Chapter 416

Emily Anderson hunched her shoulders and nodded timidly.

"Sis, am I being stupid?"

Evelyn Carter realized her tone had been too harsh. Her little sister just wanted to help ease the family's burdens—that intention deserved recognition.

"Not stupid. Just naive. You're still young and don't know how complicated the world can be. Money can be earned slowly, but your safety comes first. If anything happened to you, Mom, Dad, and I would be devastated."

Emily twisted her fingers. "I was scared too... I've never been to a place like that. But Peter said—"

Evelyn stiffened. "Who?"

Emily backtracked quickly. "N-never mind."

Evelyn's expression darkened. "Peter Harrison sent you there? What exactly did he tell you?"

"I wanted a part-time job, and Peter said his friend worked there as a supervisor... He's always been reliable. Why would he trick me?"

Evelyn suppressed her fury.

After settling Emily at home and waiting for the family to sleep, she went downstairs alone and dialed Peter's number.

He answered instantly.

"Evelyn?"

"Peter Harrison, what the hell are you playing at?"

A soft chuckle came through the line. "I've been waiting for your call."

"You got everything you wanted. Why drag Emily into this?!"

Peter sounded unsurprised. "Let's talk in person?"

"Name the place."

"My place."

"......"

"Relax, my mom's home. I'm perfectly safe."

"Peter, I don't trust you."

He laughed. "Learned your lesson, huh?"

"Can you blame me for being cautious with someone like you?"

"Fine. You pick."

"The late-night food stall by our neighborhood."

Ten minutes later, Peter arrived impeccably dressed in a suit.

He pulled out a plastic chair and ordered a bowl of congee.

"Talk." Evelyn glared at him. "What's your game this time?"

Peter raised an eyebrow. "So you and Alexander really broke up?"

"None of your business."

"Lately, he's been surrounded by women like he's holding auditions. After everything he did for you, I'm curious—what turned him into such a playboy?"

Evelyn's voice turned icy. "What he does post-divorce doesn't concern me. But Emily is only eighteen. How could you send her to Celestial Club? You know how dangerous that place is."

"She wanted to earn money. I had connections. Besides, I warned her about potential risks."

"Did you make it clear enough?"

Peter scoffed. "She's an adult, not a child."

"If someone there decided to hurt her, could she have fought back?"

"Who would dare touch Alexander Hamilton's sister-in-law?"

Evelyn slammed the table. "Stop bringing up Alexander! If you love him so much, why don't you get a sex change and marry him?!"

Peter's face twitched. "You've never worked in business. You don't understand the weight his name carries."

"I'm a doctor. I don't need him."

"That's because you don't know." Peter stirred his congee. "When Vivian Dempsey's grandmother needed emergency treatment abroad, who in H City could arrange a private jet instantly?"

Evelyn frowned. "It wasn't him. An elder family friend helped."

Peter froze. "You're sure?"

"Why would I lie?"

He set down his spoon. "So it really wasn't him..."

Evelyn rapped the table. "Back to the point. Why send Emily to Celestial Club?"

"I wanted to see you and Alexander meet."

"Why?"

"To confirm if your split was real or just a lovers' quarrel."

Peter wiped his mouth. "Vincent Wilson frequents Celestial Club. With Alexander's recent partying, he was bound to show up. If he still saw Emily as family, he'd contact you. But I never expected..."

He paused.

"Seeing you two harassed, he walked away arm-in-arm with a socialite without a backward glance."

Evelyn narrowed her eyes. "You were at Celestial Club?"

"At the entrance. Saw everything clearly."

"Convinced now? It's over between us. Stop scheming."

Peter suddenly slammed his spoon down.

"I got laid off."

"...Alexander's doing?"