Chapter 56 An Awkward Scene
The person who entered was none other than Victoria Harrison, the youngest daughter of Nicholas's uncle.
She'd graduated from college not long ago and loved coming to the estate to do plein air painting.
She was carrying an easel in her hand as she walked in with light steps.
"Is that... Emma?"
Nicholas recognized who it was and quickly reached out to help Emma up.
But Emma violently pushed him away, her voice cold and harsh.
"Nicholas, what's wrong with you?"
"You're so terrified you can't even touch me properly!" Emma snapped through gritted teeth, her eyes full of rejection.
Seeing this, Victoria quickly set down her easel and came over.
"Emma's hurt?" she asked with concern, her gaze falling on Emma's awkward ankle and the two small splints on her left hand.
"How about I help you back to your room to rest?"
"Victoria, thank you!" Emma's tone was noticeably gentler, carrying a hint of gratitude.
She knew Victoria—only 22 years old and quite sweet-natured.
Victoria carefully helped Emma up, letting her lean against her.
Emma balanced on one foot, hopping slowly toward the stairs with Victoria's support.
"Emma, hopping like this must be exhausting," Victoria said while supporting her, speaking cheerfully. "If I were a guy, I'd definitely sweep you up in my arms without a second thought—you know, like a proper princess carry. Just thinking about it seems so romantic."
After saying this, she playfully looked back at Nicholas, who stood in place with his face still cold as ice.
Nicholas instinctively wanted to follow them.
But Emma, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, didn't turn around, yet her tone carried a sharp edge, "Remember, it's only a princess carry when it comes from a prince."
She paused, her voice growing even colder.
"As for that jerk, best to avoid him altogether."
Nicholas's expression instantly darkened.
He stopped in his tracks, unable to stay there a moment longer, and turned to stride out of the house.
This woman had a terrible temper and such a vicious tongue!
He felt somewhat grateful that he'd only seen her twice a month before.
Apparently women really were different in bed versus out of bed.
Had he lost his mind? Why had he thought to bring such a troublemaker back to the estate to recover?
He should have just dumped her back at Harrison Manor!
...
Emma and Victoria spent the entire afternoon together in the study.
Surprisingly, they hit it off quite well and quickly became close friends.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, warm and cozy.
Victoria sat quietly at her easel nearby, brush in hand, painting with focused concentration.
Meanwhile, Emma sat at the computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard as characters continuously flickered across the screen.
She quickly opened a web browser, entered a hidden URL, then typed in several strings of code, inputting various commands.
She deliberately slowed her pace, spending about half an hour before finally completing her work.
She then sent an email to Matthew, essentially saying she was injured but not seriously, and that she would attend the medical summit as scheduled—with global attention on the summit, she couldn't afford to drop the ball.
Matthew seemed to come back to life upon receiving her email.
He replied within a minute, afraid she might go offline.
His response was brief and to the point, "Emma, where are you? I'll come get you. We caught Julie's contact—waiting for you to come back and handle it."
Emma thought for a few seconds, then replied that her foot injury prevented her from moving around freely, but she would attend the summit on time—keep Julie detained for her!
Seeing the reply, Matthew's handsome face grew even more somber.
He walked to the window and lit a cigarette, currently contemplating a question.
Was Nicholas forcing her to stay by his side, or was she choosing to remain?
Remembering Nicholas's words, that damned jealousy crept up his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.
Jack entered after knocking, seeing his gloomy expression. "Found Emma?"
Matthew exhaled a puff of smoke. "She's fine. She'll attend the summit on schedule. Have security add more personnel and double-check the guest list."
"Got it!"
"Today, our people tracked that Dullon has entered the country."
This name clearly struck a nerve with Matthew. He remembered Dullon as a pervert with a serious appetite for women, but his target wasn't Dr. N—he wouldn't have the guts.
So why was he entering the country at this time?
Jack handed him a file. "He seems to be looking for someone. Word is, Dullon previously had a ward who became his mistress and then escaped!"
Matthew opened the file to find a photo of a young girl with a clear, innocent face.
"Then let's help him search thoroughly!"
...
Night fell heavily.
The estate was completely quiet. Nicholas hadn't returned for dinner.
After ten o'clock, the sound of a car came from the entrance.
Nicholas was back.
He removed his suit jacket, casually tossing it onto the sofa, his steps somewhat unsteady, the air filling with the heavy scent of alcohol.
He loosened his tie and headed straight upstairs.
Passing Emma's bedroom door, sudden crashing sounds came from inside.
Very abrupt.
Nicholas stopped, the alcohol-numbed nerves seeming to clear slightly.
He frowned and knocked on the door.
"Emma?"
No response. He called again, "Emma, are you in there?"
Still no sound.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, a woman's scream suddenly erupted from the room.
Sharp, brief, filled with terror.
Nicholas's heart jumped. Without thinking, he grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open forcefully.
"Emma!"
The room was empty, only the bedside lamp glowing.
No one there.
His gaze swept over the messy bed, finally settling on the tightly closed bathroom door.
That's where the sound had come from.
Nicholas strode over, his hand just touching the bathroom door handle when he heard faint gasping sounds from inside.
He pushed open the bathroom door, and the scene before him made his pupils contract sharply.
The bathroom floor was wet, and a pale figure was curled up there, long hair plastered damply against her face and shoulders, looking utterly disheveled.
Emma hadn't expected him to barge in either.
She'd just finished bathing when her foot slipped, causing her to fall hard.
She was still wincing from the pain when the door burst open and Nicholas's stern face appeared in her line of sight.
Their eyes met. The air froze.
Emma frantically covered her chest and shouted, "Get out!"
Nicholas reacted quickly. He stepped forward, grabbed the bathrobe hanging nearby, and roughly wrapped it around her, covering the dazzling expanse of skin.
The next second, he bent down, his arms sliding under her knees and behind her back, lifting her horizontally.
The movement was smooth, without a moment's hesitation.
Emma was caught off guard, crying out in surprise and instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck.
Her ice-cold skin pressed against his burning chest.
Through the thin shirt fabric, she could clearly feel the heartbeat coming from his chest.
Strong and powerful, each beat hammering against her eardrums.
Her heart also jumped to her throat!