Chapter 31

He repeatedly questioned her, trying to elicit a definitive answer, but she stubbornly bit her lip, her lips turning as pale as her face, refusing to give him even a single word.

Emil was utterly defeated by her. Since Becker's death, he hadn't experienced such extreme despair. It stung his eyes, bringing a pale red sadness. His body collapsed, covering her, and he whispered brokenly in her ear—

"Is it so hard to admit that you've fallen in love with me?"

She trembled, a thin mist of tears blurring her vision. In front of a pair of prying eyes, she could only remain silent.

"...Forget it." He gave up pressing her for an answer, wrapping his arms around her body and gritting his teeth, "Just remember what I said: I'd rather die than let you go. I'm not joking."

He hugged her tightly in frustration, burying his face deeply in her neck, afraid that if he looked up, his sadness would be uncontrollable, revealing his undignified side to her.

The room was so quiet that Sarah could hear the man's rapid, suppressed breathing, his agitated and chaotic heartbeat pressing against her; his embrace was so tight it almost suffocated her, oppressing her, silently declaring that he would never give up.

She stared stiffly at the ceiling, not making a sound. After a while, she extended her arms and hugged him tightly, tightly, tightly.

For the next two days, the dance hall opened as usual at night.

However, the handsome boss of the dance hall became silent. He no longer chatted with the guests, ignored the coquettish demands of female patrons for him to perform bartending tricks, and left everything to the bartender to handle. He still stayed behind the bar, but he spent the entire night with one girl, never leaving her side.

Sitting in the dark corner behind the bar, Sarah watched the bartender busying himself and said to the man beside her, "You should go help."

It wasn't the first time she had said this, but Emil remained unmoved, continuing to play bridge with her.

"What's the point of hiring people? It's so the boss can take care of business when he's not in the mood to work. Right now, I just want to be with you." His deep green eyes looked at her, "Don't you want me to be with you?"

"I didn't say that." She understood his fear. He was afraid the Delin family would come for her, and also afraid she would escape, so he guarded her like a prisoner.

But for the past two days, there had been no movement from the Delin family, as if they had forgotten them; or perhaps they believed she could complete the task smoothly, without needing to worry?

Could it be that if she couldn't take his life, she couldn't go back? Her foster mother had always been strict with her, but had never pushed her this hard before, why?

"What are you thinking?" Emil interrupted her thoughts, his gaze tightly locked on her, trying to read her mind from her expression.

"Nothing." Seeing the bartender struggling and the guests starting to complain, she stood up, "If you won't help, I will."

Although she knew nothing about bartending, at least she could help with some chores. Besides, Emil's constant close watch made it hard for her to breathe. She needed some space to think about that plan, that secret plan that only operated in her mind...

Her wrist was suddenly grabbed, and she was pulled into Emil's arms.

"I love you." He kissed the back of her neck, murmuring, "I love you. I'm not afraid of anything except you not loving me, do you understand?"

She remained silent. For the past two days, he had been saying these words to her, trying to move her. But she had carefully checked every floor and confirmed that the entire building was under a spell, every laugh and sigh within it was inescapable.

Thus, even though his words often brought tears to her eyes, she had to pretend to be unaffected.

"Sarah, Sarah, the person who gave you this name hoped your heart would be as resilient as grass, able to withstand the wind and rain. But your heart is as hard as stone. I've knocked on the door of your heart hundreds of times, and you remain unmoved." He sighed wearily, "Tell me, what do I have to do for you to love me? I have nothing, the only thing I can give you is myself, to love you with all I have. As long as you want me, as long as I'm alive, I belong to you."

He paused, waiting for three seconds, but she still didn't respond. He muttered to himself, like a fool.

His large hand caressed her waist as he said self-deprecatingly, "You wouldn't want me to bang my head until your heart's door opens, would you? That would hurt."

Sarah almost laughed at this, nearly shaking out the tears in her eyes. Not wanting to reveal her emotions, she said softly, "Stop it, let me help the bartender."

"You won't even humor me..." Seeing a girl squeeze to the bar, he recognized her face and his tone immediately turned affectionate, "Give me a kiss, and I'll let you go."

Sarah hesitated for a moment. After all, they had been seen sleeping in the same bed, a kiss was nothing, right?

She turned back, but he retreated, looking playful, clearly wanting her to initiate the kiss.

He looked noticeably haggard, his once radiant and handsome face now lacking its usual vigor. Even when teasing her, he seemed less lively, his eyes always carrying a fear and unease. His body was no longer as cold as before, and at night when he held her to sleep, he was as warm as she was, sometimes even unusually hot, as if he were sick.

In just two days, his change was so drastic, all because of her, right? He had already suffered so much, and what she brought him was still torment...

A surge of sour pity welled up in her heart, and she couldn't help but kiss his lips.

Emil had intended to tease her, not expecting the reserved her to actually take the initiative. But since it achieved his goal, he gladly accepted and responded passionately.

"...I forgot to mention," he said, breathing shallowly as he pulled away a moment later, "your sister is outside the bar, seems like she's here to see you."

Sarah was stunned. Turning around, she indeed saw Ivy standing outside the bar, looking at her with a strange expression.

...

Ivy hurriedly pulled Sarah out of the dance hall and into the alley outside. She stopped, turned to look at Sarah, and hesitated to speak.

Sarah felt awkward under her gaze and asked, "Ivy, is there something you need from me?"

She discreetly observed the surroundings, making sure there was no one else before feeling relieved. Being seen by her cousin in an intimate moment was a minor issue, but if her foster mother had brought people to ambush them, with Alexander not around today, there was no way she and Emil could fend them off.