Chapter 5

When Leon found out Emily had vanished, the hand holding his phone started shaking. He swept everything off the table in one move, fury blazing in his eyes.

He called his men over, rage thick in his voice. "Lock down every dock near the mountain. Find Emily!"

Leon lit a cigarette irritably and let out a deep breath, his gaze dark and unreadable. "Emily, you can't escape."

By then, Emily had already boarded the boat at the dock. She held Lucy's hand and said goodbye.

"Lucy, take care of yourself." Emily said, tears streaming down her face.

Lucy wiped the tears off Emily's face. "You too, Emily."

Suddenly, Emily noticed a line of black sedans appear on the road not far away, and panic hit her at once.

"Lucy, go, now. Leon must've caught up. Don't let him see you. The boat's about to leave too, so I'm going." Emily demanded.

Emily pushed Lucy and gestured for her to hurry away.

Then she wiped away her tears, turned around, and boarded the ship.

She ran into the cabin in a panic, praying Leon wouldn't find her before the boat left.

But reality was cruel. One minute before departure, a group of men came onto the deck, and Leon was leading them.

He called the captain over.

Leon asked in a cold voice, "Has a woman in a white dress boarded your ship?"

His tone carried anger and impatience.

The captain stroked his chin like he was thinking it over.

Through a tiny gap, Emily stared at the scene without blinking. Her palms were slick with sweat, and every nerve in her body was stretched tight.

After what felt like forever, the captain finally shook his head.

Emily finally relaxed a little, gripping the black coat Lucy had just draped over her shoulders.

Leon was clearly stunned for a second. Then he stepped forward, grabbed the captain by the collar, and warned him with his eyes. "Are you sure?"

Before the captain could answer, one of the men in black nearby suddenly spoke up. "Mr. Sterling, when we were locking down the dock like you ordered, we found a suspicious woman trying to leave."

The second Emily's eyes landed on that familiar figure, they turned red. Her whole body started shaking.

"Lucy..." Emily murmured.

Leon turned around at that and smiled the moment he saw Lucy.

"So that's it. I was wondering how Em could possibly run away. Turns out you helped her.

"I remember you. You're the student Em has been supporting, right?

"Tell me. Where is Emily?" Leon's demanding voice rang in Lucy's ears.

Lucy bit her lip and shook her head.

Leon's lips curved, and he kicked her right in the knee.

"Not talking? Fine. Even if you won't tell me, I already know. If you're here, Emily has to be on this ship too. I'll search every inch of it if I have to."

Lucy looked up and glared at him fiercely. "You don't deserve Emily. You're a fake, disgusting hypocrite."

Leon's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and he slapped her without hesitation.

"Say that again! No one in this world loves Emily more than I do. The Rivers family didn't want her, and she was just a burden tossed aside by her own people. I'm the only one who's always stayed with her!" Leon yelled at Lucy.

Hearing that, Emily let out a bitter, mocking laugh. When she was little and always sick, he had stayed by her side every time, making her laugh.

When she was nineteen and the Sterling family went bankrupt, Emily had knelt at the gates of the Rivers house for three days and nights, begging them to help Leon.

Mr. and Mrs. Rivers, who had refused at first, eventually agreed, but only on the condition that Leon marry her immediately.

Thinking back on it now, Leon had probably already known her real identity by then. He had likely helped the Rivers family keep the truth from her too.

Bitter tears blurred Emily's vision. When she saw Lucy curled up on the ground, her heart lurched hard.

Lucy accidentally met her eyes and gave a tiny shake of her head.

Emily covered her mouth and cried so hard she could barely breathe.

Lucy pushed herself up and spat at Leon. "I'll tell you this. Emily already got on the last boat and left. If you've got the guts, go find her."

Leon narrowed his eyes slightly, weighing whether she was telling the truth. Then he yanked the captain beside him over. "When did the last boat leave?"

The captain answered, "Ten minutes ago."

Leon's hand paused for a second, then he let go of the captain's collar.

He smiled at Lucy. "Fine. If Emily isn't on this boat, then you can go."

Lucy froze for a second. Just as she turned around, someone suddenly grabbed her.

Emily's eyes locked onto the iron rod in one man's hand, and dread crashed over her.