Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 328

“Of course it’s not because of you!” Jared said firmly. “Stop overthinking everything and blaming yourself.”

But Cecilia didn’t seem comforted by Jared’s words. She just kept crying, unable to stop.

Jared sighed and placed a reassuring hand on Theodore’s back. “So, Theo, what are you going to do now? Are you really thinking about getting a divorce?”

Theodore shook his head, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want a divorce.”

He looked at Jared, desperate for help. “Jared, is there any way to avoid it? Can you help me figure something out?”

Jared exchanged a glance with Cecilia, both of them at a loss.

He sighed again. “Then just don’t go tomorrow. That’s all you can do for now.”

Theodore buried his face in his hands, fingers twisting through his hair. His shoulders shook with silent distress.

The banquet hall was enormous, buzzing with lively chatter and laughter. Yet the three of them sat off to the side, isolated and ignored, as if lost in their own shadowed corner while the rest of the world celebrated.

It was the first time any of them had ever felt so out of place at an event like this—watching the glamour and excitement that belonged to someone else.

Larson hadn’t made any obvious moves yet, but everyone in the room was sharp enough to notice the subtle shifts in atmosphere. Nothing that happened in these circles went truly unnoticed. What earlier had seemed like harmless drama among the younger generation had suddenly taken on a new significance the moment Larson brought Emma up on stage and publicly confirmed her identity. The tide in the room had changed, even if no one was saying it aloud.

Jared let out a cold laugh. “Let’s at least get something to eat, shall we? No point coming here, losing the project, and going home hungry.”

But Theodore couldn’t bring himself to touch any food; he just sat there, numb.

Cecilia, meanwhile, kept her gaze fixed on Larson from a distance, too scared to approach. She still wasn’t sure if he was the man who’d threatened to toss her into the sea, but the terror she’d felt in that basement clung to her, impossible to shake off.

Jared eventually got up and made a few trips to the buffet, coming back with several plates piled high with food—a selection for both Cecilia and Theodore.

By now, the rest of the guests had started eating too, each group gathering with friends and enjoying their meal together.

Emma clicked one. It was footage from earlier that night, showing her slapping Cecilia—twice.

In the video, Emma stood tall and expressionless, coming off as cold and high-handed, while Cecilia was on the floor, sobbing with heartbreaking vulnerability.

The narrative was clear: the spoiled heiress, taking advantage of her status as the Rossi family’s little sister, was humiliating a hapless employee.

According to the captions, the poor staffer had tried her best to ingratiate herself with Emma for the sake of the company’s partnership—only to be met with Emma’s arrogance and cruelty, both verbal and physical.

Worse still, the video had been edited. All the insults—“Who do you think you are,” “People like you are nothing,” “You’re just gutter trash,” “You think you even deserve to meet the Young Master Rossi?”—all those words, which Cecilia had actually said, had been cut and pasted, making it seem as if Emma had uttered them instead. Meanwhile, Cecilia was shown only as the pitiful girl in tears.

And then, the video spliced in a clip of Larson declaring, “My sister can do whatever she wants…”

The whole thing was a powder keg. As soon as it went online, the outrage exploded.