Alaric clenched his jaw as he stubbed out his cigarette. He then mirrored Emerald's stance, placing his hands on the table and leaning in closer.
"You seem quite concerned about my son. So why not consider my proposal? James likes you. If you become his mother, he'd be happy. It's a win-win for all of us," he said as if it were the most natural suggestion.
They stared at each other in silence. Emerald was at a loss for words, her mind momentarily blank. Their gaze only broke when a sudden crash echoed through the house, the sound of porcelain shattering.
"James!"
Worried about James's fragile mental state, even with his recent improvements, Emerald instinctively reacted. She quickly stood up but forgot she was only wearing slippers. Her foot caught on the edge of the sofa, causing her to fall hard to the floor.
With a loud thud, Emerald's knees hit the cold, hard tiles, sending a sharp, intense pain through her body.
"Hey, are you okay?" Alaric asked, concern evident in his voice as he rushed to her side.
The pain was so intense that Emerald broke out in a cold sweat. Despite this, her thoughts remained focused on James. She stopped pretending to be fine and extended her hand toward Alaric, who gently helped her up.
As soon as she stood, the pain in her knee worsened, but she hid it, not wanting Alaric to worry. "I'm fine..." she lied, quickly heading upstairs to check on James, with Alaric's gaze following her.
The house was lavishly decorated, with famous paintings lining the hallway and precious porcelain pieces displayed on antique shelves. As Emerald reached the corridor, she noticed a little girl standing next to one of the shelves. The girl looked remarkably like James, dressed in an elaborate princess gown and wearing a crown, but her expression was cold as she stared at Emerald.
Before Emerald could process the girl's presence, James appeared, coming down the stairs. Overwhelmed with relief, Emerald immediately hugged him.
"James... Oh my god..."
"Ms. Greene, what's wrong?" James asked, puzzled. He had just taken a shower, his hair still damp, and he smelled sweetly of fruit.
Seeing his innocent, gentle face, Emerald breathed a sigh of relief. "I heard a loud crash. I was worried something had happened to you, so I rushed over to check," she explained, her voice trailing off as she noticed the little girl still staring at them.
"Who is she?"
Alaric had just arrived and gently pulled the little girl closer, carefully checking her for any injuries. Once he was certain she was unharmed, he turned to Emerald. "She's James's sister. Her name's Jamilah."
Emerald's mouth dropped open as she stared at the little girl. "Are they twins?" she asked, shocked. The two children seemed to be around the same age. Why didn't they attend the same school?
Even more puzzling was the fact that James had never mentioned having a sister, nor had any of his classmates. If Emerald hadn't seen Jamilah with her own eyes, she wouldn't have known the girl existed.
Noticing Emerald's deep thoughts, Alaric cleared his throat, drawing her attention. "She only stays at home for personal reasons," he explained, as if he had read Emerald's mind.
Emerald caught Jamilah's gaze on her. The girl's eyes were dark and filled with an emotion Emerald couldn't quite place—perhaps a mix of sadness and suspicion. It was understandable; the girl had just overheard a stranger suggesting replacing her mother. Emerald figured Jamilah's wariness came from the fact that this was their first meeting. Who would want an outsider in their family, especially under such circumstances?
Emerald gave Jamilah a small, reassuring smile before turning back to Alaric. "Mr. Corrigan, I hope you'll consider what I said earlier. I need to leave now; it's getting late. Please take care of them," she urged. She then quickly said goodbye to James and offered Jamilah another smile, though the little girl did not return it.
As Emerald made her way out of the house, Alaric followed her to the car. The night wind was chilly, adding a cool edge to the evening. Alaric's figure approached under the streetlamp, his shadow stretching across the ground and making her already slender silhouette seem even longer.
"Wait, Ms. Greene..." Alaric's voice was calm and cold against the night breeze.
Emerald reached for the car handle, but suddenly, a large hand from behind stopped her. The warmth of Alaric's palm, rough with calluses, contrasted sharply with her smooth skin.
As the night wind swirled around them, Alaric stepped closer, gently but firmly pressing Emerald against the side of the car. His dark eyes locked onto hers, holding a deep, unreadable expression.
"Ms. Greene," he began, his voice low and intense, "I want to do something tonight…"
Emerald immediately reached out to cover her lips, shaking her head in refusal. "No. I have to go, Mr. Corrigan," she said firmly, trying to step away. But Alaric stopped her, gently taking her hand, a small, mischievous smile tugging at his lips.
"What I mean is, it's late, and I want to take you home."
Emerald's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as his words sank in. She felt the heat spreading from her arms to her face. Why didn't he just say that from the start? Why did he have to be so ambiguous?
"Thank you, Mr. Corrigan, but no. I'm your son's teacher, and if we continue this kind of connection, I might lose my job," she calmly declined, pulling her hand back.
"It's late. You should rest too," she added before quickly getting into her car and driving away from Alaric's mansion.
That night, Emerald couldn't sleep well. She was plagued by nightmares, and the fall she took the previous day made her knees and legs ache even more. However, her pain didn't deter her from her responsibilities. She went to work the next day, as dedicated as ever to her job as a teacher. It was one of the reasons why her co-teachers and even the principal admired her so much.
In the quiet afternoon, Emerald sat beside James's bed in their classroom, patiently coaxing him to sleep. After a while, she heard Teacher Iris's voice coming from outside the classroom.
"I'm so mad at what your ex did to you!" Iris exclaimed, but Emerald ignored her, focusing all her attention on James.
"Let it go, Iris. That was a long time ago. Right now, I just want to save up for myself," Emerald replied calmly.
Once James was asleep, Emerald returned to her desk and began writing. A little later, Iris snatched the pen from her hand and shoved a mobile phone into her grasp, her voice filled with anger.
"Look what that scumbag did behind your back!"
Emerald's eyes fell on the news article Iris had pulled up on her phone. She scanned through it, her heart sinking as she realized what Iris was trying to show her.
Emerald stared at the news article on her phone, the headline announcing Ethan's engagement to Samantha Valentine. The photo below showed Ethan, her ex-boyfriend, with Samantha—her former best friend—surrounded by their families, all looking relaxed and content. Seeing Ethan smiling as he gently tucked a strand of hair behind Samantha's ear sparked irritation in Emerald.
"The nerve of him! You were together for three years, and he never even proposed to you! Yet, with that snake of a best friend, it only took a few weeks for them to get engaged!" Iris exclaimed, her voice rising in anger. She was still furious over how Ethan had treated Emerald, and her loud voice snapped Emerald back to reality.
Emerald sighed and zoomed in on the picture, focusing on Ethan's face. A wave of annoyance washed over her as she took in his broad, carefree smile. It was as if he had never been happier in his life.
"Correction, ex-best friend. And do you really think I'd go back to that guy? Let it go," Emerald replied, trying to brush off the situation, but Iris wasn't ready to let it go.
"I just feel sorry for you. You gave him your all, and in the end, he dumped you and got engaged to someone else. Doesn't that hurt? Aren't you sad?"
Emerald's eyes drifted away from Ethan's face to another man in the photo, a handsome and seemingly elegant figure. There was something familiar about him that she couldn't quite place.
"Not really. It doesn't hurt anymore. I'm happy, Iris. Believe me," Emerald said, trying to reassure her friend.
That evening, Emerald returned home, took a brief rest, ate dinner, and watched a movie to unwind. As night fell, she was in the shower when she heard her phone ringing. Sighing, she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and answered the call.
"Mom…"