My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 104

When the call connected, Emily Blair forced herself to sound calm. “Mr. Lane, is there something you need?”

Andrew Lane’s voice was deep and rich as always. Maybe it was because today he’d be announcing their engagement, but beneath his usual composure, there was a trace of good humor, his tone warm and velvety like a cello played low.

“Grandfather says you don’t want to come?”

Emily slowly sat up straighter. “What do you mean?”

Andrew’s reply was firm. “You have to be there.”

Even if a part of her wanted to go, Andrew’s unyielding tone soured Emily’s mood.

“Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”

“My apartment,” Emily said.

Before hanging up, Andrew added, “I’ll be there in half an hour. Don’t go anywhere.”

The moment the call ended, Emma George, her roommate, started massaging her shoulders.

“Don’t forget—you need to get the money back. That’s the last thing your father left you. You have to claim it.”

After a moment’s thought, Emily reached into the back of her closet and pulled out a jade ring, her father’s true keepsake. With this, surely the Lane family wouldn’t refuse to return what was rightfully hers.

Emma trailed her, frowning. “Wait, wasn’t that thing broken? When did you get it fixed?”

Emily blinked, puzzled. “Didn’t you take it in for repairs?”

Emma shook her head. “No, I thought you did! I wouldn’t even know where to go with something like that.”

Emily’s brow furrowed. “Then who fixed it?”

The drive was silent. Neither of them had much to say. The car finally rolled to a stop in front of the grand Lane estate.

Already, a crowd had gathered outside the house, voices buzzing with cheerful conversation.

But when Emily stepped out in her plain t-shirt and jeans, a hush fell over the group for a few seconds. Everyone else was dressed to the nines, polished and poised in elegant suits and dresses. Even the staff had upgraded to crisp, formal uniforms.

Emily looked like she’d wandered in from a different world.

“Why is she here?”

“Did Emily Blair seriously show up looking like this?”

Nearby, Isabella Austin swept over, the fabric of her silk dress whispering around her legs as she moved with effortless grace. She offered a gentle smile. “Andrew, Emily, you’re here. Grandfather has been waiting for you.”

This time, Isabella didn’t take her usual spot at Andrew’s side. Instead, she stood next to Emily. In the past, Isabella had always clung to Andrew’s arm whenever Emily was around, as if to make a point about where she belonged.