Chapter 67

Emily stepped out of the restroom and caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. 'Shirley? Is this some lingering grudge? How do I manage to bump into her everywhere?' She thought.

She lowered her head slightly, not wanting to make eye contact. Shirley was like a bad penny - she just keeps turning up. Just as she turned to leave. Shirley spotted her.

Emily had no choice but to pretend she hadn't seen her and attempted to walk past.

"Emily?!" Shirley crossed her arms, eyeing Emily's completely different style of dress with a frown. "Looks like you have reverted to your original self after leaving the Rivera Corporation? Not even wearing high heels anymore? What,can't afford them now?"

Shirley's taunts couldn't hurt Emily. Even without high heels, she held her head high, casting a condescending glance at Shirley. Then she rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

Used to being domineering, Shirley couldn't stand being disrespected by a jobless young woman. She grabbed Emily's arm, nearly pushing her over.

"You shameless woman! If it weren't for you, I would have married Mr.Rivera by now!" Shirley whispered, unable to hold back her true feelings.

Emily sidestepped and shot her a glance. "Shirley, what do you want? Don't you know there are surveillance cameras all over this mall? You need to take responsibility for your actions. I heard you made a mistake and got kicked out of the Rivera family. What difference is there between you and me now? Do you still think you're superior?"

Fueled by resentment. Shirley didn't care about the consequences.She lunged forward, grabbing Emily's hair and angrily exclaimed. "It's all your fault that I had to leave the old house! I can't believe how disrespectful you are being, you shameless harlot!"

But before she could secure her grip. Emily and Melissa seized her.Although Melissa was often unwell, Shirley was no powerhouse either.Two against one, it was hard not to win.

Shirley, flustered, glanced at her dress as the strap slipped down.Covering her chest, she glared at Melissa and Emily. "Such dirty tactics! Resorting to violence when you can't win, huh?"

Melissa disdainfully pulled out a pack of wet wipes, wiping her hands while sizing Shirley up. "What a foul smell! What's wrong with this mall?Why are they letting just anyone in?"

"How dare you insult me?!" Shirley pointed angrily at Melissa.

Melissa stepped forward, causing Shirley to retract her finger in an instant.

"Emily, I'm not here to fight with you. I have something to discuss. This city isn't too big or too small, but it's still easy to run into each other."

"There are some issues I want to discuss face-to-face. No fighting!"

Shirley felt that the spot where Melissa had grabbed her hair was likely going bald. Now, she felt a draft on her head.

Emily shot her an annoyed glance. "We have nothing to discuss. There's no need to waste time between us. If you have something to say, go talk to Mr. Rivera!"

Seeing Emily about to walk away, Shirley noticed a cleaning bucket by the

restroom door,half-filled with water.

In a few quick steps, she moved past Emily,positioning herself in the corridor. Then, while kicking over the bucket, she held onto Emily's arm tightly. Melissa rushed over, trying to separate them, but the two of them were too strong. The water was slippery, likely due to the floor cleaner added by the janitor.

Emily suddenly felt her footing slip. Instinctively, she reached for anything nearby to grab onto, managing to avoid falling hard onto the floor.

Emily's sudden stumble startled Melissa, who quickly pushed Shirley away and hurriedly checked on Emily. Seeing herface turn pale and cold sweat beads at her temples, Melissa panicked.

She quickly took out her phone to call for an ambulance. Noticing Shirley trying to leave as if nothing had happened. Melissa shouted, "Shirley! Are you just going to walk away after injuring someone? There are witnesses all around! And surveillance! I'm going to record this right now! Anyone who dares delete the footage is guilty of harboring a criminal!"

Melissa's voice was loud, attracting the attention of many people passing by the restroom. Some even took out their phones to record the scuffle.

Seeing Emily sitting on the ground without getting up, and noticing her loose-fitting clothes, onlookers began to whisper.

"Isn't this the original wife fighting the mistress?"

"I don't think so; the girl on the ground looks more like the original wife."

"The one sitting down looks pregnant, doesn't she?"

"Seems like women fight over men. Both of them are so beautiful; too bad

I don't have that kind of luck."

"If I had such beautiful women fighting over me. I'd wake up laughing in my sleep."

Melissa couldn't care less about what the onlookers were saying. She was too afraid to move Emily, just hoping the paramedics would arrive soon.

Emily was also afraid to move. Leaning against Melissa, she silently prayed for the baby in her belly.

Before long, her phone vibrated again. By this time, Emily was drenched in cold sweat and had no energy to answer.

After hanging up twice, Melissa finally managed to connect. "Emily, are you home? Don't misunderstand. I called because you went to the hospital today. All employees of Hughes Corporation can use medical insurance,so if you organize your medical bills, you can get reimbursed by the finance department."

"Hello? Emily? Can you hear me?" Not receiving a response from the other end. Marlon grew anxious and asked again.

"Hello, I'm Melissa, Emily's best friend. Emily had a little accident,and the paramedics should arrive in about five minutes. Don't worry. I'll help her take a leave of absence. She'll likely call you tomorrow when she wakes up to explain the situation herself."

"What? What happened to Emily?" Marlon was taken aback.

He wanted to ask more, but Melissa hung up the phone.

When Marlon rushed to the emergency center, he saw a girl quietly wiping her tears outside the rescue room.

"I'm Melissa, her friend," she said, a bit embarrassed. "I've hated hospitals since I was a kid. They scare me. And thinking of Emily in there alone makes it worse."

Marlon watched her,feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

His phone rang. and he answered, "How's the investigation? We need more surveillance footage. Make sure no one messes with it. Tell the mall if they delete anything, they'll have the Hughes Group to deal with."

The clock ticked away, the operating room light stayed on, the sky outside darkened, and the smell of disinfectant filled the air. Melissa paced the corridor,anxiety written all over her face.

Marlon sat on a bench, trying to appear calm, but he kept checking his watch.

He wanted to protect Emily, but the right moment hadn't come yet.

In the corridor, Melissa and Marlon waited anxiously. Inside, the lead doctor worked methodically. Finally, the surgery was over, and the light in the operating room dimmed.

Marlon jumped up as the door opened. He grabbed the doctor's hand,"Was the surgery successful? How is she?"

The doctor nodded, "The surgery went smoothly. She's out of danger."Marlon sighed in relief. Melissa looked at his anxious expression and thought to herself. 'Why is Marlon more worried about Emily than I am? I've never heard Emily mention him. When she wakes up, I need to ask her about him.

Seeing Emily being wheeled out of the operating room with a pale face made Melissa's heart leap into her throat.

Emily was moved to a private room, thanks to Marlon. Melissa sat beside her,listening to the dripping sound of the heart monitor. She couldn't shake the feeling that she hadn't performed well in the mall today.

Marlon leaned against the wall,saring at the ceiling, hands in his pockets,waiting for updates from his team. Not long after, he received feedback from the mall. Unfortunately, the surveillance cameras in the mall malfunctioned.