Chapter 4
Emma''s face turned pale with panic, and she immediately tried to stop Maverick. "Maverick, whatever this gift is, it can wait! The priority now is the shares!"
But she was already too late—Maverick had opened the folder.
Dozens of photos spilled out onto the table.
In the pictures, Emma looked nothing like the delicate, innocent woman she pretended to be in front of him. Instead, she had heavy smoky eye makeup and was dressed in revealing outfits as she partied at various high-end clubs abroad with different men.
There was also a debt agreement showing that she owed millions from gambling. I had even included screenshots of her repeatedly provoking me on WhatsApp after returning to the country.
The veins on the back of Maverick''s hands bulged as he clenched his fists. He grabbed a stack of photos and threw them at Emma. "Didn''t you say your parents forced you to move abroad?"
Back when they had been madly in love, she had claimed her family was immigrating and that she had no choice but to leave. That was why she had become the unforgettable first love in his heart.
But the truth was, she had abandoned him because she thought he was too poor. She had gone overseas to chase after rich men—only to spiral further into a life of indulgence, picking up a gambling addiction and racking up millions in debt.
The guilt was obvious on her face. She stammered, "M-Maverick, these photos, these agreements… they''re fake—all fake! How could I ever do something like this? Ophelia is trying to frame me!"
Right on cue, tears streamed down her face, making her look utterly pitiful.
I calmly reached into my bag and pulled out a USB drive. "Emma, you recorded videos to pay off your gambling debts. Do you need me to help you relive those memories?"
Her expression twisted from pitiful to vicious in an instant. She grabbed a cup of hot tea from the table and hurled it straight at me. "Ophelia, you bitch!"
She moved so fast that I instinctively shut my eyes and raised my arm to block it. But the pain of hot tea scalding me never came.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Maverick standing in front of me, shielding me completely. The tea had soaked through the back of his shirt, burning his skin.
Seeing that she had missed, Emma lunged at me again with her hand raised.
Maverick caught her wrist midair and shoved her back violently. "As long as I''m here, you can''t lay another finger on Ophelia."
She crashed to the ground. Looking up at Maverick, whose eyes were blazing with fury, she suddenly ripped open her collar, revealing the scattered kiss marks on her skin.
She sneered. "Maverick, you didn''t seem to feel this way when you were in my bed last night."
He froze and instinctively turned to me, scrambling for an explanation. "Ophelia, I… She seduced me…"
I smiled faintly. "And what difference does that make?"
Whether she seduced him or he took the initiative, the fact remained that he had cheated on me.
Emma turned to me with a smug expression. "Ophelia, Maverick said you''re like a dead fish in bed—"
Maverick lunged forward and grabbed her by the throat. "Shut up! Just shut up!"
She clawed at his face, and the two of them wrestled in front of everyone. In the end, he used brute force to subdue her. With the help of security, he had her thrown out of the company building.
But by the time he turned back to look for me, I was already gone.
He rushed out of the building while frantically dialing my number. But every single one of his calls went straight to voicemail—I had blocked him on every platform.
For the first time, true fear gripped his heart. He knew he had really pushed me too far this time. Panic surged through him, and suddenly, a thought struck him—my mother.
He thought, "Ophelia is extremely filial. As long as I can get Layla to speak on my behalf, she''ll definitely forgive me."
He quickened his pace, sprinting down the stairs and jumping into his car. In his desperation, he ran two red lights on the way to the hospital.
But when he finally arrived, the hospital bed where my mother used to lay was empty.
