Chapter 32

"At least admit that you've fallen in love with me... Is it that hard?"
She trembled, a thin mist of tears blurring her vision. In front of the prying eyes, she could only remain silent.
"...Forget it." He gave up forcing her to answer, wrapped his arms around her, and gritted his teeth, "Just remember what I said: I'd rather die than let you go. I wasn't joking."
He hugged her tightly in frustration, burying his face deeply in the crook of her neck, afraid that if he looked up, his sadness would become uncontrollable, revealing his undignified side to her.
The room was so quiet that Sarah could hear the man's rapid and suppressed breathing in her arms. His heartbeat was erratic and intense, pressing against her; his embrace was so tight it almost suffocated her, silently declaring that he would never give up.
She stared rigidly at the ceiling, not making a sound. After a long while, she extended her arms and hugged him tightly, tightly, and tightly.
For the next two days, the dance hall opened as usual late at night.
However, the handsome owner of the dance hall became silent. He no longer chatted with the guests, ignored the coquettish requests of female patrons asking him to perform bartending tricks, and left everything to the bartender. He still stayed behind the bar but spent the entire night with a girl, never leaving her side.
Sitting in the dimly lit corner behind the bar, Sarah watched the bartender, who was busy to the point of dizziness, 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 double solitaire with her.
"What's the point of hiring people? It's to take care of business when the boss isn't in the mood to work. Right now, I just want to be with you." His deep blue 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 Deering family would come for her, and he was also afraid she would escape from him, so he watched over her like a prisoner.
But for the past two days, there had been no movement from the Deering family, as if they had forgotten about them; or perhaps they believed she could successfully complete her mission and didn't need to worry?
If she couldn't take his life, couldn't she go back? Her foster mother had always been strict with her but had never pushed her so hard like this time. Why?
"What are you thinking about?" Emil interrupted her thoughts, his eyes 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, she could at least help with some chores. Besides, Emil's constant close watch was suffocating her; she needed some space to think about that plan, the 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 telling her these words, trying to move her. But she had carefully checked every floor and confirmed that the entire building was enchanted; every laugh, every sigh within these walls was exposed.
So, even though his words often brought tears to her eyes, she had to pretend to be indifferent.
"Sarah, Sarah, the person who gave you this name must have hoped your heart would be as resilient as grass, able to withstand wind and rain, right? But your heart is as hard as stone. I've knocked on the door of your heart hundreds of times, yet you're unmoved." He sighed wearily, "Tell me, what should I do to make you love me? I have nothing, the only thing I can give you is myself, to love you with everything I have. As long as you want me, as long as I'm alive, I belong to you."
He paused for three seconds, but she still didn't respond. He talked to himself like a fool.
His large hand caressed her waist, mocking himself, "You wouldn't want me to bang my head against something to break down the door to your heart, would you? That would hurt a lot."
Sarah almost laughed at his words, nearly shaking out the tears in her eyes. Not wanting to reveal her emotions, she said softly, "Stop joking, let me help the bartender."
"You won't even humor me..." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl squeezing to the front of the bar. Recognizing the face, he frowned slightly and his tone immediately turned affectionate, "Give me a kiss, then I'll let you go."
Sarah hesitated. After all, they had already been seen sleeping in the same bed; a kiss was nothing, right?
She turned her head, but he pulled back, his face playful, clearly wanting her to initiate the kiss.
He looked visibly haggard. His once vibrant, handsome face was now pale and lacked its usual spirit. He no longer teased her as much, his eyes always carrying a look of fear and unease. His body was no longer as cold as before; at night, when he held her as they slept, he was as warm as she was, sometimes even unusually hot, as if he were sick.
In just two short days, his changes were so drastic, all because of her, right? He had already suffered so much, and yet she continued to bring him torment...
A surge of bittersweet pity welled up in her heart, and she couldn't help but kiss his lips.
Emil had intended to tease her, but he didn't expect the reserved her to take the initiative. Since it achieved his goal, he gladly accepted and passionately responded to her.
"...I forgot to mention," a moment later, he pulled away, his breath shallow, "your sister is outside the bar, seems like she's looking for you."
Sarah was stunned. Turning around, she indeed saw Ivy standing outside the bar, looking at her with a peculiar expression.
...
Ivy hurriedly pulled Sarah out of the dance hall and into an alley outside. She stopped, turned to look at Sarah, and hesitated to speak.
Sarah felt awkward under her gaze and asked, "Ivy, did you need something?"
She discreetly observed her surroundings, making sure no one was around before relaxing. Being seen by her cousin in an intimate gesture was a minor issue; if her foster mother had brought people to ambush them, with Alexander not around today, she and Emil alone would never be able to fend them off.
"I was worried about you, so I came to see you." Ivy glared at Emil, who had followed them out of the dance hall, and lowered her voice, "The clan has been in chaos these past two days, everyone's been arguing fiercely."
Sarah's expression darkened, "Is it because of me?"
"The clan is divided into two factions. One still supports you, believing you're handling Emil; the other says you've long forgotten your mission and have sided with him, and that your status as heir should be revoked. The aunts who came to the meeting with Aunt the day before yesterday said they saw you and him... being very intimate in the conference hall."