THE HIDDEN HAND

Chapter 3

Richard returned to his room, but his mind refused to let go of Emily.

Her image lingered there, soft and luminous, as if she had left behind a trace of herself in the darkest corners of his thoughts. He searched for a reason to see her again — though it was no longer simple curiosity that drove him.

He wanted to uncover her.

Piece by piece.

He wanted to explore every hidden corner of her soul, to understand what kind of life had shaped a woman so gentle, so pure, so untouched by the ugliness he knew too well.

He wanted to know her family background.

Her friends.

Her daily routine.

Every detail mattered.

Where she lived. What she liked. Which streets she walked down. What coffee she ordered. The small habits no one else would care to notice.

Richard wanted all of it.

And soon, everything began to unfold before him.

Emily was the daughter of an artistic family. Both of her parents had once been art teachers, though they had already retired. Now, they ran a small gallery together.

The Lewis family lived in a modest apartment.

Had he not investigated her, Richard would never have known that both of her parents came from the world of painting. Yet Emily, in her generation, had chosen a different form of art.

Music.

Somehow, that made him feel closer to her.

As if their souls, though different in form, carried the same rhythm.

But when he saw the next line of information, his expression darkened.

Emily Lewis had a boyfriend.

Thomas King.

The young heir of the King Group.

Richard stared at the name for a long moment, his fingers tightening around the document.

A boyfriend.

The word sat unpleasantly in his mind, sharp and offensive.

As if something that already belonged to him had been touched by another man.

After obtaining everything he wanted to know, Richard began arranging their so-called “coincidental” encounters.

Each meeting was carefully planned.

Every setting, every timing, every excuse was designed with precision. He created situations that would never make Emily suspicious. He wanted her to believe their meetings were natural, effortless — as if fate itself kept bringing them together.

As if life had quietly written their names on the same page.

Their first arranged encounter took place at a café near her home.

Richard had learned that Emily often stopped there after finishing her piano lessons with Mina. So he arrived early, chose a seat in the corner, and set his laptop on the table as if he had simply come there to work.

When Emily walked in, he already had a friendly smile prepared.

“Ah, Emily. Hello.”

Richard spoke first, his tone casual, as though running into her there was the most ordinary thing in the world.

Emily startled slightly, but quickly composed herself.

“Mr. Nelson.”

She blinked in surprise.

“You come here too?”

There was surprise on her face, but no defensiveness.

Richard noticed that.

Today, he was dressed differently from the dazzling idol the public knew. A thick hoodie, a baseball cap pulled low, and a pair of sunglasses resting on the table beside him.

“Yes,”

He replied smoothly.

“I like the atmosphere here. What about you?”

His gaze never quite left her, as though he were searching for something in her eyes.

Emily was wearing a blue dress today. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders, soft and effortless. Even her voice was gentle and clear, like a small bell ringing in the quiet afternoon.

Everything about her pleased him.

The conversation unfolded naturally.

At least, that was how Emily felt.

She found herself surprisingly comfortable speaking with him. He was different from the people she usually met — or perhaps he simply knew exactly how to appear that way.

After their brief meeting at the Nelson residence, Emily had looked up his albums out of curiosity. She had even listened to a few songs. And she had to admit, Richard Nelson’s fame was not undeserved.

There was a reason he stood where he did.

There was a reason so many people adored him.

Richard stirred his coffee slowly, then asked, as if the thought had only just occurred to him, “I haven’t seen you coming by to teach Mina lately. Is everything all right?”

Emily smiled softly.

“I heard from Mina that her final exams are coming up, so I thought it would be better to let her focus on studying for now. Once her exams are over, we’ll continue the lessons.”

Richard’s eyes warmed.

“How thoughtful of you, Miss Lewis.”

“It’s what I should do.”

Emily glanced at the time, then picked up her bag.

“Oh, I actually have somewhere to be. Thank you, Mr. Nelson.”

Her tone was polite.

Too polite.

And she was in a hurry to leave.

Richard watched her go, his expression unreadable.

Only after her figure disappeared beyond the café windows did he lower his gaze to the invitation ticket in his hand.

He had planned to give it to her.

A private invitation to his upcoming performance.

A perfect excuse to see her again.

But she had left too quickly.

Too politely.

As if there were still a clear, invisible line between them.

Richard stared at the ticket for a few seconds.

Then, slowly, he tore it in half.

Once.

Twice.

Until the invitation lay in pieces between his fingers.

His smile faded completely.

Politeness was distance.

Distance was rejection.

And Richard Nelson had never liked being kept outside anything he wanted to enter.