Chapter 18 In Two days
Emma closed the door behind her. She entered the living room with joy. The news of the invitation filled her with delight, and she couldn't hold back her excitement. "Phoebe, I..." Suddenly, she froze at the sight of a man in the living room. He was impeccably dressed, and his suit appeared quite luxurious. She glanced towards Phoebe. "I am home," she said slowly.
As she approached her new room, she exchanged a brief look with him and smiled nervously as she walked by, but his voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Hello, Miss Facer. We finally got to meet."
His voice was cold.
His tone was commanding.
Emma turned to him, her heart racing. He knows who I am. "You know my name," she said, taken aback.
"I do, indeed." With a drink in hand, he stood up and walked to her. He took a moment to sniff the air before observing her with a smile. When he looked back at her, he noticed the confusion etched on her face. "Let me explain who I am to you before you become even more confused." He turned to Phoebe. "Phoebe, darling, can please tell Miss Facer who I am?"
Emma turned her head towards Phoebe, but Phoebe was thinking the words, "Please don’t be mad at me for saying this. Or just lie to get yourself out of here." She inhaled sharply. "Um, Emma," she said nervously. "You must know who he is, right?"
Emma crossed her arms. "Well, I don’t. It would be great if you could fill me in."
They both heard laughter then turned to look at the man. "You know, I’ve always heard things about you, Phoebe. You’re very clever, they say, but what do you think will happen if I tell Ezra she is back in town? You really thought I wouldn’t find out?" He turned to Emma. Her face said it all. "Oh, sweetheart. Please stop with that innocent look. Three years ago, the night you met Ezra, I knew exactly what went down. And honestly, I’m not mad about it. He should have called the cops on you, but he didn’t, and that’s what ticks me the fuck off."
"Scott, please. Don’t do this."
Scott? Emma shot him a quick look. He was Scott? The one she was meant to meet three years ago but ended up meeting Ezra instead? How could she have known it was him? She couldn’t meet him that day.
He pointed at Phoebe and said, "It’s Mr. Jones, to you." Then he burst out laughing again. "I just can’t believe you ladies think it’s that easy to hurt my friend and get away with it."
"Scott… I mean, Mr. Jones. Emma isn’t at fault. She—"
"Leave town just like you did three years ago," he cut her off. "Ah, right. Even after Ezra searched for you, I never let him know I was aware of where you both were. I wanted him to realize how insignificant girls like you are. If you leave quietly, this matter will be completely settled."
"I... I can't," Emma finally said after a long pause. She was still shocked to find out he was Scott.
"Why not?" His brows drew together, knitting a deep line across his forehead, and his lips pressed into a thin, tight line.
"It’s not that easy."
Scott let out a sharp laugh, his shoulders lifting once as if the whole thing amused him.
"It’s very easy. You don’t have a choice in this. Just pack your little bags and get out of this town. Disappear from my town as if you never existed. This is my town, and I don’t want you two here."
"Please," Emma said, her voice shaking. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached toward him. "Please. For once, I felt like I belonged somewhere. Don’t take that away from me, please."
"And who the fuck are you? Do you think I care for poor people?" Scott turned away, strolling back to the chair, then poured himself another drink. He lifted the glass, inspecting it for a second before turning to face her. "Thanks to the invitation that was gotten for you, I figured out you were back in town."
"What invitation?" Phoebe turned to look at her, confusion written all over her face.
"I was going to tell you, then I saw him here." Emma swallowed hard. "I thought I could share it with you once he left."
"Initially, I thought it was odd." Scott took a measured sip, his eyes never leaving her. "The same name and last name. I doubt two people can share that name, and…"
He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.
"I could never forget that innocent face of yours." He shook his head slowly, almost disappointed. "Ezra might have forgotten, but I never did. You know, I had a lot of info about you, but I couldn't let him learn more. I made sure to wipe out everything related to you so he wouldn't track you down. That's even more reason for you to get out of this town."
