My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 174

Amelia Lane had barely left when the warmth drained from Isabella Austin’s eyes, replaced by a sudden, icy coldness.

She let a faint, mocking smile curl at the corners of her lips, a glint of sarcasm flickering in her gaze.

Amelia was a fool—let her rush headlong into the fray while Isabella sat back, ready to watch the show unfold.

After classes ended on Friday, Emily Blair and Elizabeth Wilson wasted no time setting up their stall.

Elizabeth had been running her stall for over two weeks now and had gotten the hang of it, so there wasn’t much Emily could do to help. In fact, Elizabeth gently squeezed Emily’s shoulder and insisted she sit down and focus on her homework instead of worrying about the business.

Unable to argue, Emily took a seat beside Elizabeth and started working through her math workbook.

As the afternoon wore on, the crowd in front of their stall began to thin, but it was still busier than most of the other stands lining the street outside the school gates.

In the flurry of activity, Emily managed to finish two pages of problems, while Elizabeth sold serving after serving of crispy skewers.

But then, above the din, a commotion broke out. A girl, face ashen, suddenly squatted down clutching her stomach.

There were gasps from the crowd. Emily looked up in alarm.

The girl still held one of Elizabeth’s distinctive paper bags in one hand, while the skewer itself had fallen to the pavement at her feet.

The mood shifted instantly.

Elizabeth’s barbecue stall had become a staple on the street; everyone recognized that packaging. As soon as people realized what the girl was holding, they looked at Elizabeth with a mix of shock and accusation.

Elizabeth froze. Normally so cheerful and confident, she stood rooted to the spot, at a loss for what to do.

“It’s Elizabeth Wilson and Emily Blair’s skewers! They must have made her sick!” someone shouted.

This was the school’s main snack street, crowded with vendors. Elizabeth and Emily’s barbecue stand had drawn away a lot of the student customers, much to the annoyance of neighboring sellers—though none had dared say anything outright. Now, it was open season.

The girl, now pulled to her feet by friends, glared at her. “I bought your food, and you made me sick. My stomach hurts so much! Just pay for it and save your excuses.”

People around them chimed in: “She should be taken to the hospital. Can’t you see how pale she is?”

“This is bad. They’re not just going to have to pay her back, they’ll be stuck with the hospital bill too. All the money they made this week—gone in an instant.”

Money was the least of the problems now.

The real question was whether their little business could survive this.

Already, students who’d been waiting for their skewers put their baskets down and demanded refunds. Others who had already paid or taken their food came back, asking for their money back as well.

Only a few of Elizabeth’s close friends lingered, glancing uncertainly at the skewers in their hands.