Chapter 3
Emily had a long, long dream.
The first half was sweet—her secret crush on Alexander had finally been reciprocated, with that grand wedding serving as the ultimate proof.
But suddenly, everything shifted. By the end, all she could see was Alexander's cold, heartless face.
"No!" Emily bolted upright with a cry, startling Daniel beside her.
"Emily, are you okay?" He asked, supporting her with concern, his voice filled with guilt and self-reproach.
Emily looked around in confusion, realizing she was in a ward. Her expression immediately changed.
"Daniel, why am I in the hospital? Did you..."
She wanted to ask if he knew about her breast cancer, but halfway through her sentence, her throat tickled, triggering a violent coughing fit.
Daniel quickly handed her a glass of water, holding it to her lips. "Drink this first! I don't remember you ever having hypoglycemia before. How the hell has he been taking care of you?"
As he spoke, Daniel's anger resurfaced. Prison seemed to have made his temper worse.
Emily looked puzzled. "Hypoglycemia?"
When did she develop that?
Daniel explained matter-of-factly, "That's what the doctor said. You fainted because of low blood sugar. Feeling better now?"
Hearing Daniel mention hypoglycemia, Emily actually felt relieved.
Daniel and Doris were among her few remaining family members, and she didn't want them worrying about her.
"I'm much better, Daniel." Emily recalled what Daniel had said before she passed out and wanted to ask what had happened, but couldn't bring herself to broach the subject.
Daniel, sensing her hesitation, gently ruffled her hair, momentarily resembling the reliable, composed man she once knew. "Emily, I know this situation is beyond your control. I'm sorry for getting so worked up earlier. Did I scare you?"
Emily shook her head, her eyes growing moist. It had been so long since she'd felt what it was like to be cared for.
The emotional words were on the tip of her tongue when Daniel spoke first. "That case—is it about Sophie, Ms. Laurent's defamation lawsuit?"
Emily was surprised. "Daniel, how do you know about that?"
A flash of guilt crossed Daniel's eyes. He coughed twice, quickly finding an excuse. "Doris told me."
Emily didn't question this. She lowered her gaze and smiled bitterly. "Yes, that's right."
Having confirmed his suspicion, Daniel seemed anxious. "Emily, do you think you can win this case?"
The question struck Emily as odd. She looked at him skeptically. "Daniel, why are you so concerned about the outcome of this case?"
Daniel momentarily panicked. But he quickly regained his composure, smiling casually. "I just think that to protect the foster home where we grew up, you need to win this case, right?"
That made sense, but something still felt off to Emily.
Seeing her silence, Daniel sighed softly, his expression turning melancholy. "There's another reason. I spent three years in prison because of false accusations. I don't want anyone else to suffer from slander like I did."
His tone was so sincere that Emily couldn't help feeling sympathetic.
She wanted to tell Daniel that Sophie hadn't been slandered—those "rumors" were actually facts. But facing Daniel's warm, earnest gaze, the words wouldn't come.
Should she dissect her miserable marriage for Daniel, who had already suffered so much?
"Did Emily return to the foster home alone?" Alexander asked, sitting in his luxurious executive chair with his back to James, his tone frigid.
James was taken aback. He hadn't expected Alexanderto care about that detail.
"No, Ms. Ward was with a man in his twenties, about six feet tall, thin but good-looking. They seemed quite familiar with each other."
Despite his confusion, James described Daniel's appearance to Alexander.
As James finished speaking, Alexander crushed the bone china teacup in his hand.
"Mr. Foster! Are you alright?" James exclaimed, alarmed by the blood dripping from Alexander's hand.
Alexander pulled out a handkerchief and carelessly wiped away the blood, turning to fix James with an icy stare.
"She agreed to take Sophie's case, so you just left?"
The perceptive James immediately realized his mistake and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Foster. I thought that was your objective."
Alexander slammed his fist on the desk. "You presumptuous idiot!"
James trembled. Though he had worked for Alexander for two years—longer than any previous assistant—James still feared Alexander's anger.
The man's presence was overwhelmingly powerful; no one could stand against it.
"Please punish me, Mr. Foster." James kept his head down.
Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose, irritation flashing in his eyes. "Get out!"
James left obediently, only exhaling in relief after closing the office door behind him.
Alexander's handsome face was frozen in frost.
If he remembered correctly, today was Daniel's release date. Emily had rushed to see him with such eagerness—the woman was truly ungrateful!
The more Alexander thought about it, the angrier he became. He spent the entire day scowling, terrifying company executives and business partners into silence.
Finally, at nine o'clock, with all urgent work temporarily concluded, Alexander got up and drove home.
The moment he entered, his voice rang out darkly. "Emily, come down!"
Hurried footsteps sounded from upstairs, reminiscent of many past occasions when she would excitedly rush down to greet him.
Recalling those scenes, the frost in Alexander's expression began to thaw.
But the next moment, his brow furrowed deeply. "Nancy? Where's Emily?"
Nancy frantically wiped makeup from her face, trembling with fear. "Mrs. Foster... Mrs. Foster hasn't come home at all!"
She felt utterly doomed. After using Emily's makeup for so long without anyone noticing, Alexander had caught her red-handed!
Nancy despaired—would she even see tomorrow's sunrise?
But Alexander paid no attention to this transgression. His mind fixated on those words. 'Mrs. Foster hasn't come home at all.'
Running off to the detention center to meet some guy during work hours was bad enough, but then not coming home afterward?
A cold smile played at Alexander's lips. He had truly spoiled this woman!
"Having too much fun elsewhere, is she? Nancy, change the door code and tell all the staff that no one is to let Emily in!"
She was just an orphan with no parents and no other friends. Where could she possibly go without the Foster Mansion?