When Emily woke up, she found herself in an abandoned storage facility. She felt dizzy with a throbbing headache. The air was cold and damp, filled with a moldy smell. Her hands and feet were tied up, and she was leaning against a pile of cardboard boxes. Taking deep breaths of the frigid air, she felt a tingling in her belly, which reassured her. She checked her body; aside from the headache and the soreness where she was tied, she found no other injuries.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching from outside, and the door to the storage unit was pushed open. Daylight flooded the room, and Emily saw Cole Bola walking towards her with a bag. With a loud bang, the door closed behind him. Cole came closer, threw the bag on the ground, and said, "If you scream or piss me off after I remove the tape on your face, I'll knock you out again."
Emily nodded in agreement. Cole ripped the tape from her mouth, and she took shallow breaths, avoiding the foul air. Remaining calm and quiet, she surprised Cole with her composure.
"Aren't you scared?" Cole asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"If I tell you that I am scared, would you let me go?" Emily responded, meeting his gaze.
"Of course not," Cole replied without hesitation.
Emily leaned against the cardboard boxes, staying silent. A few strands of hair had fallen across her face, which looked extremely pale. Cole stared at her for a moment before speaking. "You hurt Olivia, so I need to get even for her, even though you didn't join your "royal" crew when they bullied me back in high school."
Ever since Cole had attended the private high school, he had been bullied by Eric Glorden and his group through the silent treatment. None of the kids would talk to him, except for Emily, who would still greet him and remember his name. The respect he got from Emily was something he couldn't get from anyone else. At first, he couldn't believe it was Emily who had harmed Olivia on purpose. Thinking of this, Cole sighed, realizing that even those who seem kind and innocent can harbour evil intentions.
Emily asked coldly, "Did Olivia tell you I hurt her?"
Cole narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "No, Olivia wouldn't say things so bluntly."
"Was it one of her friends?" Emily continued.
"So what if it was? You guessed it. Olivia doesn't have to tell me herself for me to figure out it was you who caused the scar on her face."
"Cole, you like Olivia, right?" Emily asked. It was no secret in school that Cole had a crush on Olivia Winters.
He didn't deny it. "If not, why would I tie you up here to get revenge for her right now?"
"So, you mean you're willing to sacrifice your life just to get even for her, even though she didn't ask you to?" Emily said.
"What do you mean?" Cole asked, confused.
"What benefit do you get by doing this to me right now? Did you even try to find out the truth of what happened?" Emily pressed.
"The truth?" Cole repeated.
Emily smirked. "So you didn't even know what actually happened before you kidnapped me. What about after this kidnapping? You don't think the police will find out it was you?"
"The police," Cole said coldly, "I've come prepared. With the security cameras in the hospital and everything, they won't find out."
Emily shook her head. "I'm not talking about the surveillance cameras. People will talk," she replied coldly.
Ever since Emily started interacting with Olivia upon her return, she had slowly uncovered some unsettling truths about her. The phone calls and the message during Grandma's surgery today made Emily realize it was all a setup. Olivia had even pretended to negotiate contract terms with her, but it was all a façade. Olivia couldn't bear the thought of Emily's pregnancy. The baby in Emily's belly was like a ticking time bomb to her. Olivia wanted to get rid of it the moment she heard the news but didn't want to be seen as the villain. Last time, she had used Clare, and this time she used Cole. Disappearing from the hospital without her phone was part of the plan to distract Alex, allowing Cole to get his hands on Emily. Thinking about all this, a shiver ran down Emily's spine. She couldn't believe Olivia could be so cold-hearted and evil.
Cole's voice pulled her back to reality. "You mean Oli will sell me out?" he asked.
"I didn't say that," Emily replied. "But someone needs to be responsible for this."
Cole's expression turned cold. "You think you can scare me into letting you go?"
"It's your decision," Emily said calmly. "I just want you to consider whether you're ready to sacrifice the rest of your life in jail for Olivia Winters."
Emily thought to herself that Alex must be with Olivia right now, and with Grandma still in surgery, she could only rely on herself. She tried to reason with Cole, looking for an opportunity to escape.
Cole fell silent, the weight of Emily's words sinking in. He didn't want to admit it, but she was right. Someone had to take the fall for this, and who else could it be if not him?
"You don't want to become that kind of person, do you?" Emily continued, her voice soft and soothing, like a spell weaving its way into Cole's heart. "You're young and doing great with your family business. I wouldn't give up everything just for love if I were you."
Cole's irritation grew, conflicting thoughts swirling in his head. "You're saying this just because you want me to let you go," he said angrily, staring at Emily. "You hurt Olivia, and you're asking me to just let you walk away?"
"Are you sure I hurt her?" Emily countered.
Cole didn't respond immediately. After a while, he said, "You... didn't hurt Oli?"
"Of course not," Emily replied, lifting her head high. "I would never do something like that."
Just as Cole was wavering, unsure of who to believe, the door suddenly swung open.
"Cole, don't believe this woman," a familiar high-pitched voice called from the door. It was Clare. Emily frowned at the sight of her. Clare approached Emily, looking down at her. "Emily Johnson, look at you now," she said with a mocking laugh.
"Why are you here?" Cole asked, his brow furrowing.
Clare stared back at him. "If I hadn't shown up, were you about to let her go?" she demanded angrily.
Cole, not wanting to admit it, replied, "It's none of your business."
"Of course it is!" Clare retorted. "I'm Oli's best friend. I want to get revenge for her as well!"
Cole smirked. "Do it yourself then. Don't drag me into your plan. This is my time. Now, get out!"
"No way," Clare snapped. She turned to Emily and kicked her with her heel. With her hands and feet tied, Emily curled into a ball, the kick landing painfully on her thigh. A sharp pain shot through her, and tears filled her eyes.
"What are you doing?" Cole asked furiously, pulling Clare away.
"What am I doing? You already kidnapped her. Didn't you say if anyone hurts Olivia, you'll make them pay a hundred times over? Now that person is right in front of you. What are you going to do?" Clare challenged.
Cole didn't reply, his gaze shifting uncertainly to Emily, who looked worse after Clare's kick. Sensing his hesitation, Clare continued to provoke him. "You still won't do anything?"
Emily seized the moment. "Cole, she just wants to use you to get revenge on me. If you leave right now, she won't dare to hurt me. If anything happens to me, she will be solely responsible."
"Shut up," Clare yelled. "You should be grateful that Cole is here. Otherwise, you wouldn't even have breath left to talk."
"Really?" Emily countered. "Then ask Cole to leave, and you stay with me. Let's see what happens."
Clare's anger flared, but then she smirked as an idea struck her. "Emily Johnson, you're going to be with us for a while, so let's play a little game, shall we?" she said with a sinister smile.
Having said that, Clare began searching Emily for her phone. "Where is your phone?" Clare asked impatiently.
Although Emily tried to squirm away, with her hands and feet tied, she couldn't do much. Eventually, Clare found the phone and held it up triumphantly. "I bet if I call Alex using your phone right now, he will not answer. If he does, you are free to go. Wanna bet?"
Emily stared at Clare coldly, her eyes blazing with anger, but she didn't reply. Clare then called Alex and turned on speaker. After a long wait, the call went to voicemail. Clare laughed. "Told you, he only cares about Olivia. You mean nothing to him."
Despite her taunts, Emily remained emotionless, which infuriated her. In a fit of rage, Clare threw the phone at Emily, surprising Cole. "What are you doing?" he shouted.
Before Clare could respond, their confrontation was interrupted by a loud banging on the door. It was being forced open from the outside.