The girl was so shocked that she immediately backed away. "Don't be angry, Mr. Bonston. I'll get out of your hair now."
The celebrity left, along with the other women in the room.
Only Terence and his friends were left.
Nathan suddenly regretted letting his joke get out of hand. But it wasn't like he'd never cracked such jokes in the past.
It was just that Emma used to behave like a scared little lamb.
She would have never dared to say what she just said, let alone leave them hanging like this.
That day, however …
"Terence, should we ask Emma o come back and explain that it was just a joke? Emma is a very capable worker. She probably didn't mean to leave. Maybe she's just tired, and that's why she's a little grumpy today."
Terences’ cold smile returned. He said, "I don't need her to be a manager at my company. Mr. Hades can have her if he wants to."
Mr. Hades just chuckled sheepishly. He suddenly didn't know how to respond to Terence’s words.
If he still couldn't tell that there had been something between Terence and Emma by now, he would have to be sillier than a sack of rocks.
"I was just joking, Mr. Bonston. Who would dare to snatch someone from under your nose?"
But however, his words didn't manage to soothe Terence . Instead, it made him even angrier.
What he said was right. Nobody would dare to snatch someone from under his nose. But it was obvious that the certain someone no longer wanted to stay with him anymore.
…
Emma exited the bar and took a cab home to her apartment house.
Ever since her brother had been admitted to the hospital three years ago, Emma had seldom returned to this home.
Her father, Ben Robert had always had a bad temper. He also had a drinking problem and would often beat Emma and her brother up ever since their mother passed away.
Her brother had always asked them to leave the mansion many times. But Emma just didn't have the heart to do it.
It wasn't until three years ago, when She went to pick up a drunk and raging Ben Robert from the bar, that they got into a huge fight that ended with him pushing her out of the car.
Since then, he had only become worse. He wouldn't go home for days, and when he did, he would be deadly drunk.
And eventually, he married a second wife. It wasn’t up to a month when their step mother chased her out of the house.
Her dad died that month and her brother was also involved in an accident.
She crawled back to her stepmother for help but she ended up getting ignored until she was helped by Mr. Terence Bonston.
She entered her home and felt it empty. This home had suddenly become a grave yard to her since her brother went into comma.
Most times, she spend her night at Terence’s suite. This place brings bad memories to her and she preferred staying with Mr. Bonston every night.
But it seems that has to end now as well.
All of a sudden, she felt a huge urge to throw up. She hurriedly suppressed the nausea and rushed down the stairs.
It wasn't until she was back on the ground again that the nausea went away.
Emma hurried out of the neighborhood and went to a hotel nearby instead.
After taking a shower, she took out her phone and sent a text message to her best friend, Susan.
"Are you working tomorrow? Can you arrange a checkup for me?"
Susan replied to her message at once. "Are you feeling ill?"
Emma hesitated for a moment before replying. "I think I'm expecting a child."
Susan called her the next instant. "Oh, my Goodness! Oh, my Goodness! You’re joking right? What's up with you? Did you get yourself a new boyfriend?"
Emma looked up at the ceiling and hesitated again. "No."
"No? Then how did you get expecting? Don't tell me you got it from a night affair! Emma, you've changed! You're not the good girl I used to know anymore!"
Susan fake-sobbed.
Emma smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, stop acting like that. Can you arrange a checkup for me?"
"No, wait, you haven't told me about your situation."
After thinking for a while, Emma finally replied, "He's a longtime bed partner of mine."
"Does he know you're expecting?"
"I'm not planning to tell him."
"Emma, don't be silly! You don't have to shoulder everything by yourself! Getting expecting is a huge thing. Since that man put a baby in you, he should be held responsible for this incident!"
Emma fell silent once more. "I'm planning to end things with him."
Susan got mad when she heard that. She finally couldn't hold it in and cursed, "I hope his little brother falls off!"
Emma laughed. That was Susan for you.
Susan felt a little better after she cursed Terence’s . Then, she came back to the main topic.
"So, I'm guessing you don't want this baby. Do you want me to arrange for a procedure after your checkup tomorrow?"
Emma wasn’t sure. She rubbed her belly and suppressed the pain in her heart. "Okay," she said, a single tear sliding down her face.
She felt guilty about the baby. But she had nothing to her name, which meant she also had nothing to give to her baby.
She couldn't keep him. She didn't dare to.
She was just a regular girl from a regular family. She didn't want her baby to be called an illegitimate child for the rest of its life.
There was also no way that Terence would ever acknowledge it. He wouldn't give her a chance to tie him down, whether with love, a family, or a baby.
Mr. Terence would never allow it.
Emma closed her eyes and wiped the tears away from the corner of her eyes.
…
It was in the dark of the night, and Emma couldn't sleep well at all.
She suddenly found herself dreaming.
She dreamed that she was a little girl again when her mother was still with her. She followed her everywhere she went.
One of the places they stayed at the longest was a fishing village by the riverside.
That was the first time she ever laid eyes on him.
Terence asn't as dark or grim as he was now. Back then, he used to look like a porcelain doll with pretty eyes.
She learned later that he was there because he was receiving treatment and recovering from an illness.
Maybe the recovery process was painful or uncomfortable for him, but he was often found sitting on the riverbank weeping silently to himself.
Whenever she saw him there, she would bring him a lollipop to cheer him up.
At first, Terence refused to acknowledge her presence.
Eventually, he would climb up the fence at her house and call her by the name he learned from observing everyone around her. "Love!"
And much later, he was then taken away by a group of people, most probably because he'd recovered completely.
Just before he left, he had promised her that he would come looking for her. However, that was the last time she saw him for a long time.
The next time they met, ten years later, was a complete coincidence.
On her 17th birthday, Emma had lost her bracelet at the beach and went there to find it.
Emma recognized Terence’s at once when she went to the beach.
He was now 19 years old. He wasn't as naive or babyfaced as last time. Instead, he looked dark and broody.
When she saw him, he was marching straight into the raging sea with fierce waves lapping at his body.
Without thinking, she ran toward him and grabbed at him, trying to stop him.
Terence turned around with a stare so cold and murderous that it didn't seem appropriate for someone his age.
Emma was so shocked that she stumbled backward.
He then cackled loudly and continued walking toward the middle of the sea. "The easiest thing to do in the world is die!"
She screamed at him, making him stop in his steps.
However, just then, a huge wave crashed on her and swept her off her feet. She lost her balance and was immediately submerged underwater.
She couldn't remember what it felt like anymore. She did remember struggling, but no matter how she struggled, she just couldn't find anything to grab onto. She was terrified.
Just as she was starting to lose consciousness, she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves around her waist.
She then broke through the water and found herself floating in the sea. Through her blurry vision, she could see his cold eyes staring at her.
She didn't know how he brought her back to shore, but the next time she opened her eyes again, she could see his cold, emotionless eyes glaring at her.
"You can't even save yourself, yet you still want to meddle in other people's matters of life and death."
He then got up and left.
"Terence Bonston!"
Emma cried out, instantly waking up from her dream.
She opened her eyes and saw her phone ringing next to her. It was a call from Susan.
"I've arranged a slot for you for the procedure. Don't eat or drink anything from now till then, not even water."
Emma recollected her wits before answering Susan with a hum. However, she felt a numb feeling in her heart.
This was a child she had with Hades, after all. He was someone she'd had a crush on for many years.
However, she also knew that she couldn't possibly keep the baby. It wasn't because she was afraid of her life, but it was because she knew the longer she kept the baby, the harder it was to say goodbye.
…