Chapter 183 Unshakable Presence

Chapter 183 Unshakable Presence

"Fine, I'll go see him then."

I gently reassured her. "Deep down, you actually want to see him too, don't you?"

I knew Emily's personality well. She was easygoing and cheerful on the surface, always joking around and saying whatever was on her mind. But underneath, she was incredibly soft-hearted and sensitive.

She was being stubborn out loud, but inside she desperately wanted this meeting.

In the end, people have to face what's truly in their hearts and be honest with their own feelings and attachments.

"Go. You need closure. Make it the last time."

Emily pressed her lips together slightly, a faint redness creeping into her eyes. She said softly, almost like a plea, "Will you come with me?"

"Of course I will."

I teased her a little to lighten the mood. "Besides, if he loses it and tries to corner you, I can swoop in and rescue you."

In the past, Emily had always been the levelheaded one between us, while I was the one who got emotional.

Right now, we had completely switched roles.

She wasn't asking me to come along because she was scared.

What she was really worried about was that after this meeting, the connection they had worked so hard to cut off would get tangled up all over again.

They were two completely different kinds of people—like opposite poles of a magnet. They had barely managed to pull apart, and if they got close again, they would just snap right back together.

All I could do was be there with her to make a clean break, let them say a proper goodbye, and walk away from each other for good.

Both Emily and I felt the weight of it, but we were also clear-eyed about what needed to happen.

The world of old money was never easy to break into. The suffocation and heartache that came with it—only those who had lived it could understand.

Better to cut ties completely than to drag it out and wear each other down.

They had agreed to meet at a private club.

It was the same place where William, Michael, and Ryan had gotten together for drinks before.

The car pulled up smoothly outside. Emily and I got out and walked into the lobby. When we reached the door of the private room, I stopped.

"Go in by yourself. If I'm there, it'll make things awkward and you won't be able to talk openly."

"Just say everything that needs to be said. No matter what happens, text me or call me anytime and I'll be right there."

I reached up and gently pinched her cheek, giving her an encouraging smile. "You've got this. Go take care of it."

"Okay."

Emily hugged me, then pushed open the door and walked in.

The lobby was open and immaculate. A massive crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, its light bouncing off the polished black marble floors. An indoor stream ran through the space, and the whole place felt refined and quietly luxurious.

Walking through it, the atmosphere felt almost serene.

The staff kept glancing my way, which made me a little self-conscious. Not wanting to just stand around in the lobby, I wandered over to the indoor garden nearby.

The garden was a full panoramic indoor space, taking up a huge portion of the club.

Whoever had designed this place had put real thought into it. Outside it was the dead of winter, everything bare and cold, but in here flowers were blooming in every color.

There were decorative rock formations, a small stream, rare plants, and even a few parrots perched here and there. The whole space felt alive.

My two previous visits had both been rushed—I was always looking for someone and never had a chance to actually explore the garden, even though I'd heard great things about it. This felt like the perfect chance to take my time and look around.

I had just walked over toward the rock formations when I heard a familiar voice.

The sound of the stream made it hard to catch everything clearly.

I instinctively moved a couple of steps closer, and then a sharp, cold voice came through distinctly. It was William.

"You arranged the whole thing with Jade on purpose, didn't you? After all these years, you still like working in the shadows, pulling strings behind people's backs. It's unsettling."

I froze.

A moment later, another voice responded—smooth but with an undercurrent of something cold—and I knew immediately who it was.

"Mr. Spencer, making accusations without evidence and judging people out of spite—that's never changed about you, has it? All these years."

"I knew it was you."

William let out a cold, dismissive laugh. "I know exactly how you operate. No need to explain yourself. Only Eleanor is trusting enough to be taken in by you. Ryan, I'm warning you—stay away from her. She's not built for the kind of games you play. There's no point in targeting her."

"Mr. Spencer, that's a pretty one-sided take."

Ryan pushed back, his tone steady. "The one who's truly calculating, who assumes the worst about everyone—that's you."

William didn't respond, just let out another cold laugh.

Ryan's voice turned more direct. "I've always been genuine with Eleanor. I've never had bad intentions toward her. But you—she trusted you, she made excuses for you, she loved you—and you hurt her over and over again. And now you want to pin all of that on me."

"Your sincerity means nothing."

William's voice was flat and even. "Whatever your intentions are, Eleanor is my wife. You'd do better to focus on whoever you're supposed to be with."

Ryan's tone went cold. "William, do you really think you can hold onto her forever?"

William asked back, almost lazily, "So you're finally losing your patience?"

"I'm not impatient at all." Ryan's voice was calm. "I've already waited a long time. A little longer doesn't matter. What you should actually be worried about right now is Jade. She's not like Jane—she won't be so easy to push aside or buy off. If you make a real enemy of the Marie family, you'll put yourself and the Spencer family in a very uncomfortable position."

"Make an enemy of the Marie family?" William sounded unbothered. "She's their adopted daughter. She can't stir up that much trouble."

I was completely absorbed in their conversation, hanging on every word.

Then someone tapped me on the shoulder.

I felt a flash of pure irritation.

Every single time I was eavesdropping on something, someone had to show up and interrupt me. My luck was genuinely terrible.

Startled and annoyed, I spun around—and met a pair of eyes lit up with amusement.

It was Alvin.

I felt a wave of exasperation wash over me.

This guy was everywhere. It was like he was following me around on purpose. This was the third time we had run into each other.

Three times was no coincidence.

My mind immediately jumped to the leaked video.

He had been there that night too, right behind me. It had to have been him—he filmed it and put it out there.

This wasn't the place to make a scene. I frowned, grabbed his sleeve, and started to pull him somewhere quieter where I could confront him properly.

But Alvin spoke first, his voice unhurried and completely unbothered.

"What are you grabbing me for? Where exactly are you planning to take me?"

He said it loud enough for the whole room to hear.

He was doing it on purpose. No question.

That volume was more than enough for William and Ryan on the other side of the rock formation to hear every word.

The moment he finished speaking, the conversation behind the rocks went dead silent. Then came the sound of dress shoes on gravel, moving closer.

My chest tightened. I stared at Alvin, eyes wide, furious.

He just curved his lips into that lazy smile of his, leaned in slightly, and murmured, "Beg me."

Rage surged through me. I wanted to tear into him right then and there.

I had never let anyone threaten me, and I wasn't about to start playing along with whatever this was.

I let go of his sleeve, stopped trying to hide anything, turned around, and walked straight out. I didn't care anymore whether William and Ryan saw me.

When your luck turns bad, everything falls apart at once.

The next second, the light around me suddenly went dark.

A long men's coat dropped over me from above, completely covering my head and body.