Chapter 168 He Is a Bit Sleepy
Novaria, the Moore Group Headquarters
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the top-floor office, the night was thick and impenetrable.
Matthew leaned back in his expensive leather chair, his long fingers flipping through documents, his profile sharp and unforgiving in the dim light.
A knock interrupted the silence.
His assistant hurried in, voice tinged with panic.
"Mr. Moore, Ms. Wilson has disappeared."
Matthew's grip on his pen tightened, his knuckles going white with the force.
He looked up, eyes dark and unreadable, his face maintaining its usual cold mask. "Where she goes is her freedom."
Yesterday, he had personally delivered her to the hospital. That child—it was already taken care of.
Whatever pathetic entanglement existed between them should end there.
Where she went was none of his business.
The assistant remained rooted in place, clearly wanting to say more. Finally, he gathered courage and spoke with difficulty.
"The doctor told me that Ms. Wilson suffered massive hemorrhaging last night. To save her life, the hospital had to perform emergency surgery..."
"They removed her uterus."
They removed her uterus!
Those words hit Matthew like a sledgehammer to his eardrums.
The pen in his hand snapped with a sharp crack.
Something inside him shattered along with it.
He had cost her the chance to ever be a mother!
The broken pen tip pierced his palm, tearing through skin and flesh, blood flowing freely.
He felt nothing.
Seeing the shocking red, his assistant cried out, "Mr. Moore, your hand!"
"Get out!" His voice could freeze hell itself.
The assistant fled without another word.
The office returned to deathly silence.
Matthew shot to his feet, walking to the window, no longer able to maintain that calm facade.
Sheryl's heart-wrenching screams from yesterday echoed in his mind.
"Matthew, you're a monster! Whether it's people who love you or people you love, you destroy them all!"
"If Emma dies, it'll be because you drove her to it! You'll regret this for the rest of your miserable life!"
"Emma, I don't love him anymore..."
Blood from his palm dripped through his fingers, staining the expensive Persian carpet with dark red spots.
Like someone had carved a bloody hole straight through his hardened heart.
The door burst open again. Jack rushed in, face etched with panic.
"Matthew, my people found Emma!"
He hurried forward, thrusting his phone toward Matthew. The screen showed a video playing.
In the swirling snow, Emma's frail body knelt in the white expanse, her face pale as death.
She had cut her own wrist, bright red blood dripping drop by drop into Nicholas's mouth.
She was literally using her own blood to keep him alive.
The blood flowed for so long, like her very life draining away bit by bit.
His hand went slack, the phone crashing to the floor, screen shattering instantly.
Jack's voice was almost pleading. "Matthew, you have to help her. At this rate, she'll die!"
"That's her own stupidity!" Matthew whirled around, roaring at him.
His eyes blazed with venomous hatred, as if ready to devour everything.
"She can't save Nicholas! Why is she doing something so foolish!"
"Because she's Dr. N!" Jack raised his voice, too.
"She can't just let someone die! Matthew, have you forgotten her principles? If it were you or me in danger today, she'd do the same thing without hesitation!"
Yes, how could he forget?
That day, he'd asked her directly—if he killed Nicholas, would she still save him?
Her answer had been yes. And Nicholas was the man she'd loved for so long.
Jack saw the pain in his expression and stepped closer, voice rough.
"Matthew, are you really prepared? If you lose Emma..."
He didn't dare finish the thought.
Matthew didn't dare think it either—what the world would look like if she were gone.
Just like she couldn't face a world without Nicholas.
His heart felt like it was being torn apart by invisible hands. Only his ragged breathing filled the air.
Finally, he forced words from his throat, voice hoarse beyond recognition.
"Prepare the private jet. We're going to Luminous City!"
That evening, the snow in Luminous City suddenly stopped.
The night sky remained a dreary gray, like it was covered by a cloth that grudgingly refused to reveal even a single star.
Emma nestled in Nicholas's embrace, breathing in the comforting scent of pine that clung to him.
She sniffled, pulling her small hand from her warm pocket to point at the horizon.
"Nicholas, there are a few stars over there. They're so bright." Her voice carried childlike excitement.
Nicholas's large hand settled on her head, gently ruffling her soft hair until it was completely disheveled.
"Snow just stopped, and we can already see stars. Looks like Luminous City gets special treatment."
His words carried teasing laughter.
Emma pouted defiantly. "Aren't I, Stella? Wherever I am, there should be stars, right?"
His smile deepened, his low voice vibrating near her ear.
"You're right. You're the brightest star of all. You use your own light to illuminate the world—that's humanity's blessing."
There was a deeper meaning in his words, making her heart flutter.
She turned to look up at his strong jawline, asking carefully, "Nicholas, is there anything you really wanted to do but never finished?"
She was asking about his final wishes.
He actually thought about it seriously, then nodded. "There are two things, actually."
She immediately pressed, "What are they?"
"Dr. N never accepted my WhatsApp friend request. I tried adding her for ages. I wonder if she might accept it now."
Emma froze, then burst into laughter, her eyes crinkling.
"No problem. I'll add you when we get back to the room."
"This time, I'm personally asking to add you. Are you satisfied?"
Nicholas reached out, his warm fingertips caressing her cold cheek, giving it a gentle pinch.
"Very satisfied. Thank you, Dr. N."
Her heart felt sweet as honey. "What's the other one?"
He considered for a moment, then asked gently, "That necklace with the blessing from Holy Tree—do you still have it?"
"Yes, I've been wearing it." As she spoke, she pulled the platinum chain out from under her sweater.
He said, "Take off the ring."
She obediently undid the clasp and removed the pink diamond ring.
Suddenly, her fingers paused. She discovered English letters engraved inside the band.
ER.
What was this?
He took the ring and lifted her right hand.
The cool metal touched her skin as he slowly slid the ring onto her right ring finger.
The fit was perfect—not loose, not tight, as if it had been made just for her.
Her heart skipped a beat.
This was the pink diamond from the auction—the one worth a hundred million that he'd bid on.
The same one Zoe had desperately wanted?
So this had been custom-made for her?
He held her hand, his large palm completely enveloping her small one, then lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on her knuckles.
"I always wanted to put this on your finger myself, Emma. Thank you for giving me this chance."
Her eyes immediately filled with tears.
A long-buried question suddenly spilled out. "That night at Galaxy Restaurant—were you proposing to Zoe?"
His body went still, then he pulled her into his arms, speaking earnestly.
"Everything that night was prepared for you. I explained—that was a misunderstanding."
"I wanted to tell Stella that I'd missed her for so many years, and I didn't want to miss her anymore."
So that entire evening really had been for her.
Tears she could no longer control slipped silently down her cheeks.
Knowing she was upset, his arms tightened, pulling her completely against him, his chin resting on top of her head.
"If there's ever another chance in the future..."
His words stopped halfway, not daring to hope.
A warm drop suddenly fell onto her cheek.
She instinctively touched it, finding her fingertips stained red.
She looked up in alarm, frantically grabbing tissues to stem the blood flowing from his nose.
"Nicholas!"
He gently patted her back, soothing her. "It's fine, don't worry."
"I'm just a little tired."
He leaned against her, feeling his strength drain away bit by bit, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion.
He felt like sleeping...