Chapter 186 Is That Over Yet?
Emma stared at the woman playing piano, struck by her beauty and an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Luna had already stood up, walking quickly toward them. As she looked at Emma, her eyes grew misty.
She couldn't understand why, but something inside her screamed 'Olivia.'
But Olivia had already been found and brought home, she was right there beside her.
Yet this girl in front of her looked so much like her.
Emma's lips curved into a smile. "Ma'am, that was absolutely beautiful."
Luna smiled back, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you. What's your name?"
Emma nodded politely. "I'm Emma."
"Are you from Emerald City? Is your family from here?" Luna couldn't help asking.
Emma smiled and answered casually, "Yes, my parents are from Emerald City."
Luna's heart sank.
So she really wasn't Olivia after all.
She forced herself to maintain her smile. "Do you play piano?"
"Not really," Emma answered honestly. "But you play beautifully, listening to it feels like being transported into a painting. Very inspirational."
Before Emma could finish, Luna suddenly took her hand.
Her hand was warm, with a slight tremble.
"Come, sit over here. Let me play another piece for you."
Emma felt pleasantly surprised as Luna led her to the nearest seat.
Luna returned to the piano, her fingers caressing the keys once more. A new melody flowed forth, this time, played especially for Emma.
Emma sat transfixed.
Suddenly, fragmented images flashed through her mind.
Long, long ago, a woman in an elegant dress holding tiny Emma, sitting by a piano.
The woman gracefully played with one hand while little Emma—with her tiny hands—pounded forcefully on the keys, creating nothing but chaotic noise.
Yet the woman had laughed, leaning down to kiss her face over and over.
As the piece ended, Emma's eyes grew misty. She couldn't understand why she was reacting this way.
Applause erupted around them, with praise flowing freely as people addressed the pianist as Mrs. White.
Luna approached and warmly invited Emma to join her for lunch.
Emma jolted back to reality, pointing to the distance. "My friend is waiting for me over there."
She said goodbye to Luna softly.
Luna watched her retreating figure, unable to hide the disappointment in her eyes before walking away with the other society ladies.
Nicholas approached, naturally and gently wrapping his arm around Emma's waist.
His warmth penetrated through her thin clothing.
Emma leaned against him, speaking softly. "That woman, Mrs. White—when I saw her, it felt so familiar . I don't know what came over me."
Nicholas knew, of course. It was the bond between mother and daughter.
Today had been his deliberate arrangement, bringing Emma here so they could meet in advance.
He hadn't expected her reaction to be so strong.
His deep voice resonated near her ear, soothing her.
"Come on, let's eat first. If you'd like to hear more, I'll bring you back another time. You can see her again."
He guided her toward their reserved private dining room.
After lunch, Nicholas brought Emma to his executive office to rest.
He held her on his lap as they nestled together on the sofa, dozing for quite a while.
When he woke, he kissed her deeply, leaving her dizzy and breathless.
His presence was overwhelming, the office temperature rising as things were about to escalate further.
Emma snapped alert, pushing him away and quickly escaping.
At closing time, Nicholas waited for Emma in the company's underground parking garage.
He waited and waited, but instead of seeing her, he watched a familiar black sedan speed away from the exit.
It was the Jackson family car.
Nicholas's expression darkened. Had they intercepted her again?
A WhatsApp message from Emma popped up: [Going home for dinner, you don't need to wait for me.]
Nicholas looked at it with helpless amusement, though he found himself oddly charmed by her commanding tone.
Meanwhile, at the Jackson family dinner table, the atmosphere was rather heavy.
Daryl cleared his throat, scanning his daughters with a serious expression.
"I'd like to inform you of some set of house rules."
"First, absolutely no spending the night out before marriage."
"Second, anyone with a boyfriend must bring him home for your mother and I to approve before continuing the relationship."
"Third, anyone who doesn't follow the rules loses their allowance."
Nina was first to respond, nodding vigorously.
Emma and Evelyn also nodded obediently in agreement.
Evelyn pursed her lips. "Dad, these rules feel like they were custom-made for Nina."
Daryl shot her a disdainful look. "Makes sense, considering who else would even want you?"
Evelyn's smile froze on her face.
Emma couldn't help but laugh, earning Daryl's sharp glare. "Don't laugh, this applies to you too. No more staying out all night. None of you give me any peace of mind."
Emma quickly nodded. "Yes, I heard you."
She definitely wouldn't dare go out tonight.
Seeing his daughters being obedient, Daryl nodded approvingly. "Behave yourselves, and I'll grill steaks for you every day."
As he spoke, he pushed over a platter of perfectly grilled beef.
Both Evelyn and Emma covered their noses simultaneously, they'd developed a strong aversion to rich foods lately.
Only Nina excitedly grabbed the large platter. "I'll eat it! I'll eat it!"
From now on, she could have all the steak to herself.
How awesome was that!
