Chapter 357: Entanglement
Gerald raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? What a shame."
A flicker of something deeper passed through his eyes, but his sunny smile quickly returned.
Lunch ended in a subtly uncomfortable atmosphere.
Carol and Stanley clearly had an excellent impression of Gerald—the three chatted animatedly. Emily maintained polite distance, occasionally offering a response, but her mind had long since wandered elsewhere.
She just wanted to leave.
Stanley checked his watch. "Sorry, I have a meeting this afternoon. I should head out."
Carol stood as well. "I should get back to the hotel and rest. Getting older—sitting too long makes my back ache."
Gerald immediately rose, all courtesy. "Let me see you out."
Carol waved him off. "No need, we have cars."
Gerald turned to Emily, his smile warm. "What about you, Ms. Johnson? Let me give you a ride."
Emily's guard went up, but her expression remained calm. "Thank you, Mr. Rivera, but I can manage."
Gerald stepped closer, his gaze intent. "No need to be so formal. It's on my way, and I have a few design questions I'd love to pick your brain about."
His tone was natural, but Emily could feel the underlying insistence.
Carol and Stanley exchanged glances, both visibly surprised.
They'd known Gerald for years and had never seen him pursue any woman so actively—especially with this borderline persistent attitude.
"Mr. Rivera."
Stanley cleared his throat gently. "Ms. Johnson is married back in Thalassia. It might not be appropriate."
He deliberately emphasized Emily's marital status.
Gerald's smile froze for an instant before smoothly recovering. "Oh, you're married? What a pity."
His tone held just the right touch of regret, but something cold flickered in his eyes.
Carol stepped in diplomatically. "That's right, Gerald. Don't make things awkward for her."
Gerald finally stepped back, adopting a gentleman's posture. "My apologies for being presumptuous, Ms. Johnson."
Emily nodded coolly. "No harm done."
She turned to Carol and Stanley. "Mrs. Rose, Mr. Morgan, I'll be going now."
"Of course. Drive safely."
Emily turned and walked away, her pace measured, her nerves taut.
She could feel Gerald's gaze tracking her like sticky spiderweb—it made her skin crawl.
Outside the restaurant, Kate hurried over. "Emily, how did it go?"
Emily lowered her voice. "Let's move. Gerald might follow."
Kate's face paled. She immediately opened the car door.
As the car pulled away, Emily caught sight of Gerald emerging from the restaurant, standing at the entrance, watching their departure.
"Drive faster. Don't let him catch up."
Kate nodded and pressed the accelerator.
The car merged into traffic. Emily kept her eyes on the rearview mirror. Minutes later, she spotted a black sedan pulling out from the restaurant's direction, falling in behind them.
"He's following us," Kate said tensely.
Emily gave crisp directions. "Don't panic. Drive normally. Take a right at the next intersection—head into the shopping district."
"Got it."
The car wove through the bustling commercial district. Emily had Kate deliberately loop around several times before entering the underground parking garage of a large mall.
They waited in the garage for ten minutes. Once certain the black sedan hadn't followed them in, they resumed their route.
"Emily, what does Gerald want?" Kate asked, still shaken.
Emily leaned back in her seat, her eyes cold. "He's testing me."
"Testing what?"
"My boundaries. My relationship with Charles. Whether I'm someone who can be easily manipulated." She paused. "He thinks I'm the type who'll fall for his charming facade."
Kate frowned. "Will he try something?"
"Not yet. His behavior today, while inappropriate, stayed within social norms. And with Mrs. Rose and Mr. Morgan present, he couldn't push too obviously."
She paused again. "But he won't give up easily."
The car made another wide loop through the city, confirming they'd lost any potential tail, before finally returning to the hotel.
Back in her room, Emily immediately texted Charles:
"Gerald deliberately approached me at lunch today. Afterward, he wanted to drive me home—I refused. He was very persistent. Only Mrs. Rose and Mr. Morgan's presence made him back off. Something's off about him."
Seconds later, Charles called.
"Emily, are you alright?" His voice carried obvious concern.
"I'm fine. Just disgusted."
Charles was silent for several seconds. When he spoke again, his voice had turned cold. "Did he touch you?"
"No. But the way he looked at me..." She trailed off. "It made me very uncomfortable."
"What kind of look?"
Emily told him plainly. "Like I was prey. And with this certainty that he'd get what he wanted."
A suppressed breath came through the phone. Charles said grimly, "Emily, from now on, don't go out alone. If you must leave, take Kate with you."
"I know. Today I had Kate watch our backs. We looped through the city before coming back."
Charles's tone softened slightly. "You did the right thing. Gerald is more dangerous than I thought."
"Any progress on your end?" Emily asked.
"Some. I've confirmed the Rivera family has deep business ties with the Campbells. And..." He hesitated. "Before my mother's death, Gerald's father was frequently seen at Campbell properties."
Emily's heart sank. "You mean..."
"I can't confirm anything yet. But the Riveras are definitely involved."
He paused. "Emily, promise me—stay away from Gerald."
Emily thought of Gerald's sunny smile, and a chill ran through her.
"I will. I'll be careful."
After hanging up, Emily walked to the window, gazing out at the night view.
Seraphim's nights were beautiful—lights glittering, traffic flowing.
But beneath this beautiful surface, how much danger and conspiracy lurked?
Gerald. Kismet. The Campbells. And the truth behind Charles's mother's death...
It all felt like a massive net slowly tightening.
And she was already caught inside.
Gerald returned to his hotel suite, his smile long gone.
He walked to the bar cart, poured himself a drink, but didn't sip—just held it, swirling gently.
His phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and answered. "Talk."
The voice on the other end sounded nervous. "Mr. Rivera, we lost her. Ms. Johnson was very alert. She looped through the shopping district, went into a mall garage—our people couldn't keep up."
Gerald's laugh was cold. "Incompetent."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Rivera. But Ms. Johnson's assistant was sharp—kept watching their surroundings."
"Fine." Gerald hung up.