Yet, what else could Emline do, but make a graceful exit before she found herself ostracized further?
"Yes, my cousin is a very fortunate woman indeed," Emline said. "Excuse , I must go and powder my nose."
Her make-up was impeccable, but who was going to say otherwise? She had other people to see, and other people to talk to. Alia may have sunk her claws into this group of won, but there were plenty of others who didn’t know any better.
Emline made a move to leave, but never would she expect Alia to trail after her casually, like a foul sll she couldn’t shake.
’What was her problem?’ Emline hurried her footsteps, but she found herself unable to shake Alia.
She didn’t realize that Alia decided that it would be in her best interests to shadow Emline, at least until she could dump her back to her grandfather for babysitting duty.
It was simply easier to nip Emline’s efforts to take credit in the bud by making it impossible to speak, instead of trying to correct all the possible misconceptions that would arise from her shooting her mouth to unsuspecting guests.
Unfortunately, this thod also ant that she had to spend more ti with Emline. At least Emline seed just as pleased with this turn of events.
Good. Alia’s face twisted into a grimace. If she was suffering, she didn’t want Emline to get off scot-free either.
Just as she suspected, Emline had not gone to the washroom to powder her nose, but she tried to integrate herself with another group of guests. Alia was there, riding on her introductions and highlighting her own contributions to the charity. When Emline moved away to make another attempt, Alia followed her, repeating the sa sequence of events.
Eventually, Emline had enough. Once she was in a secluded corner of the ballroom, she whirled around and jabbed an angry finger at Alia’s chest.
"Why are you following ? Leave alone!" She shrieked.
"No can do," Alia said cheerfully. The incensed expression on Emline’s face felt like a balm to her weary soul and feet. She was never such a spiteful and petty person, but Emline was bringing out sides of her she didn’t know she had.
"I find myself suddenly very willing to spend a lot of ti with you, the sa way you are apparently so kind to help with the charity," Alia added pointedly.
Emline snarled, her fingers clawing at empty air. Alia half-expected her to scalp her bald, but then a sudden ring echoed through the room. Emline’s eyes darted down to her phone, and her face shifted imperceptibly. Her brows furrowed together, and there was the briefest glint of fear on her face.
Then she realized Alia was still present, and her lips twisted into a scowl. She tucked her phone close to her chest, so Alia wasn’t able to see the identity of the caller.
"Excuse , can you give a little more privacy here? I need to take this!" she demanded. But before Alia could respond, Emline had already hurried off, dashing away as though the hellhounds were hot on her heels.
How very strange. Anyone who could cause Emline to panic was definitely soone that Alia needed to take note of. She followed her cousin discreetly, hiding behind the nearest pillar to eavesdrop on her conversation.
From this distance, she couldn’t listen to the person on the other end of the call, but she could vaguely make out Emline’s harsh whispers in response. She squinted her eyes, trying to read Emline’s lips.
"No..." Emline’s face darkened. "You don’t know your place..."
There was a pause before Emline’s eye twitched. "This is none of my business―"
"Shut up―"
Alia crept closer, trying to listen more carefully. But clearly, she wasn’t stealthy enough, because Emline snapped to attention, her frenzied eyes boring holes into Alia’s face.
Emline’s next words erged in a sharp snap.
"I’ll talk to you later. Goodbye."
Then the call ended, and Emline crossed her arms. "Eavesdropping? That’s low, even for you."
"Who was that?" Alia asked, and Emline’s lips curled in derision.
"No one you should be bothered about," Emline declared haughtily, "Now, I must be going. Unlike you, I actually have important things to do other than following people around."
To Alia’s surprise, Emline actually stord off in the direction of the exit. Alia watched in disbelief as Emline actually got into a car driven by one of the Hawthorne family’s drivers and left the venue.
She was gone? Truly?
It should have been a mont of triumph for Alia, but all she felt was a sense of disquiet. It was unfathomable that Emline would give up so easily. Who was it at the other end of the line that could force Emline to retreat?
"Are you tired? Do you wish to leave?" Matteo asked worriedly, coming over to wrap an arm around her side. She leaned into his hold, relishing in his warmth.
"I noticed you have been trailing Emline like a puppy. I’m almost jealous, " Matteo added with a wistful sigh. "Is there sothing you wish to tell ?"
"I’m fine," Alia said with a playful jab of her elbow, "But I do have sothing to report. I just saw sothing strange."
She then told Matteo all that she had overheard, and Matteo frowned in confusion. However, he still reassured her.
"I highly doubt it’s sothing we need to be concerned about," he said. "If there’s anyone that can cause Emline to panic, it’s good for us. It shows that she has sothing to hide, and all we need to do is wait her out."
Alia wanted to protest, but she could only nod in agreent. Matteo technically wasn’t wrong, but she still had a niggling suspicion that she was missing a key piece of the puzzle.
"Now that she has taken her leave, do you still want to socialize?" Matteo asked. "It’s your night. You deserve to enjoy it without her ruining the festivities."
Alia smiled. "It’s technically Carlo’s night, but I see your point." It would be nice to spend ti unhaunted by Emline’s presence. "Let’s go and speak with a few more people first."
The rest of the night was spent socializing, and the faces began to blur together. Alia was ready to retire ho and spend the night cuddled in Matteo’s arms. However, all lethargy left her body the mont she caught sight of a ssage from Dimitri.
’Your father is injured. Visit him tomorrow.’
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