Chapter 24 The One He Claimed He Never Liked
Emma and Heather strolled into a room packed with well-to-do people. Heather grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handed one to Emma. "You could use a little of this."
Emma accepted with a smile. "Thank you." She took a sip. "Is this how it goes every year?"
"Actually, it usually happens at The Empire. I think Jada just wanted to make it feel more like home, so she switched up the location for this year's birthday."
Emma nodded, understanding why the limo had pulled up to this massive mansion instead of the hotel. She let out a sigh of relief, glad she wouldn't have to dwell on the past anymore. No more trips back to that hotel. Her eyes wandered around the room. The space was stunning. Ezra grew up here.
Heather said, "I'll be right back," as soon as she spotted Josie. She embraced a gorgeous, slender woman who looked to be in her 50s while Emma observed from a distance. She saw a waiter passing by, and quickly looked away. She dropped the empty glass she held and grabbed another glass of wine from the tray, downing them all in one go.
The light suddenly went off which caused confusion then everyone started cheering for Jada when the spotlight turned on her as she walked down the stairs. At that moment, Emma saw that Jada was the birthday woman. Even though she was a grandmother, she still looked very youthful. She wore a royal blue dress that sparkled under the lights.
Jada was handed a glass of champagne, which she held up with a spoon to quiet everyone down. "Thank you all for coming," Jada said with a smile. "I know you were all expecting the party to be at the Empire, but I changed my mind. I wanted the party at home to be close to family this year, so I decided to host it at the mansion instead. It was a last-minute decision, but I’m so glad my family could make it work." She lifted her glass for a toast. "Thanks for celebrating with me. Make sure to have a great time."
After the toast, everyone erupted in cheers. The party kicked off. Couples reached for each other's hands and stepped into the spotlight to dance. Emma stood by, watching and smiling at the music playing.
"If you keep drinking, you’ll end up drunk and miss out on the fun," a familiar voice said.
Emma turned to her side and saw Winter. "I knew it was you," she said. Winter looked at her with a puzzled expression. "The Limo."
"Oh no! I’m really sorry about that. The party got switched up at the last minute, and I didn’t want you to worry, so I took care of everything. I figured my brother would bring you here if you could get into the limo. I’m really sorry."
"I’m upset with you. I’m still trying to figure out why." She looked closely at Winter. "That dress really highlights your color. You look beautiful."
"My mom loved it when she saw me in it. She’s even asking for a private chat. By the way, you look absolutely stunning and totally stole the show. Even though you didn’t do much up there, that dress really shines." Emma laughed. A man came up and asked her to dance. Winter shook her head and grabbed Emma’s hand instead. "Sorry, but she’s not available for that." She turned to Emma. "Let’s go."
Emma followed her. Inside, she felt nervous. She was about to meet Ezra's mom for the first time. Of course, she was freaking out.
Ezra, who was leaning on the railing with a glass of wine, had his brows furrowed seeing Winter and Emma walking together. He wondered where they were headed. However, he felt a knot in his stomach when he saw the man approach Emma earlier. He questioned why he felt that way. Maybe he hated that another man was checking her out and wanted to dance with her.
Ezra was taken aback when he noticed them approaching Josie. He tried to hurry down the stairs to prevent them from meeting when Scott stopped him. 'Where are you rushing off to?'
"Nowhere," Ezra replied. He shifted his focus back to them. Now that they were almost reaching Josie, he could also see Heather.
This shocked him. Heather and Emma were going to talk with his mom? He clenched his fist tightly.
For this, he would gladly take down Winter.
Winter was the only one who could have orchestrated this. He turned to Scott. "Nowhere. Do you want to talk to me about something?"
"I was just wondering if you wanted to grab a drink," Scott said.
"Sure, why not?" They began to walk away, and Ezra draped his arm over Scott's shoulder. He figured it wasn't the right moment to interrupt. He knew his mom too well. She would fire off questions that he wouldn't have answers to if he joined them. He couldn't do that now, not with Emma and Heather both around.
