Andrew sent back a reply as formal and brief as ever. Just one word. Okay.

Emily set her phone down and called her assistant right away. Everyone knew Andrew was in the city for work, and his place wasn't exactly a secret. Since he'd be staying for a while, he wasn't at a hotel but at one of his own apartments in the capital.

She put the ring back in its gift bag, handed it to her assistant, and gave clear instructions. "If they won't let you go upstairs, just leave it with security."

Her assistant nodded, took the bag, and headed out.

With the ring out of her hands, Emily finally felt like she could breathe again. Emma settled next to her, careful and quiet. "Emily, who sent you that? Is there someone else after you?"

Emily thought about it for a second. There was no point hiding it from her mom. "Andrew Lane sent it."

Emma's eyes went huge. "Andrew Lane? Why would he send you a ring?"

Emily kept her eyes on the TV. Her voice was calm and cool. “It doesn't matter. I already sent it back."

Emma's whole opinion of Andrew had done a one-eighty. She used to push Emily to get close to him, thinking it was a good move for her future. But after everything that went down between Emily and the Lane family, she'd seen the real Andrew, and all her hopes for him had disappeared.

Now, he was trying to make a move just because Isabella Austin was out of the picture? Like he could just come crawling back when it was convenient for him?

Emma didn't hide her feelings. "I'm glad you sent it back. I still think you and Tristan make a better match. He's away for work, and you can't let anyone else take advantage of that."

"I know," Emily said quietly.

A little while later, her assistant called. "Security won't let me in, and they won't keep

it at the front desk either. They said if I leave it there, it'll get lost."

Emily's face tightened. "Wait there. I'll call him."

She hung up and dialed Andrew's number. It rang for so long, she almost gave up. Just before it went to voicemail, he picked up.

Emily didn't wait for him to say anything. "I'm leaving the package with security. Tell them to look after it."

She heard a couple of heavy coughs on the other end. Emily frowned but didn't say anything.

Andrew's voice finally came through, low and rough. "You should bring it up yourself."

Something about it felt off. He had been so stubborn about giving her the ring last night, but now he wasn't even arguing about her returning it.

She could hear it in his voice, that stuffy, sick sound. Emily caught on quickly, but she didn't ask about his health. "My assistant's already at the gate. Just call security and let him up."

Andrew coughed again, his voice even rougher. "If it's just your assistant, forget it. Tell him to come back."

Emily's frown deepened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Another pause, more coughing. Then Andrew said, "I don't take back gifts I've given."

Emily's tone dropped, colder now. "You never told me it was a ring. And you're the one who forced me to take it."