Second Chances

Chapter 28 

In a high–end exotic–style study of Icovine Estate, Liam sat at his desk, staring at the photos in his email on the computer, his expression far from pleased. 

“Mr. Hall.” Levi’s voice sounded cautious. “Mrs. Hall did well on the cruise, even participated in the famous Vark Invitational Mathematics 

Examination, and came in second, but…” 

“Speak!” Liam urged. 

Levi reported to him everything, including how Emma chatted alone with Vere on the deck after the competition and how Vere even gave her his phone number. 

As he listened, Liam’s large hand crushed the huge glass to pieces. His eyes were bloodshot, the blood from his palm trickling onto the computer desk. 

On the screen were pictures of Emma, indecent and unseemly, with no signs of photoshopping. 

Rage and malevolence split inch by inch within Liam as he cursed inwardly, ‘Emma, how many secrets are you keeping from me?‘ 

At an inconspicuous internet cafe on the outskirts of the city, Aria sent an email at the fastest speed and quickly dashed out. 

She just lost her child and her ties with the Taylor family. As Elijah was the primary offender, Sebastian bailed out Aria. But at the same time, she was utterly unable to escape him, a sadistic tormentor. Now, her life was a living hell, and her hatred for Emma was growing. 

‘Emma! When Liam sees what a cheap and loose woman you are, you will only end a hundred times more tragically than me!‘ Aria thought 

maliciously. 

At the same time, Emma returned to Icovine Estate late at night, only to find that Liam was not home. 

“Hey, Wilmot, where’s Mr. Hall?” Emma inquired of a servant who had yet to retire for the night. 

“Mr. Hall had just gone out,” the maid named Wilmot Mallin replied. “I’m not sure where he went. Ma’am, would you like to give him a call?” 

“I got it,” Emma said, taking out her phone to dial his number. 

“Ma’am…” Wilmot hesitated. 

“Yes?” Emma replied. 

Wilmot looked at Emma’s face and reminded, “When Mr. Hall came out of the study, he looked really mad, and he was bleeding from his 

hand.” 

Silence reigned for two seconds before Emma replied, “I got it.” 

***** 

After going upstairs, Emma first went to Liam’s study. The computer was already turned off, and there were the remains of crushed glass and blood stains on the table. She pondered for a moment and called Levi. 

“Hello, Miss Wilson?” Levi answered. 

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“Do you know where Mr. Hall went?” Emma went on. 

Sensing his hesitation, Emma continued, “With his limited mobility, are you really okay with him being out alone at this hour?” 

Based on her understanding of Liam, she knew that he would be alone at such times, not allowing anyone near him. And she was right; after just two seconds of silence on the phone, the response came. “Mr. Hall is currently at Watery Garden.” 

Upon catching the two words, Emma’s heart clenched violently. Dark memories instantly flooded back into her mind. In her previous life, it was in the warehouse of Watery Garden where she and Liam met their end. Those charred corpses, the smell of burning, every detail etched into her deepest fears. 

Back then, she could only watch helplessly as Liam died, helplessly waiting for her own demise. When faced with death, everyone had an innate fear. Her right hand began to tremble involuntarily, but at that moment, she grabbed her wrist with her other hand, reassuring herself inwardly, ‘Don’t be afraid, Emma! It won’t be a repeat of the past this time.‘ 

She got in her car and drove out of the Icovine Estate. Watery Garden was a famous luxurious standalone villa in Troln City, about a half–hour 

drive from here. 

Until today, Emma had no idea that Watery Garden actually belonged to the Hall family. In her previous life, she received a fire alert at Watery Garden, only to be tricked into the burning building by Elijah and Aria. 

As Emma drove, she couldn’t help but recall Liam’s expression as he was burned to death, along with the excruciating pain of being scorched. Somehow, Emma felt a bad feeling just crept up on her. She had been so distracted that she almost crashed her car. 

Suddenly, Levi’s call came. “Mrs. Hall, have you left the house?” 

“Yes,” Emma replied. 

Levi sounded torn. Liam didn’t want Emma to know his whereabouts, but she had already left. Helplessly, Levi gave a hesitant answer. “Alright then, be careful on your drive.” 

Emma didn’t think too much and hung up. 

About half an hour later, she finally arrived at the Watery Garden. Returning to this strange yet familiar place, Emma could never forget how 

much pain and despair she felt that day. 

She inched into the courtyard, her nails digging so deep into her palm they were about to draw blood. Looking up at the villa, she noticed a light shining from the second floor. ‘Liam must be there,’ she wondered. 

She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. “Liam, it’s me!” 

The door swung open. Emma stared at it, hesitated for half a second, then pushed it open and stepped in. 

Inside the villa, the classic opulent exotic style reigned, with no servants around, creating an eerie silence. 

Emma took a few steps forward, and suddenly, she sensed something was off. When she finally realized what was happening, it was already too late. Two men on either side had her in a deadly grip. 

Emma struggled desperately, only to receive a syringe of anesthesia injected straight into her veins. “Who the hell are you?” she shouted. 

“Miss Wilson, we apologize for the offense,” replied one man. 

Emma suddenly understood everything in an instant. Levi always called her Mrs. Hall, but this group only referred to her as Miss Wilson. So 

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Chap 28 

worried about Liam and being at the horrible Watery Garden, where she died in her past life, Emma overlooked that Leyl had addressed her as Miss Wilson in the first phone call. That dude was anything but Levi. 

Emma was aware of a trick that could mess with call signals, redirecting the numbers you dial to another place and then using a voice changer to mix things up. 

Her face turned super serious in an instant, the attackers were clearly hostile, harboring intentions to take her life. 

Right then, the effects of the anesthetic started kicking in. 

Luckily, her body was tougher than most when it came to resisting anesthetics. She pulled out an army knife from her pocket and stabbed it 

right into her palm, where the nerves were super sensitive. Pain instantly sharpened her mind considerably. 

Emma gritted her teeth and struck back with her elbow, hitting the two men in the vital spots and causing them to crash on the ground. 

Seizing the moment, she sprinted toward the villa’s exit, only to find the previously empty courtyard now swarming with a dozen black–clad figures. 

Emma recognized at a glance that they were top–tier assassins worldwide, far better than amateurs like Ruby. “You sure have a high opinion of me, first using communication tech to lure me here, then setting up this ambush with so many killers. Humph! Are you going one–on–one Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

or all together?” 

As Emma finished, the assassins in the courtyard swarmed toward her in a full–on assault. 

Amidst the confrontation, Emma sensed the murderous intention in every step these people took. It wasn’t abduction, nor was it 

intimidation. They were out to take her life.