So, this is all Emerald could think of.
She stood on tiptoes and spoke into the man's ear with an ambiguous and sultry tone, "Don't worry. Next time, I'll sleep with you as much as you want, and I'll make sure Mr. Corrigan returns home having a great time."
Emerald had no idea how her words affected Alaric. His eyes turned cold and deep. Suddenly, his hold on her waist loosened, and he let her go.
"I'll just wait for you then, Miss Greene," Alaric said calmly and turned away from her.
He quietly retrieved his coat and put it on. Before leaving, he turned back and gently stroked her cheek.
"Damn, Emerald. You know how hard it is for me, but I'm respecting your decision. I'm looking forward to your promise," Alaric stated with a dangerous look in his eyes.
His fingertips were hot, and the rough texture of his touch scraped against her cheek, causing a slight sting.
Emerald realized he was angry and couldn't help but feel guilty. He had helped her get rid of Ethan, and now she was letting him leave without offering anything in return.
The next day, Emerald was feeling restless, making Iris a bit worried. She had noticed Emerald seemed preoccupied and deep in thought.
"Ru, is it because that scumbag announced his engagement date that you've been so distracted today?" Iris asked.
Her distraction led others to mistakenly think she was upset over Ethan's engagement, while some people were concerned that someone else was happy.
Meanwhile, while Emerald was lost in her thoughts, Ariza seemed to be enjoying the situation. Ariza had always been a thorn in Emerald's side. Emerald was the last teacher hired at the school, and when the principal discovered her talent and patience with the children, they wanted to promote her immediately—something Ariza envied.
When news of Ethan's engagement came out, everyone else was comforting Emerald, but Ariza was the only one who seemed pleased.
"I've always said that dating requires a well-matched family, and as far as I know, Miss Greene's family is poor. Do you really think it's so easy to get into a wealthy family? You've been playing around for three years, and now you're tired of it. Ethan can find a rich woman to marry, and he deserves that. Miss Greene, I admire you very much. Yes, you still have the nerve to come to work," Ariza said, unable to hold back while seeing Emerald's miserable expression.
Emerald quickly turned her gaze to the arrogant teacher and forced a smile.
"Oh, please, Teacher Ariza, who is always following me wherever I go? You even sent Ethan your nude pictures every night before we broke up. Of the two of us, you should be the one ashamed for coming here while pretending to teach good morals to the children," Emerald responded calmly, giving her a dismissive look.
Ariza was stunned by what she heard and immediately felt embarrassed. Before she could respond, Emerald spoke again.
"I wanted to save some face for you, but since I am shameless, don't blame me if I lose my patience and strip you here now, especially since you like sending nude photos to every guy here," Emerald said.
Ariza's face turned pale. She couldn't believe Ethan had told Emerald about this! She thought only they knew because that was the promise the man made to her.
"Teacher Ariza, maybe you should use your face for making armor since it's so thick," Iris chimed in, which only angered Ariza further. She didn't expect the insult she had directed at Emerald to come back to her.
Fearful that Emerald would spread her pictures, Ariza decided to leave. However, in her irritation, she looked back at Emerald and mocked her.
"You know? You deserve to be deceived by Ethan. You deserve it because you have a boring and cold personality. You have no thrill in you!" she shouted before leaving.
Iris almost shouted back, but Ariza quickly distanced herself from them.
"Don't listen to her, Em. You know that's not true. You're the most beautiful person in our school," she reassured her friend.
Emerald shrugged it off, as she truly wasn't bothered by what Ariza said.
"I'm fine, Iris. Go ahead and work. We might get caught here chatting."
"I don't have any classes right now. Do you want me to stay with you?"
Emerald shook her head lazily. "No need. I can handle this."
As night fell and the stars began to twinkle, the campus lights were turned off one by one. Emerald spent most of the day in the craft room. By the time she left, it was already half past eight in the evening. The school behind her was silent, the lights dim in the distance, and she stood alone in the darkness, looking particularly lonely.
When she got into her car, she received a call. Upon seeing who it was, she answered immediately.
"Dad…"
"Ethan came to see you last night?" her father asked in his deep voice.
"Yes…"
"He's about to be engaged to your sister. No matter what he comes to do, I hope this is the last time. Pay attention to your own life, Em," he coldly instructed before hanging up.
"Sister, huh?" Emerald muttered bitterly.
How ridiculous! She thought the man who would first defend her in such situations had completely abandoned her. Samantha was bolder and had a higher career level than she did. She had once thought she was lucky to have met Samantha and become close with her, never imagining that Samantha would end up doing her harm.
Emerald thought there was nothing she could do about it since she was the illegitimate daughter. Why should she expect fair treatment from them?
She gripped the steering wheel tightly, feeling suffocated by the pain in her heart. As she scrolled through her phone absentmindedly, her eyes landed on James's father's profile picture. His face was like a sharp knife embedded in the ground, emitting a cold light in the dark night. It's not something you think about, but you know how sharp the part buried underground is. Just like him, he is strong and fierce.
She had assumed that after what she said to Alaric last night, he would call her the next day, but she was wrong. The most recent contact in the chat was still her saying the game was over. Most of the other records were room numbers or trivial messages like "I'm here."
There were no greetings, and they were even more distant than ordinary friends, despite the intimate things they had done. She wasn't interested in knowing his full identity, his friends, or his business, so she hadn't paid attention to those details.
Maybe she was too upset and needed something to lift her mood. She accidentally clicked on the sharp knife's profile, hoping to see what someone like him might post on FeBook. To her shock, after a moment of scrolling and two clicks, a line of text appeared at the bottom of the chat interface. She had accidentally typed the man's name and words she shouldn't have said and sent it before she could stop herself. She almost felt her soul leave her body. She quickly unsend the message and threw her phone onto the passenger seat. She started the car's engine, as if doing so would help her escape from her mistake.
A little later, she heard her phone ringing on the passenger seat, and a message popped up on the screen. Emerald glanced at it and saw clearly written:
Alaric:
Miss Greene, I saw it.
Emerald felt her face burning so much that even dipping it in cold water wouldn't make the heat disappear immediately. She didn't intend to reply, so she put the car in gear and tried to leave quickly.
The lights came on, and a person stood in the middle of the beam. The yellow halo outlined the man's straight and slender figure, with wide shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. This silhouette was so familiar.
It couldn't be a coincidence. Emerald tried to see who the man was more clearly, but before she could identify him, he waved what looked like a cellphone in front of her.
Of course, it was Alaric.
This was utterly embarrassing. She didn't know how she would escape! Why was he here? Emerald tried to drive away, but Alaric blocked her path, and her attempt to flee failed. Seeing the man approach with long strides, she had no choice but to lock the car door.
Alaric knocked on the car window. She looked out through the window. Alaric bent his fingers and gently pressed the window. The next moment, he raised his phone. The screen was horizontal, and a line of words was flashing on the memo.
[What do you want to see? Open the door, and I'll show you.]
Emerald's face flushed with intense embarrassment! She felt like she was burning up from the heat. She hadn't meant to type and send that message so impulsively! It was an accident!
She curled her toes, wishing she could dig a hole under the car and disappear. Seeing that she had no intention of opening the door, the man changed his words.
[Baby, come on. Open the door and let me in.]