After dinner, Nina darted straight back to her room.
She clutched her phone tightly, a video playing on the screen.
She whispered, trying hard to follow the pronunciation in the video, practicing over and over.
"Ethan..."
After dinner, Evelyn secretly snuck out to the fight club.
It was Wednesday, usually the day Fighter 17 competed. She sat in her exclusive VIP box number one.
Below, fighters battled intensely, the dull thud of punches landing, the crowd's roars making the floor vibrate.
But she just stared blankly, her usually bright eyes now empty and lifeless.
The Evelyn who used to jump up, grab the railings, and shout herself hoarse without caring about her image; that person had died long ago.
In the distance, a pair of piercing eyes penetrated the dim lighting and crowds, locked firmly on her.
This continued until all the matches ended.
The lights dimmed, the excited crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only the scattered sounds of staff cleaning up.
She beckoned to a passing server.
Evelyn handed him an elegant golden box. "Please, could you give this to Fighter 17?"
The server looked troubled. "Miss Jackson, Fighter 17 left long ago, though his things are still here."
Without a word, she pulled out a thick stack of cash from her purse and handed it to the server.
The server immediately bowed and scraped, taking the money and hurrying away with the small box.
Evelyn sat for a while longer, then made her way to the backstage area.
At this hour, the backstage was nearly empty, lit only by a few dim work lights.
Step by step, following the path etched in memory, she walked to that familiar locker.
On the door, the number '17' was cold and glaring.
Her fingertips lightly traced those two digits, her eyes instantly reddening.
It was right here that she'd first spoken to him.
She'd asked, "Five hundred thousand, could you be my bodyguard? Come with me to Luminous City?"
He hadn't agreed then.
But he'd gone in the end, saving her life again and again.
If she hadn't invited him along back then, would he still be here, alive and well?
Would he still be alive?
Her head dropped powerlessly against the cold locker door.
She began murmuring under her breath.
"Hawk, you bastard, how could you just die..."
"Weren't you supposed to be tough? Weren't you supposed to be invincible? How could you not beat them..."
"If you couldn't win, you could have run. Why didn't you run?"
Her tears fell like broken pearls, cascading down uncontrollably.
From initially suppressed sobbing to eventually uncontainable wailing.
"What am I supposed to do... I miss you so much... what am I supposed to do..."
"Bastard..."
From the shadows in the distance, the owner of those watching eyes felt his heart seized by an invisible fist, pain making it impossible to breathe.
How he wanted to rush forward right now.
How he wanted to hold her in his arms, tell her he'd been there all along.
Tell her everything had been beyond his control.
But he couldn't.
All he could do now was help her forget Hawk as quickly as possible, then make her fall in love with Luke all over again.
Finally, the crying subsided. She stumbled away unsteadily.
Luke emerged from the shadows, his tall figure casting long shadows under the dim lights.
He walked to locker 17, expertly opening it.
The golden box the server had delivered lay quietly inside.
He picked up the box and opened it.
Inside was that blue kitten towel with one burned corner.
Beside the towel was a heart folded from tissue paper—she used to give him many of these.
On it was a bright red lip print.
Above the lip print, someone had added a line: [I miss you.]
The word 'Miss' was slightly smudged by water stains.
A teardrop that had fallen when she'd pressed her lips to the paper, unable to hold back.
His hand clenched the box suddenly, knuckles turning white.
His heart ached terribly. His eyes reddened too.
The night was deep.
Nicholas's car stopped silently outside the Jackson family estate.
His fingers tapped across the screen, sending a message: [Come down, I'll take you home.]
As the phone screen lit up, Emma's heart skipped a beat.
She quickly replied: [Can't. No one's allowed out tonight.]
Nicholas stared at those words, pausing as his fingers traced the steering wheel, his eyes growing deep and dark.
So his wife, after just one day back in his arms, was already out of reach again.
He typed again: [Want to see me?]
Emma looked at the screen, her lips involuntarily curving upward.
[Can you do magic tricks? Fly in here or something?]
About five minutes later, a dull thud of something heavy landing came from the direction of the balcony.
Emma's nerves immediately tensed.
Then the balcony glass door was pushed open, and a tall man walked in against the moonlight.
The night breeze carried his scent, instantly filling the entire room.
Emma stared in shock, instinctively covering her mouth.
"How did you get in here?" she asked in a whisper, her voice trembling slightly.
Nicholas didn't explain. With one long stride he was in front of her, extending his arm to scoop her entirely into his embrace.
His chest was solid and warm, and even through her thin nightgown, the heat made her heart flutter.
He lowered his head, capturing her lips with precision.
This kiss carried an undeniable force, lingering and intense, until her breathing became ragged.
Nicholas pressed his body lower, leaning close to her ear, his warm breath caressing her earlobe.
"Is that... over yet?"
She paused, her cheeks growing even hotter.
Should she tell him about the baby?