Scarlet Enchantment

Chapter 5

The student in trouble was from a poor family, very diligent and sensible, working part-time to ease his parents' burden, but unexpectedly, he was caught as a thief.

Emily couldn't believe it when she got the call. She rushed to the company's security office, where the boy was sitting in a corner with his head down. When he saw her come in, his eyes immediately turned red. "Ms. Carter, I didn't steal the phone. I don't know how it got into my bag."

She nodded slightly, comforting him, "Don't worry. I'll talk to them and find out what happened."

The situation seemed straightforward. The boy worked part-time delivering food for a nearby restaurant. Today, while delivering an order, he supposedly took the customer's new phone when they weren't looking. He was caught red-handed. Emily immediately noticed the flaw in this story. The phone was just reported missing, and her student was quickly stopped by security. This seemed too coincidental.

The other party explained, "The owner realized the phone was missing and called it immediately. This boy was still in the building, fumbling with his bag. We found his behavior suspicious and stopped him."

Emily smiled and said, "Perhaps this kid offended someone, or maybe it was a prank by your employees, and he got caught in the middle. You don't know this, but he's always been well-behaved in school."

"Ms. Carter, the current situation is as it is. We have video footage. We don't intend to wrong anyone but plan to report this to the police to handle the matter."

They showed her the video footage. The boy looked visibly nervous as he left the office, rushing out. The lobby cameras also captured him fumbling with his bag. Whether he was framed or not, the evidence was clearly against him.

Emily had to soften her tone, smiling as she spoke to the person in charge, "Please don't rush to conclusions. Let's discuss this further. He's still a student. Even if he made a mistake, can we give him a chance to correct it? Let's resolve this here without involving the police."

"Our employee has been wronged. The security office must take responsibility," the other party said.

Emily laughed, "But you've found the phone now. Your security office has done an excellent job. Really! I've never seen a more responsible team. At our school, even if someone walked out with the principal's desk, nobody would stop them."

The person in charge was amused. Sensing an opportunity, she continued, "How about this? I'll have the student apologize to the owner and ask for forgiveness, and then I'll take him back for proper discipline."

The person in charge, not wanting to escalate the matter, hesitated and then asked her to bring the student to the owner.

They took the elevator to the top floor. Emily couldn't help but ask the security officer, "The phone doesn't belong to your CEO, does it?"

"No, it's the CEO's secretary's," he replied.

Emily was a bit disappointed. Frankly, she hoped the phone belonged to the CEO. People at that level usually have a certain level of magnanimity and care about their reputation. As long as she said the right things, the matter could likely be resolved. Secretaries, however, could be more difficult.

Unfortunately, she was right. The secretary was young, beautiful, and very unfriendly. She stepped out of the CEO's office with a cold expression, glancing at Emily before saying, "What's there to discuss?"

Emily smiled, "He's young and made a mistake. He deserves a chance to make things right, don't you think? I'll have him apologize."

The secretary sneered, "Who said he doesn't have a chance to make things right? He can do that in the police station. Being poor is one thing, but being clueless is another. Someone needs to teach him a lesson."

Her words were harsh. The boy behind Emily couldn't hold back, "I didn't steal your phone. You harassed me, and when I refused, you framed me!"

Emily immediately knew this was bad. Regardless of the truth, this was not the time to air such grievances. As expected, the secretary's face turned even colder, "It doesn't matter what you say or what I say. Let's let the police decide."

Emily quickly tried to smooth things over, but the situation was chaotic when the elevator doors opened, and a calm voice asked, "What's going on?"

The voice wasn't loud but silenced everyone. Emily felt a sharp pang and turned to see Damian's cool demeanor.

The secretary immediately toned down, "Mr. Blackwood."

Damian glanced at her, then at Emily, and finally at the head of security, who quickly explained the situation. After hearing the details, Damian looked at Emily and asked, "Ms. Carter, is this your student?"

Holding the student's arm tightly to keep him calm, Emily replied, "Yes, he's my student and a classmate of Julia's. She can vouch for his character. He's not someone who would steal."

The secretary was about to protest, but Damian's look silenced her.

He turned back to Emily, "If he's your student, then take him back."

Emily was surprised by his easy-going attitude. Seeing his raised eyebrow, she quickly thanked him, "Thank you so much!"

She hurriedly led the student to the elevator, but Damian called out just as they were about to enter.

"Ms. Carter," he said, a slight smile on his lips, "do you have time for dinner tonight?"

She was momentarily stunned but then awkwardly replied, "Sure, we can treat you."

He smiled faintly, "Ms. Carter, do you think so little of me? It's just a meal. I won't bite."

Given his directness, she couldn't keep playing dumb and smiled, "Mr. Blackwood, you've misunderstood. My husband is very jealous and doesn't like me socializing with other men. He even gets jealous when I dine out with friends. I really can't help it."

