Before the manager could say anything, ire found her voice. She shoved her hand out, pointing wildly at Emery. “You! Since you’re the manager, call security! Drag her out! She’s the problem here!”
The manager blinked, taken aback by the sudden outburst. His eyes darted to Emery, then to Nina, and back to ire, trying to piece together what happened.
“Why are you just standing there?” ire snapped at the manager. “Call security already! Someone like her shouldn’t even be allowed inside. Do you even know what kind of woman she is?”
“You” ire pointed at Emery. “Why are youughing, huh? Who the hell are youughing at!” she screamed, her hands already shaking from anger.
When no one answered, ire suddenly lunged at Emery.
Or at least, she tried to.
Instead of connecting, she tripped over her own feet and mmed the side of her head against the edge of the table with a loud thunk. Several people gasped. Nina quickly grabbed her phone, pretending to text but already recording the chaos.
ire growled under her breath and pushed herself up, wild–eyed. Without missing a beat, she threw herself toward Emery again.
This time, Emery simply took a small step to the side. ire’s hands grabbed at air.
A few tables away, someone audibly snorted. Phones were up everywhere now.
Realizing how bad this looked, Vanessa rushed forward and tried to grab ire’s arms. “ire<b>, </b>stop it! You’re embarrassing us!”
Sadly, ire didn’t care. She shoved her mother away with a hard push<b>, </b>sending Vanessa straight to the floor with a heavy thud.
El
Emery pressed her fingers to her lips, trying not tough, but Nina wasn’t able to stop herself from giggling while staring at Vanessa.
Still determined, ire charged at her once more. Emery stepped to the side again, effortlessly, like she was dodging a slow–moving toddler. ire, unable to stop her momentum, barreled straight into a ss panel that disyed a neat arrangement of pastries and
desserts.
The ss cracked loudly, a muffin bouncing off ire’s head as she staggered back.
Nina finally gave up pretending and started openly recording, biting back a grin as she zoomed in on ire, who was now covered in crumbs and humiliation.
“Wow,” Emery said <b>casually</b>, picking up her purse<b>. </b>“You’re right, ire. This ce <b>is </b>a little cheap. Look how easily you broke it.”
The manager<b>, </b>who had been frozen in ce<b>, </b>finally stepped between them. His hand hovered awkwardly like he wasn’t sure if he should help ire up or just <b>call </b>the police.
Meanwhile, Vanessa scrambled to her feet, brushing herself off furiously. Her face was beet red.
“You dare avoid me!?” ire screeched, her mascara<b>–</b>streaked face twisted in rage.
Before anyone could react, she charged again.
Emery sidestepped, but her heel caught the edge of a damp tile. Her foot <b>slipped </b>out from under her. She iled for bnce, expecting to hit the floor.
Instead, shended against something solid.
Two strong arms caught her easily.
For a second, the world seemned to slow down. Emery blinked up and locked <b>eyes with </b>the same familiar golden ones she had been seeing far too oftentely.
<b>It </b><b>was </b>him.
<b>The </b><b>same </b>man from the clinic. <b>The </b><b>same </b><b>man </b>who punched Samuel. The same man who somehow <b>kept </b>popping <b>up </b>when she least
wanted him <b>to</b>.
12:35 AM PP.
He steadied her without saying anything for a beat, then asked, “You alright?”
Emery cleared her throat and quickly pulled herself upright. She smoothed her jacket with quick, stiff movements. “I’m fine,” she said, avoiding his eyes. “Thanks<b>.</b><b>” </b>
She adjusted her purse and jerked her thumb over her shoulder.
“But I’m not the one who needs help,” she added, gesturing toward ire.
The man nced past her.
Currently, ire was sitting on the floor, wailing incoherently. ck mascara streaked down her face, making her look less like a threat and more like a Halloween costume gone wrong. She mmed her fists against the tiles like a toddler mid–meltdown, kicking at nothing.
Somewhere near the door, another customer quietly said, “Holy shit,” before pulling out their phone.
Vanessa scrambled to help her daughter up, only to get pushed away again as ire continued to scream nonsense about suing everyone in the building.
Nina, still recording, nudged Emery lightly with her elbow. “I swear if you ever have a bad day again,” she said, “just remember this
moment.”
Emery didn’t respond. She was too busy ring at the man still standing way too close.
“You,” she said, “have got to stop showing up every time something stupid happens to me.”
He shrugged like he had no ns of leaving anytime soon.
Meanwhile, ire was still on the floor, her cries growing louder, her face
even worse with each wipe of her hand.
The manager sighed, pulled out his walkie–talkie, and muttered something about needing backup.
Just as Emery opened her mouth to tell the man to leave<b>, </b>she heard him ask, “Do you think they sell popcorn here?”
Naturally, Emery ignored him. She turned her focus on ire, studying her through narrowed eyes. ire Dwight had always been spoiled, and coddled by both her mother and brother. She was used to getting everything she wanted with nothing more than a snap of her fingers.
“You-“Vanessa’s voice snapped Emery out of her thoughts. She turned to <b>see </b>Vanessa struggling to pull ire off the floor. “Tell security to confiscate everyone’s phone!” Vanessa barked at the manager.
ao I am? I’m Samuel Dwight’s mother! The CEO
When the manager didn’t move, Vanessa’s face twisted with fury. “Do you even know of Dwight Enterprises!” she snapped. “<b>I </b>can have all of you fired! Now do what I said and take their phones–or mywyer will make sure every single one of you gets sued!”
Emery smirked. Was this woman always this unhinged?
She could hardly believe that for years, she had bent over backward for Vanessa Dwight, doing everything short of groveling at her feet just to earn her approval.
“Mother, what is going on here?”
The voice cut through the noise like a de.
Emery froze.
Slow
<b>her</b>.
<b>“</b>km