Chapter 222
Donna was stunned. She took an involuntary step backward, turning her head to avoid Emily's gaze.
"You refuse?" Emily asked, a faint smile spreading across her lips. "Then why would you think I'd back down for someone who's harmed me?"
"Emily, you're not doing this for her—you're doing it for me! Could you really bear to see me suffering daily from this heartache?"
Tears fell from Donna's eyes, giving them a reddish tint.
"Mrs. Laurent, you certainly look beautiful when you cry, but it doesn't look like you and your husband get along that well, either." Emily said softly. Her voice wasn't loud, but it pierced the air like an arrow, creating an indescribable tension in the room.
Donna's tears seemed to freeze mid-fall.
Emily smiled slightly. "He's unfaithful to you, isn't he? You must know what he does outside your marriage. If your own husband doesn't care about you, why would you expect me to?"
"He... he's ungrateful, but you're my daughter. How could you treat me this way?" Donna's voice trembled.
"Daughter? If I'm so important to you, Mrs. Laurent, then why did you abandon me..."
"I've told you I had no choice!"
By the end, she was practically screaming, her eyes filled with such anguish and sorrow that they were difficult to look at directly.
Emily closed her eyes briefly.
She couldn't deny it—she found it impossible to be completely cold-hearted toward this woman who had given her life, even though Donna had never truly cared for her. Even the knife wound Donna had taken for her had been calculated, serving an ulterior motive.
But Emily didn't dare ask about that.
With a soft sigh, she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. "Mrs. Laurent, I have no interest in digging up the past."
"But please stop talking about your supposed helplessness and your deep affection for me."
"You might feel some guilt toward me, but when Sophie enters the picture, that guilt means nothing."
"For her sake, you would sacrifice me in a heartbeat."
Donna tried to speak, but Emily raised her hand to stop her.
She turned away, facing the warm sunlight streaming through the window. "I've stated my terms. If you can meet them, I'll leave. If not, we'll part ways here and go our separate paths."
Donna stared at Emily's back, taking another step backward, her eyes filled with disbelief. "What? You want to sever all ties with me?"
"Mrs. Laurent, don't make it sound so complicated. The truth is, we never had any real connection to begin with."
The simple statement cut through Donna's composure, causing various emotions to flash across her face.
After a long moment, she finally managed to ask, "Are you really this cold-hearted?"
"If making someone who hurt me face minimal consequences makes me cold-hearted, then yes, I am."
Donna said nothing more. She turned and walked toward the door.
As the door opened, Emily spoke again. "I'm giving you three days."
The only response was the sound of the door slamming shut.
Emily gave a quiet laugh. Having breakfast with Donna and the children had fulfilled a childhood dream of sorts.
Anything beyond that would be asking too much.
At the Laurent Villa, chaos erupted.
"No! I absolutely refuse!" Sophie knocked items off her vanity, glaring at her mother with wild eyes.
"Mom, how could you expect me to apologize to Emily? Do you understand what admitting this would mean?"
"It would destroy my academic reputation completely!"
"And Alexander—he would never forgive me if he found out!"
She suddenly froze, her eyes widening. "You went to see her not to help me, but to work against me?"
"Sophie, how could you think that?" Donna exclaimed.
"What else am I supposed to think? A public apology to her would make me the laughingstock of our entire circle!"
Mother and daughter stared at each other, one filled with frustration, the other with helplessness.
Finally, Donna sighed heavily, massaging her temples. "I tried my best. This was her demand. If you don't agree, she won't leave Bellevue."
"She has to leave! She has to get away from Alexander!" Sophie shouted, no longer caring about composure. "If she stays here, she'll eventually win his heart back. What will happen to me then?"
Donna reached out to touch Sophie's shoulder, trying to calm her.
Sophie grabbed her mother's hand desperately. "Mom, you can't abandon me for her. You know how much I love Alexander. I can't lose him!"
She collapsed into Donna's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
What mother could watch her carefully raised child cry so heartbrokenly?
Donna felt as if her heart was being sliced to pieces.
She stroked Sophie's head, her own eyes reddening. "I tried my best."
"There must be another way, Mom. Help me. Don't let her be with Alexander. There has to be another solution."
"What solution?"
Sophie clutched Donna's hands and whispered her plan.
"That's impossible..." Donna began.
"Mom, do you care more about her now? Are you choosing her over me?" Sophie pushed Donna away abruptly. "Fine, if you don't want me anymore, and she's going to take Alexander away, what's the point of living? I might as well end it all."
She rushed toward the balcony, clearly intending to climb over the railing.
Donna let out a terrified gasp and lunged forward, grabbing Sophie around the waist and holding her back with all her strength. "Sophie, what are you doing? You're stabbing me in the heart!"
"Let me die! You all care more about Emily anyway. What's the point of living?"
Seeing Sophie's nearly hysterical state, Donna finally relented. "Alright, I'll help you."
At the hotel's VIP private dining room, Emily pushed the door open and sat down across from Donna and Sophie, keeping the maximum distance between them.
"Mrs. Laurent, there's only one day left. You still have time to invite me to dinner? Don't tell me you're trying to negotiate." Her face wore a smile, but her eyes contained no warmth—only coldness.
Donna's expression showed her internal struggle. "Emily, you're both my daughters. Does it have to come to this?"
"What you're asking would destroy her."
"You're doing well now. Why can't you forgive her past actions? Why must you be so petty?"
A cold laugh escaped Emily's lips.
She gave them an icy look. "Since you already know I'm so petty, why bother humiliating yourselves by coming here?"
"Emily." Sophie approached with a wine glass. "I admit I was wrong in the past, but you and Alexander are already separated. Why keep entangling with him? Keeping things in the family isn't such a bad thing, is it? Me being with him could be a good arrangement."
She extended the wine glass toward Emily. "I'd like to offer you a toast. Can we put the past behind us?"
Before Emily could respond, Sophie "accidentally" spilled the wine all over Emily's clothes.
The red wine soaked through Emily's silk blouse at the chest, making her undergarments visible.
"What are you doing?" Donna rushed over, quickly draping her jacket over Emily's shoulders. "I didn't raise her properly. Please don't take offense!"