Chapter 317

Chapter 317

Sophie seemed only interested in defending her mother's reputation, but her final words carried a subtle implication.

The surrounding guests exchanged glances, their expressions turning curious.

How would an ordinary person encounter an assassination attempt?

For wealthy families, kidnapping incidents weren't uncommon. Their fortunes made them targets.

But attempts on someone's life? That rarely happened.

And who would dare target someone connected to the powerful Foster family?

What kind of deep hatred would make someone disregard Emily's connection to Alexander?

As Sophie continued her insinuations, the crowd's eyes filled with suspicion as they studied Emily, clearly questioning her character.

"You don't actually think that because time has passed, I've stopped investigating?" Alexander's tone was unhurried yet conveyed absolute confidence, making Sophie feel as though he had seen through her entire plan.

But if he truly knew something, why would he have remained silent until now?

He must be bluffing!

Once Sophie realized this, she gave a bitter smile. "Even now, you're still protecting her. Alexander, I just want her to see her mom. Is that wrong?"

"Using emotional manipulation to force her to acknowledge the mother who abandoned her—isn't that cruel enough?" His cool response left Sophie speechless and caught Emily off guard.

When Donna Laurent had first taken a knife for her, Daniel had suggested this very possibility, and Emily had her suspicions too.

Without evidence, and after everything Sophie and Donna had done, Emily had lost any desire to reconnect with her supposed birth mother, letting the matter drop.

Was Alexander bringing this up now because he'd discovered something?

Before Emily could process this, Sophie spoke again. "Alexander, you broke our engagement because of her, and I accepted that. But how can you speak about my mother this way?"

Tears finally spilled down her cheeks. "All these years, she never stopped looking for Emily. After finding her, she only wanted to protect her. Emily refusing to forgive her is one thing, but how can you throw mud on her name?"

She paused for a moment, then turned to Emily with profound sadness in her eyes. "You hate me? Fine, you should. But how can you treat Mom this way? She loves you!"

Her final words came out as almost a scream, a desperate emotional outburst.

"What's going on here?" Timothy approached, his expression displeased. "Ms. Laurent, is this how you behave at the Hawkins family gathering? Are you deliberately causing trouble?"

Sophie froze momentarily, then smiled. "Emily, you're truly impressive. Everyone takes your side. No wonder you don't care about Momanymore. But can you really live with yourself?"

"She took a knife for you, and you won't even visit her. And now this..."

She trailed off, seemingly overcome with despair.

Timothy's brow furrowed deeply, his eyes radiating intense displeasure.

"This is supposed to be a joyous occasion for the Hawkins family. Your behavior is deliberately embarrassing us." He signaled to a nearby server. "Escort her out, and ask the Laurent family what kind of manners they've taught their daughter."

"How can you do this? Even if you like her, you can't ignore right and wrong!" Sophie's voice grew weaker, but her comment about Timothy liking Emily was heard clearly by everyone.

Timothy had feelings for Alexander Foster's wife?

What kind of situation was this?

The Hawkins family members who overheard looked uncomfortable, and several quickly approached Alexander and Emily.

The server was polite but firm. "Mr. and Mrs. Foster, we apologize for this unfortunate incident. However, we must ask you to leave as well."

Emily had already lost any desire to remain. She turned toward Maurice and Jasmine, with Alexander following closely.

Timothy wanted to follow too, but was intercepted by another server. "Mr. Hawkins, your father has requested your presence in his study."

He stood watching them leave before turning toward the study.

On the drive home to the estate, the car was silent.

Alexander sat in the driver's seat, occasionally glancing at Emily in the passenger seat.

She sat quietly, her lovely face betraying no emotion.

It was as though the incident had left her completely unaffected, or perhaps her emotions were so overwhelmed that she was merely holding herself together.

Though Maurice and Jasmine didn't understand what had happened, they sensed the tense atmosphere in the car.

The twins exchanged a glance before Jasmine broke the silence.

"Mommy, what's wrong? Why did we leave early?"

"Mommy?"

After several attempts, Emily finally emerged from her thoughts.

She turned to look at the back seat, where their beautiful eyes showed undisguised concern.

That look gradually calmed her heart, making her realize that some things couldn't be avoided by simply running away.

Sophie had never intended to leave her alone, and Donna's choice had never been Emily.

She might have managed on her own, but now she had Maurice and Jasmine to think about. She couldn't let them be hurt too.

As various emotions churned within her, Emily's initial panic gradually settled into resolve.

"I just encountered something unpleasant, so I wanted to go home. Did that disappoint you?" She deliberately wrinkled her brow. "I'm sorry. I'll take you somewhere fun another day, okay?"

"That's okay," Jasmine shook her head solemnly. "If you don't like it there, we can leave. We didn't like it that much anyway."

"Exactly. Mommy, you're what matters most," Maurice chimed in.

Their sweetness made Emily's guilt even heavier, but also strengthened her determination to resolve these issues immediately.

Back at the estate, the twins sprawled on the carpet playing with building blocks, laughing as if nothing had happened.

After watching them for a moment, Emily turned to Alexander on the sofa. "Can we talk?"

"Of course." He nodded slightly and headed upstairs to his study.

Sitting in the study, the air felt inexplicably heavy.

Emily lowered her eyes, emotions surging within her.

Alexander still refused to acknowledge Sophie as the homewrecker. After everything that had happened between them, was that somehow justified?

She still remembered Sophie's expression when she claimed to be pregnant...

Closing her eyes briefly, she suppressed her turbulent feelings, trying to maintain her composure. "Alexander."

Emily's voice was slightly hoarse, tinged with fatigue. "What did you mean earlier? Was her taking a knife for me deliberately staged? Do you have evidence?"

"Of course. What will you offer in exchange?"