Marcus watched Natalie approach, his eyes steady and unblinking. He was more than satisfied with the outfit he''d picked.


    Natalie had no clue what was going through his head as she reached him quickly. "Mr. Holden, I''m ready. Can we go now?"


    "Yeah, let''s go," Marcus said, getting up and walking beside her.


    A breeze swept past, bringing a faint scent of lemon to his nose. The hotel''s body wash must be lemon-scented.


    ...


    Back at the hospital, Marcus skipped the guest elevator. Instead, he took Natalie down a different corridor and used the staff elevator to reach the VIP floor.


    After stepping out, Natalie asked tly, "Why didn''t you take me this way earlier?"


    "I just found out about it. Hector mentioned it when I called him while getting your clothes," Marcus said as he walked ahead.


    They reached Emma''s VIP ward in no time, and Marcus knocked on the door.


    "Come in." Emma''s voice came from the bed.


    "I''ll wait here," Natalie said. She had no intention of going inside. She was only here to wait for Marcus so they could visit Charles afterward.


    "Alright," Marcus replied.


    He pushed the door open and stepped in, leaving it ajar. Natalie leaned against the wall outside.


    "Ms. Emma," Marcus said, his tone ice-cold. "I heard you were eager to see me. So, have you finally decided to confess your sins?"


    Whatever fleeting joy Emma had felt vanished in an instant.


    "Gabriel has already confessed," Marcus continued, watching the color drain from her face. "He said you were the one behind it."


    He spoke in a deep, frigid tone, every syble slicing through the air. His dark, prating gaze locked onto Emma. His stare had always been intense, and now, with every trace of warmth stripped away, it left her frozen in ce.


    "You gave him the drugced cigarettes, and you ordered him to have sh ram into my car," Marcus said, his gaze unwavering. "You''ve been so eager to see me. What is it? Finally ready to confess and make amends?"


    Emma''s face turned ghostly pale, her eyes widening in shock. Under the covers, her fingers clenched the bedsheet in a death grip.


    It couldn''t be true. Gabriel had sworn he''d never betray her. If something had changed, he would have warned her when Noah brought him in the middle of the night.


    Marcus had to be bluffing. He could do nothing as long as Emma refused to admit it. She clung to that belief.


    She braced herself, masking her emotions. Her eyes reddened with unshed tears, and she bit her lip, looking on the verge of breaking as she gazed at Marcus.


    "Marcus," she choked out, her voice catching. "I never did any of the things you''re using me of. You''vepletely misunderstood me.


    "First, you said I drugged you at Holden Residence, and now you im I ordered Gabriel to do all this. I have no grudge against you. Why would I ever want to hurt you? Besides, I love you."


    Emma steeled herself and revealed her deepest emotions. "I love you, Marcus. How could I ever bring you harm? I know you think the worst of me, but I swear, I had no part in this.


    "I begged to see youst night, and you refused. I had to plead with Hector just to get you toe. Marcus, we were promised to each other as children. I''ve always seen you as my fiancé, my future husband-"


    "Enough." Marcus cut her off, his tone cold and unyielding. "Emma, everything you''re saying sickens me. I''ve never met anyone as disgusting as you."


    "What?" Emma froze, her eyes wide in disbelief. "What did you say, Marcus? Say it again."


    "You can ask me to repeat it a hundred times, but it won''t change a thing," Marcus said.


    His patience wore thin as he repeated coldly, "I''ve never met anyone as disgusting as you, Emma Walker. Your little act of innocence doesn''t fool me.


    "Those tears and your pathetic show only make your ws stand out more. It''s so sickening. Maybe it''ll help people lose their appetite and shed some weight."


    Emma''s face turned pale at his words. She had been acting helpless, and his harsh usationnded exactly where it was meant to.


    "Do me a favor and quit telling people you were once my fiancée. The engagement my parents arranged with the Walkers was meant for Mrs. Walker''s biological daughter, not for some imposter."


    With that, Marcus got up, towering over Emma. "Ms. Emma, stop bothering me if you still have any self-respect. I might have spared you some respect if you''d kept your distance and held yourself with dignity like before.


    "But the moment you drugged me, that was it. An imposter is always an imposter. Even after all the effort the Walkers put into raising you for 20 years, the rot in your bones remains."


    Marcus despised being drugged more than anything. Worse, Emma had done it in Holden Residence and tried to sneak into his room afterward. Her intentions couldn''t have been clearer.


    Time had passed, but he had never intended to let it slide.


    Charles had covered for her-out of


    respect for the old ties between the


    Holden and Walker families and because the Walkers had yet to find their real daughter. Tearing that rtionship apart back then would have been a mess.


    Now that Emma was no longer the Walkers'' daughter and had done something unforgivable to Marcus, he had no reason to spare her any longer.


    "I didn''t do it!" Emma shouted, herposure slipping. "Marcus, you can''t just pin this on me!"


    Marcus sneered. "You know exactly whether I''m pinning this on you or not. The only reason I haven''t taken action is out of respect for Mr. and Mrs. Walker. But Emma, you''d better hope Sophia recoverspletely. If she doesn''t, you''ll regret it."


    "Sophia is Sky''s girlfriend. Why are you defending her?" Emma''s chest rose and fell rapidly, whether from anger or agitation. "Marcus, don''t tell me you''re into her. She''s with Sky. So what''s going on between you two? I''ll tell him she''s cheating, that she''s ying you both!"