Chapter 5

Emma arrived at the company on time, her final day brimming with tasks to organize and hand over before her departure. With so much to wrap up, she was busy from the moment she sat down until lunch. She hurried downstairs to the café and grabbed a sandwich to tide her over. While waiting in line to pay, her attention drifted until a familiar name snapped her back. The two women ahead of her were chatting over some gossip about Frank. Emma recognized them as secretaries from the CEO's office. "Is that Mr. Castro's girlfriend?" "Don't be ridiculous. Isn't she the new actress signed for that collaboration?" "Seriously? You didn't see it? When I brought him coffee earlier, Mr. Castro was holding her hand and talking to her so gently. Have you ever seen him act like that with anyone else?" "No way! Could it be one of those stories where the guy has been pining for his first love for a decade and she finally returns? Oh my gosh, I'm obsessed already!" "Rumor has it that Mr. Castro abandoned his family business back then, insisting on running off with Ms. Davila!" A sharp pang knotted in Emma's stomach, causing a wave of nausea that wouldn't subside, making even the sandwich in her hand feel repulsive. She set it back on the counter and stumbled out of the café, her steps unsteady. She'd been living like a lovesick fool, filling her mind with delusions. It should've ended long ago. Back in her office, the first thing she did was print out her resignation letter and sign it. She had just slipped it into an envelope when a knock came at the door. "Come in," she said. It was her assistant, Rosie Blair. "Ms. Dyer, Mr. Castro wants to see you." "Got it." Emma tucked the envelope into her drawer and left the room. The CEO's office was on the 38th floor while the PR department sat on the 12th. On the way up, the elevator stopped at the company restaurant on the 20th floor. Someone stepped in. Emma was scrolling through her phone and didn't look up until a voice called, "Emy." She assumed the person was calling out to her and looked up instinctively, only to see Lea and her agent, Riley Cameron, standing ahead of her, their backs turned. Riley had been the one to say it. He was calling Lea. Emma froze. Why would Lea be called "Emy"? It hit her like a punch to the gut, leaving her frozen and bewildered. She didn't even realize she shouldn't have spoken, but the words slipped out anyway. "Why… Why are you called Emy?" Lea turned, surprised. "Oh, back in school, I joined this singing competition and picked a cheesy song. One of the lines had 'Emy' in it, and I completely botched the note. My classmates never let it go, and the nickname stuck." Emma's breath caught. "School… When was that?" "My freshman year of high school," Lea said, her smile widening as if recalling something fond. "Frank knew about it too. He was the worst. He started the whole nickname thing in the first place." So, that was it. All these years, she had clung to that name, thinking it was something special—something just for her. But it had never been hers. It had always belonged to Lea. Everything she believed had been a lie. Her face drained of color, and she nearly lost her balance. Lea reached out quickly to steady her, voice full of concern. "Emma, are you okay?" Emma shook her head, dazed. She was oblivious to the faint, triumphant smile on Lea's face. It was that easy. Lea hadn't even needed to try. A few words and Emma was already crumbling. Lea had thought Emma might be some formidable rival, especially with the rumors of Frank doting on her endlessly. But now? She was nothing impressive. Lea smirked inwardly, though her hands remained gentle as she supported Emma. When the elevator doors opened on the 38th floor, Frank was waiting there. The moment he saw Lea, he stepped forward and took her hand. "What took you so long?" "I was worried you'd skip lunch with how busy you are, so I grabbed some food from the cafeteria for you," Lea replied, stepping out with him and pulling Emma along. "I ran into Emma in the elevator. Do you have something to talk to her about? Am I in the way?" Emma stood silently, her expression grim. Frank barely seemed to notice, sparing her only a quick glance. "No, you're fine. I called her up to talk about you anyway." "Oh? About what?" Lea asked. Emma turned to him, wondering the same thing. "It's that movie you signed on for with the company's co-production. The PR team will need to handle the promotion down the line," Frank explained warmly to Lea, then shifted to Emma with a brisk, businesslike tone. "You'll oversee it. Make sure it's flawless. I don't want a single negative story about Lea getting out." "Sorry," Emma said, clenching her jaw and taking a deep breath. "The promotion won't start for at least three months. By then, it won't be my responsibility." "What are you going on about?" Frank shot her an irritated look. Before he could say more, his assistant walked in with an urgent call. Frank gestured for Emma to follow him into the office as he answered the call. Frank stepped into the inner room to take the call, leaving Emma and Lea in the outer office. Emma sat on the couch in silence, unwilling to engage. Lea, meanwhile, tried to make small talk while unpacking the lunch she had brought from the cafeteria. "Emma, can you help me?" she asked, holding a thermos of soup. "I can't open it." Emma reluctantly stood and walked over. But before her fingers even brushed the thermos, it slipped from Lea's hands, crashing to the floor. Hot soup splashed everywhere, most of it landing on Lea's ankle. "It's burning!" Lea cried out. Emma froze, still holding out her hand, unable to process what had happened. Frank stormed out at the sound. His eyes immediately locked onto Lea's reddened ankle. "What happened?" Lea bit her lip, wincing. "Don't blame Emma. It was an accident. She didn't mean it." Emma turned to her, stunned. Before she could explain, Frank's sharp voice cut through the air. "Emma!" His gaze was icy, his tone stern. "Apologize." Emma stared at him, incredulous. "I—" Lea jumped in before she could finish. "Don't be so hard on her. You're scaring her. I'm sure it wasn't intentional. She doesn't need to apologize." She then turned to Emma. "It's fine, Emma, don't worry." Frank didn't waver. "Didn't I teach you better? When you make a mistake, you have to apologize. Have you forgotten?" Emma stood there frozen as though someone had ripped the breath from her. He hadn't even asked what happened. He had just assumed based on Lea's words. "I'm the one you raised," Emma said, trembling. "Don't you trust me?" Frank looked away, his tone distant. "That kid I raised is long gone. Now, you just waste your time messing around with Carl, disregarding every rule I ever taught you." "No," Emma said, her voice steady as she met his gaze. "You're the one who threw her away."