Now, Not So MuchProperty © of .

Emelie tilted her head to the side with a smile. "I thought you might want to ask me what my relationship with William is now."

"I know he's been pestering you," Wesley replied flatly. "Playing the victim, acting pitiful, saying things like he misses you, loves you, all while being humble and trying to win you over. Do you think I don't know the tactics that men use?"

Emelie pondered for a few seconds before nodding honestly. "He does do that."

Wesley looked her in the eye. "So, what do you think of his behavior?"

Emelie licked her lips and spoke frankly. "At first, I wanted him dead. Now, not so much. But he doesn't get to live the rest of his life peacefully either. I will make sure he repays what he owes the Hoven family, and what the Middleton family owes the Pierce family.

"Even Bryan had to go bankrupt to atone for his sins. What makes William think he can continue being the heir to the Middleton family and the CEO of Cloudex?"

Emelie didn't answer Wesley's question about her thoughts on William's behavior, but she made it clear that she never intended to let William off the hook so easily.

Wesley said nothing more. He raised his hand and gently touched her hair, which was still a bit damp. She hadn't blow-dried it after washing, so it was taking some time to dry.

Emelie saw his frown and knew what he was going to say. She quickly interjected, "I know, I know. Next time, I'll remember to dry it."

Wesley chuckled softly and playfully pinched her nose.

The butler knocked on the door. "Sir, ma'am, Mrs. Filo is here."

It was Yennifer.

The two of them headed downstairs together. Before they had even reached the bottom, Yennifer's figure came rushing in from outside. "Mandy, my dear Mandy!"

Emelie laughed and hurried down the stairs, calling out, "Mom!"

Yennifer's face was full of concern as she grabbed Emelie's arm and spun her around, examining her from head to toe. Emelie cooperated, turning around to show that she was perfectly fine.

Yennifer, feeling sorry for Emelie, hugged her tightly. "My dear Mandy, how much suffering have you endured? You've lost so much weight in just a few days."

Then, Yennifer caught sight of Wesley and immediately raised her hand to hit him. "You rascal! You didn't even tell me that you and Mandy were just pretending. I thought that you two had really quarreled!

"I've been so worried that I couldn't eat or sleep properly. You may deceive others, but not your own mother!" Emelie quickly defended Wesley. "Only Wesley and I knew about this plan. Even Jodie thought we had really fallen out. The fewer people who knew, the more convincing it would be. We did it on purpose, so don't blame him."

"Oh, you just keep defending him!" Yennifer chided playfully.

Then, she continued saying, "I saw the news reporting about you being hunted down every day. It broke my heart. I sent so many people to find you, but they all said that they couldn't. I thought they were just scamming me for money."

Emelie shook her head. "It's not like that. We deliberately avoided our own people."

"Yes, yes, I understand now. Come, Mandy, tell me more about this plan of yours." Yennifer loved hearing stories. Wesley was used to his mother's dramatic behavior. He instructed the butler to bring some refreshments and then stepped outside to make a work call.

Emelie sat with Yennifer on the sofa in the living room and began explaining.

Yennifer, with her extravagant personality and deep affection for Emelie, praised her after nearly every sentence. She kept saying things like, "How is my darling so clever?", "How did you come up with such a brilliant idea?", or "Have you secretly grown a third brain?"

For a moment, Emelie felt like a three-year-old being coddled and praised, leaving her both amused and exasperated.

Yennifer also loved giving her gifts. As they talked, she began pulling things out of her pockets.

She said, "My darling, you're so smart and capable, you deserve a reward. Here, take this. These emerald earrings are from an auction last week. The color's a bit too young for me, but they're perfect for you, my dear..."

"And this. I was bored the other day, so I went to an alchemy workshop with some other ladies and made this bracelet. The engravings say 'Peace and Happiness, Health and Wealth,' all done by my own hands. You must wear it..."

"And this pigeon egg ring; it's perfect with your dress... Which dress? Doesn't matter, we'll just make one that matches if we don't have one..."

Yennifer's lavish and generous nature was something that Emelie had grown accustomed to over the past three years. Knowing that Yennifer didn't mind spending so much on her, Emelie gladly accepted the gifts. She just wanted Yennifer to be happy.

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