"I’m begging you." Emma’s voice cracked as she clutched her hands together. "I’m not here to cause any trouble. I came back for a reason."
"A reason?" Scott’s brows lifted in mock curiosity as he leaned one hand on the chair’s backrest.
"What other reasons could there be? Are you saying you didn’t return just to pickpocket someone? Again? I wouldn’t be shocked since there are plenty of rich folks in this town."
"No." Emma shook her head, a tear escaping as she stepped back. "I can promise you that what happened three years ago was a mistake. I came back because I got a job offer, and—"
"I know." Scott cut her off with a lazy wave of his hand. "Ezra is your boss, but when you found out, you didn’t just slip away quietly; you stuck around and acted like everything was okay, hoping he’d eventually fall for you again so you could mess him up once more. That’s the real reason here."
He was right. She had stayed, but not to ruin his life. Maybe the part about love was true since she was genuinely starting to feel that way about him, but she would never intentionally hurt him again. The kid she wanted to adopt? She questioned why she was even considering it.
"I need you to leave by tomorrow. Got it?" Scott set his glass down with a hard clink. "Ah! Tomorrow is a short time. You have until Friday. I swear I’ll make your life miserable if you don’t pack up and leave in two days."
"I... I really need more time." Emma wiped her face. "I still have to go to the party and—"
"I don't want you at the event," he snapped, jabbing a finger toward the door,
"even if you got the invite."
"Winter asked me to make her a dress. I can't let her down. Just give me until after the party, and then you won't see me again."
Scott pondered her words. He would only agree because of Winter. He knew how important that event was, and he didn’t want to spoil it for her. She was like a sister to him, and the two women in front of him weren't worth the trouble.
"Okay. Until after the event. Take your pumpkin and your two silver shoes when the clock strikes midnight, then just ride away from here. There’s no prince charming around, so don’t leave any shoes behind and trick us like Cinderella did to the prince." He lifted his cup from the table along with his alcohol bottle, and walked toward the door.
Emma and Phoebe rushed to the window, pressing their faces against the glass to watch Scott get into his car. When the car was out of sight, Emma let out a long sigh of relief, sliding down onto the couch. She ran a hand through her hair before turning to Phoebe. "What do we do? What if he finds out about Zoella too?"
Phoebe leaned back against the armrest, crossing her legs. She shrugged slightly. "He won’t. He’s not very bright. All he has is money."
"But didn’t you see my text?" Emma asked, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes.
"What text?" Phoebe arched her brows.
"A couple of hours back, I sent you a text."
Emma reached into her bag and looked for her phone. When she found it, she squinted at the screen, noticing the message. "Oh, I must have switched off my phone before it sent. I couldn't wait to share everything about the party. I had so many ideas, but Scott messed them all up." She threw her bag onto the floor with a soft thud. “I am glad it wasn’t him I met. I could have been dead by now.”
"You shouldn't worry too much about him. We'll stick to our plan."
Emma’s gaze stayed fixed on Phoebe, her fingers nervously tapping on the couch cushion. "But I don't get it. What do we actually gain from all this? Is it about money? Are we conning him?"
Phoebe shook her head, pushing her hair behind her ear. "No. The aim here is to get you the life you deserve. Plus, you're helping that little girl."
Emma’s shoulders slumped slightly. "Her name is Zoella."
"Well, Cinderemma," Phoebe said, a small smile tugging at her lips, "she was chosen from the orphanage, and you shouldn't forget that. Don't stress about the future. We'll deal with that when the time is right."
Emma exhaled slowly, closing her eyes for a moment. "I hope so."
Phoebe walked over and rested her hands gently on Emma’s shoulders, massaging them lightly. "I have a feeling this party is going to be the biggest event."
Emma blinked, confused, tilting her head.
"Create the most stunning dress you can think of," Phoebe continued, leaning in closer to emphasize her words. "A dress that will make men desire you so much that Ezra won't be able to take his eyes off you because it will be the night you finally reveal who you are and who Zoe is."