"Mom, this is the Emma I told you about," Winter said, interrupting Josie's discussion with Heather.
Josie turned to look at them and gasped in surprise. "Goodness! I had no clue she was this beautiful." She glanced at Winter. "Why didn’t you tell me she was this stunning? I would have put on more makeup!" Josie was laughing uncontrollably.
Gently, Emma said, "You’re really beautiful too."
"You’re blessed. You know that, right? Honestly, this dress you made for Winter is beautiful." She checked Emma out. "I’m sure the one you’re wearing was also crafted by you."
"Yes, it is. She mentioned that she designed her own dress, and I can’t wait to wear one of her pieces," Heather chimed in with a smile.
"Come and join us. We have so much to discuss. I want to know everything. About your—"
Winter cleared her throat. Josie glanced at her and she shook her head. "No mom," she mouthed. "How about I take Emma with me to meet more people?"
"That sounds like a fantastic idea," Heather chimed in again. "Josie, what do you think?"
"I still want to talk with her, and—"
"You can do that another time. You can even visit her at the office," Heather cut in with a suggestion.
Josie pondered for a moment. If she visited her at work, they would finally have time to talk. "You can take her with you, Winter. Miss Facer and I can always have our talk another day," Josie said.
"It was lovely meeting you, Mrs. Queen."
"You’re really respectful, my dear. See you later!" Josie waved goodbye and Emma left with Winter.
Ezra had been eagerly waiting to have some time alone with Emma. He wanted to find out what she had talked about with his mom. He managed to slip away from Scott and his drunken buddies, who were only talking about women, and he wasn’t interested in that topic.
As soon as Winter left Emma by herself to check on her friends, Ezra noticed her taking a drink from the bartender. She downed it in one go, hiccuped, and reached for another. This worried him, as he feared things might take a turn for the worse. He approached the bartender, who confirmed that Emma had consumed something strong, and it wasn’t champagne but a heavy alcoholic drink.
Emma was spotted leaving the party. She wandered into the garden at the back of the house, where a swimming pool was located. As she walked, she noticed a relaxation area. She sat down and kicked off her heels. Her feet were sore from wearing them for hours.
She picked up her drink and finished it, then stood up and placed the empty glass down. Ezra watched her making her way to the pool, her steps unsteady, indicating she was drunk. He observed her gazing at the water, and a smile quickly spread across her face. He moved to her slowly, trying to figure out what her next move would be.
Emma lifted a leg, ready to dip it into the pool, when suddenly he reached her and pulled her close. "Are you crazy?" he shouted at her. She turned to look at him and he was still holding her tight. Of course, he was talking to someone who was drunk and probably wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning.
She blinked, then giggled. "My prince has arrived"
Ezra was confused. He wondered who she meant. "Let’s get you home." He helped her back to the relaxation center. He assisted her to sit down and reached for her heels on the floor. He tried to help her up but she shook her head. "It’s getting late, Miss Facer. I need to get you home."
"I don’t... I..." she stammered.
Ezra crouched down to look at her properly. "Are you alright?" When he asked, Emma searched his eyes but didn’t respond. "Miss Facer, I should call a doctor if you’re—"
She instantly cupped his face in her hands and leaned in for a kiss which surprised him. She pulled away immediately and looked at him again. She smiled at him, looking so adorable that he couldn’t even get angry.
His heart raced as he stared at her. Right! She was drunk so she didn’t know what she was doing, he thought.
He looked away, then back at her. He fought so hard not to get tempted…but the smell of her fucking perfume—
Before he knew it, he was pulling her closer to finish what she had started.
His hand held the back of her neck as he kissed her so passionately. So hungrily. And he couldn't break away from the kiss even when he tried. Even when he felt he was doing something wrong.
It felt like a spell was cast on him.
Now, he had broken the rule he set for himself.
Something was happening between him and Miss Facer, the one he claimed he never liked.