Chapter 8
People around her turned to look. Some covered their mouths, trying not to laugh, while others pretended not to notice.
Emily stood up, wine still dripping from her dress. She caught sight of Amber not far away, watching her with an impeccably concerned expression.
Beside Amber, a young waiter in uniform was nervously talking to her assistant, looking anxious and uneasy.
Emily didn't say a word. She picked up her bag, leaned on her crutch, and headed for the side door.
As she reached the door, the sound of laughter and chatter drifted over from behind her. The party went on as if nothing had ever happened.
Emily didn't go back to the Oliver family. She had the driver take her to an apartment in Eastbrook.
This apartment wasn't registered under the Oliver family's name. She'd rented it out of her own pocket three years ago. Not a soul knew it existed.
She changed into clean clothes and tossed the soaked dress into the trash. Then she sat down in the chair by the window and turned on her black phone.
Three unread messages popped up.
The first one read: [The new material has been approved.]
The second: [Mr. Clark is asking when the follow-up plan will be finalized.]
The third: [A few projects on the east side are waiting for your reply.]
Emily replied to all three messages. Once she finished, she powered off her phone and pressed her fingers to her temples, feeling the exhaustion settle in.
The apartment was tiny, just a bedroom and a living room. Out the window, she could see the balcony across the street, where brightly colored clothes hung in a line to dry. It was a slice of real city life.
She stayed there for an hour, then ordered a ride back to the Olivers' place.
It was already ten at night when Emily got home. Noah still wasn't back. The nanny told her Jayden was already asleep.
She went back to her room and locked the door behind her. As she sat down on the bed, her knee bumped into something.
There was a paper bag on the bed. She opened it and found a dress inside. It was apricot-colored, and it was the same style as the one Amber wore tonight.
Inside the bag was a note in the nanny's handwriting: [Miss Hardy had this sent over tonight. She said it's to replace the dress that got messed up.]
Emily put the dress back in the paper bag, picked it up, and threw it out into the hallway outside her door.
As she closed the door, her expression was blank.
*****
On the 12th day, Emily went about her usual chores, managing the housekeeper's schedule, double-checking the shopping list, and sending over some apple pies, which were Bruce's favorite.
At noon, Dorothy called and asked her to come over to the Oliver family's main house.
"I need to talk to you about something," Dorothy said on the phone.
When Emily arrived, Dorothy was sitting in the living room with a document in front of her. Next to her was a middle-aged woman Emily didn't recognize, dressed in business attire. She looked like a lawyer.
"Have a seat," Dorothy said, gesturing to the sofa across from her.
Emily sat down.
"This is the revised agreement," Dorothy said, sliding the document across the table. "The last one was too simple. The lawyer drew up a new version. Take a look."
Emily opened the document.
The first page still had the clause about leaving with nothing. The second page had a few more terms.
The first term: [For three years after the divorce, you can't contact Jayden in any way.]
The second: [After the divorce, you can't claim you have any connection to the Oliver family.]
The third: [After the divorce, you can't take any job that would compete with the Oliver Group.]
The last term: [Break any of these rules, and you'll have to pay them 30 million dollars.]
Emily read through each clause one by one.
"Non-compete? Seriously?" Emily shot Dorothy a look. "I'm a housewife. So you really think someone like me could ever be a threat to the Oliver Group?"
Dorothy crossed her arms and leaned back on the sofa. "That's what the lawyer suggested. Can't be too careful. Seven years living with the Olivers, you must've picked up some business secrets. What if you say something you shouldn't?"
The lawyer added, "It's all standard, Mrs. Oliver. Nothing to stress about. As long as you stick to the rules, you won't have to pay a thing."
Emily closed the document and slid it back across the table.
"I'm not signing this," she said.
Dorothy's face darkened. "Not signing? Don't even think about leaving. The old agreement is already void. If you don't sign this one, there's nothing for you."
"Then I'll take this up with Bruce Oliver myself," Emily said.
"You really think Bruce will take your side?" Dorothy shot back, standing up. "Noah had the lawyer draft this agreement. I don't know if Bruce even knows about it, but Noah's message is clear. You can leave, but you have to play by the rules."
Emily sat on the sofa, watching as Dorothy walked right up to her.