Chapter 529 Maintenance
Emma's smile didn't falter for a second. "Those are just rumors. If you really wanna know the truth, why don't you ask your precious son directly?"
"You!" Scarlett's face turned a shade of green with anger. "Get out! The Russell Villa doesn't welcome a woman like you!"
Emma finally let her smile drop, her eyes turning sharp. "I respect you as an elder, but don't slander me." She sidestepped Scarlett, who was blocking her way. "I need to see George today."
"You're too much!" Scarlett reached out to grab Emma's hair.
Emma was ready. She dodged swiftly and took the stairs two at a time. Behind her, she heard Scarlett's hysterical screams and the sound of her falling, but she didn't have time to worry about that. She headed straight for George's bedroom.
"George!" She pushed open the door and then froze.
Inside, George had just taken off his shirt, his muscular upper body fully exposed. He turned sharply at the sound, locking eyes with Emma.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, highlighting his perfect muscle definition. Emma's gaze involuntarily traveled from his collarbone to his abs, and then to the faint V-line at his waist.
"Get out!" George quickly grabbed a shirt from the bed to cover himself, his ears visibly turning red.
Emma snapped out of it, but instead of leaving, she locked the door behind her and leaned against it with a mischievous smile. "What's there to be shy about? It's not like I haven't seen it before."
"Emma Stuart!" George gritted out her full name, his face flushed all the way to his neck.
Emma took slow, deliberate steps toward him, enjoying his discomfort. "You've kept in good shape." She reached out to touch his abs, but George caught her wrist.
"What do you want?" His voice was low and husky, tinged with a warning.
Emma's teasing expression softened into something more sorrowful. "I want to have dinner with you, just the two of us." She gently pulled her hand free. "I might be leaving Lakeside Haven."
George paused in the middle of putting on his shirt. "When?"
"I don't know." Emma turned to the window, her back to him. "Anytime. I'm only staying in Lakeside Haven because there are some things I need to figure out. Once I know the truth, I'll leave."
The room fell into silence. After a long while, she heard a barely audible sigh behind her.
"What time?" George asked.
Emma turned around, surprised. "You're agreeing?"
George had finished buttoning his shirt and was now fastening his cufflinks, his expression back to its usual coldness. "Just this once."
Two hours later, Emma selected a burgundy backless gown from her closet, the color making her skin look like porcelain. She pinned up her long hair to reveal her elegant neck and put on the diamond earrings George had once given her.
Her phone buzzed with a message from Lyle: [The bodyguards are in place and will protect you both throughout.]
Emma replied, "Thanks. Make sure to capture any suspicious activity."
She took one last look at herself in the mirror, a confident smile playing on her lips. "Let the game begin."
George had chosen Luxe Gastronomy, the top Michelin-starred restaurant in Lakeside Haven. The waiter led them to a window seat with a view of the city lights.
"You once said you'd bring me here," Emma said softly. "I didn't expect it to happen like this."
George didn't respond, just signaled the waiter to serve the food.
Everything was perfect at first, until a sharp female voice shattered the peace. "Oh my God, isn't that the mistress from the tabloids?"
The restaurant fell silent, all eyes turning to their table. Emma continued to cut her steak calmly, as if she hadn't heard.
"Shameless, flaunting herself in public!" another voice chimed in.
George's fingers tightened around his knife, his knuckles turning white. He slowly raised his head, his eyes seeming to pierce through the onlookers.
"Ma'am," his voice was low and dangerous, "watch your words."
The whispers in the restaurant ceased immediately. The middle-aged woman who had spoken first was intimidated by George's presence but still muttered, "Handsome, you can't see, so you don't know what kind of dirty things this woman has done..."
George slammed his hand on the table, making the cutlery clatter.
"I know better than anyone what kind of person she is," he said, his voice icy. "Three years ago, you slandered her like this. Do you want to do it again?"
Emma looked at George's tense profile, a warm feeling spreading in her chest. She gently placed her hand over his. "Let it go."
"No." George gripped her wrist tightly, almost painfully. "Three years ago, I chose to stay silent. Not this time."
At that moment, a heavily made-up woman sauntered over, her perfume overwhelming.
"Handsome," she drawled, "I heard your eyesight isn't good now, and your company is struggling?" She slipped a business card into George's jacket pocket. "My husband just passed away, leaving behind quite a few businesses. How about..."
George's expression darkened instantly. He grabbed the woman's wrist with such force that she cried out in pain.
"Leave." He said just one word, but it made the temperature in the restaurant drop.
The woman pulled her hand back, humiliated, and turned to Emma. "What are you so smug about? You're just a used-up whore! If he could see, he wouldn't be fooled by someone like you!"
Emma didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled elegantly and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. "Ma'am, your husband just died, and you're already looking for another man. Seems like you're in more of a hurry than I am."
A few stifled laughs echoed around them. The woman's face turned ashen, and she stormed off in her high heels.
After the commotion died down, George still held Emma's hand tightly. His palm was hot and trembling slightly.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "For making you go through this again."
Emma looked at his furrowed brow and suddenly asked, "Why apologize? You could have continued pretending not to care about me."
George was silent for a moment before he finally let go of her hand. "Let's go back."
"No." Emma stubbornly held onto his arm. "You need to be clear today." Her voice trembled slightly. "George, you still have feelings for me, don't you?"
The restaurant's lights cast deep shadows on George's chiseled face. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times before he leaned back in his chair, defeated.
"Yes." The word seemed to take all his strength.
Emma's eyes filled with tears instantly. "Then why?"
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