Abel finally loosened his grip a bit, but Emmeline still couldn’t free her hand. She huffed in frustration and gave up, resigning herself to being held captive.

Without missing a beat, Abel wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, enclosing her in a tight embrace.

“It’s so good to have Emma back,” Ethan chimed in, trying to diffuse the tension. “Let’s celebrate with lunch today. My treat, everyone’s invited.”

“I’m in,” Abel spoke up first. “Ethan’s right, it makes sense. Count me in.”

Benjamin and Janie exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves,

What’s Ethan meddling in now? Everything was going fine.

But could they really argue with his proposal now?

“Mr. Benjamin, Janie,” Ethan turned to them. “Do you think it’s a bad idea?”

Benjamin reluctantly nodded, “It’s fine, I agree.”

Janie raised her hand, “I’m in too.”

“I knew it,” Ethan grinned. “Emma’s back and it’s definitely worth celebrating!”

The question remained, could this show go on smoothly?

“Which hotel should we choose?” Abel eagerly offered, “I’ll take care of booking the private room.”

“I’ll cover all the expenses,” Benjamin chimed in. “Let’s go with the Struyria Banquet, after all, it’s Adelmar’s place.”

“That settles it then, Struyria Banquet it is,” Ethan agreed. “Why let someone else reap the benefits?”

Abel nodded in agreement, thinking to himself that the Struyria Banquet was the perfect choice. The last thing he wanted was to run into Adrien at a Ryker Group hotel. Having Benjamin on one side and Adrien on the other would only lead to trouble, and he didn’t want to be caught in the middle.

Just the thought of it made him feel jealous and insecure. He didn’t want to be a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

It was already past 10 am, and it would take an hour to drive to the Struyria Banquet. They all left the CEO’s office and made their way to the underground parking garage.

Ethan drove his Lexus, while Janie joined Benjamin in his Bentley. Emmeline didn’t drive, so she had to sit in Abel’s Rolls-Royce.

As Abel got into the driver’s seat, he leaned over to fasten Emmeline’s seatbelt. But just as he was about to reach for her small hand, she withdrew it.

Abel reluctantly started the car, feeling frustrated. Luca followed behind with his bodyguards, unwilling to leave them alone. Benjamin’s bodyguard car also kept up with them.

By the time they arrived at the Struyria Banquet, it was already past eleven o’clock. They took the elevator up to the designated floor and entered the private room.

Benjamin pulled out a chair for Emmeline, while Abel took her purse from her hands. Ethan looked on, dumbfounded.

What are these two men competing for?

The two men were trying to outdo each other in showing their attentiveness to Emmeline.

But Abel was the one who should have been the most attentive.

What was Benjamin trying to achieve by meddling in this situation?

“Emma,” Ethan tested Emmeline, “where did Mr. Benjamin take you last time? I’ve been wondering.”

“I was injured,” Emmeline explained, “so Ben took me to get treatment.”

“Why didn’t Abel go with you?” Ethan asked, intentionally provoking.

Emmeline glanced at Abel when Ethan mentioned his name. “Him?” she said, “He doesn’t know the place.”

“Oh,” Ethan felt uncertain and probed further, “I remember you and Abel picked a wedding date, so when is the big day? I need to prepare myself.”

“Don’t bother about that,” Emmeline replied, “I suddenly don’t want to get married anymore.”

This statement left Ethan completely dumbfounded, and he looked towards Abel for some answers.

“Emma,” Abel spoke urgently, “marriage is not a game, you can’t just decide not to get married.”

“But that’s what you said,” Emmeline retorted, “you said you didn’t want to get married.”

“Emma,” Abel said in a low voice, “that was all in the past, it’s all over now, don’t hold onto it.”

“I’m not holding onto anything,” Emmeline said. “It’s just that I’ve come to this point again. How can I marry you when I’m like this?”

Ethan widened his eyes, looking left and right.

What’s wrong with his sister? Was she falling for Benjamin and breaking up with Abel?

“Mr. Benjamin,” Ethan said coldly, tugging at Benjamin’s sleeve. “Can I have a word with you?”

Benjamin, confused, followed him out of the private room.

“What’s going on, Ethan?”