Chapter 88
“What’s the plan? Tell me, I want in!” Helen said enthusiastically.
“Don’t worry, you’ll definitely be part of it,” Emily assured her.
“By the way, how did you get home last night?” Emily asked, shifting the focus to Helen after finishing her own
story.
“How else? I’d had a bit to drink, so I… uh… grabbed a cab, of course.” Helen avoided Emily’s gaze, her voice carrying a nervous edge.
“I’ll swing by the bar to pick up my car later today. As for those younger guys, I had already asked them to leave,” Helen added quickly, hoping to change the subject.
Emily nodded, accepting the explanation, and turned to grab the gift bag she had brought. Meanwhile, Helen paced nervously around the room, debating whether to tell Emily about her night with Zac.
She had only just found out Zac and Justin were friends. If she had known sooner, she wouldn’t have been so carefree about spending time with Zac at the seaside villa, exchanging contacts, or meeting him for dinners.
“What are you doing?” Emily asked as she came back into the room, spotting Helen spinning in circles.
“Me? Oh, nothing! Just, uh, exercising after eating,” Helen stammered, swinging her arms awkwardly and flashing a nervous grin.
“Here, this is for you,” Emily said, handing her the gift bag
Helen peeked inside, and the sparkle of a diamond bracelet immediately caught her eye. She gasped. “A diamond bracelet? Babe, did you hit the jackpot or something? This is so expensive!”
“I charged it to Justin’s card. If he’s going to break his promises, the least he can do is pay for it,” Emily said with a sly smile, motioning for Helen to check the other boxes.
“Say what you want about Justin being a jerk in relationships, but he does know how to spend money, commented, opening the rest of the boxes and marveling at the items inside.
” Helen
Emily stayed at Helen’s place through lunch, spending the afternoon chatting and organizing her clothes into a suitcase. As evening approached, she got up to leave.
“I’ll leave my suitcase here for now. When it’s time for me to leave, help me bring it along.”
Emily wanted to give Justin the impression she wasn’t planning to run away by leaving everything behind when the time came.
“Got it,” Helen agreed.
When Emily returned to Justin’s mansion, she handed the gift she had picked up for Mrs. Zimmer to her. “Thank you for taking care of me these past three years,” Emily said sincerely.
That evening, Justin didn’t come home, leaving Emily to dine alone. After finishing dinner, she decided to take advantage of his absence to search for the contract they had signed three years ago.
Switching on the lights in his room, she was surprised to find the previously empty wardrobe now filled with clothes. Without exception, the style remained the same as before. It was Emma’s preferred youthful and cutesy fashion.
“Ha.” Emily scoffed, her lips curling into a bitter smile as she averted her gaze.
7/2
Chapter 88
She rummaged through the bedside drawer and finally found the contract, its cover coated in dust from years of neglect. Using a wet wipe, she cleaned it off and flipped through the pages.
There were still two and a half months left. It was not a long time in theory, but to Emily, it felt like an eternity. She pulled out her phone and marked the contract’s expiration date on her calendar.
If Justin let her go as agreed, that would be ideal. But if he didn’t, she wouldn’t mind taking inspiration from those dramatic novel plots–faking her own death to escape.
Putting the contract back in the drawer, she turned off the lights and returned to the guest room.
Justin hadn’t been back to Villa One recently. “He’s likely staying with Emma,” Emily thought.
Emily felt relieved, enjoying her freedom. Her days were filled with shopping trips with Helen, visits to art exhibitions, or leisurely walks along the beach, where she mulled over possible ways to stage her own “death.”
She was afraid of water, so drowning at sea seemed like a logical choice. With the vastness of the ocean, a missing body wouldn’t raise suspicion.
