"Um, W-we're s-sorry," Jennifer said sounding pitiful as she looked at Emma, wanting her to speak up for her. Solely because Emma had been doing that for her for a long time.
'I think she must have thought of me as her lackey considering how willingly I took the blame for her previously.' Emma lamented as she thought.
She became a bit depressed as she thought of her previous actions. Emma labeled her previous self as crazy.
But it wasn't going to happen anymore. Emma turned a deaf ear to Jennifer's silent pleas as she once again ignored her and looked in the mirror, playing with her brown locks.
"You say you're sorry but still are not making any attempt to go outside and rectify your mistake" Karen was unrelenting, probably she also knew the whole drama online which was why she was looking so over-protective.
Emma was slightly touched but before she could dive deep into an emotional sea, she was yanked out of it by someone grabbing the handle of her chair and spinning it to face the door.
Emma was startled by the audacity. Even Karen hadn't expected Olivia to do something like this.
"Emma, I know you are sad but how could you let a mere salon owner insult your best friends like this?" Olivia sounded self-righteous as she looked down on Emma.
Karen was speechless by her entitled behavior. She had never met someone so shameless.
"Do I know you?" Emma asked politely.
As far as she knew, her mother had already excused their family from their lives by deeming themselves not worthy of their kind friendship. So, they were only as good as strangers to Emma right now.
Susan looked exasperated while Jennifer was vexed. Only Olivia towering over my chair had an enraged look on her face.
She raised her hand probably to slap Emma but was stopped by Karen who reacted in time.
She strengthened her hold on Olivia's arm and yanked it back. Olivia was unable to maintain her balance in her high heels and fell on the floor.
Emma immediately looked towards the door, only to be relieved when she found it closed.
She did not want to make another headline tomorrow for bullying her "kind" friends who had come because they were concerned about her.
Jennifer also looked back as she saw Emma's gaze. Panic flashed across her face but she controlled it.
'Karen's workers are smart' Emma inwardly praised the professionalism of Karen's workers.
'How could I not see through her facade' Emma once again lamented as she sneered at her tactics.
"Emma, you witch," Olivia yelled as she struggled to stand back on her feet.
"It's okay, Olivia. Maybe Emma doesn't want us to be her friends anymore," Jennifer immediately stopped Olivia from speaking profanities against Emma and painted her as an ungrateful person at the same time.
Emma scoffed at her statement.
It was she and her mother who had spoken ill of Emma at the ball but now she was pretending that Emma was the one who destroyed their friendship.
"Emma, I didn't expect you to be such a mean person. We only came here to tell you about Max but it looks like you don't appreciate our effort," Susan who had remained quiet since entering the room finally spoke.
Hearing her talking about Max made me realize another thing.
'It wasn't that I was stupid but because they brought up Max whenever they felt threatened and I being the fanatic of Max always let go of my concerns about their behavior'
Emma kept silent at the revelation. She felt hurt and betrayed.
'I was so sincere with them and they treated me like this? What did I do to deserve this? Is it because of me? Am I the one who is always at fault? Is that why Max left me? Is it because I'm not good enough?'
Negative thoughts kept accumulating in her brain.
"Whether she is mean or not is up to her, you turtle" Karen's loud voice brought Emma back from the darkness that crept into her heart.
She didn't know having someone insult your enemy for you brought such satisfaction. Emma laughed at Karen's words.
Jennifer was stunned to see her laughing and not obeying them even when Max was brought up.
"I have already broken up with Max so whatever he is doing has got nothing to do with me," Emma said lightly, regaining her sanity.
She had given up on Max because he was the first one to give up on her.
These past two months were enough to get rid of any lingering emotions for him.
After she spoke, it became eerily quiet. Nobody said a word.
After some time, Jennifer was the first one to control her thoughts.
She hastily said, "Emma, you are just angry with Max because he brought another girl. You shouldn't be so hasty. You will end up regretting when you are left with nothing."
"How do you know for sure that I'll regret it?"
"Y-you have loved him all your life, if you are to give up now wouldn't that make you a loser?" Susan was the one who answered Emma this time.
"Yes, and I'm perfectly fine being a loser rather than being with a man who will bring mistresses home all his life. Moreover, I have realized that he's not worth it" Emma once again said calmly.
Even if Max was a man whom she had loved from a tender age, where was it written that only he'll be the one for her?
"You are confused-" Jennifer said but Emma cut her off,
"I needed you to say this when I was still chasing after Max. And you had already known about him bringing another girl to our engagement party to ruin my reputation. Didn't you?" Emma said sharply.
"If you think that you've gotten away with your schemes or that I'll forgive your actions for old time's sake. Then, sorry to break it to you, I'll not." She was hurt, broken, irreparably.
She would have forgiven them in the past but not now, not in the future.
"Emma, we can talk calmly. No need to be so rash." All three of them finally panicked.
They had probably not expected in their wild dreams that she'll do something like break up with Max.
But what was done could not be undone.
'They are panicked because now they don't have the upper hand.' Emma felt a calm feeling enveloping her heart.
"Now, if you are done kindly get out. Otherwise, don't blame me for getting the security involved." Karen spoke as she ushered them out of the room.
"Emma, we'll talk later when your emotions have calmed down," Jennifer said as she quickly went out of the room.
She looked embarrassed. Certainly, nobody dared to disrespect her like this ever since she had been with Emma.
'Not anymore, Jennifer. Now you'll know that you were nothing except a friend of Emma Woods'
"Don't give them VIP treatment the next time they come. I've got nothing to do with them," Emma informed Karen.
"Even if you had begged, I would've thrown these crows out of my "humble" Salon the moment they showed up" Granny Karen had taken their words to her heart.
'Doesn't matter' Emma inwardly thought.
"Why are you here again?" Karen asked again.
She was in a bad mood after facing these people and Emma had been dealing with them for the past 7 years. She guessed there was a limit to her patience as well.
"I want to dye my hair grey, preferably the same color as my eyes" Emma fiddled with her waist-length locks.
She had grown out her brown hair because Max liked it. She was not sure whether he noticed it or not but she did it for him so he would notice her.
However, Emma was merely one of the many girls that liked him, the only difference between them and Emma was that they couldn't harass and pester him as she could.
"Whoa, are you all right? Why all of a sudden?" Granny Karen was astounded.
Because previously when she had brought up the topic of dying my hair, Emma was adamantly against it.
Now, she was the one requesting her to change her hair color, her surprise was imminent.
"It's not all of a sudden. I just feel like I have had this hairstyle for a long time. It's time for a change. Oh, and I'd also like to shorten it," Emma patiently answered.
She wanted to change herself and focus on herself rather than what others thought of her.
'I want myself to be my priority from now on and I wanted the change to start with my hairstyle. Slowly, I'll get rid of everything that reminds me of Max.' Emma thought.
"Um, if you say so. But don't come crying to me later on if you get back with Max." Granny Karen sounded unsure, but still heeded to her request.
"I'll not make up with Max. Not now, not ever" Emma was certain as she spoke.