Chapter 10

“Mr. Rivera, why are you defending her? Do you have a crush on her or something?” Aria’s jealousy of Emma’s uncle, the young and strikingly handsome Daniel, fueled her early misreading of the situation.

“God, that’s just stupid!” Daniel retorted, disgust evident in his voice.

Aria erupted. “Stupid? What’s so great about Emma, huh? She’s ready to sell herself for money. She’s nothing but a whore!”

Emma turned to face her. “Watch your mouth, Aria. Spreading lies is a crime, you know.”

Aria screamed, “Lies? You don’t even know Liam, yet you’re marrying a cripple for his money. Tell me you’re not in it for the cash!” Gasps echoed through the room as Aria’s open insult of Liam stunned the guests. People began to wonder if she had lost her mind or was simply desperate.

Just then, a glass flew from the second floor, shattering inches from Aria’s feet. Terrified, Aria screamed and looked up, locking eyes with a cold, handsome man upstairs. She froze.

“Liam? What’s he doing here? I thought he wasn’t coming today!” the crowd exclaimed.

Seeing Liam’s icy stare, the Wilson family panicked. “Mr. Hall, we didn’t expect you. Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” Mateo stammered.

Liam’s high-tech wheelchair descended the stairs. Even seated, he radiated authority. “If I’d given you a heads-up, would we have had such a show?”

His cold gaze fixed on Aria. She stepped back, but Nora pushed her forward. “Aria, apologize right now.”

Nora, quick-witted, intervened before Aria could worsen the situation. “Mr. Hall, I’m so sorry. Aria is just having a rough day and said something foolish. She usually admires you greatly. Please, don’t hold it against her. She didn’t mean any harm.”

“Exactly,” Mateo chimed in, seizing the opportunity. “We’re all going to be family soon. Some bumps in the road are normal, right?”

Flustered, Aria avoided eye contact, mumbling, “Mr. Hall, I’m sorry.”

Liam remained composed. “It’s not me you should apologize to. It’s Emma!”

He couldn’t care less about being called a cripple. The Hall family’s power required him to feign a disability to maintain a low profile; his actual condition was irrelevant. Someone like Aria wasn't worth his anger. But insulting Emma was unacceptable.

Emma glared at the fuming Aria. “Did you hear that? Apologize, now.”

Aria’s clenched fists trembled, but she couldn’t bring herself to apologize. Her hatred for Emma was too intense. She’d rather die than say sorry.

Seeing the impasse, Nora quickly interjected, “Alright. Aria’s just being stubborn. She knows she messed up. I’ll apologize on her behalf. Emma, I’m really sorry. Please, don’t hold it against your sister.”

But Emma couldn’t forgive so easily. The memory of the fire, the searing pain, the smell of burning flesh – the pure despair of watching her loved one perish – haunted her. A simple apology wouldn’t erase her deep-seated hatred. She knew Aria wouldn’t apologize sincerely, and she wasn’t ready to forgive. She had prepared for this.

Emma pressed a button on a remote. The LED screen, which had displayed “Happy Birthday,” switched to a video of Aria and Nora’s conversation.

“Your dad adores you, he wouldn’t give everything to Emma. Remember her disappearance? Not a coincidence. But forget that… Doll up…” Nora shouted in the video.

“Turn it off, now!” Nora shrieked, but the video continued, capturing her voice: “…Chat up some rich kid about dating. Once you’re overseas, snag a loaded hubby. Then, no worries!”

Nora never imagined Emma would record and play back her words in front of everyone.

The guests began to murmur.

“Wow, those two are messed up,” one guest remarked.

“No way, so Emma’s disappearance was because of them?” another whispered.

“You think Nora did it on purpose? Emma was just a toddler back then. That’s cold,” someone else added.

“This is blowing my mind. My whole perspective is messed up now,” another astonished guest said.

Mateo’s face paled. He knew he was partly responsible for Emma’s disappearance years ago. This was a secret that could never be revealed. He frantically tried to stop the video, but it played on.

Emma held the remote with regal calm. “See that? That’s your so-called ‘family love’!” She scoffed. “I’m done with the past. From now on, I want nothing to do with the Wilson family. Any mess you create is your problem. I’m just taking what’s rightfully mine from my mother’s estate. Marrying Liam? That’s my choice, and he’s not giving you a single cent.”

Emma signed the inheritance papers, took Liam’s hand, and walked out as everyone watched.

As they stepped from the villa, someone called, “Emma, wait!”

It was Daniel. His eyes were filled with concern. “Are you really sure about marrying him?”

In the darkness, Liam sat silently, his gaze on Emma, awaiting her response.

Emma squeezed Liam’s hand. “Yes, Uncle, I’m sure.”

Her words surprised Daniel. “So you knew…” He sighed. “When your mother died, we searched everywhere for you but found nothing. As soon as we heard you were in Troln City, I rushed back from Nuverland.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” Emma said sincerely. In her previous life, brainwashed by the Wilsons, she’d distanced herself from her uncles, hurting them deeply. This time, she wouldn’t waste their kindness.

Daniel turned to Liam. “Liam, even though the Rivera family’s been abroad for years, my niece is our treasure. You’d better not mess with her!”