Chapter 6
Just like Emma had said, she never once used her kindness to manipulate anyone.
If anything, it was Casey who had acted selfishly, using Emma’s love and devotion to lock her in as a daughter–in-
Low.
Mark and Casey never actually pressured Courtney to have an abortion.
Even if they were disappointed in her, the child she was carrying was still a Souza by blood.
After bringing Courtney back to the Souza’s residence, they assured Sebastian repeatedly. “You go get Emma back. We’ll take care of this child when it’s born. We promise it won’t be a burden for Emma.”
Only then did Sebastian finally stop spiraling.
Within days, he lost it all over again–only this time, worse.
He made headlines across major media outlets, buying out front–page spreads just to publicly declare his love for Em-
2012
That’s when the world finally learned the truth. The mysterious real estate tycoon from Jacksonville, the CEO of Souza Group, had a name–Sebastian Souza.
People assumed that with all this public attention, Emma would eventually respond.
But it was like shouting into a void. She didn’t make a single move. No message. No sign. Nothing.
Remembering where she used to work, Sebastian drove to the offices of MiniNet Group.
When he explained who he was and why he had come, the boss personally led him to Emma’s old desk.
It was spotless like it had been carefully cleaned and left untouched. No one had taken over the position since she left.
Sebastian slowly sat down. Directly in front of him was a photo frame. The picture inside had been removed, leaving only an empty, blank space.
“That used to be a photo of her and her husband,” the boss said gently. “She worked herself to the bone, took on all the overtime she could, just to help him pay off his debts.
“There aren’t many women like her left in the world. Are you a friend of hers? Do you know how she’s doing now?”
Sebastian clutched the frame to his chest. His shoulders began to tremble–then came the uncontrollable sobs.
Back at his apartment, he shut himself in the room and stopped showing up at the Souza Group entirely.
All he did was drink.
.0%
12:29
Chapter 6
788 Vouchers
He wandered the apartment, searching for even the tiniest trace of Emma, but found none. That’s when it hit him- how deeply he had hurt her.
From the closet, he dug out a bundle of red string.
Drawing from what he remembered from his craft class, he slowly began weaving a love knot–a concentric heart.
One. Then two. Then three…
By the time the landlord came in to collect rent, the entire apartment was a chaotic mess.
The floor was littered with empty bottles, making it impossible to walk. The table was buried in a pile of love knots. The room looked like it had been turned inside out.
“Hey! Wake up!”
The landlord nudged Sebastian hard with his foot.
Sebastian’s eyes flew open. For a second, he thought it was Emma.
But when he saw it was just the landlord, he let his body drop back to the floor.
“Where’s your wife? When are you paying this month’s rent?
“I’ll tell you right now, if it weren’t for her begging me over and over, I would’ve never rented this place to a useless man like you!”
So Emma had even gone out of her way to plead with the landlord, just so they’d have a roof over their heads.
He had never known that.
No, deep down, he had known. He just didn’t care.
Because once he convinced himself Emma had betrayed him, nothing else about her had mattered.
He pulled out a bank card and handed it over.
“There’s 300,000 dollars on this card. Tomorrow, meet me and we’ll transfer the lease.”
The landlord scoffed at first–until he glanced down and caught sight of the news headline on Sebastian’s phone.
“Mystery CEO of Souza Group Revealed, Lavish Public Love Confession Raises Eyebrows”
The photo below was of Sebastian.
“Wait… You’re… You’re the CEO of Souza Group?”
Sebastian tilted his head slightly, raising an eyebrow.
“You don’t believe me?”
The landlord quickly nodded, sliding the card into his pocket.
50.0 %
12:29
Chapter 6
11
“I believe you, I believe you! A man with that kind of money can buy anything he wants. Of course, I believe
After the landlord left, Sebastian let out a bitter laugh.
“Sure, I’ve got money… But can money buy back your love? Emma, I miss you so much.”
Chapter 7
