The dinner was held at an exclusive country club, the kind of place Emily had only seen in movies. She felt out of place among the elegant gowns and polished manners, her anxiety bubbling just beneath the surface.
Margaret greeted her warmly, oblivious to Emily's discomfort. "You look stunning, my dear," she said, guiding her to the table where Roberto was already seated.
Roberto's eyes widened slightly as he saw her, but he quickly masked his surprise with a neutral expression. Emily avoided his gaze, focusing instead on Margaret's chatter.
The evening was a test of endurance. The other guests, all wealthy elites, peppered Emily with thinly veiled questions about her background. She did her best to deflect, but the judgment in their eyes was palpable.
Roberto, watching the interactions unfold, felt an unexpected pang of protectiveness. He hated seeing Emily so out of place, yet he couldn't bring himself to intervene.
---
As the dinner wound down, Margaret leaned toward Roberto with a knowing smile.
"She's quite remarkable, isn't she?" she said, gesturing toward Emily. "But you might want to ask her about her father's recent dealings. I overheard something tonight that didn't sit right."
Roberto froze, his eyes narrowing. "What are you talking about?"
Margaret's smile faded. "You didn't know? Her family's been in some trouble recently. I thought you'd be aware."
Emily, overhearing the exchange, felt her blood run cold. Margaret's misunderstanding was about to unravel everything—and she wasn't sure she could stop it.
Roberto sat across from her, his expression unreadable. He had been silent most of the evening, offering only curt responses to his grandmother's occasional remarks. Every so often, his eyes would flicker to Emily, lingering just long enough to unsettle her.
"Emily, dear," one of the guests—a tall, elegantly dressed woman with an air of superiority—began. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure. Margaret says your father is a prominent businessman?"
Emily's stomach churned. She swallowed hard, her mind racing for a response. "Oh, um… he's… involved in community projects back home."
Margaret, seated at the head of the table, smiled approvingly. "Such a modest young woman. A rarity these days."
The compliment only deepened Emily's guilt. She had never intended to deceive anyone, but Margaret's assumption about her background had taken on a life of its own. To correc
Emily excused herself as soon as she could, retreating to the terrace to catch her breath. The cool night air was a welcome relief from the stifling tension inside. She leaned against the railing, her hands trembling as she tried to collect herself.
Behind her, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"Emily," Roberto's voice cut through the night, sharp and commanding.
She stiffened but didn't face him. "I thought you'd be inside, enjoying the company of your elite guests."
His footsteps stopped a few feet away. "I don't appreciate sarcasm, especially not after what I just heard."
Emily turned slowly, her face pale but resolute. "And what exactly did you hear, Roberto?"
His eyes narrowed, his hands sliding into the pockets of his tailored trousers. "Don't play coy. My grandmother seems to think there's more to your story than you've let on. Care to explain?"
Emily's jaw tightened. "I don't owe you—or her—an explanation about my life."
His laugh was humorless. "Considering the position you're in, I'd say you do. Or should I start investigating myself?"
The threat hung in the air, heavy and unspoken. Emily's chest tightened with a mix of fear and anger. She stepped closer, her voice trembling but defiant.
"I don't know what you think you'll find, but I promise you this—my past is none of your business. And if you can't respect that, then maybe you're not as different from the rest of them as I thought."
For a moment, Roberto's mask slipped, and something raw flickered in his eyes. But just as quickly, he recovered, his expression hardening.
"Be careful, Emily," he said quietly, his tone low and dangerous. "Secrets have a way of catching up with you."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Emily standing alone on the terrace, her heart racing and her mind swirling with a thousand unanswered questions.
Later that night, Roberto sat in his office, a glass of whiskey in hand as he stared at his computer screen. His instincts told him that Emily was hiding something, and he couldn't shake the need to know the truth.
He typed her name into his private database, the cursor blinking as he hesitated. Part of him felt guilty for invading her privacy, but another part—the part that had built an empire on uncovering truths—refused to back down.
When the search results appeared, his eyes scanned the screen, his expression darkening with each line he read. The final entry made his blood run cold.
"Emily Dowandas," he murmured, his voice barely audible. "What have you been hiding?"
The screen's glow illuminated his face as he leaned back in his chair, the pieces of the puzzle beginning to fall into place.
Emily's secret was tied to her family's financial struggles and a false assumption about her background. Her father, far from being an influential businessman as Margaret believed, was actually struggling to keep his small, debt-ridden community business afloat. Worse, her family had been embroiled in a legal scandal back in her hometown—a lawsuit accusing her father of defaulting on loans from powerful figures.
The lawsuit had caused whispers and stigma in her town, forcing Emily to leave and rebuild her life in the city. She had carefully avoided talking about her past to avoid judgment and protect her family from further humiliation.
When Roberto dug into her background, he uncovered:
Emily's father was entangled in a dispute over debts owed to a group of local elites, including one man known for ruthless tactics.
One of the creditors was linked to a rival business entity that had tried to sabotage Roberto's company in the past. This discovery made Roberto question whether Emily's presence in his life was coincidental or deliberate.
The supposed "elite" background Margaret had assumed was nowhere to be found. Instead, Roberto found records of Emily's humble upbringing, contradicting the image Margaret painted of her.
This information left Roberto conflicted. On one hand, Emily seemed genuine and innocent, but the link between her family's troubles and his business enemies raised a chilling possibility: Could she have been planted in his life to destroy him?
The secret left Roberto with more questions than answers—and a growing sense of betrayal. Meanwhile, Emily had no idea about what was going on.