Sitting on the couch, Emery had her eyes glued to me as though she was afraid I would disappear into thin air the moment she tried to blink her eyes.
Not used to it, I shot her an apologetic smile, hoping she would stop. After I handed over the tea to them, I asked, “How have you been over the years?”
At my question, Emery placed her cup aside without a second thought. Nodding to indicate everything was fine, she asked in return, “What about you? Why have you changed so much in terms of looks?”
As a result of her anxious expression, I chuckled lightly. “To be honest, I have no idea because I looked like this once I regained consciousness. On top of that—”
“It’s fine! It doesn’t matter if you can’t recall anything! We have the rest of our lives, so we can just create more memories together!” The way she spoke made me feel as if the fact of me being an amnesiac wasn’t a big deal.
Alexander must have mentioned I was an amnesiac. However, she seemed to be thrilled to figure out I was safe and sound. Perhaps me being alive was the only great news she needed.
Judging by her response, I knew she had been telling the truth—we must have been best friends back in the day.
Initially, I had thought I could acquire the fragments of my lost memories through Emery.
Things were now slightly different from what I imagined the moment Emery asked me to tell her everything about me since the day I regained consciousness.
There wasn’t much to share because apart from Marcus, they were the only ones who had shown up. I didn’t bring up my encounter with the wealthiest man in the country because I was still mad at him.
It felt great to have Emery by my side, and we talked about all sorts of things, only stopping when the clock strikes eleven.
Since it was about time for lunch, I got up from the couch and suggested, “Shall we have a meal together to celebrate such a rare occasion?”
Emery had no intention to turn me down at all. Instead, she added, “Of course! I won’t leave even if you try to chase me away!”
It felt comfortable being around her because she behaved as though she was in her home.
When I was about to reach the kitchen, I heard Emery whispering something in Alexander’s ear, but her voice was too soft for me to understand what she was saying.
Shortly after I entered the kitchen, she showed up to keep me company.
“Ms. Moore, why don’t you wait for me in the living room? It will only take a few minutes.”
Emery sighed and stated, “I still preferred being addressed as Emery.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Forget about that. Let me help. You can always use another pair of hands to get things done sooner than usual, don’t you?”
“You’re a guest. I’m not supposed to—”
“You need to stop being so courteous. I have never considered myself a guest.”
…
Since the maid and Emery were in the kitchen to help me, we had the meal prepared within half an hour.
Just as we were about to have our meal, I heard the sound of a car’s engine being turned off.
Once Marcus marched into the foyer, he paused when he saw the guests in the dining hall.
I caught his eyes flickering, but it merely lasted for a second. He soon greeted the guests with a smile.
Once he approached us, he said, “You should have informed me of our guests’ arrival. I could have gotten a few extra dishes to treat them.”
He sounded like a welcoming household leader.
“I didn’t have the chance to inform you because it was a spontaneous agenda.” I turned around and instructed the maid to get another set of cutleries over.
Glancing at him, I said, “I thought you wouldn’t be back.”
He responded with a smile and took a seat next to me. “Why don’t you introduce us to one another?”
It felt odd when he placed his arm on my chair, making it seem like I was in his embrace.
Am I overthinking things again? Why do I feel like he’s trying to assert dominance over me in front of them?
I get that we used to be engaged, but we had agreed to start all over again as friends… Oddly, when someone showed up, Marcus started asserting dominance over me despite his promise.
Was Marcus always insecure like that?
I spaced out for a moment before making introductions. “This is Mr. Zimmerman–You’ve met him at the restaurant. This is Emery Moore.”
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Moore,” Marcus said, his arm outstretched. “I am Marcus White.” They shook hands gently.
When Emery took his hand, she tightened her grip deliberately. “Mr. White, it’s only been a few years. Don’t you don’t recognize me already?”
“Do you know each other?” I asked.
Marcus looked pale and glanced at Alexander. It was subtle but I noticed it.
Alexander received the signal. He separated them both, coming up with an excuse as he did so. “All of you grew up in K City together. What’s more, you’re Sienna’s friend. It’s not unusual for you to have crossed paths before. You could also have crossed paths before; who knows? This is fate. Come, let’s talk about it over lunch.”
Emery glared at Alexander for yanking her arm away. She turned and stared at Marcus. I was surprised to see hostility in her beautiful eyes. She looked as though she had wanted to say something but thought the better of it.
Anyone with brains could have seen that there was something fishy between those two, but it was ambiguous enough to keep me guessing.
Thus, the meal was passed in strained silence.
Marcus did not go upstairs immediately after dinner. He accompanied me and the maid to put away the dishes. Our actions were like a seasoned married couple.
I noticed that Emery was extremely unhappy.
These three must be hiding something from me.
After some chatter, I acted drowsy as an excuse to go upstairs. “Marcus, please entertain Ms. Moore and Mr. Zimmerman for the moment. I’m feeling sleepy after the medication. I’ll just be upstairs resting for a bit.”
“Go on,” Marcus said unsuspectingly as he got up to help me to the stairs. I went up and disappeared around the bend.
After ensuring that I was out of sight of everybody downstairs, I pressed my back against the wall to eavesdrop on the conversation taking place below. Hearing Marcus turn back to the living room, I hurriedly tiptoed back and snuck behind the pillar of the veranda. When I was well hidden enough, I peered over to inspect the situation downstairs.
Emery’s cold voice rang out before Marcus sat down. “We have exhausted large amounts of resources to search for Sienna all over the world. And here you are hiding her from under the noses of the Stanhope and Moore family. Marcus, should I call you smart or brazen?”
Marcus smiled pleasantly. “I’d take that as a compliment. Thank you.”
After interacting with him for such a long time, this was the first time I was witnessing his arrogance.
“When are you planning on telling Sienna the truth?” Emery demanded.
“The truth?” Marcus retorted. “What truth? The truth was that I have been caring for her for six years, as everyone can see. Sienna had died that year as you know it. The Sienna you’ve met is just a lookalike.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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