calm, without a hint of displeasure, but she wouldn't look at him. Her cheeks, still flushed from earlier, were now turned downwards.

To Ethan, this was far more concerning than if she had angrily pointed fingers at him.

"I'm not going on a blind date," Ethan said, moving closer, spreading his arms to embrace her again. "I won't ever go on one."

Emily placed her palm on his abs, pushing him back with just enough force, and quickly grabbed the coat draped over the arm of the sofa.

"You can go," Emily replied nonchalantly, her delicate lips slightly downturned, clearly speaking against her true feelings.

She finally looked up at him, her gaze laced with sarcasm. "Two years of marriage, and no one knew. But the divorce—news travels fast."

From Daniel to the grandfather who was already planning his next marriage, Emily had seen enough to know—The Harrison Family had never really accepted her.

In their eyes, this divorce must have been exactly what they wanted.

Why else would they be in such a rush to find him a new match without so much as a polite pause?

Emily shot Ethan another cold look, unable to stop herself from thinking—Maybe he kept their marriage so secretive because of his family…

Once she started dwelling on how she had been hidden away, Emily felt a wave of frustration, even a sense of humiliation.

Anger was inevitable.

She shook off Ethan's hand and snapped, "Then I wish Chairman Harrison all the best in finding someone the family approves of, someone they can proudly show off."

Ethan: "…"

"That's their idea of a blind date, not mine. I would never accept such an arrangement," Ethan explained firmly, trailing behind her. "They didn't agree with our marriage before, but I didn't listen to anyone then, and now, it's my decision to make."

To Emily, the only thing that stood out from his eager clarification was:

So it's true.

His family never approved of me from the start…

Emily let out a short, bitter laugh, walking toward the door without looking back.

Ethan couldn't understand why his explanations were making her angrier. He watched as Emily opened the door, and just as he was about to reach out to stop her, two doctors in white coats walked in.

As Emily passed the doctors, she whispered, "Chairman Harrison's emotions are a bit unstable."

The next moment, she heard the man being stopped by the doctors.

His call of "Emily—" was cut off by the door closing behind her.

**

The scrapes on Emily's arms and legs healed in just a couple of days. Ethan was still under observation in the hospital, but though they hadn't seen each other, the calls and texts never stopped.

Given how things stood between them now, Emily could no longer deceive herself.

Though she had finally acknowledged her feelings for him, she wasn't sure how to let go of her pride.

She secretly asked the doctor about Ethan's recovery, and hearing that he was doing well, Emily felt comfortable continuing to maintain her aloofness.

She didn't know if other women were like this, but even when her heart had softened, she still wanted to hear the man she liked coax and pamper her.

But this man was utterly clueless when it came to romance. His words were clumsy, cycling through the same few lines of cheesy compliments.

Yet every time she heard his low, tender voice confessing his love to her over the phone, Emily couldn't help but smile quietly on the other end.

On the day Ethan was discharged, Emily attended Olivia's engagement party.

After Olivia and Eric had a whirlwind romance following their blind date, they had quickly fallen in love. Judging by Olivia's frequent social media posts flaunting her new relationship, Emily guessed that this wasn't just a family-arranged marriage—this was true love.

Olivia was all about showing off her jewelry, roses, and sweet nothings, and Eric wasn't holding back either. For their engagement, the young master had booked an entire luxury yacht for the event. Olivia, an actress with a family in the entertainment industry, made sure the engagement was a high-profile affair, inviting nearly half the entertainment industry along with family and friends.

Emily was among the guests. Olivia had listed her as an honored guest and had already booked Emily to be her bridesmaid.

That morning, Olivia even sent a message to Emily, reminding her to attend but insisting that she must not outshine the bride!

Emily snorted at that, replying with a meme: "A fairy like me is born beautiful, while you can only be inspired."

Despite her teasing, Emily dressed modestly, choosing a simple, off-the-shoulder blue gown. To avoid stealing the spotlight, she applied a more subdued makeup look, even opting for a less vibrant shade of lipstick.

Upon arrival, Olivia and Eric personally greeted her.

Emily was a striking beauty, and next to her, Olivia often looked like she had a layer of pixelation over her.

But today was different.

The bride-to-be wore a flowing pink feathered gown, the soft pink hue was girlish, and the feathers added a playful touch, making Olivia look like a jubilant little bird. When she nestled against her equally joyful fiancé, they were the picture of bliss.

The little bird, sensing the admiration in Emily's eyes, preened with delight.

"What do you think? How do I look?" Olivia twirled for Emily, her skirt billowing as she did, wearing the eager expression of a student awaiting praise.

Emily nodded, offering rare approval, "You look great."

"It's a new haute couture from G, very expensive. He bought it for me!" Olivia whispered to Emily, glancing sweetly at her fiancé. "The earrings are his gift too. Do they look good?"

Emily glanced at the flashy diamond earrings—large, glittering, and not exactly tasteful. She was momentarily lost for words.

Before she could figure out a diplomatic response, Eric stepped in, thanking Photographer Emily for gracing their event.

