Chapter 15 - Welcome home party

Justin entered the room with a look of concern glued on his face. Emily's gaze shifted to him as she noticed him, she tried to put a smile on her face. "Justin, hey." she whispered, her voice still weak. Justin's eyes welled up with tears as he moved to sit down right beside her bed. "Emily, hey. I'm so glad you're awake. i was so scared." Emily's gaze drifted to the door, and she asked, "Where's my husband, Alex?" Justin hesitated before answering, " Well he stepped a moment ago to make a call." Her mind began to wander, and she thought to herself. 'Even in the hospital, he was still on a call.' She couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. Justin's voice brought her back to the present. "Emily, I'm so sorry. I wasn't careful enough. If I had been paying attention, this wouldn't have happened." Her attention was drawn back to Justin's face where she saw the guilt and regret written on his features. She reached out and took his hand in hers, trying to reassure him. "Justin, stop. It's fine, I’m fine. You didn't do anything wrong. Accidents happen and look, I'm perfectly fine." His eyes filled with tears as he looked at Emily, but she just smiled and squeezed his hand. “Its fine.” Just then, the door opened and Alex walked in, his eyes scanning the room. His gaze finally landed on Emily and Justin and he saw that Emily was holding Justin's hand. A flicker of surprise and unease crossed his face before he quickly composed himself. "Hey, sunshine" Alex said, trying to sound casual. "How are you feeling?" Justin smiled and squeezed Emily's hand before standing up to leave. "I'll let you two talk," he said, his eyes darting briefly to Alex before he turned and walked out of the room. Emily's gaze followed Justin out the door before averting it back to Alex who stood there. " Baby, I'm feeling...thirsty," she said, her voice still weak. Alex nodded and reached for the jug of water on the table beside Emily's bed. He poured a glass and held it out to her while he helped her to sit up slightly as she took a few sips. The cool water felt like heaven to Emily's parched throat, and she gulped it down gratefully. As she handed the glass back to Alex, she smiled weakly and whispered, "Thanks." Alex smiled back and set the glass down, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Anytime sunshine," he said, his voice soft. Emily's gaze drifted to Alex's face, and she asked, " So how's business been? Meetings? Anything exciting happening recently?" Alex leaned against the bedside table, his eyes taking on a distant look. "It's been well..interesting I will say. We landed a few new clients, and the team's been doing well." Emily's eyes sparkled with interest. " Woah, that's great! I'm glad to hear that." Alex's gaze refocused on Emily's face, and he smiled. "I've been doing okay, considering. I didn't travel as much as I usually do, because...I wanted to be here for you." Emily's expression softened, and she reached out to take Alex's hand. "Really baby? You didn't have to do that," she whispered. Alex's eyes locked onto hers, and he squeezed her hand gently. "I wanted to," he said, his voice low and sincere. "I needed to make sure you were okay, if I don't who would?" Days later, Justin pulled up to the mansion in Alex’s sleek black car, with Emily riding shotgun and Alex in the backseat. As they came to a stop, Alex jumped out to help Emily out of the car, while Justin climbed out to retrieve the gifts and flowers they'd accumulated during Emily's hospital stay. As they made their way to the entrance, Emily's eyes widened in surprise. The entire foyer was filled with balloons streamers, and a big banner that read "Welcome Home Emily!" in glittery letters. Her friends, Chloe, Vivian, and Selena, rushed forward to envelop her in a group hug, exclaiming how great it was to have her back home. “Welcome back Emily, we have missed you so much.” Selena was the first to say. “We prepared your favourite ice cream, chocolate,” Vivian announced with a bright smile. “Seriously?” Emily asked. “yeah, luckily it wasn't a total mess this time, I promise. She has learnt a lot so don't worry we won't die.” Chole assured her. Chloe's last statement made everyone laugh. No one could ever forget when Vivian tried making chocolate ice cream for Chloe's birthday. It was a huge disaster. Victoria, Emily's stepmother, and Emilia, her stepsister, stood off to the side, smiling and waving, though Emily couldn't help but notice the hint of insincerity in their eyes. Well she decided not to be bothered about it. As Emily hugged her friends and exchanged greetings with her family, she was just happy to be home, surrounded by the people she loved. She smiled and laughed, feeling a sense of joy and normalcy that she hadn't experienced in weeks. Little did she know, however, that her welcome home party was only the beginning of a new chapter in her life of unexpected revelations. Emilia had managed to convince Mr. Johnson that she should stay behind to help take care of Emily while Alex was away. Mr. Johnson, oblivious to Emilia's true intentions, had agreed, thinking it was a kind gesture. As the evening wore on, Emily had retired to her room upstairs, exhausted from the day's events. Alex, meanwhile, was in the kitchen, dishing out a bowl of ice cream that Vivian had made earlier. Just as he was about to take a bite, Emilia walked into the kitchen, dressed in a seductive outfit that left little to the imagination. Alex's eyes widened as he took in the sight of her. "Emilia, what are you doing? She's still awake," Alex warned, trying to sound casual despite the sudden surge of desire that had taken hold of him. Emilia smiled, her eyes glinting with mischief. She walked up to Alex and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body against his. Alex felt his pulse racing as he tried to push her away, but Emilia just held on tighter. "Say goodnight to Emily for you, would you?" Emilia whispered, her breath hot against Alex's ear. "Sure, I will." With that, she released him and walked away, bouncing her backside in a deliberate attempt to tease Alex. Alex was left standing in the kitchen, his heart pounding and his body aching with desire. He couldn't believe Emilia's brazen behavior, but at the same time, he couldn't deny the attraction he felt towards her either. He wanted her and he knew it was only a matter of time before she strikes again and he wasn't sure he would be able to resist.