He Saved Her Instead of Me

Synopsis

"Emily, as long as you stay, I'll have one billion dollars wired to your account today. If that's not enough, 1.5 billion dollars. Just name your price," Bruce Oliver said. In the main hall of the Oliver family's old mansion, Bruce sat in a rosewood armchair that had been passed down for three generations. The lion and rose patterns on the back had been polished to a shine from years of touch. He leaned forward, hands braced on his knees, watching the slender young woman across from him. Emily Mitchell sat across from him and shook her head, so gently it was as if she feared breaking the hush in the hall. She slid the check, stamped with the Oliver family's seal, back across the polished rosewood table, its paper whispering against the wood. "Mr. Oliver, we agreed on seven years. The seven years are up. I've repaid the favor. It's time for me to go," she said. Her voice was soft, her tone as calm as if she were talking about the weather. Bruce stared at the check she'd pushed back for a long moment, then finally leaned back in his chair and let out a long, weary sigh. It sounded like it came from the very depths of his chest, carrying the exhaustion of a man in his seventies. He said, "It hasn't been easy for you these past years. Before you go, if there's anything you want, tell me." Emily didn't answer right away. The clock in the hall chimed a dozen times before she finally spoke. "I want you to stop standing in the way of Noah and Amber. "He's always had her in his heart. Seven years, and that's never changed. You can't change that." Bruce's hand tightened on the armrest, his knuckles turning white. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he said, "All right. I can't meddle in young people's affairs anymore. You can bring up the divorce with him yourself."