Emily stared into the man's light blue depths, filled with an irresistible allure.
From his eyes, she knew she was in trouble.
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's find somewhere else," she said, feeling helpless.
....
At the coffee shop.
Silence, Silence. And more silence...
Emily narrowed her eyes, glaring at the man sitting across from her, as if she could bore holes into him with her gaze.
Kenneth, on the other hand, leisurely sipped his coffee.
Just a while ago in the library, he was eager to know why Julia wanted to have a child, but now he remained silent.
It seemed he expected Kenneth to speak eventually, especially since he had leverage over her.
"What did I ever do to you? Why are you treating me like this?" Emilly finally broke the silence.
Kenneth let out a cold chuckle, took another sip of his coffee, and slowly placed the cup back on the table.
"Just curious."
Kenneth couldn't help but roll her eyes. "If I tell you, will you delete the photos?"
"No problem."
Emily sighed deeply. "I'm married."
Kenneth wasn't surprised at all by what he heard. Of course, he knew she was married—he was her husband!
"Oh, your man can't satisfy you?" he asked with a smirk.
Kenneth lowered her head shyly. "You slept with me last night... You should know, it was my first time, so my husband and I..."
"Then why do you want to have a baby?"
Kenneth pondered for a moment.
"A fortune teller said our family needs a child to ward off bad luck. So, I have to get pregnant within a year."
Kenneth scrutinized Emily's clear, bright eyes. Despite their clarity, he still found her explanation a bit
dubious.
"You believe in that superstitious nonsense?"
"Believe it or not, it's up to you," she replied.
"To ward off bad luck? Is someone in your family dying?"
As soon as Kenneth uttered the word "dying," Emily slammed her hand on the table, her face turning pale with anger. "Shut up!"
Kenneth instinctively looked at Emily. She seemed so delicate and fragile, but in that moment, he saw a
stubborn look in her eyes.
Emily realized she had overreacted to the word "dying" and quickly turned her head away.
"Anyway, it's very important to me. I have to have a baby within a year," she insisted.
"Then why don't you ask your husband?" Kenneth questioned.
"My husband?" Emily turned back to him, looking incredulous. "That balding old man? I don't even know if he can have kids!"
"Balding old man?"
Kenneth instinctively reached up and touched his hair. He wasn't balding! His hair was perfectly healthy and stylish! Why would she say that?
Thinking back, on the day of the marriage registration, he had gone golfing with Lionel. His secretary, Dorris, and the family butler, Maurus, had handled the paperwork.
Maurus, who was in his fifties and indeed balding, must have been mistaken for him.
Emily knocked on the table, snapping Kenneth back to reality. "If I told you that I haven't seen my husband even once in the year we've been married, would you believe me?
Kenneth certainly believed her. If she had seen him, they wouldn't be sitting here talking!
"That's hard to believe," he replied, feigning skepticism.
Emily shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't believe me, but I've honestly never met him. I don't even know his name. At the wedding registration, my only job was to provide my own documents and sign my
name. I was just about to sneak a peek at my new husband's name when that detestable secretary snatched the certificate away."
Kenneth silently thought, "Well done, Dorris."
"Oh."
"And then, they dumped me in a villa and left me
alone."
"Oh, and why would they do that?" Kenneth asked, pretending not to know the answer.
Emily stroked her chin thoughtfully. "My guess is he's probably too ugly and afraid for me to see him. Or maybe he's impotent and ashamed of it. Or perhaps I was
married off to him as a good-luck charm while he was on his deathbed."
Each word left a sour taste in Emily's mouth, but he couldn't refute it.
He had a devilishly handsome face! He was powerful and could last all night! How could he possibly be impotent?
"Well, maybe there are other reasons," Kenneth said with a dry laugh.
"You see? My life is a total tragedy! So please, just let me go," Emily immediately grabbed Kenneth's hand, looking at him with pitiful eyes, tears almost spilling out.
For a professionally trained actress like her, this level of skill was practically a requirement.
Seeing her heart-wrenchingly pitiful expression, Royce felt his own heartbeat skip. This girl... she really knew how to pull at a man's heartstrings.
"I've told you everything, so... will you delete the
photos now?" Emily pleaded.
Kenneth cleared his throat. "I can delete them," he said. "But you have to promise me one thing."
Emily's expression changed instantly. "Don't push your luck. I told you everything you wanted to know. You promised to delete them once I did!"
Kenneth waved his phone. "I hold all the cards here. I know you weren't telling me the whole truth, but frankly, I'm not interested anymore."
"You—" Emily gritted her teeth. This man was really difficult to deal with. "Fine, what's your condition? Say it!"
Kenneth smirked. "Let me sleep with you one more time."
"You shameless pig!" Julia wanted nothing more than to slap that infuriatingly handsome face.
"Me, shameless? You're a married woman who went out looking for a man to take to bed. Don't you think that's shameless? I'm not married. What's so wrong with me finding a woman for the night?"
"You—"
Emily was on the verge of losing her mind. She regretted her decisions so deeply that it felt like her insides were twisting.
People always said you
couldn't trust a beautiful woman, but a handsome man was even worse!
"Anyway, you've already cheated on your husband once. What's one more time?" Kenneth said, giving her a sly, sideways glance.
He wanted to see if she would dare to cheat on him again.
"No way! I have principles. Sleeping with you was a last resort; it was to have a baby!"
"Is there a difference? Besides, what if you didn't get pregnant? We might as well try again tonight. Who knows, it might work this time."Kenneth winked.
Emily bit her lip.
Honestly, she couldn't bring herself to do it a second time. Her conscience wouldn't allow it.
"Take your time. I'm in no rush," Kenneth said, leaning back on the couch and sipping his coffee.
Time ticked away, second by second.
Emily's mind was in turmoil.
If Kenneth Butler didn't delete those photos, if they got out, her life would be ruined.
If she were just an ordinary person, it might not matter as much. But she was going to be an actress. Photos like that could destroy her career
and reputation completely.
But if she slept with him again, her conscience would never forgive her.
After all, the reason she needed to have a baby was...
"I..."
Just as Kenneth was about to speak, her phone rang
urgently.
"Let me take this call first." Julia pressed the answer button, "Hello?"
"What did you say?" My husband is coming home?!"