Winning Her Heart Back

 If It Weren't For You

Emelie ignored him and took out her phone to check the time. Then, she noticed that the battery was low.

As she was about to call for Jodie to bring her a charger, William unplugged his phone and handed her the cord.

Emelie slightly furrowed her brow.

He always knew her needs before she even spoke and that had somehow made her irritated.

Emelie accepted it, planning to ask Jodie for a charger when she returned.

William casually asked, "Hungry? I have some self-heating hot pots in the car."

Emelie was starving. After all, it was already half past seven.

Emelie didn't refuse, and William went downstairs to grab some instant meals from the trunk. He left two boxes for the bodyguards and brought one upstairs.

Emelie smiled, "If it weren't for you, we'd all be lost, Mr. Middleton."

William has grown accustomed to her sarcasm and began going through the flavors in the box. "I remember that you don't like spicy food. How about a tomato-flavored one?"

Emelie brushed his hand aside and simply grabbed a meal. "No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Middleton. I can manage on my own."

She opened the packaging and sauce packets.

"Oh, by the way, what brings you to inspect the lab, Mr. Middleton? I didn't hear about this on your schedule," Emelie asked while preparing her food.

"It was a last-minute plan. Mainly just needed an excuse to leave Capebatt City for a bit," William said.

"Oh? And why's that? Is there something in Capebatt City that scares you, Mr. Middleton?" Emelie was curious.

William took the kettle and poured hot water into Emelie's food container.

"The same reason you left Capebatt City is why I left as well," he replied.

Emelie's eyes flickered, and she smiled softly.

After a couple of minutes, the self-heating hot pots were ready.

Emelie used the disposable utensil to stir the food. She picked up a piece of carrot, blew on it, and then took a bite.

"I don't understand what you mean, Mr. Middleton," she said.

William gave a brief, muffled cough. To his surprise, Emelie immediately started coughing as well.

William turned and looked at her. "Did I pass my cold to you?"

Emelie choked on her food.

She coughed as she glanced at the packaging. She read the label that clearly stated: "Hot and Spicy, Cedonian's pick."

Emelie took a deep breath. "Can't you read? How is this tomato flavor?"

William couldn't help but chuckle as he saw her watery eyes from the spice. "You picked it yourself. Didn't you notice whether it was spicy or tomato flavored by the smell? Blaming me for that, huh?"

Emelie had only noticed the red packaging and assumed it was the tomato flavor that he had mentioned. She didn't pay much attention as she was lost in thought. But who could've known it was so spicy?

She quickly poured herself a glass of water to ease the burn. However, her tongue was still stinging.

William shook his head. "Let's switch..."

It turned out that his meal had a spicy peppercorn flavor.

He looked through the remaining meals in the box. "Seems like there's no tomato flavor. The suppliers up north prefer spicier options, so that's all they have."

Emelie tossed her utensils aside, frustrated. "Forget it, I'm not eating. I'm not even hungry, anyway."

She got up and walked over to the window.

William felt that Emelie's temper had grown over the years.

Oh, wait. That wasn't quite right.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

When she left Capebatt City and was under his forced confinement, her temper was just as fiery. Back then, she had even smashed things back in Eastbay.

Nevertheless, this version of her felt more authentic than her forced smiles.

William pondered for a moment, stood up, and went downstairs. He returned with two glass bowls, filling one with hot water.

Emelie remained at the window, staring out at the snow.

"Doesn't it snow like this in Baliz?" William asked.

Emelie replied indifferently, "It does, but I hate the cold. Whenever it snows, I go back to Mercianna. The weather's better there, and the Denning Residence has a good heating system. It always feels like spring,"

Back to Mercianna, back to the Denning Residence, back to Wesley.

Mercianna felt warm, the Denning Residence was warm, and so did Wesley.

William fell silent for a moment before saying, "I heard that Mrs. Filo likes you a lot. She even passed down the Filo Residence to you?"

"She did want to, but it's the Filo family's old home, their main residence. How could I accept that?" Emelie replied casually.

"Well, you're Wesley's fiancée, right? And he's the heir to the Filo family. It wouldn't be a

big deal to accept Filo Residence. Why the formality? Seems like your relationship isn't as close as it seems," William remarked.