His smile held a hint of sarcasm, "Ms. Carter, you've misunderstood me too. I don't intend to pursue you. I have some matters regarding Julia I'd like to discuss. It's not convenient with others around."

With the conversation at this point, she had to agree but insisted, "But today, I must treat you as a gesture of gratitude."

He smiled, "Alright."

"Then I'll call you," she said.

She first drove the student back to school. The boy remained silent until they entered the campus, then stubbornly said, "Ms. Carter, I really didn't steal the phone. That woman framed me. She... She..." He seemed unable to continue, his face flushed.

Emily glanced at him and said calmly, "No matter what, she succeeded in framing you, which means you did something wrong."

The boy didn't argue, lowered his head, and remained silent for a while before suddenly asking, "Where are you having dinner tonight?"

She raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"I'll go pick you up!" Despite his simple nature, he wasn't stupid. He could tell Emily agreed to have dinner with that man because of his situation. "Just tell me the place, and I'll wait outside. If anything happens, you can call me."

Emily laughed, feeling warm inside. "You're just a kid. What can you do? Go back to school and study! Try to work less this semester. I'll do my best to get you a scholarship. If that's not enough, you can borrow from me. Pay me back after you graduate and start working. But you have to write me an IOU. Let's be clear about it."

"Ms. Carter..." The boy's eyes reddened again.

"Hey, hey, hey!" She parked the car by the roadside and pointed at him, jokingly saying, "You're a grown man, don't say sentimental things! Everyone knows I'm nice, no need for you to tell me. Also, I have a husband. Don't fall for me!"

Her words made the boy laugh through his tears. "Ms. Carter, you're so narcissistic. I wouldn't like someone older than me."

"Get lost!" She pretended to be angry and shooed him out of the car. "Go study! You brat!"

The boy got out but still clung to the car door, bending down to ask, "Ms. Carter, where exactly are you having dinner with that man?"

She appreciated his concern. Looking at his clear eyes, she smiled and said, "I'm not a rich person. I'll find a place nearby. How about that small restaurant called 'Sky Haven ' on the west side of the school?"

Sky Haven was just outside the west gate of the school. It wasn't very big, moderately priced, not shabby but definitely not high-end. Emily had a psychological shadow about Damian's appearance and disliked his overbearing manner. She didn't want to be alone with him in a private room, so she chose a booth.

Emily was always punctual, but Damian arrived earlier than she did. "I'm in room 502, Ms. Carter. Have you arrived?"

Since he was already there, Emily couldn't ask him to come out to the booth. She had to go upstairs reluctantly.

When she opened the door, he was standing by the window. Hearing the door, he glanced back at her and then turned to look outside, slowly saying, "I always feel like this city is a monster. It lies dormant during the day but wakes up at night, invading you with all kinds of lights, then swallowing you whole, trapping you in darkness forever."

Emily couldn't understand his strange sentiment. She raised an eyebrow and said perfunctorily, "Maybe people have an innate fear of darkness since we're not nocturnal creatures."

Damian gestured for her to sit at the table and said, "I've already ordered. Is that okay?"

Facing his face, she couldn't help but feel nervous and used humor to ease the tension. "It's fine as long as it's not too expensive."

He smiled faintly, "It should be alright."

They really had nothing to talk about. If he didn't speak, she focused on eating without saying a word. Halfway through the meal, he suddenly asked, "Ms. Carter, can you tell me why you're so afraid of me?"

She was stunned and looked up at him.

"Please don't say I've misunderstood. Your behavior isn't playing hard to get. It's genuine fear, which makes me curious," he said.

She silently looked at him for a moment, then put down her chopsticks and said frankly, "A few years ago, I encountered a robber who looked a lot like you. So..." She smiled apologetically. "I said it was a misunderstanding, which isn't entirely a lie."

He smiled slightly, "Just a bit like?"

She shrugged helplessly, "Alright, very much like. That encounter left a significant shadow on me, so I lost my composure when I first saw you. I hope you understand."

Damian smiled, "I should apologize for scaring you."

With that out of the way, Emily felt a bit more at ease and joked, "So, please don't misunderstand. I'm not playing hard to get. I'm married and have a great relationship with my husband."

Damian nodded slowly and gestured for her to drink, smiling, "Sorry, I haven't mentioned the reason for inviting you. It's to thank you for before and to give you a gift." As he spoke, he pulled a gift box from under the table and handed it to her.

She was surprised, thinking he meant the matter with Julia's leave of absence. "You're too kind. I can't accept this."

But he didn't withdraw his hand. "Take it. It's not something valuable. Open it and see if you like it."

Emily had no choice but to accept the book-sized gift box and open it in front of him. The moment she lifted the lid, her face changed drastically, and she threw the box away as if it burned her. The photos inside scattered everywhere. One landed right on her plate, showing a man with hollow eyes, covered in blood, with a white, exposed neck bone.

He was the thug named Skinny Joe. She remembered. She would always remember.

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