Chapter 71

Emma trembled through the night. The internet was flooded with negative news about her. She dared not sleep; every time she closed her eyes, she was haunted by the memory of being cast out of the Rosewood residence and the vicious comments targeting her online.

She still couldn't fathom why, despite arranging everything for Elysia, she was always the one hurt, while Elysia remained unscathed. The Smith family shared Emma's sentiments. They had meticulously orchestrated the entire situation to bring down the Rosewood family.

Their initial plan was to use the lack of attendance at Elysia's birthday banquet as bait, leveraging public opinion to shape the narrative. However, they hadn't anticipated that the three major families would attend the Rosewood banquet, derailing their plans. Nevertheless, a journalist, disguised as a staff member, infiltrated the Rosewood villa and obtained evidence of Emma's misdeeds.

When the news broke, Matthew turned a blind eye; his goal was simply the Rosewood family's downfall. The means were inconsequential. The news caused a stir online, leading to a drop in Rosewood Group's stock market value. He was overjoyed.

But he hadn't expected Scott to be so ruthless, expelling his own daughter and playing the victim online. This immediately halted criticism against Rosewood Group, redirecting public ire toward Emma. Scott thought, "His heart is truly cold. Using his adopted daughter as a scapegoat is a cunning strategy." He wondered, "Could the Rosewood family truly wield such influence to have the three major families attend their banquet?"

The more he thought about it, the more Elysia seemed the only plausible explanation. After all, she was the young lady who could have Sean personally apologize at her door. They had underestimated her from the start. Ever since the news about Emma exploded online, Robert had been confined to his room by Matthew, his phone confiscated. He was beside himself with worry, unsure of Emma's condition. She had been raised in a sheltered environment and was unprepared for such a trial.

After resisting all night, he still hadn't given up, pounding on the door and shouting, "Let me in!" Matthew, fed up, waved to a nearby servant and ordered, "Open the door and let him out."

"Yes, sir." The servant approached with the key, and at the sound of the lock turning, Robert's eyes lit up. As soon as the door cracked open, he immediately grabbed the doorframe and pulled it wide open, startling the servant. With a dark expression, Robert rushed downstairs toward the exit.

Matthew glanced at him, his voice laced with anger: "If you dare step out of this door today, you are no longer my son!" Hearing this, Robert retracted his foot, turning to look at Matthew seated on the sofa.

"Dad, don't push me," Robert said.

"Push you?" Matthew sneered. "You just want to go find that adopted girl from the Rosewoods, don't you? Do you think I'm senile, unaware of what you're thinking?"

"Since you know, let me go! Emma has never experienced this before; I'm afraid she can't handle it," Robert pleaded.

Matthew snorted, "Do you really think you understand her? Who knows what unsavory deeds she's done behind your back! Such an unprincipled woman, I really don't know what you see in her."

At the mention of "unprincipled," Robert immediately understood the implication—the misunderstood hotel incident. He quickly explained, "It's not like that. I know about the hotel; Elysia set her up. She didn't do it willingly!"

"Did you see it with your own eyes?" Matthew asked.

"I was there that day," Robert said.

Upon hearing this, Matthew's anger surged. He grabbed a copy of Youth Magazine from the table and threw it at him, saying, "Are you wishing for my early demise so you can inherit the family business sooner!"

"I'm telling you right now, if there was ever a chance for Emma to join our family, there's absolutely no possibility now!" Matthew declared. "Our family would never marry an unchaste woman!"

"But it was because…" Robert's words were cut short by Matthew.

"No matter the reason, unchaste is unchaste. Our family is neither a charity nor a shelter for such women!" Matthew shouted.

Robert felt utterly helpless, on the verge of tears. Looking at the domineering Matthew, he experienced despair for the first time. He wondered, "Is there really no chance left for me and Emma? We have grown up together, and I made a vow in my heart to marry Emma." He thought, "But now? Everything changed because of Elysia's return. If she hadn't come back to the Rosewood family, everything would remain as it was."

Matthew sighed. His son was good in every way, except for being too emotional. Once he set his mind on something, he would pursue it relentlessly, ignoring all advice. But he wasn't a child from an ordinary family. He was the only son of the Davis family, destined to carry the family's legacy into the future. Marrying such a woman would not only fail to support him but would also tarnish the Davis family's reputation. He would never allow such a thing to happen. If a break was necessary, it had to be absolute.

With that thought, he stood up and warned, "No matter what you think, let me make one thing clear. If you want Emma to marry into the Davis family, you might as well forget about it!" With that, he swept out of the room.

At the Rosewood residence, Mary had packed Emma's belongings early in the morning and was directing several maids to carry them out. Once the luggage was loaded onto the vehicle, Emma still hadn't come out. She went to look for her, entering Emma's room to find her huddled and shivering in the corner. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. This was the once-doted-upon young lady. Mary thought, "Who would think that fate can be so fickle, reducing her to this state?"

She reached out and gently touched Emma's slender arm, asking, "Miss, are you alright?" At Mary's touch, Emma jolted and pushed her away forcefully. Mary fell to the ground, her right elbow colliding painfully with the floor. She clutched her aching elbow, looking at Emma in shock.

"Miss, what's come over you?" Mary asked.

"Get out! Just get out!" Emma shouted. Emma's eyes were filled with a cold, bloodthirsty glint. She thought, "Have I fallen so low that a mere servant can touch me at will? I have just lost my status as the Rosewood heiress!"

Bella, having heard the commotion, rushed over. Seeing the disheveled Emma, she frowned at Mary sitting on the floor and asked, "What's going on here?"

"Madam, I don't know what's gotten into Miss. She just lost control," Mary explained.

Before Mary could finish, Emma pointed at her and wailed, "Mom, it's her! She touched me! That's why I pushed her."