Chapter 8

"Yes," the housekeeper answered politely. Less than a minute later, Emma's plate was filled to the brim. The dishes looked amazing and smelled even better, but Emma's appetite had completely vanished. Her mind was a mess, and the food tasted like cardboard. She frowned without even realizing it. Seeing her like that, Ethan lost interest in eating too. He set down his fork and stared straight at her from across the table. Sensing the tension, Jacob gave a discreet glance and quietly ushered the other staff out of the dining room. "Emma, why do you always look so gloomy at home? I mean, didn't you look all smiles last night when you were out?" Ethan picked up the napkin and casually wiped his fingers, his tone sharp. "Last night?" Emma blinked, confused at first. Then she noticed the irritation on Ethan's face and finally pieced it together—it was about Michael dropping her off yesterday. Huh. Was this guy seriously jealous? She looked up, only to meet his deep, dark eyes. "It was really late, and I couldn't get a ride near the office. Michael happened to drive by, so he gave me a lift," she said, lowering her head to avoid his gaze, trying to keep her voice steady. "You had to catch a ride? What about the driver?" Ethan wasn't buying the whole "coincidentally driving by" story. Guys know how guys think—Michael wouldn't just "drop by" out of nowhere to give her a ride. "I'm not used to having a driver, okay? And the cars in your garage are all super flashy. I wouldn't be able to pull out without scraping something." That part Ethan couldn't argue with. He knew she wasn't lying. Back at the Grace family, she almost always went out on her own or hailed a cab. Time to get her a proper car, he thought. "Anything else? If not, I'm heading out," Emma said. "Go ahead," Ethan replied, tossing the napkin onto the table, getting up and trailing behind her toward the door. Women usually take longer to get dressed, and this time was no exception. By the time Emma slipped on her coat, Ethan had already grabbed his keys and walked out without saying a word. The sound of the door closing echoed and Emma let out a quiet, bitter laugh to herself. See? It's not like he actually cares. No need to kid yourself. But then, as she reached the front gates, she saw a sleek black-and-gold sports car she recognized all too well. "Get in." The window rolled down, revealing Ethan's handsome face. "Get in?" Emma raised an eyebrow. "I'll give you a ride to work," he said, his voice smooth and calm like always. Emma didn't argue. She opened the car door and hopped in. After all, a free ride meant she didn't have to hike down the hill to grab a cab. Who'd say no to that? Once she was in and buckled up, Ethan finally started the car and drove down the hill. One focused on the road, the other lost in the passing scenery. The whole drive? Dead silent. When Emma got out of the car at the company entrance, she casually waved to the man inside. She didn't expect a coworker arriving just then to catch the whole thing. "Emma, you're here!" As soon as she stepped into the office, an exaggerated greeting hit her ears. She looked up and was immediately surrounded by a few unfamiliar faces. "What's going on with you guys?" Their eager looks made her nervous. She clutched her bag a bit tighter and asked. "Emma, how did you get to work today?" "I heard from Aria that she saw you stepping out of this black-gold limited edition sports car! In this city, only Ethan from Hunt Group drives something like that!" "No kidding, Emma! Is Ethan your boyfriend or what? Why didn't you ever mention it?" ... With all the chatter and wide-eyed curiosity around her, Emma felt her temples throb. She hurriedly raised her hands to stop them from bombarding her with more questions. "He's just a relative, okay? He was on his way to work too and offered to give me a lift. Don't overthink it. Get back to work." Her words instantly killed the excitement in the room. "Aww man, I totally thought he was your boyfriend!" "Yeah, but even as a relative, still cool! I mean, it's Hunt Group!" As her coworkers scattered like pigeons, Emma gave a small helpless laugh and made her way to her desk. Barely had she sat down when her office phone rang. It was Amy calling her to come to the office. As soon as she stepped inside, Amy told her straight up. "Emma, set aside your other tasks for now. There's a client who specifically asked to work with you." "Got it." Since she'd already talked to Michael about this project, Emma didn't ask further. She picked up the basic outline and went back to her desk. ... Two weeks later. At Daisy Design Company. Ring— Right in the middle of sketching a design, Emma answered her phone without thinking. "Emma? Come to 801." The call ended right there. Holding the receiver, Emma blinked in confusion. 801? What's that? She'd never heard of such a place. She asked a nearby coworker and finally found out that while she was on leave, the company brought in a new supervisor named Helen Flores. She was now handling all major orders. Not sure what the new boss wanted from her, Emma set aside what she was doing and headed over. "Ms. Flores, you called for me?" She knocked on the door lightly before stepping in. Helen looked up from her screen and glanced over Emma from head to toe. "You're Emma?" "Yes." Emma nodded, feeling a bit uneasy under the stare. "This here is your assignment. Finish it in three days." Helen slapped a folder onto the desk in front of her. "I'm currently working on another design..." Emma tried to stay calm and explained. "I don't care. This one takes priority. You've got a week. Miss the deadline, and you deal with the consequences." Without sparing her another glance, Helen went back to her computer.