Scarlet Enchantment

Chapter 16

That night, Damian learned that Emily had been looking for Julia through Johnson. He had anticipated that Emily wouldn't just sit back and do nothing, but he hadn't expected her to take such a foolish step.

"Looking for Julia through Johnson?" Damian raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised.

Kevin nodded, "That's what Johnson said. The two of them had lunch together, and towards the end of the meal, Miss Carter suddenly brought it up and showed her a photo of Julia. But because it was a casual photo, Johnson didn't recognize her at the time and agreed to help inquire."

A faint, mocking smile played at the corners of Damian's lips as he asked, "How did she get to know Johnson?"

"That day, it was Johnson who brought Miss Carter over from 'Eternal Bliss Club.' Johnson said she had no other intentions; it was solely because Miss Carter was someone you had brought over that she intentionally made friends with her."

Kevin had just met with Johnson. Seeing him personally inquire about this matter, she didn't dare to hide anything and told him everything.

Damian remained silent. Perhaps he had overestimated that woman. She was indeed ruthless, stubborn, and spirited, a rare beauty, but outside of bed, she was somewhat weak and not enough to be his opponent.

He felt a bit relaxed, yet also somewhat disappointed. Kevin stood by, waiting for his instructions. After a moment's thought, Damian said, "Tell Johnson to inform her of Julia's whereabouts in a couple of days. I want to see what she will do."

Since Damian said a couple of days, Johnson dared not delay for longer than that. On the third morning, she quickly contacted Emily. When the call came through, Emily was attending a mobilization meeting at Havenridge University. An international economic forum was to be held in Serenity City, requiring volunteers proficient in foreign languages, and this task had honorably fallen to Emily and her team.

Seeing Johnson 's call, Emily hurriedly stepped out to answer it. Johnson said, "You won't believe how coincidental this is. That girl is currently mingling at 'Eternal Bliss Club' under an alias and has had major plastic surgery. I didn't recognize her from the photo!"

Whether the story was true or not was hard to tell, but Emily merely smiled and replied, "Ms. Johnson, please don't alert her yet. I'll come over to check first."

Johnson promptly agreed, "Sure, just call me when you arrive. I'll take you to catch that girl!"

Emily returned to the meeting room just as the dean was emphasizing with a heavy thud of his pen on the table, "I must reiterate, this economic forum is international and of significant impact. We are representing not only Havenridge University but also Serenity. We must avoid any mistakes, especially you counselors leading the teams. If your students cause any issues, I'll hold you responsible!"

While the dean was passionately lecturing, a colleague couldn't help but whisper to Emily, "They call it 'volunteering,' but we're doing non-volunteer work! Oh, they want us to pick top students to serve for free. What if the students don't want to go?"

Emily replied softly, "It shouldn't be a problem. After all, it's a great opportunity for experience."

"Okay then, you go. I'll hand over my students to you. I don't want to go serve people," the colleague hurriedly added, unable to resist complaining quietly, "It'd be fine if we get assigned to the convention center, but if we're sent to places like the airport or train stations, it'll be exhausting!"

Emily smiled lightly and responded, "Let's hope for the best."

Her luck wasn't too bad this time. The twenty students she brought were all assigned to reception duties for foreign guests, which was quite a privilege. To facilitate their work, the organizing committee even arranged for them to stay at the same five-star hotel as the conference guests. Although they were staying in the most basic rooms, it was still a pleasant surprise for the students.

Since the conference hadn't officially started yet, Emily didn't need to supervise them closely. After settling the students in, she drove straight to Eternal Bliss Club to meet Johnson. According to her research, Nathan Blackwood, who considered himself above others and had a penchant for indulging in pleasures, frequented Eternal Bliss Club most often during his stay in the country.

Yes, her real target was never Julia, but Damian's cousin, Nathan Blackwood.

This was the approach she had chosen after much deliberation. As the saying goes, 'You have to take risks to achieve great things. ' Now that she was already in the den, to get the tiger cub, she had to venture deeper into it. Nathan was dangerous, but he was also the most likely breakthrough point. She knew this very well, always had.

Johnson was waiting outside Eternal Bliss Club. Seeing Emily arrive, she quickly approached her, "As you instructed, I didn't alert that girl and purposely didn't assign her any clients."

"Thank you, Ms. Johnson. It's not easy involving you in this, especially since she's working under you. I'm already very grateful for your help," Emily thanked her, instinctively adjusting her coat collar before heading inside. She continued, "Please arrange a private room for me. Once I find Julia, it will be a quiet place to talk."

Having received Damian's instructions beforehand, Johnson agreed readily, "No problem, I'll get them to prepare a small VIP room for you."

"This is exactly what Emily wanted. Thank you, Johnson."

Johnson waved her hand dismissively, indicating it was no big deal. She personally led Emily to a small private room, had the waiter bring a full spread of drinks and fruit, and then excused herself. "You can wait here. I'll go fetch Julia."

"Thank you," Emily said politely, standing up to see Johnson out. She then sat back down, quietly contemplating her plan. About five or six minutes later, she heard a symbolic knock at the door, followed by someone pushing it open directly.

A young, pretty girl with long straight black hair and light makeup walked in. She had an air of innocence. When she saw Emily sitting calmly on the sofa, she froze, her smile stiffening on her face for a moment before she awkwardly greeted, "Miss Carter."

Emily remained calm and said, "Come, have a seat."

