Chapter 46 The Cruel Truth
Emma's hand remained suspended in mid-air, her fingertips tingling slightly.
Nicholas's face had been slapped to one side, and it took several seconds before he slowly turned back, a red mark quickly appearing on his cheek.
He stared at her as if he didn't recognize this person.
"Emma, what the hell is wrong with you?"
Her chest rose and fell violently, her eyes reddening with anger.
"Did you have the Harrison Group's legal team bail Julie out?"
Her voice trembled with fury.
Nicholas frowned. The name sounded somewhat familiar.
This afternoon, Zoe had called, crying and saying that some relative of hers had been arrested for offending Emma, begging him to help.
He hadn't thought much of it at the time and had Charlie handle it.
"Yes." He answered with some impatience. "So what?"
"So what?" Emma repeated, then suddenly laughed coldly, tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes instantly rolling down.
"Zoe makes you so crazy that you'd do anything to help her?"
Nicholas was at a loss for words.
She roughly wiped away her tears, her voice rising to a sharp pitch filled with bitter hatred: "Nicholas!"
"Get out!" She lunged forward, pushing him hard.
Nicholas staggered backward from her push, completely confused about the situation. "Is all this drama really necessary over such a trivial matter?"
He wanted to have a reasonable discussion with her.
"Trivial?" Emma's eyes were filled with hatred, her teeth chattering audibly.
Nicholas looked at her distressed state, his voice softening slightly. "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Emma looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears that would fall at the slightest frown.
Her beautiful face was a mixture of anger and pain. She took a deep breath before speaking: "You want to know what she did? Fine, I'll tell you."
Nicholas's phone broke the current silence.
Nicholas frowned, seeing it was Zoe calling. He hesitated, then declined the call.
"Keep talking!" He wanted to hear her finish. But the phone rang again, persistently. He casually swiped to answer.
"Alright, I'll be right there!" He hung up and turned back to her. "I have something urgent to handle, so maybe we can..."
Emma laughed coldly, the tears in her eyes finally beyond control, streaming down.
"Get out!"
She used all her strength to push him out the door, then slammed it shut with a bang and locked it.
Nicholas stood outside the door, veins throbbing at his temple.
Just a servant. Made some mistake, give her a lesson and be done with it. Was it really necessary to throw her in jail and refuse to let her out?
Such petty matters—he'd always been too lazy to bother with them.
Her reaction tonight was completely baffling.
"Emma, what's gotten into you? Open the door and explain yourself."
Inside, Emma leaned against the cold door and slowly slid down to sit on the floor.
The suppressed sobs she'd been holding back finally broke free into full-blown crying.
The sound of weeping penetrated the door, filled with despair and pain.
Nicholas felt his heart constrict and raised his hand to knock.
"Emma! Open the door!"
"Explain what happened!"
Only crying came from inside—no answer.
Nicholas's patience ran out, and fury blazed within him.
He turned abruptly, pulled out his phone, and dialed Charlie's number.
"Find out!" he growled the moment the call connected. "That woman named Julie! Find out exactly what she did!"
After hanging up, he slammed his fist hard against the wall.
As night deepened.
Stellar Soiree, VIP lounge.
Nicholas sat alone drinking, his expression dark.
His handsome face still bore a slight redness from the slap.
Henry and Ethan sat across from him, equally silent, the atmosphere oppressive.
The divorce had been announced, the company's stock price had stabilized—so why had Nicholas become even more troubled?
"Is Zoe on a business trip? Should I arrange for a couple of beauties to liven things up?"
Henry moved forward, clinking his glass against Nicholas's, making conversation.
Three grown men drinking in silence—what was the point?
Ethan glanced over with a cold laugh and sharp tongue: "Henry, you can't sit still for a day without women. Be careful your body can't handle it."
"Ethan, you're certainly disciplined..." Henry shot back.
The lounge door was suddenly kicked open violently.
All three men looked up simultaneously.
Evelyn burst in, gripping a baseball bat in her hands.
Without a word, she began wildly sweeping at the expensive bottles of liquor on the table.
The sounds of shattering glass and splashing alcohol filled the room.
"Evelyn!" Henry reacted fastest, lunging forward to restrain her. "Evelyn, have you lost your mind!"
He tried to wrestle the bat away.
"What are you trying to do! Can't we talk about whatever this is? If you want to make a scene, do it at home!"
Evelyn struggled, her eyes bloodshot.
"Let go of me! Henry, get away from me!"
She swung back, the bat connecting with Henry's arm with a thud.
Henry winced but didn't let go.
Was this really necessary? They'd never had this deep of a relationship.
They'd always played around separately, ever since the first time they were caught.
She'd long since grown cold and indifferent toward him!
Nicholas and Ethan watched with furrowed brows but didn't interfere.
They all knew Evelyn's temper and figured this was Henry's affair.
Probably Henry had been caught dating some little model again.
Though her emotions seemed particularly intense today.
Such a waste of good liquor, though.
Staff rushed in at the noise, but Nicholas waved them away and they wisely retreated.
Unexpectedly, when Evelyn couldn't break free, she suddenly turned her fury toward Nicholas.
She gripped the baseball bat, her arms trembling with effort, pointing the end directly at Nicholas's face.
"Nicholas! You bastard!"
Her voice was hoarse with unshed tears as she continued her tirade.
"Look what you've done! You actually had that bitch Julie released!"
Nicholas's frown deepened.
Julie again!
"Are you even human? How can you face Emma after this?"
Evelyn's accusation made the lounge fall instantly silent.
Henry and Ethan were both stunned.
Julie? Who exactly was this person?
Important enough for Evelyn Jackson to storm in here with a baseball bat?
And how did this involve Emma and Nicholas?
Nicholas set down his glass, leaning forward slightly. "What exactly happened?"
He asked Evelyn, his voice cold enough to freeze.
"What did this Julie do that's got you all acting like lunatics?"
He was still brooding over this very issue.
Emma had slapped him tonight and thrown him out.
Evelyn's head snapped up.
Everyone was startled.
Her face was streaked with tears, her makeup ruined.
The fearless, brave Evelyn was actually crying?
"What did she do?" Evelyn repeated, her voice choked but filled with towering rage. "That woman! That venomous witch in human skin!"
"She made Emma take birth control pills for three whole years!"
Something exploded in Nicholas's mind.
His pupils constricted.
Henry and Ethan were equally shocked.
Evelyn's accusations continued, her voice growing louder and more desperate.
"Earlier this month, she drugged Emma and killed your baby! Emma's baby!"
"You! Nicholas!" She was practically screaming. "You released the murderer who killed your child!"
"You bastard! How can you face Emma? How can you face that child who never got the chance to see this world?"
She sobbed uncontrollably.
"Do you know how devastated Emma was over that baby? Do you know she passed out from the pain on the operating table? How could you let her go!"
The lounge fell deathly silent. You could hear a pin drop.
Nicholas shot to his feet, knocking over the liquor on the table, spilling it everywhere.