Chapter 39
William was lost in thought, but his hands kept moving.
In fact, to prevent Nina from noticing anything wrong, he moved even faster.
Nina felt like she'd only waited outside for a moment before William had everything ready.
She opened her mouth in surprise, pulled Aiden, who had come to visit William, aside, and said seriously, "I've discovered a secret! That man is a Superman!"
Aiden was a bit confused hearing this.
Although he also thought William was impressive, he wasn't the same as Superman.
"He's not Superman, he can't transform." Aiden corrected her earnestly. Nina seemed to half-understand.
When William wheeled himself out, he happened to hear their conversation.
His mouth twitched - he hadn't expected them to be discussing this.
"Then make him wear a Superman costume!"
Aiden hadn't noticed William's arrival yet. He stroked his chin, thought seriously, then nodded.
But when he heard the coughing sound behind him, his whole body stiffened.
They both looked toward the source of the sound and saw William sitting in the wheelchair, his face flushed red.
"Sir, are you okay?"
Nina rushed over with concern first, while Aiden stood nearby, silently watching William.
Facing their concern, William just gave a cold laugh and didn't respond.
Emily was completely unaware of what was happening outside.
At that moment, she was standing in front of a mirror.
The woman in the mirror wore a long black dress with a trench coat over it. Her hair was slightly curled, her makeup exquisite, and her slightly upturned eyes revealed a hint of charm as they moved.
Looking at herself dressed this way, Emily felt a moment of disorientation.
James was very vigilant, and to lower his guard, Emily had to change her usual appearance.
Seeing that it was almost time, Emily made a special trip to the next room to give William a few instructions before leaving.
The moment she left, Nina pulled Aiden over to William.
The two stared at him, their meaning clear without words.
"I'm not going to run away. What are you worried about?" William shook his head helplessly. After confirming that Emily had left the courtyard, he quickly stood up from the wheelchair and rushed out after her.
When the two children saw him striding away at full speed, they both froze in place.
"Wasn't his leg injured?" Nina looked at Aiden, her eyes full of disbelief.
Aiden shook his head, equally confused about why William had recovered so quickly.
He'd never noticed William had such good physical condition before!
Setting aside the children's situation for now, Emily had already walked quite far when she suddenly felt like a pair of eyes was watching her from behind.
She whipped around but saw no one.
Emily stood still, her sharp gaze sweeping behind her.
The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, stretching her shadow long and striking.
She tightened the trench coat around her, her fingertips lightly rubbing at the cuff.
Hidden there was a tiny voice recorder.
"Am I imagining things?" Emily murmured to herself, her brow slightly furrowed.
That momentary sense of being watched had felt too real, as if someone's gaze was piercing her back like a needle.
She waited a few more seconds, and only after confirming no one was around did she turn and continue forward, though her steps were faster than before.
Deep in the alley behind a dumpster, William leaned awkwardly against one side, half his face pressed against the dusty wall.
He hadn't even had time to think - the moment Emily suddenly turned around, his body reacted before his brain, dodging that vigilant gaze.
He forcibly stopped his momentum, rolling to the side and crashing heavily into the dumpster, making the empty bottles inside clatter.
Right now, he couldn't care about the aches all over his body. He didn't even dare breathe heavily, only holding his breath and focusing intently, staring through the gap in the dumpster at that retreating figure.
Only when that black silhouette completely disappeared at the alley entrance did William feel relieved.
He sighed helplessly and carelessly wiped the dust from his face with his hand.
Looking at his palm covered in dirt, William's lips curved into a bitter smile.
He, the head of the Brown family, when had he ever been this pathetic?
If he weren't worried about those two children being sad, plus the fact that Emily had helped him so much recently, William wouldn't be doing this.
Although his recovery speed was beyond normal, he was still human after all, and his injuries hadn't fully healed.
William knew he shouldn't have come.
After James and Sophia came to find Emily that day, William had already privately sent Robert to investigate their backgrounds and the entanglements between them.
With these two families' power, they posed no threat to him, but there was no guarantee someone with bad intentions wouldn't tell the Browns that he was still alive.
The Brown family was like a pack of hungry wolves, all watching for news of him.
William was completely certain that if he dared show himself before his injuries healed, they would stop at nothing to hunt him down.
But to watch Emily walk into danger while staying out of it - William couldn't do that.
He sighed softly, supporting himself on his knees to stand up from the ground.
Patting the dust off his body, William straightened his somewhat disheveled collar, his eyes becoming firm and deep.
At Emerald Oasis Hotel, neon lights flashed as the magnificent golden doors swallowed and released the coming and going guests.
Emily stopped in front of the revolving door and took a deep breath.
She raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her fingertips somewhat cold.
This was one of Emerald City's most luxurious hotels, with countless guests coming and going.
But none of that was the main point - what mattered most was that Emily had once worked part-time here.
Before being found by the Johnson family, the biggest problem she faced was financial crisis.
If she couldn't come up with money, she couldn't even continue her studies.
Back then, Emerald Oasis Hotel paid well, so Emily would come here to work part-time every day.
To avoid false accusations, Emerald Oasis Hotel had cameras installed in many places, and Emily had long since memorized their locations perfectly.
But standing in the lobby at this moment, her heart still felt chaotic.
Emily pulled her coat tighter, her eyes scanning around.
She didn't see James here.
Just as Emily breathed a sigh of relief, thinking James wouldn't show up for the appointment, two tall, burly bodyguards wearing earpieces walked toward her.
The two men stood in front of Emily, their shadows completely enveloping her.
One of them spoke, his voice cold. "Ms. Johnson, come with us."