Ivy's outrage ca imdiately she heard that. "What?! A mistake? Who does this man think he is? Doesn't he know what it ans for soone like you—who's gone through heartbreak and betrayal—to open yourself up like that? He's an idiot!"
"I just feel like a fool for even thinking it ant sothing to him....."
"He's the fool to think it was nothing. I an why would he even kiss you if he didn't like you? Gosh, I just feel like giving him a knock on his head right now," Ivy said, furious now.
"I don't know what to do right now. I just..."
"I, for one, know what to do," Ivy cut in. "You know what? Give his number. I need to call him right now and talk so sense into him. He's an idiot. A total jerk!" Ivy hissed, clearly annoyed.
Emma shook her head even though Ivy wasn't there to see her. "Stop, Ivy," Emma said quickly, her voice strained. "Hearing you say all that just makes it hurt worse. I've been thinking... maybe I should leave. Start over sowhere new. Get away from all of this. It's just too overwhelming and now that he doesn't like , I think I shouldn't continue staying here," Emma said with a sigh, a mory of her telling herself she was going to fight for whatever she had with Alex coming to her head.
"Absolutely not," Ivy snapped. "You're not running away, Em. If you leave, it's like admitting defeat. No. Instead, you make him regret saying that to you."
Emma frowned, confused. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you seduce him," Ivy said, her tone firm and unapologetic.
"What?" Emma asked, half-shocked, qnd half-amused.
"I'm saying you should make him fall for you, Em," Ivy said confidently. "Make him grovel, make him beg you to marry him for real. Then you'll have the upper hand."
"Ivy, that's ridiculous," Emma said, though a faint smile tugged at her lips. To think she had even thought of doing that before. Hearing it from Ivy now made her realize just how ridiculous the idea had been.
"Is it?" Ivy countered. "Think about it. He's obviously fighting his feelings for you, and if there's one thing I know about n, it's that they can't resist what they think they can't have. Play the ga, Em. Besides, I don't believe he would kiss you so passionately if he didn't like you. He did kiss you so passionately, didn't he?" she asked and Emma giggled.
"I think he did," she said finding it amusing now.
"Good. Now that shows he probably likes you and is just holding back. I wonder why though but that isn't my concern. Do what I said and you'll see," Ivy said confidently.
Emma shook her head, though the idea lingered. "I'll think about it," she said finally.
"Good," Ivy said with satisfaction. "Now, promise you won't mope around. You're better than that."
"Fine," Emma relented. "I'll try."
"Alright then. I have to get back to work," Ivy said and Emma nodded.
"What about the chef? Have you called him?" Emma asked and Ivy rolled her eyes.
"Not yet. I'll call him soon," Ivy said hoping that when one of the agencies they reached out to sends her a chef, she would just lie and tell Emma it was Hunter.
After all, Emma didn't know Hunter and had never spoken to him before.
"How soon, Vee? Rember you need him," Emma said and Ivy smiled.
"I know and I'll reach out to him once I have so things sorted out. Now, I have to go. Bye and take care of yourself," Ivy said and Emma nodded before ending the call.
As Emma ended the call with Ivy, her mind swirled with conflicting thoughts. She sat on her bed, biting her lip as Ivy's words echoed in her head.
Seduce him? Make him regret it? Could I even pull that off? The re thought of acting so boldly made her heart race and her stomach churn with uncertainty.
Though she had also thought about it before, now that Ivy had talked about it again, she couldn't help but wonder if she could.
She tried to imagine herself trying to flirt with Alex and she cringed at the thought. She would probably think about it properly.
Just as she tried to push the notion aside, a soft knock on the door startled her. Emma blinked, montarily frozen. Who could it be?
Could it be.....? Slowly, she stood and walked toward the door, her heart sinking when she opened it to find Claire standing there, just as she had thought.
"Good morning," Claire said cheerfully, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Good morning, Claire," Emma said trying to hide how surprised she was to see Claire at her door even though she knew Claire would be arriving soon.
Claire glanced at Emma's slightly flushed face, clearly picking up on the surprise in her expression. "I hope I didn't catch you off guard. Alex did tell you I was coming, didn't he?"
Emma forced a polite smile. "He did, yes. I just... wasn't expecting you to knock on my door so soon."
Claire tilted her head playfully. "Ah, I see. My timing is off, huh?" She leaned slightly against the doorfra, her expression softening.
"I'm sorry for showing up this early in the morning. I know I should've given you more ti to prepare for a guest."
Emma chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to navigate this conversation. Why is she apologizing to ? She thought.
"You don't need to apologize," Emma said. "This is your brother's house. You're welco to be here anyti."
Claire raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a teasing smile. "Still, it feels wrong barging in like this when you're Alex's wife now."
Emma stiffened at the word "wife," her smile faltering. "Wife..." she repeated under her breath, her voice barely audible.
Claire pretended not to notice Emma's awkwardness and asked, "Were you talking to just now?"
Emma shook her head quickly, brushing off the mont. "No, I wasn't. I didn't say anything. Do you want sothing?" Emma asked thinking Claire probably needed sothing; hence, she ca knocking.
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