Chapter 153

Emma shook her head. Of course, she wouldn't be injured. Her only concern was that she might have lost control and beaten the woman at the hospital.

"Do you want me to drive you back?" Bob asked.

Emma shook her head. "It's fine. I'll drive myself." Her face was pale, and a chilling coldness emanated from her as she turned away.

Observant as always, Bob immediately sensed something was amiss. "Emma..." He took a step toward her.

"Yes?" Emma replied, her expression flat.

Bob frowned slightly. "If you're in trouble, tell me. I'll do my best to help." He would do anything for her.

In that moment, Emma gazed at Bob, feeling a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had encountered him before, under different circumstances and identities, but the details eluded her. Quickly dismissing her doubts, she said, "Thank you," and went home alone.

At Icovine Estate, Liam, having chosen to trust Emma, had stopped having her followed. He vowed never to invade her privacy again. However, he learned that Bob had been secretly watching her at the hospital and knew what Bob had said. As men, he understood Bob's intentions, especially considering Bob was his nephew. Bob, a reserved person, shouldn't have spoken to Emma as he did. Liam decided he needed to warn Bob to give up on Emma, even though she clearly harbored no romantic feelings for him.

For the next few days, Emma stayed at Liam Hall. After a few days' rest, she began warming up in the Icovine Estate yard to prepare for her return to training at school. Just then, her phone rang.

"Miss Wilson! Help me!"

"Ida?" Emma immediately stopped, standing up. "What happened?"

"That bastard Nigel won't answer my calls. He's blocked me everywhere, and he hasn't returned my money!" Ida exclaimed angrily. "I've called the police, but I'm still worried..."

Ida, a timid soul, had immediately thought of Emma. Emma reassured her, "Don't worry. I'll help you get your money back. I promise."

"Really? Emma?" Ida, immensely relieved, expressed her gratitude.

Emma went upstairs, turned on her computer, and used a specialized search engine to find Nigel. Within minutes, she located him.

"What a piece of trash!" she muttered.

Nigel, it turned out, had fled back to his homeland to avoid Ida. Emma gave Ida Nigel's address. "He's there now. Wait for the police. If they can't help, I will."

"Thank you! Emma, thank you, thank you!" Ida cried, overcome with emotion. Then, she hesitated. "Well, Miss Wilson, there's one more thing... I'm a little awkward about it."

"Hm?" Emma prompted.

Ida chuckled. "I went back to my hometown a few days ago and brought back some local specialties for you and Lane. Where are you? I'll send them over." It wasn't anything valuable, but the gesture meant a great deal.

"Okay, I'll send you my location," Emma replied.

"Alright!" Ida responded, delighted that Emma accepted her gift.

Emma, having a vast quantity of items stored in the Icovine Estate warehouse, fearing she might forget about Ida's gift, sent her the address of Charon Military School. Ida McKinney replied: [Get it! Love you, Emma.]

Reading Ida's joyful message brought Emma her first genuine happiness in days. The police were efficient; the next morning, Ida received the money Nigel owed her. By the time Ida shared the news, Emma had already returned to Charon Military School for another round of training. The training following the first monthly exam was relatively easy.

Besides training, Emma occasionally met Lane for meals. They noticed they hadn't seen Bob in a while.

"Where's Bob? He hasn't been eating with us lately," Lane remarked.

Emma shook her head. "I don't know."

Lane added, "He's in the same class as you. Have you seen him during the day?"

After the first month, the boys and girls began separate training. Hearing this, Emma realized she hadn't seen Bob since returning to school. Just as she was considering calling him, Lane approached Erza. "Hello, Erza. Where's Bob?"

Erza looked at Lane, then at Emma, and sighed, "Bob can't participate in training anymore."

Emma and Lane asked simultaneously, "Why?"

Erza explained, "Something came up at his family's company, so he's been sent to Yenovia to study for two years and manage business there." Pausing, Erza looked at Emma. "Wait. His family's company is Halls Group. You're Liam's girlfriend. Didn't you know?"

Suddenly sent to Yenovia? Emma's eyebrows furrowed. Is it Liam's idea?

That night, after a video call with Liam, Emma lay awake for hours. She didn't ask about Bob, feeling she shouldn't. She'd noticed Bob's feelings for her, but nothing could happen between them. Since her rebirth, she'd been devoted to Liam.

It was 3 a.m., the wind howling outside. This night held a thrill for Emma. After everyone had fallen asleep, she slipped out of the dormitory, dressed in black. Charon Military School forbade students from leaving the dorms after lights-out. Emma had to be cautious; dismissal would hinder her investigation into Justine's death.

"Boss, how'd it go? Did you get out okay?"

Josiah's question came as Emma landed after jumping from the last air conditioner.

"Yes."

"Can you see the red building?" Josiah asked.

"The school archives?" Emma asked.

"Exactly," Josiah confirmed. "The school archives require a certificate for entry. I suspect there might be photos of Bunny from the competition."