At 3 PM, Emily was feeling bored and decided to meet up with Elsie at a coffee shop for a chat.
When Elsie saw Emily, her eyes flickered with a hint of unease, but she quickly masked it.
"Hey, Emily! What brings you out? Don't you have work?" Elsie asked with a smile, trying to sound casual.
In truth, she was quite nervous, unsure of why Emily wanted to meet her.
Emily took a sip of her coffee. "I was bored, so I thought I'd get out for a bit. But you seem really busy lately, haven't had time to hang out with me." She looked at Elsie with a half-smile.
Elsie's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly explained, "I've been a bit busy, but it's not like I'm avoiding you! You gotta believe me!" She even raised her hand as if swearing an oath.
Emily chuckled, "Alright, alright, I believe you! By the way, you seem to have come into some money recently. That bag is a new release, right? Must've cost a fortune."
Elsie's face changed, and she hurriedly denied it, "Emily, what are you talking about? It's a fake, just for fun! Don't take it seriously, I can't compare to you!" She glanced around nervously, as if afraid someone might overhear.
But her guilty demeanor didn't escape Emily's notice.
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more! Look at how nervous you are!" Emily laughed.
But inside, she felt even more disdain for Elsie.
Elsie must have found herself a wealthy man behind her back.
They chatted for a while longer, talking about Bobby.
Emily complained about how Melinda had set Bobby up, leaving him stuck at home.
The conversation was pleasant enough, but Elsie couldn't shake the feeling that Emily knew something.
When it was time to pay, Emily took out the card Leo had given her, but it was declined due to insufficient funds.
She was stunned and tried a few more times, but it still didn't work.
Elsie didn't show it, but inside she was thrilled. It seemed Leo wasn't that generous with Emily after all! How pathetic and laughable!
Emily, on the other hand, was filled with confusion and unease. Why was Leo's card suddenly unusable? Had Leo discovered something? Or was Melinda behind this? She decided to go to the bank immediately to find out.
The cashier, with an awkward smile, told her, "I'm sorry, ma'am, this card isn't working. Please use another one."
Under the soft lighting of the coffee shop, Emily's face turned a bit embarrassed.
She had to pay with cash.
After parting ways with Elsie, she hurried to the bank.
The inquiry revealed that her bank card had been frozen for unknown reasons. She immediately called Leo.
At that moment, Leo was in his office, and a notification about the frozen bank card popped up on his computer screen.
His eyes darkened slightly, already guessing what had happened.
The phone rang; it was Emily.
"Leo, why is my card frozen? What's going on?" Emily's voice was tinged with anxiety.
Leo took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm. "Don't worry, I'll make some calls and find out."
He hung up and strode towards the finance department.
Inside, Melinda's people were still auditing the accounts. They didn't look up when Leo entered, but his former assistant, Colt, was there helping.
"Colt, why is my bank card frozen?" Leo asked directly.
Colt adjusted his glasses and said helplessly, "Mr. Schmidt, it's Ms. Sharp's order. She said there are issues with the accounts and needs to recover funds, so all company-issued bank cards are temporarily frozen."
Leo's face turned grim, his fists clenched as he struggled to contain his anger.
He knew this was Melinda's doing, so he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Alright, I understand. I'll talk to Melinda."
He left the finance department and called Melinda.
On the other end, Melinda's voice was cold and firm. "Leo, until the funds are recovered, your bank cards will remain frozen."
Leo gritted his teeth. "Melinda, you're pushing me too far. I'm your family!"
"Family?" Melinda scoffed. "Emily and I aren't even real sisters, remember?"
"You're ruthless. Don't push me too far." With that, Melinda hung up without hesitation.
Leo stood in the hallway, listening to the dial tone, filled with anger and helplessness.
He knew his only option now was to ask Emily for help. He called her again, his voice carrying a hint of pleading. "Emily, can you do me a favor? My bank card is frozen by Melinda. Can you lend me a card to use?"
Emily's heart softened at Leo's voice. "Wait, I'll come to you."
That afternoon, Emily brought a bank card Bobby had given her to the office.
Leo took the card, thanking her profusely.
However, he declined Emily's invitation to dinner, citing work.
Emily was a bit disappointed but understood that Leo needed money for business, so she didn't press the issue.
She left the office alone, walking home.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a message: "Your account has been debited $40,000."
Emily's heart sank.
She knew Leo must have taken the money.
Though it pained her, she thought about Leo's business needs and decided to let it go.
Meanwhile, there was good news at the hospital. A nurse noticed Connie's arm move slightly and immediately informed the doctor.
The doctor relayed the news to Melinda.
She rushed to the hospital, where specialists were examining her mother.
Excitedly, she called Raymond. "Raymond, my mom showed some response!" Her voice was filled with joy.
Raymond, in a meeting, was equally thrilled. "That's great! Melinda, don't worry, I'll be there as soon as I can."
After hanging up, Melinda decided not to inform Emily about Connie's progress.
In her view, Emily and Bobby only cared about the company and profits, not Connie's health. She planned to wait until Connie fully recovered before making any decisions.
At the same time, Bobby was in jail.
Due to the evidence Melinda had submitted, he was imprisoned for attempted murder.
The cell was dark and damp, with a foul smell in the air.
Bobby curled up in a corner, in agony, constantly hoping Connie would wake up and get him out, even if it meant a divorce, as long as he could leave this hellhole.
He also realized Emily couldn't save him.
He regretted not grooming Emily to be like Melinda.
Maybe then he wouldn't be in this situation.
Emily had just returned to the Lowe Villa when that man blocked her again.
"Emily, I'm short on cash. Can you give me another $20,000?"
She looked at the man who claimed to be her biological father, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust.
She couldn't understand why, while other fathers would do anything for their daughters, hers only knew how to ask for money.
"This is the last time." Emily took out $20,000 from her bag and handed it to him. "Take the money and leave. Don't ever show up in front of me again."
The man took the money, counted it, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Don't worry, this time I'll take the money and go. I won't bother you again."
Watching the man walk away, Emily felt a heavy weight in her chest.