Chapter 3
She had a point.
Charles and I had only met once, but he'd always been interested in Emily.
It wouldn't be surprising if he brought me back to mess with her.
If Emily was willing to do whatever it took to save Evelyn, like I was, I wouldn't think about competing with her for Charles.
But she always acted as if she ran her own life, rejecting any help that might have saved us from trouble.
There was no way I'd risk giving Charles up to her.
No matter what, I have to hold on to Charles.
At least until Evelyn was safe.
Emily said, "Remember this. Charles is mine now, and he only has eyes for me.
"Right now, I'm the one who runs things like Mrs. Rivers in the Rivers family. If you don't know your place, don't think I'll go easy on you because we're sisters."
Emily grabbed me by the throat.
She snapped, "Who do you think you are? When did you get the right to throw your weight around in front of me?"
As I started to resist, her eyes went wide with shock.
She snatched my hand and slapped herself hard across the face, letting out a sharp cry before falling to the ground.
Before I could react, someone grabbed my wrist from behind.
Charles's voice rang out from above.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Charles snapped.
"Mr. Rivers..." Emily choked out.
Her eyes were red at the corners as she looked up at him from the floor, helpless enough to stir pity, yet her jaw stayed tight, her defiance unbroken.
I felt the hand gripping my wrist tighten.
Emily said, "Mr. Rivers, you are indeed the model husband. As your wife, Lily can humiliate me whenever she pleases.
"I was warning her that this whole act isn't real and that saving Evelyn should be our priority, and this is how she treats me."
She was playing the victim and twisting the facts.
She also hinted that I was only with Charles to save Evelyn.
"You think she's my wife?" Charles shot back.
Charles's voice was sharp, cutting through the tension.
He was famous for being a playboy.
But he had one rule. None of his girlfriends ever got to be called his wife.
He always drew a clear line between girlfriends and wife.
Everyone in our circle assumed Emily was the one destined to be his wife.
So nobody dared to fake it or try to steal that spot.
"Mr. Rivers, I—" I started.
But before I could finish, Charles grabbed me and pulled me away. "Let's go," he said.
I had to go with him, whether I liked it or not.
Before getting in the car, Charles shot a look back in Emily's direction.
I noticed the smug smirk playing at the corner of Emily's mouth.
I yelped as Charles tossed me onto the bed and pressed himself over me.
"Already acting like my wife, huh?" he teased.
This was bad.
It seemed that I pushed his buttons.
I realized he was using me to mess with Emily.
Biting my lip, I wrapped my arms around his neck and planted sweet, appeasing kisses on his lips and cheeks, hoping to soften him up.
"I'm sorry. I was wrong. Mr. Rivers, if you want to punish me, go ahead. Please don't be mad at me," I whispered.
I poured every ounce of tenderness I had into that moment.
The more I kissed Charles, the more ragged his breathing became.
He pinned my wandering hands down.
"Why should I punish you?" he murmured.
I blinked up at him and replied, "Because I offended your sweetheart?"
To my surprise, Charles gave a soft laugh.
He leaned down toward me.
"She's not my sweetheart," he said.
I froze.
His lips brushed softly against my neck.
"If you want to be with me, you'll have to understand me a bit more," he murmured.
I held back, not asking whether he loved someone else or didn't love anyone at all.
I hugged him tighter.
As long as he could help clear Evelyn's name, I didn't care whether he had someone in his heart or not.
The next day, my lawyers got in touch with me.
They'd found crucial evidence.
My heart leapt with excitement.
It was the same proof of financial fraud that my lawyer and I had gone through hell to dig up in my previous life.
That forged document was what sent Evelyn to jail for a crime she never committed.
I rushed to meet with the lawyers, gripping the evidence tightly in my hands, unwilling to let it go.
But as I was leaving, I spotted a familiar figure in the office building.
"Emily?" I called out, my brows furrowing in confusion.
Emily looked transformed. Gone was the mess from last time, replaced by a whole new, stylish vibe.
Her look was on par with the designer stuff Charles picked out for me.
My heart skipped a beat.
Could it be Charles behind this?
Emily shot me a smug smirk as her eyes landed on the documents in my hand.
"Here to dig up some evidence?" she taunted.
I quickly hid the evidence behind my back.
In my previous life, she'd ripped up the evidence right in court, playing the righteous victim and winning everyone over.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, giving her a wary look.
Emily replied, "Evelyn is in trouble, so I'm here to help."
"But this is Rivers Group's home turf," I shot back.
"We have to cover all the bases, right?" Emily said.
Emily crossed her arms, looking every bit the high-class socialite, and cast a glance behind me.
"Seems like you're moving fast," she said.
I clutched the evidence tighter and turned to leave.
Until things blew over, I had to keep my distance. There was no way I'd let her find out what I'd gotten my hands on.
Emily called out from behind me.
"Don't guard your evidence. Better make sure your witnesses don't turn on you, too," she sneered.
I turned back to her.
"No need for you to worry about that," I shot back.