The Brooks and Harrison families needed time to cool down after everything that had just happened.
She was calm.
But Emily wasn't.
"Auntie—" She tried to say something to salvage her reputation, but before she could finish, Rebecca raised her arm.
Smack!
A crisp slap echoed through the café.
Emily's delicate face swelled instantly.
In front of so many people, she was on the verge of tears.
"Auntie!"
"Don't call me that." Rebecca's expression was grim as she glared at Emily. "I don't have a niece who treats me like a fool."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Emily was stunned but quickly snapped back to her senses and hurried after Rebecca.
She knew that if she didn't clear things up today, her life would become a nightmare.
Even if she was difficult to deal with and threatened people, she had to bear it and not give in.
"Auntie—" She tried to suppress her anxiety and salvage her image, but before she could finish her sentence, she saw Rebecca raise her arm.
"Smack!"
With a crisp sound, Emily's delicate face immediately swelled up.
In front of so many people in the coffee shop, Emily nearly burst into tears from the humiliation. "Auntie!"
"Don't call me that. I'm not lucky enough to have a niece who treats me like a fool."
Rebecca's face was extremely unpleasant as she shot Emily a cold glance before turning to leave.
Emily was stunned but quickly followed. Rebecca had a fiery temper—if this issue wasn't resolved today, it would be even harder to explain in the future. However, as soon as she reached the door, she saw Charles standing there, his expression unreadable.
Emily hesitated. Rebecca was important, but the opportunity to be alone with Charles was rare. Thinking of this, she stopped in her tracks.
"Charles... where's my sister? She didn't leave again, did she? I can explain the recording. She must have misunderstood. I originally thought... oh?"
Before she could finish, Charles had already walked away.
Emily hurriedly caught up and stopped him. "Brother Charles, my sister is still angry with me. Can I—"
"I am your sister's husband. You should be calling me brother-in-law," Charles interrupted coldly, his eyes as icy as ever.
Emily shuddered. "B-Brother-in-law, I just—"
She wanted to explain, but Charles didn't bother listening and walked away without another word.
Emily felt completely ignored and humiliated. Tears welled in her eyes as she turned to look at Thomas.
"Emily, don't cry," Thomas said, feeling sorry for her.
Emily lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Thomas. I didn't plan well and ended up dragging you into this. I didn't expect Eleanor to be so well-prepared."
Not only was Eleanor prepared, but she had also turned the situation against her. The way Rebecca and Charles had treated her earlier made Emily tremble with anger.
Thomas, assuming she was upset, gently wiped her tears. "It's not your fault. Eleanor is cunning. You didn't succeed this time, but you need to be careful with her in the future."
"I know. You should be careful too."
Emily looked at him with concern, which immediately triggered Thomas's protective instincts. His frustration from earlier disappeared.
Seeing that Charles was already gone, Thomas took the opportunity to steer Emily away. "It's getting late. Let's go somewhere else to talk."
---
It was already evening when Emily parted ways with Thomas. By the time she returned home, the atmosphere in the house was tense.
Faint sounds of crying came from the living room. Was that Olivia?
Emily frowned. Olivia had been in a sour mood ever since she lost face at the Carter family banquet, though she had seemed better in the past few days. Why was she crying again?
A servant took Emily's bag carefully and whispered, "Second Miss, the master is back."
Her father was back?
Emily immediately understood. She rubbed her eyes to make them appear red before changing her shoes and walking in.
In the living room, her father sat on the couch with a stern face, while Olivia wiped her tears with a tissue.
Emily hurried over. "Mom, why are you crying again?"
"It's all because of that ungrateful Eleanor!" Olivia spat, her voice filled with resentment.
Her father, suppressing his anger, asked, "Didn't she come back with you? Is she out causing trouble again? Call her and tell her to come back immediately!"
Emily's eyes flickered as she glanced at Olivia, who gave her a subtle nod.
Emily put on a helpless expression. "Dad, I don't know where my sister went. She didn't leave with me."
Her father's expression darkened. "She's already a mother, yet she has no respect for her elders, no care for her sisters and nieces. I don't know how the Brooks family raised such a disgraceful daughter!"
"Eleanor was spoiled as a child and became a little willful. Don't be too angry with her," Olivia said, dabbing at her eyes.
"She's the young lady of the Brooks family and a legitimate granddaughter of the Carter family. Of course, she looks down on me. Everyone says being a stepmother is hard, but I treated her better than I treated Emily when they were growing up..."
"Don't defend her. I know her temper," her father interrupted. "Emily was also spoiled as a child, but look at how sensible she is."
Fortunately, though his eldest daughter was a disappointment, his younger daughter was obedient. However...
He paused, noticing Emily's red eyes. "Emily, have you been crying? Who bullied you?"
"No..." Emily shook her head instinctively, but there was obvious hesitation on her face.
Her father's tone deepened. "Tell me the truth."
"Dad, don't blame my sister. She wanted the land in the western suburbs, so I gave it to her," Emily said anxiously. "It was my fault. I just thought... since she's the young lady of the Brooks family and your daughter, how could I refuse? She insisted."
"The land in the western suburbs?!" Her father shot up from the couch, his face filled with disbelief.
Emily nodded carefully, gauging his reaction, her face full of guilt. "Dad, did I do something wrong?"
Olivia quickly chimed in. "Emily, how could you make such a big decision on your own? Hurry and apologize to your father!"
"I'm sorry, Dad. I shouldn't have agreed to my sister's request."
Emily dug her nails into her palm, forcing tears to stream down her face. She bit her lip, looking fragile—like a flower battered by rain.
"But my sister insisted. I'm just your assistant, and as your daughter, I couldn't refuse. She also asked me to hand over the contract..."
Emily stumbled through her explanation, her voice laced with guilt and injustice, making it hard for anyone not to sympathize with her.