Chapter 424

“I’m sorry,” Emily whispered, her head dropping as if the weight of it all was too much. “I really love him. Please… let me have him.”

I stared at her, taken aback by just how deep her obsession with Nathan ran.

When Emily looked up at me, her eyes shimmered with tears. “I’ve always known I could never compete with you. Whenever you’re around, he can’t help but be drawn to you. You were the one who gave him comfort when he needed it most–no one could ever measure up to you.”

As she spoke, tears spilled down her cheeks, and she wiped them away with shaky fingers. “Victoria, it was just bad timing for me. If I’d been the one to help him when he was at his lowest, he’d be with me now.”

I couldn’t help but ask, “If you love him so much, then why did you cut off the funding? Why put him through all this trouble?”

Emily’s voice was weak. “My dad gave him a choice, and he picked you. So my dad lost it, pulled all his support, and now he wants to see Nathan ruined. I’ve been begging him to stop, but he just won’t listen to me anymore.”

She murmured, her voice full of pain, “The only reason I’m meeting you now is because my dad kept me locked up at home for three days. I never thought things would spiral this far out of control.”

I sighed. “Your dad’s trying to drag him through the mud, make sure he never rises again. He’s shut out every potential investor.”

“Can you help him?” Emily asked. “Nathan’s made it this far all on his own–I’ve seen how hard he’s fought for everything.”

Hearing Emily use his English name made me think of how Nathan had chatted with his sister in English last time. That boy who’d lost everyone and was drowning in debt–he’s really grown up fast these past few years.

If I can help him, I will.

Emily stared out the window, her eyes losing their shine. “Honestly, I was the one who pressured him into all this. My dad thought he had real talent, so he brought me along to dinner with him. I always pictured him as just some ordinary guy–the stereotypical balding scientist type. But that day, he rushed up to me, all business, asking where Room 9 was.”

Her sadness deepened. “That night, they talked about things I couldn’t even follow, so I just sat there, sneaking glances at him. He just radiated confidence and expertise, and honestly, it was kind of mesmerizing.”

This was a story of a young girl’s secret crush–Nathan was the one she could only admire from afar.

“The next time we met, he didn’t even recognize me. I was honestly disappointed,” Emily said, her eyes lighting up with a bittersweet glint. “Guys usually remember me, but he just… didn’t.”

I was a little stunned. Nathan always struck me as the type who’d get completely lost in his work.

“It just so happened that my mom and his dad knew each other, so we started seeing each other more often. I finally confessed my feelings, but Nathan turned me down, seriously,” Emily said, looking up at me. “He told me there was already someone he liked–a girl he’d had feelings for, for a long time.”

I was a bit taken aback. Nathan was such a workaholic–unless he really liked someone, he’d never show much interest.

“Later, I found out through the grapevine that the girl he liked had gotten married, and he admitted there was no hope for him. Around that time, my dad was about to invest in his company, so I added a condition: after he graduated, he’d have to date me,” Emily went on.

“Nathan didn’t say yes right away. It seemed like his business partner pressured him into it, and that’s when he finally agreed. That night, I couldn’t sleep at all. I was 21, falling for a 25–year–old man.”

I listened quietly–it really was a touching love story.

If someone can still be a kid at heart, looking at the world with real optimism, she’s gotta be a happy person.

But it’s heartbreak that makes you grow up in a flash.

It was like Emily had to grow up overnight.

“Sorry, I’m not asking you to play matchmaker or anything,” Emily said with a wry, self–deprecating smile.

I nodded, keeping my response simple. “I know.”

Emily sighed, sounding defeated. “I just wanted to be with him, but he left me cold, like I never mattered. It really broke my heart.”

I grinned. “You’ve got loving parents, you come from money, and you’re gorgeous–so why torture yourself over love?”

Emily blinked at me, a little lost. “Why aren’t you saying I had it coming?”