Chapter 24

"Sorry. Marlon. I'm just too wiped out todlay."

Emily looked at Marlon with a guilty expression.

Marlon gazed at Emily's red, tear-streaked eyes, feeling a deep ache in his heart.

"If you're this tired, why stay at the Rivera Group? Come work for me at the Hughes Group. We will always welcome you!" Marlon said gently.

"Actually, I've already submitted my resignation, but I can't leave just yet."

"Why not?" Marlon asked, puzzled.

"Because I need to finish this project first!" Emily shook her head helplessly.

Marlon was silent for a moment, understanding that Patrick was likely making things difficult on purpose. The project was highly challenging, even for a team of seasoned experts.

"How about I talk to Patrick?"

"No need!" Emily blurted out, picturing Patrick's grim face and the scene of them arguing over her. She shook her head repeatedly.

Seeing Marlon's low spirits, Emily changed the subject.

"Did you come to see me for something important?" Emily looked at

him curiously.

"Yeah. I almost forgot! It's too crowded here. Can we talk somewhere else?" Marlon said seriously.

"Sure."

After a brief thought, Emnily led Marlon to a nearby café. Marlon had hoped to chat at her place, feeling a bit disappointed but understanding Emily's caution.

Sitting in a corner of the café, Marlon handed over some documents.

"I had a friend abroad dig up some information on Shirley. You'll be shocked when you see this!"

Marlon said confidently. Shirley had hurt Emily multiple times, and he couldn't stand it any longer.

Emily took the documents, puzzled, as Marlon continued:

"She claims to be an executive at MD Company,but she only interned there for a few months. She also said she graduated from Evergreen University, there's no record of her. She likely dropped out."

Emily was genuinely surprised. That school was known for being lenient-you could get a diploma just by paying and meeting attendance requirements. The fact that she couldn't even manage that was truly unexpected.

"Moreover," Marlon lowered his voice,'"My friend found records at a black-market clinic abroad. She had an abortion."

Emily's hand trembled slightly. "Is that true?"

Marlon nodded firmly.′′Iconfirmed it. It's absolutely true."

Emily imagined Patrick's reaction to the news and found it amusing.

"If it were you, would you like a girl like that?" Emily asked casually while flipping through the documents.

Marlon nearly spat out his coffee."Of course not! I'd stay far away!"Marlon said emphatically.

"What if you didn't know at first?" Emily pressed.

"Still no. She's not my type!" Marlon responded sincerely.

Seeing his nervousness, Emily almost laughed, feeling relieved that not all men were as clueless as Patrick.

"Please don't tell Patrick about this yet!"

Emily knew the timing wasn't right. She needed to wait for the perfect moment to shut Shirley up.

"Do you mind if I keep these documents for now?" Emily asked tentatively.

"Of course not." Marlon handed over the document folder.

Lately, Marlon couldn't help but admire Emily's dedication to her work. But every time he tried to get closer, she pulled away. Oh well,he thought, let things take their course.

By the time they left the café, it was already late.

Emily thanked Marlon and walked into her place without looking back.

Marlon stayed in his car, watching until her lights turned on before reluctantly driving away.

Maybe it was Marlon's bombshell news, but Emily had her first good night's sleep in days.

Stretching, she checked her phone. It was past eight.

Emily quickly ate, washed up, did her makeup, and grabbed her document bag before driving to the office.

Her office was next to the conference room,so she rarely saw her colleagues, avoiding much gossip.

In a good mood, Emily had just sat down to dive into the project when she received a call from the rehab center with good news: "Hello, Miss. We retrieved the surveillance video. It confirms that the person who delivered something to your mother was a petite woman in sportswear. The video has been handed over to the police, and they'll find her soon," the staff member said excitedly.

"Got it. Thank you!" Emily's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

Just as she hung up, Shirley walked in.

"Do you need something?" Emily asked deliberately,hoping she'd walk into a trap.

"Can't I just drop by? Emily, everything here belongs to the Rivera Group!" Shirley said as she rifled through the papers on the desk.scattering them everywhere. "Are you here to pick a fight?"

Emily leaned in and whispered. "You better pray my mom and brother are safe. or I can't guarantee when the police will come for you!"

"Emily. I'm so scared!" Shirley taunted, showing no concern.

"You're really ignorant! Inciting, coercing. or deceiving someone into drug use is a crime. you know?" Emily said firmly.

"I didn't. What can you do to me?"

"Not much, except I have a video on my phone. The visitor looks a lot like you. Want to see?" Emily said disdainfully.

"I didn't do it. Your mom asked me to bring it! I was just the courier."Shirley stammered.

"Smuggling. selling, transporting, or manufacturing ddrugs are all punishable offenses. You're too naive."

Shirley fell silent. head down.

"What? Scared already? Take a look at this!" Emily laid Marlon's investigation report in front of her.

Shirley opened it in disbelief, her hands trembling even more.

"If you don't want Patrick to know about your abortion,you'd better behave yourself," Emily said with a hint of threat.

Shirley said, "Fine, no problem! Just remember what you said today."

Emily replied. "You don't have the right to negotiate with me yet."

Emily savored the satisfaction of delivering a harsh warning.

Shirley, who had come to see Emily embarrassed, left in a huff.feeling cornered.

Emily added, "Oh, by the way, I told Mr. Rivera that once the project is done. I'm resigning. So, if you have nothing else, just wish for the project's speedy completion."

"Really?" Shirley turned, full of doubt.

Emily said, "Yes."