Chapter 4 Which Room?
913 Words
Sybil froze, the voice hitting her like a spell that froze time itself.
Her entire body went rigid.
It took her a moment, but eventually, she turned her stiff neck and looked toward the door.
The crowd had already parted instinctively, giving her a clear view of the figure standing there.
The woman had a curvaceous silhouette, blonde hair cascading leisurely over her shoulders, and emerald-green eyes sparkling like gemstones, set on a face that seemed sculpted to perfection.
Those emerald eyes were fixed intently on Sybil with a calm intensity. "I never realized before, Sybil, just how obsessed you are with a stranger's bathroom."
Someone in the crowd snickered.
Then, muffled laughter rippled through the onlookers.
"What are you doing here?" Sybil snarled her focus on the figure at the door, completely forgetting the person beside her.
'Impossible! This can't be happening! How is Emma showing up at the door? She should be right here, in the bathroom!'
At that moment, I glanced subtly at myself standing by the door, my brow furrowing ever so slightly.
The Emma at the door walked through the crowd, approaching us slowly.
Despite her plump figure, she carried herself with a regal aura for some reason.
She pulled out her phone, tapped a few times on the screen, and a recorded voice played.
"Hurry up and get this drink to Emma. And be discreet. Don't let anyone see you."
"Where is she now? Which room?"
"I'm on my way!"
The color drained from Sybil's face.
'That... that's my voice. But... how?! I was careful, made the call when no one was around. How did Emma find out? And how is she here?'
"Sybil, I heard you wanted to call the police?" Emma asked, stopping a few steps away and looking at Sybil with an infuriating calmness. "I wonder what they'd think when they hear these recordings."
"b***h! How dare you slander me?"
Emma shrugged with feigned innocence. "I haven't said a word."
Her broad frame moved as her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug, almost like two walls moving in tandem.
She glanced down at her own body, and her brows furrowed.
"You ugly freak! Where did you get that recording? Even if it's fake, I can still sue you for defamation. And you and him, you two..."
"Me and him?" Emma interrupted Sybil's words, "I walked in from the hallway. I'm sure plenty of people saw me." She gestured at the onlookers behind her and then continued, "Why are you so intent on linking me to him? What's your real motive?"
Emma's gaze sharpened, boring into Sybil.
For a fleeting moment, Sybil felt she was staring at a stranger.
Emma suddenly radiated a queenly demeanor, making it hard for Sybil to breathe.
She even found herself unable to meet Emma's eyes directly.
Those eyes, usually calm and unruffled, now resembled those of a leopard fixated on its prey, flashing with an inexplicable light.
Forcing herself to stay composed under the pressure, Sybil retorted, "You think your word alone can make this go away? Jessica has gone to get the hotel manager. The truth will come out when we check the surveillance footage. This is the Howard family's hotel. They won't tolerate your nonsense."
The Howard family was the oldest lineage in Ardeny.
Their wealth had been passed down through generations, reaching immeasurable heights.
The current head of the Howard family was a figure shrouded in mystery. Few had ever glimpsed him in person.
Emma chuckled softly. "And who's spewing nonsense, exactly? I'm sure you'd be quite adept at it. After all, as Dad's second daughter, you're somehow three years older than me."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd behind them.
Everyone was well aware of Sybil's true background.
They just chose not to expose it out of respect for the Anderson family's standing.
Sybil frowned, staring intently at Emma.
Something felt off about her.
In the past, no matter what injustices Emma faced, her emerald eyes remained calm and indifferent.
Emma hadn't shown this kind of spark in years.
At first, when Sybil returned to the Anderson family, Emma showed open hostility toward her.
However, as the years went by, Emma realized no one in the family supported her, and gradually, she withdrew into herself.
Emma always appeared indifferent, as if nothing could faze her.
But the Emma before her now, though still possessing that plump figure, seemed like a completely different person.
"Emma..." Sybil looked at her and sneered. "You can deny it all you want, but there are witnesses who saw you entering this room with a stranger. No matter what you say, that fact won't change. Once the manager checks the surveillance, everything will be clear. You've brought disgrace upon our family. Dad won't let you off."
Emma simply cast her a light glance and replied, "Well, we'll see if things go your way."
The real Emma leaned against the bathroom door, wrapped in a quilt, watching her own body intently.
'That person must be the true owner of my current body. I know this is the Howard family's hotel. Whatever happens, I can't afford to offend the Howards. I just have no idea what he is thinking. But we can't communicate right now.'
Emma grew anxious, trying to send a signal, but the person occupying her body didn't so much as glance in her direction.
Five minutes later, Jessica's breathless voice came from the doorway. "Ms. Anderson, the manager is here."
- Writer
