My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 547

Tristan pressed his lips together, leaning in a little. “The sister you mentioned earlier—what happened to her?”

Emily’s gaze wavered for a moment, unfocused. “You heard that?”

He nodded quietly.

A tangle of emotions tightened in Emily’s chest. Her throat felt dry. “She… passed away.”

Tristan’s mouth parted slightly, his brow creasing. His voice was rough. “I’m so sorry.”

Emily forced a small smile. “It’s not your fault. I wanted to talk about it.”

Tristan said nothing more after that.

Because the giant panda was a local celebrity, crowds flocked to the zoo. To keep things moving, each group was only allowed five minutes at the viewing platform. Emily and the others didn’t linger long before they left the exhibit.

They rested for a while under the shade of a nearby pavilion.

Her daughter flipped eagerly through the photos their bodyguard had snapped. “I want to go back later. That panda is just so cute!”

Tristan twisted open a bottle of water and handed it to Emily. “Drink. Your lips look really dry.”

She accepted it gratefully and took a sip.

“Daddy!”

Suddenly, her daughter’s excited voice rang out. She raced across the pavilion on her little legs and launched herself into the arms of a man standing nearby.

It was Mr. Parker.

Emily set down her water and rose to her feet.

Mr. Parker beamed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and scooped up the little girl. She giggled, planting several noisy kisses on his cheeks like she was riding a carousel.

Mr. Parker laughed loudly, carrying his daughter back toward Emily.

“Mr. Parker, hello,” Emily greeted softly.

He glanced at her, then set his daughter on the ground.

Before he could say anything, the little girl tugged him by the hand, leading him right to Emily. “Daddy, this is my new friend! I want to introduce you.”

“She’s called… um…” The girl pursed her lips. “I don’t know her name. She didn’t tell me.”

Mr. Parker handed his daughter off to a bodyguard and gestured for Emily to sit. “Please, Ms. Blair.”

Emily waited until Mr. Parker was seated before taking her own seat.

He cleared his throat, his smile a little more reserved than the one he’d shown his daughter. “I understand what you’re after, Ms. Blair, but I’m still not ready to sell you the rights to Playland.”

Emily felt a flicker of disappointment but kept her composure. “That’s all right. I’ll keep trying.”

He chuckled. “Honestly, I hadn’t planned to say anything, but since you helped Mr. Lane’s son, I think you deserve to know a few things.”

“Go on,” Emily encouraged.

He asked, “Ms. Blair, are you Mr. Lane’s sister?”

Emily frowned slightly. “Not exactly. I lived with the Lane family for a few years, but I moved out five years ago. We haven’t kept in touch.”

Mr. Parker paused, surprised. “So you’re not particularly close to them?”

“Not really,” Emily admitted, pressing her lips together. “Did they say something to you?”

Mr. Parker considered her for a moment. “Then I’ll be blunt.”