Chapter 4 Emily Hope

Axton quickly closed his laptop when he saw Emily walking towards him. Emily then asked, "Are you busy?"

Axton replied, "Yes, you can see for yourself, I have a lot of work. What's up?"

"Didn't you take a day off from the office tomorrow?" Emily asked again.

"Yes, and I plan to use this day off to work on some strategies related to other fabric materials," Axton said, making Emily nod. Axton seemed very focused on his work and didn't have any intention of chatting with Emily about anything else.

Emily attempted to strike up a conversation, "I just finished touring the house with David. It's a comfortable house."

Axton only nodded while continuing to check the documents in front of him with fabric swatches attached. Axton was an entrepreneur who owned a fabric factory, and several fashion companies collaborated with his fabric factory in their fashion product manufacturing. Emily realized that Axton's company was very advanced, as seen from the house he lived in, the vehicles he owned, and perhaps other hidden assets she wasn't aware of.

"Did David introduce you to the other workers?"

"Earlier, David told me to rest right away because he also had to attend to other work," Emily replied, making Axton simply nod. Emily had mentioned resting, but Axton didn't seem to respond at all.

Then, Emily asked, "You must be tired too, right? Don't you intend to rest?"

Axton answered, "I haven't even done anything since I woke up this morning. So if you're tired, you can rest first."

Emily sighed deeply. Even though she knew Axton would act like this, she still hoped for a little more attention from him. Emily then decided to rest first and left Axton's workspace.

As Emily headed towards the master bedroom that David had shown her earlier, she immediately caught Axton's scent as she opened the door.

Emily looked around the spacious room. Large glass windows allowed sunlight to stream into the room, which had a dark ambiance with black, gray, and white walls, creating a masculine atmosphere. The furnishings in the room also followed this color scheme, which made Emily pause for a moment. Emily herself didn't particularly favor bright colors, so a room like this was not an issue for her.

Carefully, Emily began to explore the room. She saw Axton's bookshelf, some mysterious ornaments, and walked toward the door leading to the fairly spacious bathroom. However, there was one thing missing – there was no bathtub. Emily felt the need to voice her protest about this.

Afterward, Emily walked towards the large glass window that overlooked the backyard. She could see a fairly large swimming pool and a glass-walled room, likely a gym. Palm trees surrounded the garden, and Emily nodded, enjoying the view. Axton had truly designed this house to his liking.

Emily finally moved to Axton's bed. She sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the soft mattress underneath. Emily pulled the blanket, which carried Axton's scent, and a small smile formed on her face. She stretched out her arms and lay down on the bed, with her legs dangling, and half of her body dozing off. She gazed at the room's ceiling with a few minimalist lights, adding an elegant touch.

Emily let out a long breath. She was a newlywed who had married her friend's ex-husband just a few days ago, all to make Grace jealous. Emily smiled wryly at herself, contemplating how complicated the situation she found herself in was.

Emily pondered the possible nicknames others might give to describe her situation. She felt like a snake woman, a cunning woman, or even a witch, and it made her feel sad.

Emily could still remember her last encounter with Grace. At that moment, a plate of spaghetti suddenly landed on Emily's head, and it was a highly embarrassing moment in front of her coworkers. Grace had come out of nowhere and intentionally poured a bowl of spaghetti on Emily's head, right in front of Rosa, one of Emily's coworkers. Emily could only stand there in shock and disbelief.

Rosa immediately reacted, pulling Grace away, while other employees became witnesses to the incident. Gossip began to spread at the workplace that Emily was a husband-stealer, even though Emily had never attempted to steal Grace's husband. Emily didn't care much about the gossip, but she felt disappointed when she confided in Axton. His cold response only made her feel worse.

Emily longed for support and comfort from Axton, but at that moment, all she received was an apology that made her feel unappreciated. She had hoped that Axton would gently embrace her and provide the support she needed.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble," was the sentence Axton uttered, and it pierced Emily's heart at that very moment. She had wished for Axton to hold her gently and say, "This is my fault. I'll resolve this issue with Grace. She shouldn't have treated you so harshly because this is my mistake." But all her hopes were in vain.

Emily didn't know how vividly she had imagined the events before her wedding day, leaving her unaware of her eyes growing heavier after that.

Axton had failed to provide the comfort and support Emily yearned for, and it left a lasting impact on her feelings toward their relationship.

Axton had just finished all his work. In fact, he had been so focused on his tasks that he didn't realize he had been sitting in his large office chair for hours.

When Axton glanced at the watch on his wrist, which already read five in the evening, he furrowed his brow. No wonder his shoulders felt stiff from sitting for so long in front of the large desk piled with work. After all, Axton remembered arriving with Emily, and it was only one in the afternoon.

Axton quickly got up from his chair. Emily must be annoyed with him for ignoring her again. He walked towards his master bedroom, the place he had been living in since his divorce from Grace. Axton had decided to return to this house because the one filled with memories of his ex-wife felt too burdensome. Eventually, he had emptied the house, although he had assigned a few employees to maintain it so it wouldn't fall into disrepair.