Chapter 32 Is there a clue in ?

Robert stood outside the one-way mirror, initially worried Emily might hurt herself. But now, he realized he had underestimated her.

His phone buzzed; it was David calling. Robert glanced at Emily, bracing himself for the inevitable scolding.

Sure enough, David had found out Robert took Emily to the room and let him have it. Before hanging up, he told Robert to make sure Emily stayed safe.

After a bit, Emily walked out of the room, looking pretty pleased with herself. Robert trailed behind her. Emily flashed him a sweet smile. "Thanks, Robert."

"Did you find out anything?" Robert asked, not wanting to check the cameras in the room.

Emily smirked. "It's tied to the Jackson family, but there's someone behind them they don't even know about." Robert squinted slightly.

Once they left the room, Emily felt the air was much fresher. As soon as she got home, her phone rang. It was Harper. "Emily, be careful when you go out these days."

"What's up?" Emily asked.

"I just saw Nicholas; James must have rescued him," Harper said, sounding annoyed.

Emily had told her that Nicholas stole Ava's necklace and auctioned it off, which really ticked Harper off. Now that James had let him go, she couldn't relax.

Emily tightened her grip on the phone, then chuckled. This was typical of James. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." Emily smiled.

After the last incident, Emily made sure to have bodyguards with her wherever she went. She thought about the time she got beaten up after leaving the Smith Manor; her face darkened, and she headed to Robert's room.

Robert was about to take a shower when he heard a knock. He opened the door to see Emily, looking surprised. "Emily, something up?"

"Robert, I want to know about the time you saved me outside the Smith Manor. Any leads on who attacked me?" Emily asked.

Robert's face darkened a bit. "There were three people; two got away, and we're still looking for them. The other one got hit by a car during the chase and is still in a coma in the hospital." Emily nodded, showing she understood.

"I'll let you know as soon as he wakes up," Robert said, ruffling Emily's hair. After a moment, he added seriously, "Emily, I hope you can live a happy life, not one haunted by the past."

"I'm always happy." Emily smiled. "Especially after finding you all, I'm even happier."

Robert sighed inwardly. He could tell the difference between real happiness and a front. He had suggested to David and Mia that they send Emily abroad to study, but they had just found her and couldn't bear to be apart.

Emily went back to her room, her smile fading completely. She sat on her bed, staring out the window for a long time before taking out a small box from under the bed. Inside were the ashes of her aborted child.

She had been too busy lately to find time for a proper burial. Robert was right; she shouldn't be haunted by the past.

The next morning, Emily planned a visit to Ava's grave with Harper and to pick a plot for her deceased child. If it could be next to Ava's, it would fulfill Ava's last wish.

Emily brought Ava her favorite bellflowers. The two stood in front of the tombstone.

"Ava, I'm sorry I didn't have the courage to give birth to the child. I didn't want him to be unhappy," Emily murmured. Looking at Ava's kind smile on the tombstone, her heart ached. She just didn't have the courage.

Harper stood beside Emily, unsure how to comfort her. She missed Ava too; Ava had been the kindest to her besides James.

Emily leaned against the tombstone, talking to Ava about many things, including finding her family and how well she was doing now. She attributed it all to Ava's protection.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but Emily's body was half-numb before she finally got up and left the cemetery with Harper.

Before leaving, she glanced at the empty plot next to Ava's grave. Emily then asked the cemetery manager about it. But the manager told her that the plot had already been reserved. If Emily wanted it, she would have to negotiate with the person who reserved it.

"Who reserved that plot?" Emily asked.

The manager flipped through the records and finally pointed to a name. "Abigail Rodriguez."

Harper frowned upon hearing the name. Emily called the number Abigail had left, and the call was quickly answered.

"Hello, Ms. Rodriguez. Are you willing to sell the plot you purchased at Shadowvale Cemetery?" Emily asked. They quickly arranged to meet at Blissful Brews in the city.

"Emily, this person's voice sounds familiar," Harper said, her brows furrowed since she had heard the name and the voice.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "We'll know when we see her." Harper pursed her lips and nodded.

Blissful Brews.

When Emily and Harper arrived, Abigail had not yet arrived.

Abigail arrived late, and as soon as she appeared, Harper recognized her. "Olivia and Nicholas's mother," Harper said, her face darkening. "This woman is hard to negotiate with."Abigail could argue with Sophia without losing. Hearing her identity, Emily pursed her lips, realizing that getting this plot might not be easy.

Abigail looked surprised to see Harper. After introducing themselves, Abigail squinted her eyes, sizing up Emily who had won over Olivia and married into the Smith family.

However, she looked for a long time but couldn't find anything about Emily that could compare to Olivia. At that time, Emily was just a country bumpkin. Yet she had won Ava's favor and even made Ava use her life to threaten James into marrying her.

While Abigail was sizing up Emily, Emily was also sizing up Abigail. Abigail was wearing an elegant dress, making her look kind and approachable. But if one looked closely into her eyes, they would see the malice within.

Emily smiled gracefully. "Abigail, please have a seat."

Abigail sat across from Emily, leisurely sipping her tea. "I've heard a lot about you, Emily, but this is the first time we've met."

"Nice to meet you," Emily said. Both were probing each other, trying to figure each other out.