Chapter 22 Eggplant Allergy

Emily pretended to put on the expression of a sudden realization.

"Emily Conner, what a beautiful name. I should meet her sometime," Emily said.

Sibley smiled and replied, "Your name is also lovely. I think your parents must have given a lot of thought while coming up with your name."

The smile at the corner of Emily's mouth froze.

At this moment, Ethan spoke up, interrupting the conversation.

"Emily Conner is also a VIP here?" he asked.

Emily's thoughts suddenly returned, and Sibley asked in surprise, "Yes, Mr. Thomas, do you know Ms. Conner as well?"

Ethan didn't hide it and said in a deep voice, "I've invested in her company. I'm a shareholder of Emily Pharmaceutical."

Sibley was even more surprised. "Wow, what a coincidence! The business world is a small circle indeed!"

Ethan's voice was calm as he added, "However, I've never met her in person."

Sibley expressed her confusion, then hurriedly said, "Mr. Thomas must be busy with numerous affairs and hasn't had time to meet Ms. Conner. When you two meet next time, you must come to Lakeside View."

While Sibley was trying to please Ethan, she also didn't forget to promote her business.

Emily sighed softly as she watched them.

They had no idea that the real Emily Conner was sitting right there.

After some polite conversation, Sibley tactfully left, leaving only Ethan and Emily in the private room.

Emily had already started eating. She didn't have any dietary restrictions on the dishes Ethan had ordered, except for a dish with eggplant in it.

Neither of them had touched that dish, and by the end of the meal, it remained untouched.

Ethan noticed this and asked coldly, "You don't eat eggplant?"

Emily continued eating rice, nodding, "Well, I can't eat it."

Ethan frowned slightly and felt puzzled. "Can't eat it? What do you mean?"

Emily replied casually, "Mr. Thomas, what else could it mean if I can't eat it? I'm allergic to it."

Ethan fell silent.

Emily looked at his gloomy expression, set down her chopsticks, and explained with a smile, "You probably haven't met someone allergic to eggplant before, right? It's quite unusual, but whenever I eat eggplant, I break out in a lot of red rashes. I didn't notice at first, but later found out it was an allergy, so I stopped eating it.

Emily wondered, “Oh right, Mr. Thomas, since you ordered these dishes, why aren't you eating them?"

Ethan slowly said three words, "Don't like it."

Emily felt very confused.

She wanted to ask him why he ordered it if he didn’t like it.

Realizing her thoughts, Ethan calmly said, "Most people like this dish. It was originally ordered for you."

Emily hesitated for a moment and said, “Thank you, Mr. Thomas."

The atmosphere once again reached an icy point.

*****

After dinner, Emily pushed him out.

Originally, Ethan had wanted Byron to send her back to The Hall first, but she refused, saying she wanted to stroll around the streets before going back.

So, Ethan left her on the roadside.

Watching the black SUV speeding away, Emily stuck her tongue out in that direction.

She then hailed a taxi and returned to her residence, The Wave.

This was a top-tier apartment located in the city center.

After getting out of the taxi, Emily headed straight to the lobby, entered her fingerprint, and took the elevator to the 18th floor.

The entire floor only had one apartment, a very spacious flat. Upon opening the door, a vast space filled with high-tech and modern furnishings greeted her eyes.

At that moment, a middle-aged lady approached her and said excitedly, “Miss Conner, you're back.”

"Zoe, please make me a cup of coffee," she requested. Emily particularly liked the coffee made by Zoe Ortega.

"Sure, please wait a moment," Zoe hurried off to the kitchen.

Though her home was large, covering over a couple of thousand square feet, besides the hourly workers, Zoe was the only permanent maid, bound by a strict confidentiality agreement.

Zoe was honest and unassuming, rarely spreading gossip about Emily, which gave Emily peace of mind.

Moreover, Zoe bore a striking resemblance to Tilda Bax.

Tilda had been her mother's personal maid and had cared for Emily in the countryside until a tragic fire left her severely injured with lingering health issues.

She passed away shortly after.

Emily was secretly studying medicine at a university abroad.

If she had graduated earlier, she felt that Tilda could have lived.

This was the biggest regret in her life.

Emily walked to the balcony, enjoying the breeze on her face.

The opposite building housed her company, Emily Pharmaceuticals.

The legal representative was Alexander.

They had met at Caroline Medical College, and Alexander had followed her ever since, co-founding Emily Pharmaceuticals together.

The initial investment had come from Alexander's family, without which Emily Pharmaceuticals would not have been possible.

After a while, Emily returned indoors. "Miss Conner, your coffee is ready," Zoe said as she handed Emily the drink.

Emily nodded and walked into the living room, where she sipped her coffee while opening her laptop. After a series of keystrokes, she deleted her recent whereabouts, a habit she had always maintained to prevent anyone from tracking her.

After a brief rest, Emily called Alexander. "How's the progress on the projects recently?"

Alexander clicked his tongue. "Boss, I thought you wouldn't be checking on the company recently. Although Ethan may have a crippled leg, he's still quite handsome. Even I feel inferior..."

Emily interrupted firmly, "Alexander, speak normally."

Alexander immediately adjusted his tone. "Yes, Boss. Recently, the project has hit a bit of a standstill. The research team is facing some challenges."

Glancing at her watch, Emily said, "I'll come over shortly."

Alexander was puzzled. "What? Aren't you supposed to stay at The Hall and investigate the whereabouts of the medical book?"

Emily lazily stretched, her soft moan causing Alexander's heart to race.

"I've returned to The Wave. I'll tidy up and come over," she declared before hanging up.

Emily pulled back the blanket, got out of bed, and walked to the sink.

She removed the fake scars from her face and applied light makeup.

Then, she changed into professional work clothes, put on sunglasses, left The Wave, and headed straight for the opposite building.

As she passed through the lobby, the receptionist eagerly greeted her, "Miss Conner, good afternoon. It's been a while since you've been to the company."

During her time in prison, Matty Macy and Alexander would occasionally retrieve her when there were major surgeries or company issues.

Under normal circumstances, she would abide by the law and serve her sentence in prison. Now, however, she was truly a free woman.