Chapter 144

Chapter 144
When Emily was brought before Matthew, she was completely unconscious. The driver carried her into Matthew’s living room.
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The driver gently set Emily down on the floor and lightly tapped her face, but she showed no response. She had drunk too much alcohol and had basically slipped into a deep, oblivious sleep.
“Master Matthew, when I found her, she was lying right by the roadside,” the driver said respectfully. “Fortunately, I arrived just in time. If I had been a moment later, Mr. Brown might have taken her away.”
“Mr. Brown?” Matthew frowned. Mr. Brown had clearly said he wouldn’t do anything to Emily, but unexpectedly, seeing that everything around was quiet, he still hadn’t abandoned his ill intentions toward her.
Now, Emily lay quietly on the ground, her eyes swollen, tears lingering at the corners, and her body dirtied from sleeping by the roadside.
Matthew felt a surge of frustration within. He looked at Emily’s condition, his heart filled with impatience. In her current state, if anyone wanted to harm her, not to mention resistance, she probably wouldn’t even know who the attacker was.
Matthew had long warned Emily not to drink so much, but she hadn’t listened. Now, she had brought this upon herself—drunk and asleep like a dead pig, no matter how much they called, she wouldn’t wake.
The situation with Rishima remained unclear. Matthew had ordered his subordinate to search for the mysterious male Emily had mentioned, but no trace of him was found. If they couldn’t wake Emily and hear her story clearly, how could Matthew know if what she said was true?
“Master Matthew, would you like to have cold water splashed on her face to wake her up?” a guard standing nearby respectfully asked.
Everyone could see Matthew’s impatience. As soon as the guard finished speaking, a servant signaled with his eyes. The servant quickly brought a basin of water and handed it to the guard.
“Master Matthew!” Seeing Matthew’s hesitant gaze, the guard became more insistent. “We’ve investigated for a long time but basically can’t find the male Emily mentioned. Not only do we not know where he is, we don’t even know who he is. Continuing like this is just wasting time and effort. Therefore, we need to let Emily speak for herself.”
Matthew frowned, then nodded gently.
A basin of icy cold water was poured over Emily, chilling her to the bone and causing her whole body to shiver. She opened her eyes and saw Matthew’s face staring intently at her. Emily rubbed her head; her mind was a chaotic mess, her head pounding as if it were about to explode. She had no idea why she was here.
She vaguely remembered going to Matthew’s VIP room to beg him to spare her parents, but she couldn’t clearly recall whether Matthew agreed or not.
Before she could remember everything, Emily saw Matthew approach her with a cold expression, looking down from above, and say, “Emily, tell me, who exactly is Robert? What is your connection to him?”
Emily was stunned. All she could hear was a roaring noise in her head. How could Matthew know about Robert? That was a secret she had never told anyone—so how did Matthew find out?
Emily’s complexion quickly turned as pale as a sheet of paper. Her entire body trembled. She never intended to share this matter with anyone. Yet clearly, Matthew already knew.
Emily tried to recall everything that had happened, but her mind was in turmoil; she had no idea what she had said or done. However, Matthew knowing Robert was because of her—no one else could have revealed the truth to him but herself.
Despair washed over Emily as she clenched her fists tightly. She knew she always babbled incoherently whenever she was drunk. But this time, how could she have let such a thing slip out? Right now, Rishima was being held captive by Robert. If Robert learned she had betrayed him, not only would Rishima lose his life immediately, but even Matthew would be disgraced and ruined.
Emily’s heart suddenly tightened, her body trembling to the extreme. She had fought so hard to save Rishima—how could she let him lose his life again?
“Speak!” Matthew glared at her fiercely. “Tell me, where exactly is Robert? And what about Rishima?”
Hearing Matthew’s question, Emily suddenly realized that Matthew hadn’t actually uncovered Robert’s existence yet. In truth, Emily couldn’t even imagine how such a powerful force like Robert could exist without anyone knowing.
Yet Emily understood that there were many powerful and mysterious forces in this world so covert that even governments were manipulated. So she didn’t worry too much about that. After learning that Matthew hadn’t discovered the truth, Emily breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed there was still a chance to salvage the situation. She just needed to make Matthew believe that she had deceived him—after all, in Matthew’s eyes, she had lied too many times already; no one trusted her anymore.
Inside Emily, a bitter ache surged. She never expected that this bad impression could become a lifeline saving her in times of trouble.
Emily looked at Matthew with a mocking expression, then slowly raised her hand to her mouth and disdainfully said, "That was me deceiving you. Matthew, you really are foolish. How could you believe Rishima is still alive? She’s been dead for a long time. Robert isn’t real either—I was just teasing you."
Emily spoke lightly and casually, her eyes scanning the males standing near Matthew, realizing that Matthew had recently invested great effort searching for Robert and Rishima.
She needed Matthew to think that he no longer needed to continue the investigation, so she added, "I never thought a careless word from me would make you care so much. It seems my place in your heart is somewhat important," Emily said, her eyes full of sarcasm as she watched Matthew’s face darken. Worry gnawed at her heart.

Her fingers clenched tightly into a fist. Inside, she prayed silently: "Please, you must believe what I say!"