Winning Her Heart Back

 As One

After a few seconds, Emelie asked, 'How did you get in?"

William studied her face closely, which was pale and sickly. She had deteriorated so much in just a few days.

As he breathed, his chest ached slightly. "Given your state, you still think that you can escape. So, is it really that surprising that I managed to get in?"

Emelie wasn't sure how to feel about that. "You came to Mercianna to find me?"

William replied, "When I heard that you were being kept here under house arrest by Wesley, sick and not allowed to go to the hospital, I didn't believe it."

"If you didn't believe it, why did you come?" she asked.

"I was afraid it might be true," he replied.

Emelie leaned against the wall, staring at him deeply. "You shouldn't have come, William. You've been getting too close to me lately.

"Aren't you worried that your business partners will start questioning your loyalty and come after you? Charging into a foreign city like Mercianna like this, you're practically handing them the opportunity."

William just smiled. "So, you think that they'd come after me because they believe I'm one of your men? Does that mean you're admitting that I am your man?"

Emelie scoffed at his wishful thinking. "You should start writing your will. If you really die here in Mercianna, I'm afraid the Middleton family will blame me for it."

William grinned. He had learned that when she couldn't find a way to refute him, she'd resort to cold, harsh words.

He glanced outside, then spoke softly, "I'm not going to die, angel. As long as you're safe, I'm safe.

Because he'd do whatever it took to stay alive, just so he could protect her.

"There's no one around,' he said, taking her hand. "I'm getting you out of here."

The Denning Residence was enormous. While the number of maids inside might decrease during the afternoon, the guards outside were always on duty, day and night.

William was concerned that too many people would attract attention, so his men were all stationed outside. It was just him alone that came inside.

They watched the surroundings closely, and once they were sure no one was around, they made a dash for the main gate.

A patrol of guards passed by, and the two of them had to hide behind a statue. Fortunately, the statues were quite large, and the base alone was enough to conceal both of them.

William suddenly asked her, "Why is Wesley doing this to you?"

"Haven't you seen the news? The rumors about us have spread like wildfire. No man would tolerate that," Emelie replied

William chuckled softly. "Wesley isn't like that. During those three years when we were together, he knew about us. If he was really that easy to provoke, he would've taken you away long ago."

Emelie explained, "He didn't take me away back then because he had just taken over the Filo family. His aunts and uncles didn't respect him; they were all trying to bring him down. He was too busy dealing with them.

"If he'd kept me by his side, he'd have been distracted. Not only would he have been unable to protect me, but I would have been in danger. It was safer to leave me in Cedonia."

She added nonchalantly, 'Besides, he thought that I liked you. He was willing to let us be."

The patrol passed by, and William pulled her to her feet. They quickly resumed their run toward the exit.

They hadn't gone far when they ran into a few gardeners. Emelie immediately grabbed William, and they both ducked into the bushes.

However, William was too tall, and the bushes couldn't completely hide him.

The rustling branches caught the attention of the gardeners. "Hm?"

Without missing a beat, William pulled Emelie close, and they both rolled into the grass.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

The gardener walked over and peered into the bushes, but there was nothing there. He wondered if he had imagined it.

He confusedly scratched his head, snipped a couple of branches with his shears, and turned away.

In the grass, Emelie found herself lying on top of William, hearing his heartbeat. She couldn't help but hold her breath.

The shadows of the leaves dappled William's face, dividing it into patches of light and dark. But those deep, dark eyes of his remained clear, focused on Emelie

"You and Wesley... It's all an act, isn't it?" William asked.

Emelie looked up at him.

William said softly, "You're the type of person who, if you truly hate someone, would completely deny everything about them. You'd never defend them. Just like with me. After we broke up, the only things you remembered were the bad things I did to you.

"Since you're defending Wesley, that means this whole thing between you two is just a show. Who's your target?"

Emelie had always known that William was smart. He was a little too perceptive, catching onto the smallest details.

He continued, 'He sent you back to Mercianna. Your target is here, isn't it? Is it Wesley's aunt, Natalia? I told you before, she's the one behind his car accident.

"And now she's teamed up with Bryan to cause the amusement park disaster in Eprand. You two finally couldn't take it anymore and decided to settle the score with her, didn't you?"

Emelie said, 'Wise men often suffer, Mr. Middleton. The clever don't live long."

William gently covered her mouth. "Stop cursing me. If I really don't live long, that wouldn't be good."

Then, he smiled. "So, you're admitting I'm right?"

Emelie turned her head to avoid his hand. 'I wasn't finished. Except for those who only pretend to be smart."

Those who were too clever wouldn't live long, but those who pretended to be clever were exceptions.

"So, I was wrong?" he asked.

Emelie didn't answer. When she saw that the coast was clear, she got up off William.

For some reason, something triggered her to cough, and William's expression changed immediately. He grabbed her wrist to check her pulse.

Emelie looked at him in confusion. "You know how to check a pulse?'

"After being sick for so long, you start to learn a thing or two. William frowned. "You're really sick? No, did

you make yourself sick to make them believe you're ill? Are you taking medicine?"

He disapproved. "Do you know how valuable good health is? Aren't you worried about the side effects of messing around with drugs?"

"You're meddling too much," Emelie said, pulling her hand away. 'I'm not taking anything. I'm just sick, and Wesley won't let me go to the hospital, so I'm not getting better. Everything you said is just your imagination." They made it all the way to the gate without encountering another patrol.

However, at that moment, a truck arrived to deliver fresh fruit to the residence, heading toward them.

The open space offered no cover, and the warehouse workers preparing to unload the truck spotted them immediately.

One of them grabbed his collar mic and shouted into the intercom. "This is bad! Ms. Pierce is trying to escape!"

It was too late for subtlety. William took Emelie's hand, ready to run for it. As long as they got out, his men would be there to back them up.

Emelie also braced herself to make a break for it when William suddenly bent down, lifting her onto his back.

"What are you doing. William?" she cried out.

"You're in no condition to run. Hold on tight," he said. "I'll get you out of here."