When Emily rushed over to Whispering Pines Inn, she was surprised to see Shirley there too. Emily felt a sinking feeling, thinking this trip might be a waste of time.
And she was right. The manager told her the inn's surveillance cameras had been out of order for a week and were still at the repair shop.
Emily had kind of expected this. She wasn't super disappointed, but it still stung because that footage was really important to her.
Just then, the receptionist came running over. "Wait a minute! Miss, your friend hasn't paid for two days. Could you contact her to check out early or settle the bill?"
"Friend?" Emily was confused.
"Yeah, the one who came back with you a few nights ago."
Emily's mind raced, and she realized this could be the break she needed.
"Have you seen me?" she asked cautiously, wondering if the receptionist had been bribed by Shirley.
"A few days ago, you came back with your female friend, right? You both seemed pretty tipsy, and she was helping you. I was on duty that night and wondered how two girls ended up like that."
"Oh, right, that's me. I just forgot for a moment. I'll settle her bill, but I need to go to the room to pack first."
"Of course!" The receptionist quickly pressed the elevator button, worried Emily might change her mind.
In room 316, Emily found Shirley's brooch on the floor. Bingo! This was the evidence she needed. Emily felt pretty pleased with herself.
After gathering all the info, Emily drove to the company, eager to show Patrick that his so-called innocent goddess wasn't as pure as he thought.
Thinking about Patrick's reaction made Emily feel even better, like she was walking on air. Just before she entered Patrick's office, she heard Shirley's sweet, manipulative voice.
"Patrick, I didn't mean to mess up. I just haven't learned it yet."
"Didn't Emily teach you before?"
"Patrick, don't blame Emily. She's always so busy with all her receptions and stuff."
Patrick suddenly remembered how Emily had moaned beneath him. If he hadn't shown up in time, it could've been Marlon with her!
The more Patrick thought about it, the angrier he got. He slammed the files on the table. Shirley had never seen him this mad and was stunned. She covered her eyes, pretending to cry.
Emily walked in, clapping her hands. "Great acting! You should be in Hollywood, not working as a secretary."
Patrick was already in a foul mood. Shirley's mistake had cost the company nearly $100,000, and now everyone was reporting to him about it. No one directly blamed her, but the dissatisfaction was clear.
The loss wasn't a big deal to Patrick, but the fact that such a small issue had reached his desk annoyed him. When Emily was in charge, things like this never happened.
But thinking about Emily just made him angrier.
"Aren't you on vacation, why are you here?" Patrick snapped, his face cold and emotionless.
"To watch a good show!" Emily smirked at Shirley. Shirley had stopped crying the moment Emily walked in and now looked terrified.
Emily didn't hold back this time. She handed Patrick the recordings and videos. He placed the phone on the table and played the video out loud.
As the video played, Shirley's face turned pale, her eyes filled with panic, and her hands clenched tightly.
Shirley had a sinking feeling, fearing that her drugging of Emily might have been found out.
Shirley's heart pounded like a drum, feeling like a boulder was crushing her chest, making it hard to breathe. She knew if Emily exposed her for drugging, she'd not only face legal trouble but also lose her reputation, status, and Patrick. She couldn't let that happen.
'No way! Absolutely not!' Shirley thought frantically.
In her panic, Shirley started plotting her escape, thinking of ways to create distractions and destroy evidence. She knew time was running out.
Just as she was about to grab the phone to delete the evidence, Patrick picked it up.
"So? What are you trying to show with this video?" Patrick's voice was eerily calm.
Emily was confused. Wasn't it obvious?
"So, my illness wasn't an accident. Shirley tried to harm me on purpose!"
Patrick looked at Emily with a mix of emotions. "Just based on this video?"
"Isn't this enough?" Emily was about to mention the receptionist as a witness but hesitated, deciding against it.
Years of being together had never brought any real feelings from Patrick, not even a hint of pity. Emily was used to it.
But then, Patrick did the unthinkable. He deleted the video with a single click.
Emily stared at the blank screen, feeling a surge of anger and frustration. She couldn't believe the evidence she had worked so hard to gather was gone.
She looked up at Patrick, her eyes blazing. "Why did you do that? Do you know how much effort I put into getting that evidence?"
A flicker of something crossed Patrick's eyes. After a moment, he spoke slowly, "It just means you're stupid."
Patrick avoided her gaze, but Emily, too angry to notice, was filled with disappointment. She didn't understand why Patrick called her stupid or why he deleted the evidence. But she knew she had to rely on herself to uncover the truth and make Shirley pay.
Seeing Patrick's actions, Shirley realized he was siding with her and quickly regained her composure.
"Emily, don't accuse me. I never drugged you. Your so-called evidence is just something you made up. That day, I saw you weren't feeling well, so I took you to the hospital. On the way, I went back to the hotel to get my ID. How could you accuse me like this?"
Emily sneered. "Made up? Do you think I'd stoop to your level? Do you really think I only have this one piece of evidence?"
Seeing Shirley's shock, Emily calmly pulled out an exquisite brooch.
Shirley recognized it immediately.
Trying to stay calm, Shirley said, "What does a brooch prove?"
"I found this on the floor of your hotel room," Emily replied with a smile.
"And what does that prove?" Shirley retorted defiantly.
"Maybe you've forgotten, but this brooch is a limited edition, with your name engraved inside!" Emily said each word slowly, each one hitting Shirley hard.
Shirley looked pitifully at Patrick, who seemed uninterested in intervening, watching them like an outsider.
"Emily, don't push me!" Shirley snapped, reaching for the brooch.
Emily wasn't about to let go. They struggled, neither willing to back down. But Emily underestimated Shirley's temper. Shirley grabbed Emily's hair and tried to stomp on her foot with her high heel. Emily dodged, and Shirley, off balance, fell forward. She tried to grab Emily's hand but only managed to snatch her bracelet.
Just a few feet from the window, Shirley fell with a thud, and the bracelet flew out the window.
"Enough! Are you two done?!" Patrick shouted sternly.