Chapter 5
Snowy shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
The man instinctively raised his arm to block.
Then, the sleeve of his custom-tailored suit was ripped right off.
The guests around them gasped and scrambled back.
Emily's face went ghostly pale in an instant.
"Snowy, have you lost your mind? Let him go," she shouted.
She reached out to grab Snowy, but when Snowy whipped around and bared her teeth at her, Emily jerked her hand back, startled.
"Sarah, look what you've done," Emily shrieked.
Her voice was sharp, almost breaking into tears, as if she were the most wronged person in the world.
I stood there, completely still.
I didn't even make a move to pull Snowy off.
"I just brought Snowy here for you.
"Wasn't it you who begged me last night, crying, to bring her over?
"He missed you so much. What else could I do?" I said.
Those words hit Emily like a slap in the face.
Emily trembled with anger, pointing at me. "You're lying."
With Snowy still clamped onto his pant leg, the man, Henry Carter, finally came to his senses.
He kicked Snowy away, furious and flustered.
"Is this mutt yours, Miss Summers?
"Has it had its rabies shots? Is it rabid or what?" he snapped.
Emily didn't even look at me. She turned and hurriedly apologized to Henry.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Carter. Really, I am.
"Snowy's never like this. I have no idea what's gotten into him today," she said.
Quick-thinking, she shifted the blame onto me again.
"It's all Sarah's fault. She insisted on bringing the dog here. She wouldn't take no for an answer," Emily cried.
I shot Emily a cold look.
Henry's gaze landed on me, looking clearly annoyed.
"And who is this?" he asked.
"That's my brother's wife, Sarah," Emily muttered, jaw clenched.
Not waiting for her to smear me any further, I stepped forward.
"Mr. Carter, are you alright?
"I'm really sorry. Emily insisted I take Snowy last night, saying the poor thing was too lonely at home," I said.
As I spoke, I gently rested my hand on my barely-there baby bump.
"I'm pregnant, and my doctor said it's best to avoid contact with animals.
"She was so worried about Snowy, I really couldn't turn her down.
"This morning, Snowy kept scratching at the door and wouldn't touch his food. I thought he must really miss Emily.
"So I figured I'd just bring her over since I was coming anyway.
"But who could've expected this?" I explained.
I gave them a look of guilt and lingering fear, as if I was still shaken by what happened.
Henry's face changed, his expression darkening.
He shot Emily a look that shifted from mere annoyance to deep, unmistakable disdain.
Emily really made Sarah, who was pregnant, look after a vicious dog for her in the middle of the night.
In that moment, Emily's reputation collapsed in his mind.
Emily's face flickered between pale and livid, unable to hide her shame.
"I didn't. Sarah, stop slandering me," Emily snapped.
I sighed, sounding tolerant but resigned.
"Emily, I know this is really awkward for you.
"But let's focus on fixing the problem first, okay?
"Mr. Carter's suit was dirty. Did he get hurt? Was he bitten?" I asked.
My words made Emily realize what was happening.
She turned around and saw Snowy acting all pitiful again, whining and rubbing against her feet, his tail wagging like a drumstick.
It was as if that crazy, snarling dog from a moment ago had never even existed.
Acting as if I'd just remembered something, I feigned surprise.
"That's odd. Snowy was always so gentle when she was with me.
"But as soon as he saw Mr. Carter, he went wild. I wonder why?" I said.
I tilted my head, giving Emily a wide-eyed, innocent look.
"Do you think maybe he mistook Mr. Carter for someone else?" I asked.
Emily froze, her body suddenly stiff.
I slowly stepped closer, lowering my voice so only the three of us could hear.
"Like Jake?" I whispered.
Emily's face went ghostly pale in an instant.
Jake had met Snowy before, and he absolutely hated her. Whenever Emily wasn't home, he'd often rough her up.
Henry frowned, looking shrewd and suspicious.
"Who's Jake?" he demanded.
I quickly covered my mouth, looking flustered, like I'd blurted out something I shouldn't have.
"Oh, it's nothing, really. Just an old friend Emily used to be really close to.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking it. Don't take it to heart, Mr. Carter," I said.
Henry wasn't born yesterday.
He looked at Emily's ghostly pale face, then at me, obviously trying to hide something.
Henry caught on right away. There was definitely something fishy going on here.
"Miss Summers, let's call it a day," Henry said.
He frowned as he inspected the ripped, pricey sleeve of his suit.
"Expect my assistant to contact you about the dry cleaning and compensation.
"Seriously, you ought to get your dog checked by a vet.
"See if she's got something wrong upstairs," he added coldly.
With that, he strode off without looking back.
Now, only Emily and I remained in the café.
And Snowy, looking utterly pleased with himself.
Emily glared at me, her eyes burning with fury, like she wanted to eat me alive.
"Sarah, you did this on purpose. You were scheming against me the whole time," she snapped.
I let out a small, mocking laugh.
I said, "Scheming against you?
"Emily, you were the one who insisted on dumping Snowy on me last night, remember?"
She was so furious that she raised her hand, about to slap me right in the face.
I pushed my belly forward, refusing to move or dodge, just staring at her coldly.
"Go ahead, hit me if you dare.
"The baby in my belly is the only bloodline your family has.
"If you hurt him, guess what your mom and your brother would do to you," I said.
Her hand hovered in the air, frozen mid-slap.
Just then, my phone rang.
Right in front of Emily, I answered David's call and calmly put it on speaker.
David's angry voice came through the phone.
"Sarah, is Emily with you?
"Mr. Carter just called me. He said you two made a scene at the café.
"That was a client I went through a lot of trouble to get for Emily.
"What the hell are you playing at?" he snapped.
So Henry wasn't just some guy Emily was set up with.
He was actually an important client for David's company.
This just got a whole lot more interesting than I expected.