Chapter 242

The autumn night wind carried a chill as Emily Smith tugged her coat collar tighter. The dim yellow light of the bus stop stretched her shadow long and thin.

She looked across the street. The glass facade of Sky City reflected starlight like a crystal palace. At this hour, William Johnson was probably still working overtime.

She immediately dismissed the thought. A self-deprecating smile tugged at her lips.

Hadn't she decided to end that arrangement? Why was she still thinking about him? Expecting him to fork over another six million dollars? Since when had Emily Smith become so shameless?

The bus arrival announcement startled her. Emily hurried across the crosswalk and swiped her card to board.

Around the corner, a black Maybach glided forward.

"Sir, it's Miss Smith," Sam Wilson noted the slender figure boarding the bus.

Documents slipped from long fingers. William looked up just as Emily took a window seat. Through the glass, he saw her faintly furrowed brow.

"Follow it."

The bus lumbered along. Emily pressed her forehead against the cool window, her mind filled with her sister's surgical options. The American procedure was too risky, but domestic hospitals lacked the necessary equipment...

The Maybach maintained a five-meter distance. The rear window lowered slightly as William's gaze pierced the darkness, landing on her lightly bitten lower lip.

"Check her schedule today," he ordered, fingers tracing his wristwatch.

Twenty minutes later, they reached Shengshi Longyuan Station.

Emily froze the moment she stepped off the bus. A familiar Rolls-Royce Phantom waited silently under the plane trees.

The door opened. Polished dress shoes crunched through fallen leaves. William leaned against the car, his tie loosened, clearly fresh from a business dinner.

"Does BestTech Group need janitors now?" He raised an eyebrow.

Emily gripped her backpack strap. "I missed my stop."

"Afraid of flying?" he asked abruptly.

Her head snapped up, meeting his fathomless gaze.

"The equipment arrives tomorrow." He brushed nonexistent dust from her hair. "Central Hospital will form a special team."

"The money—"

"Consider it an investment in medical advancement." His low laugh carried the rich scent of whiskey. "After all—"

"My period's almost over," Emily blurted out. She stared at the third button of his shirt. "I can... anytime..."

She fled before finishing.

William watched her stumbling retreat, his eyes darkening. His knuckles whitened.

The elevator mirror reflected Emily's flushed face. She'd actually said that out loud... Her nails dug into her palms.

"Unit 2803 has excellent ventilation..." A realtor's pitch drifted into the elevator. Emily's breath caught.

That was Daniel Chen's apartment.

So he'd known all along... An invisible hand seemed to squeeze her heart. As the doors closed, she spotted the familiar blue-gray access card in the agent's hand.

The sweet aroma of yam cakes filled her apartment. Emily packed freshly baked cakes into an insulated container, her fingers trembling slightly.