Julia sat down nervously, barely touching the sofa before hurriedly saying, "Miss Carter, I didn't mean to deceive you. I had no choice. My family is in a difficult situation, and my parents are in poor health."

Emily abruptly interrupted her, asking, "Did you know who Damian Blackwood was before?"

Julia was taken aback, quickly explaining, "I didn't know, Miss Carter. I really didn't know. At that time, I hadn't come here yet. It was some girls I knew who said they could recommend me to work here and help me apply for a leave of absence. That's when I was tempted."

Emily nodded slowly, calmly taking a sip of water. She then picked up the glass in front of Julia and handed it to her. "Don't worry, drink some water and speak slowly."

Julia took a sip of water perfunctorily and continued, "Miss Carter, please believe me. It was only after I arrived at 'Eternal Bliss Club' that I heard about Mr. Blackwood. I secretly asked around and was shocked, but I didn't dare to ask further about it."

She rambled on, while Emily sat silently, listening intently. After about three or four minutes, Julia's speech slowed, her eyes became unfocused, and she swayed before collapsing mid-sentence.

Emily remained expressionless, calmly getting up to check on Julia. Confirming she was truly unconscious, Emily swiftly removed her coat, revealing a slightly provocative tight black dress underneath. She let down her long hair, applied bright red lipstick, glanced at her reflection in the shiny wall, and quietly left the private room.

The corridor was dimly lit. Emily swayed her hips as she walked, blending in seamlessly with the other women there. At the corner, she spotted a waiter, pulled him into a corner, slipped a few pink bills into his pocket, and asked seductively, "Hey, handsome, which room is Mr. Nathan in?"

The waiter was momentarily stunned but didn't doubt her identity. Glancing at his pocket, he whispered Nathan's room number. Emily smiled at him and walked confidently toward Nathan's room.

The room was slightly smaller than the one she had been in last time but still exuded luxury. Inside were more than a dozen men and women engaged in a chaotic revelry. When Emily pushed the door open, no one paid her any attention, assuming she was just another girl. It wasn't until she walked up to Nathan and pulled the girl sitting next to him away that he noticed her.

The girl Emily pulled away was initially shocked, about to lash out, but Nathan stopped her with a gesture. She moved aside angrily, casting a resentful glance at Emily.

Nathan leaned back slightly, looking Emily up and down, "Miss Carter?"

Emily unhesitatingly leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, "Mr. Nathan, I don't have much time, so I'll be brief. If you're interested in knowing more about Damian Blackwood and Sebastian Lane, come to this address to find me. I'll be there for the next few days. Remember, don't call me. Just ask for a volunteer from Havenridge University when you get there."

She slipped a note into Nathan's pocket. Nathan looked at her coldly, smiling faintly, "Miss Carter, I believe I know far more than you do."

"Really?" She stood up, turned to look at him, and said, "If you think so, you can choose not to come. Just pretend I was never here." With that, she gave a mocking smile and left the room before Nathan could react.

Returning to the small private room, Julia was still unconscious. Emily's coat and bag were untouched. She sighed with relief, quickly tidied her hair, wiped off the bright lipstick, and reverted to her original look. Then she approached Julia, took off her clothes, and snapped several half-naked photos of her with her phone.

Emily poured out the remaining water in Julia's glass and refilled it with fresh water. She then sat quietly, waiting for Julia to wake up. The effects of the drug didn't last long. After a while, Julia woke up groggily. She looked confused for a few seconds, then quickly sat up in fright, demanding, "What did you do to me?"

"Nothing, just took some photos," Emily replied calmly, showing her the photos on her phone. "Don't worry. As long as you behave, I'll delete these photos."

Julia wasn't naive. She quickly regained her composure and asked, "What do you want me to do? And what if I refuse?"

Emily answered, "Even if you refuse, I can't do much to you. At worst, I'll send these photos to your parents, relatives, and neighbors. I'll be fulfilling my duty as a teacher. You know better than I do what kind of people your parents are. Whether they'll still recognize you as their daughter is out of my control."

Julia gritted her teeth in anger, "Miss Carter, don't you think you're going too far? I've never wronged you."

"Whether you've wronged me is not for you to decide," Emily sneered, picking up her bag. "I've never wronged you, yet you still helped deceive me, didn't you?"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Julia exclaimed.

"Does it make a difference?" Emily scoffed, ignoring Julia's explanations as she walked out.

Julia refused to let her go, grabbing her bag and trying to snatch her phone. "Delete those photos!"

Emily didn't struggle with her. She stood by the door, watching as Julia fumbled with the phone but couldn't unlock it. Emily coldly remarked, "Don't bother. You can't unlock it."

A flash of anger crossed Julia's eyes. She suddenly smashed the phone on the ground, stomping on it furiously, then poured water over the broken pieces. She looked up defiantly at Emily, "Don't worry, Miss Carter. I'll buy you a new phone!"

Emily coldly picked up the thoroughly destroyed phone and left without a word.

She walked quickly, her face set in anger, but inwardly she wanted to laugh. That phone had tormented her for a long time. Although she knew Damian wouldn't stop monitoring her, destroying it felt satisfying.

As she passed through the lobby, she called over a passing waiter, handed him a tip, and instructed, "Tell Ms. Johnson that Miss Carter had to leave urgently. I'll thank her later."

She hurried out, not wanting to stay a second longer to avoid any complications. Unfortunately, Murphy's Law prevailed—anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Just as she stepped out the door, she ran into Damian.