Chapter 33 Found the Culprit Who Drugged Her
Inside the cultivation container was a peculiar plant seedling with leaves displaying a rare shade of pale purple.
"He actually found it?"
"This is incredible!"
She held the specimen like she was cradling a priceless treasure, her voice trembling with excitement.
Nicholas watched this scene, his heart heavy with discomfort.
In their three years of marriage, he had never seen Emma look so vibrant and animated.
The complete trust and dependence she showed toward Professor Frank stung his eyes.
He glanced to the other side.
Matthew was naturally peeling a large shrimp, carefully removing the shell before placing it in Emma's bowl.
Emma didn't even look to see who it was from—she simply picked it up and ate it, her movements smooth and natural, as if she were already accustomed to this.
Matthew continued serving her food.
From time to time, he refilled her empty juice glass.
Every gesture radiated familiarity and intimacy.
Nicholas felt like a fire was burning in his chest, searing his internal organs with pain.
That was his wife. What right did another man have to care for her so attentively, looking after her every need?
He lifted his wine glass and turned toward Matthew, his voice deliberately loud.
"Mr. Moore, you're truly thoughtful. You're so considerate and attentive to another man's wife."
The moment the words left his lips, the atmosphere at the table froze.
Everyone stopped what they were doing.
Matthew's hand holding the juice glass paused mid-air as he looked at Nicholas, his eyes cold as ice.
Emma acted as if she hadn't heard anything, continuing to study the plant specimen Professor Frank had given her.
She picked up a piece of paper and began writing and sketching, completely absorbed.
Sheryl, sitting beside Matthew, couldn't stand it any longer. She picked up a full glass of red wine, stood up, and smiled brightly at Nicholas.
"Mr. Harrison, I saw all the news yesterday."
"I heard congratulations are in order—you and Zoe made it official?"
"Congratulations!"
"I'm actually a fan of Zoe's. I especially love watching her performances—such brilliant acting and such good character."
Her words sounded congratulatory on the surface, but underneath, she was thoroughly mocking Zoe and directly humiliating Nicholas.
Nicholas's expression darkened further.
Sheryl ignored him and drained her wine glass in one gulp.
"Please, Mr. Harrison, help yourself."
Another young man, Jack, wasn't about to be outdone. He also approached with his wine glass.
"Mr. Harrison, we meet for the second time. I'm Jack."
"Let me toast you. The Moore Group recently developed a new eye drop formula. After Emma used it, she became much better at distinguishing between what's real and what's fake. If you don't mind, Mr. Harrison, I'd be happy to send you a sample."
"You're our honored guest today—don't be shy, eat up."
Nicholas suppressed his anger, raised his glass, clinked it with Jack's, and drained it in one swift motion.
"How thoughtful." His voice was cold and hard.
Throughout the entire lunch, Emma didn't spare Nicholas a single glance and didn't speak a single word to him either.
All her attention was focused on Professor Frank and the plant specimen, occasionally responding to Matthew with a few words.
Nicholas sat there like an outsider, completely ignored.
This was more infuriating than any argument, and it filled him with an indescribable panic.
He drank glass after glass of wine in sullen silence.
Finally, Emma stood up, apparently heading to the restroom. She didn't like staying in the private dining room and wanted to get some air outside.
Nicholas immediately set down his wine glass and stood up as well.
His steps were somewhat unsteady, the alcohol affecting him, but his mind was still relatively clear.
The hallway lighting was dim.
Nicholas caught up to Emma in a few quick steps and grabbed her wrist.
Her wrist was slender and slightly cool to the touch.
Emma struggled briefly but couldn't break free.
She frowned and turned to look at him.
"Nicholas, what are you doing?"
Nicholas stared at her, alcohol and anger mixing in his breath as it washed over her face.
"Stay away from Matthew from now on. He's not a good man."
Emma acted as if she'd heard the world's biggest joke and let out a derisive laugh.
"Whether he's a good man or not is none of your business."
"Who I choose to befriend isn't up to you to manage, Mr. Harrison."
"Don't forget what you promised me." Nicholas tightened his grip, nearly crushing the bones in her wrist.
Emma's face paled slightly as she remembered what she had said to him that night.
What had seemed so resolute then now felt utterly ironic.
She looked at Nicholas and suddenly smiled—a cold, thin smile.
"I did say I wouldn't marry him."
"But that doesn't stop me from dating him, or..."
She deliberately paused, leaning close to Nicholas's ear and speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Doing other interesting things together. Surely you don't want to control that, too?"
Nicholas's body went rigid, an uncontrollable rage shooting straight to his head.
He was nearly mad with fury. "Emma, you wouldn't dare!"
Emma adjusted her hair, looking at his slightly intoxicated, cold eyes. "Mr. Harrison, you've had too much to drink. You should splash some cold water on your face and sober up."
Just then, his phone rang at the worst possible moment.
The sharp ringtone was particularly jarring in the quiet hallway.
Nicholas pulled out his phone to see Zoe's name flashing on the screen.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his churning emotions, and answered the call.
A tearful, panicked voice came through the phone.
"Nicholas, please come quickly... someone's bullying me."
Nicholas furrowed his brow.
"Where are you? I'm coming right now!"
Emma coldly turned and walked into the ladies' room while Nicholas, suppressing his emotions, returned to the private room to bid farewell to Professor Frank.
By the time she returned to the dining room, Nicholas had already left to play hero.
But his departure actually made her feel much more relaxed.
After the meal ended, Matthew took Professor Frank back to the Moore Group to discuss the new opportunities and highlights of the upcoming Global Medical Summit.
At 6:30 PM, Emma left the Moore Group building. She was now Matthew's special technical consultant.
Since she didn't have much to do during this period anyway, she was staying there to help him out.
Once the Global Medical Summit was over, her divorce proceedings with Nicholas should be finalized as well.
Then she would go to Novaria and return to her Bluebird Tech.
She might never come back to Emerald City again.
She returned to her apartment, took a shower, cooked herself some pasta, and sat at the dining table, reading research materials while eating.
The bustling noise outside seemed to have nothing to do with her.
Suddenly, her phone showed a trending topic notification.
#Nicholas's Fury Defending His Beloved
She glanced at it briefly. Apparently, two major stars, Zoe and Harper, were competing for the female lead role in the TV series "The Pear Blossom Grave."
Zoe's performance wasn't as good as Harper's, leading to a dispute between them, so she decided to use her connections.
To emphasize her status as Nicholas's girlfriend, she used her influence to pressure the production company.
How shameless!
Zoe was about to win, but the novel's author disagreed and insisted on holding an online fan vote to select the female lead.
Zoe furiously issued a statement announcing a fan rally tomorrow, planning to mobilize millions of fans to vote for her!
Emma couldn't be bothered with this mess.
She continued eating her pasta when suddenly her phone received a file.
She enlarged the image and studied it carefully. The fork slipped from her hand.
She forwarded the image to Evelyn, then quickly changed clothes and headed out.
She had found the culprit who drugged her—the person who dared to harm her child.
She wouldn't let a single one of them get away.