After staying in the studio for a few days, Emily had made great progress in many aspects. She was better at studying and painting. Emily had even become more enthusiastic about sparring with the guards recently. Moreover, she seemed to have changed into another person when she painted.
Emily had been working on a painting for the past few days. On the night before New Year's Eve, she finally finished that and handed it over to Rex to frame it. After that, she went into the study and hugged Vincent from behind like a cat.
She was very fond of the back hug.
Vincent would pull her into his arms when reading a book. But, if he was busy typing on the computer, he would scratch her neck gently as if he was teasing a cat.
When Emily entered the study, Vincent was reading a book. Seeing her, Vincent immediately put down the book and pulled Emily into his arms. After giving her a long kiss, Vincent asked, "Have you finished the painting?"
Emily mumbled something.
Vincent did not hear it clearly and strained his ears.
Emily gently bit his ear. It did not hurt at all. Instead, it felt a little itchy.
Vincent looked deep into her eyes as he reached out his hand to take off her clothes. Emily crossed her arms and chuckled. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"What do you think?" Vincent asked. He then picked her up and walked towards the bedroom.
Emily struggled in his arms and shouted, "Wait a minute! I have something to tell you!"
"Go ahead!" Vincent said patiently.
"I want to go back to City Y," Emily said.
Vincent stopped in his tracks.
Staring at him, Emily gently kissed his chin. "Mr. Vincent! I want to spend New Year's Eve at my home. Can you permit that?"
Sensing that Emily was trying to please him, Vincent deliberately said with a straight face, "That depends on your performance tonight."
Hearing that, Emily immediately hugged him and kissed him passionately.
On New Year's Eve, wrapped in a blanket, Emily was carried into the car by Vincent after lunch. Emily kept sleeping in the car until they arrived in City Y in the evening.
There was only the butler left in the house. Old and homeless, the butler had nothing to do all day. Therefore, he decided to take care of the house. However, he did not expect Emily to come over on New Year's Eve. He opened the door and happily welcomed them. Then he hurriedly closed the door for fear other people would see Vincent.
Wrapped in a blanket, Emily sat in the living room and looked around the house. In a trance, she felt it was not familiar anymore. Perhaps Emily had left there for too long. When she entered it again, she didn't feel warm but strange.
She had lived in the house for nearly eleven years.
The dining table reminded her of Elsie and Beverly, who often sat there laughing and chatting. Her gaze fell on the armchair exclusive to her brother Eliot. She turned around and looked in the direction of the kitchen, expecting to see Susan come out of it and ask her what she wanted to eat. She stood up and looked at the door, trying to find a tall guy who used to stand there.
The butler called Susan, who soon rushed to the house with a large bag of dumplings. Knowing that many people were there, she brought all the dumplings she had prepared for New Year's Eve.
"Wait for a while! The dumplings will be ready soon!" Susan said. Susan hurriedly went into the kitchen to cook after greeting Emily. Emily also went with her. She opened the refrigerator and found nothing but some bread and cheese in it. The butler lived alone and ate plainly.
"Miss Emily! What do you want to eat? I can go to buy some food now," The butler went to Emily and asked somewhat cautiously.
Emily shook her head. She stood there and watched Susan cook dinner.
Susan occasionally looked back at her and said with a smile, "Miss Emily! You have grown into a beautiful lady."
Emily listened quietly and curled up her lips into a faint smile.
Susan could not help patting Emily's head and cuddling her. "I'm so happy to see you are leading a good life!" Susan said.
"Thank you, Susan!" Emily said with a smile.
"Mr. Matthew came back several days ago," The butler continued, "but he left without saying anything."
Emotionless, Emily only nodded and said, "I see!" If Matthew were not her grandfather, Emily would treat him as a stranger.
Rex bought some pizza. Emily invited all the guards to join the dinner. Vincent often ate silently. At that time, Vincent probably wanted to take care of Susan and the butler. During dinner, he raised his head and talked with them from time to time. Feeling flattered, Susan and the butler spoke with smiles and asked Emily about her new life after living with Vincent. The atmosphere was lively. Everyone looked happy while having the meal.
Rex bought some pizza. Emily invited all the guards to join the dinner. Vincent often ate silently. At that time, Vincent probably wanted to take care of Susan and the butler. During dinner, he raised his head and talked with them from time to time. Feeling flattered, Susan and the butler spoke with smiles and asked Emily about her new life. The atmosphere was lively. Everyone looked happy while having the meal.
Susan had already cleaned up her bedroom and changed a new sheet and quilt for her. Lying on her bed, Emily sniffed the quilt, whose smell was so familiar to her.
Vincent gently wiped Emily's face with a towel. Feeling comfortable, she fell asleep very soon.
Seeing that she had fallen asleep, Vincent got up and walked out.
The butler and Susan were washing dishes in the kitchen. Surprised to see Vincent, they asked, "Mr. Vincent, are you going out now?"
Vincent nodded and walked out.
When Susan returned home, she found a thick envelope in her bag. She opened it and saw a wad of cash. On the envelope someone wrote, "To Susan."
On the other hand, the butler also found a strange envelope on the table after returning to his room. His eyes grew moist as he grabbed the envelope. He did not need to open it. He knew what was inside of it.
Rolando stayed in his room after dinner on New Year's Eve. He couldn't fall asleep, so he went through an old photo album. When he was the patriarch, his son and daughter were grown-ups. His daughter died tragically due to schemes and intrigues. His son also died distressingly on the way to rescue his grandson from abduction.
In other people's opinion, Rolando should be regretful. He had raised Vincent painstakingly. However, Vincent was not a descendant of his family. Vincent was too clever and forbearing. Or Vincent couldn't endure the humiliation for many years even if he had known the truth.
Noticing Vincent frowned in the photo when he was in his teens, Rolando couldn't help sighing.
"Why are you sighing so late at night?" A voice came from the door.