"You've been part of our journey," the groom-to-be said, holding Olivia's hand with genuine sincerity. "You're practically our matchmaker."

Emily chuckled, "How am I the matchmaker? You two met on a blind date."

Olivia jumped in, "But you were with me on that date! If you hadn't been there, I might not have gone through with it."

She playfully smacked her fiancé's chest, "Then who would you have ended up with?"

Eric held her hand, "No one else but you."

Emily smiled, rolling her eyes internally as she kicked aside the metaphorical dog food in her path and continued into the yacht's interior.

Her thoughts, however, drifted back to the day of Olivia's blind date. She remembered the way a certain man's gaze lingered on her, the way his hand had gripped her leg under the table, the way he had pressed her against the doorframe, his breath warm on her skin…

Emily let out a breath.

Was she… missing him?

She pulled out her phone, the screen lighting up to show no new messages or calls from him.

She pouted, muttering to herself.

Ethan, you said you missed me this morning, but now you're silent…

Jessica walked in and immediately noticed Emily's displeasure.

Even when unhappy, Emily was stunning. The pout on her bright face had a sweet, almost playful quality.

Jessica nudged Emily's arm in greeting.

"Why are you here alone?" Jessica looked around. "Where's your Chairman Harrison?"

Emily huffed, her response deliberately evasive, "He's not mine."

The annoyed tone and the little pout that followed made it clear—this was a woman in love, sulking over a spat with her man.

Jessica, having seen it all before, smiled knowingly.

"It looks like your brief stint of singlehood is about to end."

Emily lifted her chin slightly, neither confirming nor denying it.

Jessica eyed Emily thoughtfully before asking, "So, what's going on with you two? Getting back together? Or going through with the divorce?"

Emily lowered her lashes slowly, her voice barely a whisper, "I don't know."

Going back to being Ethan's hidden, secret wife? That felt wrong, stifling.

Becoming the public, pampered wife of the richest man? No, thank you. She had enough of the spotlight.

But she couldn't deny that she had truly fallen for him…

Emily blinked a few times, deciding not to dwell on it for now.

They dropped the topic and continued walking toward the banquet hall.

Along the way, they ran into several celebrities Emily had worked with. Many greeted her warmly, with a few even expressing concern about her injuries. Emily responded courteously.

But after a few steps, something felt off.

"Hey, those girls—" Emily motioned with her eyes toward a group of women by the door, asking Jessica, "Who are they?

Do they know me?"

Emily didn't recognize them, but she was acutely aware of their judgmental stares and knew they were talking about her—and not kindly.

Jessica glanced over, frowning slightly, "Not too sure. I think they're from the fashion world. Their families probably have business ties with Eric's."

She hesitated, "Word about your explosion accident has been swirling around, and with Ryan and Chairman Harrison both present that day… People are just gossiping. Don't worry about what they say."

Emily remained silent.

She could guess what "swirling around" meant.

They didn't slow their pace, and by the time they reached the door, Emily still held herself with poise, showing no sign of discomfort.

As they passed the group of gossiping women, Emily spoke coolly, "Excuse me."

The women exchanged cryptic glances, grudgingly dragging their skirts aside to let her pass.

Emily kept her gaze forward, but as she moved past one of the women, she clearly heard a low mutter.

"Ugh, what a show-off…"

Emily spun around instantly, "What did you say?"

The women hadn't expected her to turn back, their faces momentarily frozen.

Emily slowly raised an eyebrow at the woman who had spoken, "I asked you, what did you say?"

Her tone was calm, her expression devoid of anger, yet it held an undeniable authority.

In the past, people would gossip about her behind her back, hiding in shadows or attacking from behind screens. Facing her directly like this was a first.

Emily actually found it a bit amusing.

The woman, her face showing defiance, was about to retort when her friend pulled her back, giving her a warning look.

The woman shrugged off her friend's hand, eyeing Emily up and down, "I said, what are you showing off for?"

She sneered, "Everyone knows your dirty little secrets. It's impressive—being so brazen about it, even making headlines. You must be really something!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough to draw attention. Curious gazes turned their way, like tendrils reaching out to ensnare them.

Emily stared at her, saying nothing. Her eyes grew colder, and her lips pressed into a tight line.

Seeing Emily remain silent, the woman's confidence grew, "What? People have been talking about you and Chairman Harrison from Creston Media, haven't they?"

She paused suggestively, then let out a short, mocking laugh, "I mean, how can a minor celebrity compare to a billionaire? But does your husband know about all this? Oh right, Chairman Harrison also has a wife, doesn't he?"

She clicked her tongue, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "I'm just really curious how someone like you manages to juggle three men at once—"

She didn't finish her sentence because Emily had stepped forward.

No one saw her hand move, but the sharp crack of a slap echoed through the room, louder than the woman's previous words.

Emily calmly retracted her slightly tingling hand, crossing her arms as she looked down at the woman, her face expressionless.

"Do you understand how strong I am now?"