"Your friend threatened me to come here," Daniel pointed out coldly though Emma could hear the sneer hidden beneath his words.
Emma's eyes immediately darted towards Vanessa, narrowing. "You invited him?"
Vanessa flinched almost imperceptibly. Being her sidekick for so long, Vanessa identified Emma's emotions well and understood she was genuinely upset- the cold, simmering rage that came with disastrous consequences.
Wearing a smile on her face, Vanessa tried to explain in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.
"I thought you will be happy to see him today. He is your boyfriend after all. The kids went a little overboards. I will scold them for you. Surely you wouldn't hold it against me, right?"
Emma raised one of her brows. "So, you know he is my boyfriend?"
Tension in the air thickened. People shifted uncomfortably, sensing the change in mood.
Her calm yet intimidating voice then followed.
"Then tell me something..." she paused, letting her gaze sweep across the room, "is my boyfriend some trash like you all can put your hands on?"
The smile on Vanessa's face trembled. "Why are you being like this, Emma? It is just a simple joke. I am sure Daniel doesn't mind."
The one with the bottle of champagne bottle in his hand reached out to hold Emma's arm to salvage the situation and said, "Emma, hear me out-"
Emma shoved his hand away from her arm and then faced Daniel.
"What do you want to do with them? I am sorry. Because of me, you had to face this situation. That's why, don't be afraid to offend them, and let me know what you want," Emma softly said.
Daniel's eyes paused at her. The Emma he knew was self-centered and impulsive. Her considerate tone brought surprise in him.
She inhaled sharply.
"Whether you want to pursue legal actions, have them apologize to you on their knees, or punish them privately, anything is possible."
Before he could speak, a loud, violent crash shattered the silence. It was from the champagne bottle crashed against the marble table top. Everyone grew startled and shifted their focus in alarm towards Liam.
His breathing was erratic, chest rising and falling. Rage blazed in his bloodshot eyes.
Liam held the broken glass bottle in his hand and yelled, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Then, he quickly lunged forward to attack Emma with the broken champagne bottle. His eyes were tinted red, and his emotions went out of control.
Emma froze, awaiting the pain, when a figure stepped in front of her, protecting her.
She watched as the sharp glass pierced through Daniel's arm. Crimson blood began to soak through his white sleeve.
Liam's hand trembled when Daniel calmly removed the glass bottle from his hand the next second and flung it away. He wore a slight grimace on his face. His jaw tightened.
"Liam, what are you doing!?"
"Have you lost it?"
"Emma, are you alright?"
A flurry of voices broke out as the shock finally wore off.
Vanessa moved forward, about to comfort Emma when she brushed her hand away.
She held on to Daniel's hand and took a closer look to examine his wound. Her hand shook, and nausea overcame her. Her stomach twisted in knots due to anxiety.
"How can you block that for me?" Emma's unsteady voice came out. "H-Hospital, I will take you to the h-hospital."
Daniel removed his hand from her grip.
"There is no need for that," Daniel spoke out.
Emma regained her composure and firmly said, "I will have my driver take you there. After all, you got hurt protecting me."
Under Emma's resolute eyes, Daniel had to nod.
Emma wasted no time. She stepped aside and called her driver, instructing him to accompany Daniel straight to the hospital. As soon as Daniel disappeared through the door, her entire demeanor shifted. Gone was
The sharp pair of brown eyes locked on Vanessa.
She reduced the distance between them- her heels giving her the advantage of height to look down on him.
"Are you going to take the responsibility for the trouble caused?" Emma's icy voice fell.
"I am sorry. I didn't expect things to go so far," Vanessa trembling, apologetic voice came. "I will visit Daniel and apologize to him on my knees. As long as you-"
Before Vanessa could carry on, Liam stepped forward, standing in front of Vanessa as if to shield her. He wore a disgruntled expression on his face.
"What are you apologizing for?" Liam interrupted. "Do you realize how embarrassing that street rat boyfriend of yours is? And now, you are throwing a tantrum over him. Get it straight, Emma. You are not all that."
Emma clenched her hand into a tight fist.
Looking at Liam ignited disgust within her.
He was the child from Gu's branch family. However, after his father passed away protecting James, James adopted him as his son.
In a show of gratitude, James are partial towards Liam. No matter what indiscretion he created, James would be there to clean them up, in a way spoiling him more and making him realize he could get away with anything.
However, Liam's heart was deviated towards Vanessa. In her previous life, he sank entire Gu Family's business for the sake of Vanessa.
Other than that, he humiliated and attacked her multiple times, treating her like a circus along with his companions. At the request of Vanessa, he broke her legs, decapicitated her, and watched her struggle on the ground for fun.
The arrogance in Liam's eyes was strong when he brought the pocket knife broken bottle close to her face, about to touch her cheek. But Emma acted fast the next instant. Her heels connected against his stomach, knocking the air out of him.
The knife fell down from his hand, and he clutched his stomach. His anger filled eyes pinned on Emma.
"YOU!"
Emma bent down to pick up the knife. The tension in the room thickened, and everyone took a step back cautiously, not daring to fall under Emma's notice.
"Didn't Uncle Gu send you to the rehab the other day? Does he know you are here, snorting some shit again?" Emma asked.
"Shut the fuck up, you bitch!"
Before he could raise his hand, Emma brought the knife to his neck, dragging the sharp edge along his neck. The blade pierced through his skin. A trail of blood dripped down his neck.
Everyone's breath paused in their throat.