Though their voices were soft, they sliced through Emma’s chest like blades, leaving her breathless.

Her hands slowly curled into fists, nails digging inch by inch into her palms.

She had known Theo for over twenty years, yet she had never seen him like this.

Since childhood, her parents had always told her that the Callahan, Blackwood and Barrett families were lifelong allies. One day, she would need to choose between the boys to marry.

And after two decades of growing up together, she had made her choice.

When she shyly confessed her feelings to her parents, their answer had been a heavy silence.

“Theo is like a flower high on a cliff; you may never reach him. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”

Emma hadn’t believed them. From the moment her heart settled on Theo, she tried everything to win him over.

When she knocked on his door late at night, dressed seductively, trying to seduce him, he frowned and threw a coat at her, saying she shouldn’t wear clothes like that.

When she leaned in close, fingers brushing his Adam’s apple in feigned curiosity, he stepped away and reminded her, “There’s a difference between men and women.”

Even the time he was drunk when she climbed onto his lap and kissed him boldly, he froze in dazed surprise, then calmly pushed her away without a word.

She still remembered how she had broken down afterward, sobbing as she asked, “You like me, don’t you? If not, why would you treat me so well?”

Theo only looked at her, his gaze heavy with the haze of lingering alcohol.

"Emma, you're overthinking. I've always seen you as a sister."

The pain that rose in her chest felt like a dull knife, slow and cruel as it carved its way through.

It wasn’t until Juliet appeared that Emma truly saw what Theo looked like when he loved someone.

Even the flower perched high on the cliff had finally descended, stirred by earthly longing.

Only, it wasn’t for her.

The sticky, intimate sounds clung to her ears. Taking a slow breath, she pushed the door open.

Perhaps she had walked in at the wrong moment, Theo’s eyes narrowed, a dark storm flickering behind them.

After all these years, Emma knew that look too well; it meant he was annoyed.

He wiped the remnants of desire from his face but didn’t let go of Juliet. His gaze lifted lazily.

"What is it?"

Emma gave a cold laugh. "Shouldn’t I be asking that? Kissing someone else in someone else's home, is that some new fetish of yours?"

The atmosphere thickened in an instant. It was Juliet who broke the silence, her voice soft and trembling.

"Miss Callahan, I was the one who pulled Brother Theo in here. Please don’t blame him."

Emma's tone turned to ice. "It’s not your place to speak."

Startled, Juliet bit her lip and tears slipped from her eyes almost immediately.

Theo’s brows furrowed deeper. He stepped in front of her, shielding her from Emma’s glare, his gaze turning frigid.

"Juliet, don’t be afraid of her. As long as I’m here, she can’t touch you."

Though he spoke to Juliet, every word was clearly meant for Emma.

And she understood far too well. Her heart turned to frost.

Just as she opened her mouth to respond, hurried footsteps echoed outside the door.

Cole barged in, face stormy. "Emma, your parents told me you’ve chosen someone for the arranged marriage. Is that true?"

"You’d better not have chosen me. My heart belongs to Juliet. If you dare name me, I’ll ruin the wedding myself and make sure you’re utterly humiliated!"

At those words, even Theo’s expression shifted for a brief second. His voice turned colder than ever. "Don’t pick me either. I won’t marry you."

Staring at their expressions filled with disdain, Emma suddenly laughed.

She couldn’t help but wonder how much they hated her now. How could they be so gentle with Juliet yet treat her like she was nothing?

Her lips lifted faintly into a bitter smile, the ache in her heart spreading slowly.

She simply turned away, looking out the window in silence.

She doesn't choose either of them, and as for the man she is going to marry, they are not worthy of knowing it now!

That was when she saw several people in the courtyard digging up the rose bushes.

The same roses Cole and Theo had once planted for her were now being ripped from the ground like they meant nothing.

The garden was in chaos. And at that moment, she knew who was behind it.

A sharp pain pierced her chest. She turned around, her voice trembling with rage.

"Who told you to dig up the roses in my yard?!"

Facing her fury, Theo’s expression remained unchanged. His gaze was calm, indifferent, even.

"Juliet doesn’t like the smell of roses. So I had them cleared out."

He looked down. "And that dog you raised, I sold it. Juliet doesn’t like yellow things."

"What did you say?!"

That dog had been by Emma’s side for over a decade. Through every heartbreak, every tear, it had stayed with her like family.

And now, because Juliet disliked the color yellow, they had sold it off like it meant nothing.

A surge of fury flooded her, so fierce it nearly burned her from the inside out. Her whole body trembled and her voice came out hoarse.

"Theo, what gave you the right?!"

Cole stood there, utterly unfazed. "Those roses? Theo and I planted them one by one. The dog? A gift from us, too. So what’s wrong if we want to take them back?"

That single sentence cut her down like a blade. The words she wanted to hurl at them died in her throat. Her arms fell to her sides, fingers shaking. "Of course not. Take back whatever you want."

After all, soon enough, there’d be nothing left between us.

She couldn’t bear another second in that house. Turning on her heel, she left, gave the driver the address of a luxury club and slammed the door shut.

Then she messaged her best friend, Maya Everhart, telling her she had booked ten male models for the evening.

There were plenty of men in this world. Why waste another breath on Theo’s cold, heartless face?

The lighting in the club was dim, cloaked in a sultry haze that carried a vague, suggestive allure.

Just as she settled into her seat, a new post from Juliet flashed across her social feed.

[Spoiled every day by two handsome guys, so happy.]

Two photos followed.

One showed Cole, ever the reckless hothead, boiling brown sugar water for her late at night and thoughtfully placing a warming pad nearby.

The other showed Theo, usually cold and distant, crouching to tie her shoelaces, his gaze tender, her smile soft, like sunlight melting snow.

The comment section was flooded with stunned reactions from mutual friends.

[Is this really the Theo I know? Everyone always said he was devoted to the Callahan heiress since childhood, but I’ve never seen him smile like that at Emma!]

[Since when has Cole been this sweet? Boiling brown sugar water and preparing warm packs? He’s clearly head over heels.]

Reading each comment, Emma let out a cold, mocking laugh. She switched off her phone and raised her glass, then stepped onto the dance floor.

Her silk camisole clung to her skin, her curls cascading in messy waves across her shoulders. She drifted through the crowd of male models with practiced ease, the curve of her lips wickedly seductive.

Maya could hardly believe her eyes. She stared, mouth agape.

“Emma, you’re not chasing after Theo anymore? I thought you once said you’d never even look at another man. And he’s famously jealous; aren’t you scared he’ll lose it?”

Jealous? Maybe only when it involved Juliet.

After several drinks, a faint flush bloomed across Emma’s cheeks, her eyes gleaming with a misty sheen. Even through the haze, she had never felt more certain.

“Not chasing him anymore.”

But before the words had fully left her lips, a familiar voice sliced through the noise behind her.

“Not chasing what anymore?”

Emma turned and met the sharp, questioning stares of Cole and Theo.

Each of them gripped one of Juliet’s hands tightly.

Theo’s expression was cold, his brows drawn tight with displeasure.

Cole’s eyes swept over Emma’s figure in the tight camisole, then shifted to the male models surrounding her. His expression darkened.

“Emma, what are you doing in a place like this?”

Emma swayed slightly as she stood, the glass in her hand tilting with her movement.

“Can’t you tell?”

The alcohol flushed her cheeks and gave her voice a sultry edge, making her look all the more seductive.

Whatever she said seemed to ignite something in Cole. His jaw tightened.

“Emma, have you really become this cheap?”

Emma lifted her gaze. She had always known Cole had a temper, but before Juliet appeared, he’d never dared speak to her like that.

Now, it came so easily.

Her voice turned cold. “What does it have to do with you?”

Cole let out a bitter laugh. “You’re right. It has nothing to do with me. Just thought you looked filthy, nothing like Juliet’s purity.”

Emma let out a sharp laugh.

That one sentence pierced straight through her like a blade, releasing a burning, unbearable pain.

Back when she cared, he never dared to say a cruel word. Now that she didn’t, he said anything he pleased.

As she laughed, her eyes began to sting.

Not wanting to exchange another word, she turned and vanished into the sea of bodies on the dance floor, leaving the three behind.

But before long, the sharp crash of a beer bottle shattered through the music, piercing her ears.

Screams followed. Then came the low hum of whispers and gossip rippling through the crowd.

“Oh my god, the Barrett Family’s young master just threw hands because someone asked that woman for her WhatsApp. Even the always-cold Blackwood family’s young master snapped!”

“That woman must really mean something to them. I’ve never seen those two lose it like that.”

“Haven’t you heard? Last night, the two of them lit up the whole city with fireworks for her. And just because she glanced at a globally limited-edition necklace during an auction, they bought it for her on the spot. They even rejected a marriage alliance for her. A twenty-year bond with the Callahan heiress couldn’t compare. That’s how much they love her!”