“Come on, spill it,” Elizabeth said, leaning closer. "The less you say, the more I know something's going on. You know that just makes me even more curious. And when I'm curious, you know I won't let up."

Emily let out a long sigh. She gave in, quickly summarizing what had happened over the past two nights.

Elizabeth's eyes went wide. "No way. Andrew really went for it, huh? Not a single warning, just jumps right to giving you a ring."

Emily picked up another stack of paperwork, barely looking up. "Now you know. You can go. Stop hanging around and making a fuss."

Elizabeth didn't budge. She rested her chin in her hand, watching Emily. "So he still hasn't taken the ring back, and now he's got a fever?"

Emily glanced at her. "What about it?"

Elizabeth's gaze turned sharp. "He's totally playing the sympathy card."

Emily kept her eyes on the document in front of her, face calm. She didn't say a word.

Elizabeth chuckled, shaking her head. "Well, Tristan has nothing to worry about. You're like a rock with Andrew. He could bring out fireworks and you'd still be unmoved."

Emily's voice was even. "If you're reassured, then please go."

Elizabeth grabbed her files, hummed a little tune, and finally left.

That night, Emily had a dinner meeting with Juliet Thomas from Vanguard Automotive.

The moment she arrived, a waiter showed her through the restaurant and led her to a private room. When the door opened, Emily realized that besides the Vanguard team, Andrew Lane was there too.

He looked pale, which only made his eyes seem darker and more intense.

Emily walked in, her expression steady. Juliet stood to greet her with a warm smile. "Ms. Blair, it's been too long."

Emily smiled back and took her seat. "It has, Ms. Thomas. You look even more beautiful than last time."

Juliet's smile brightened. "Mr. Lane decided to join us at the last minute. I didn't have a chance to let you know, but I figured you two already knew each other, so I hoped it was alright."

Emily shook her head, sneaking a glance at Andrew. "It's fine," she replied quietly. Andrew coughed softly into his fist, his voice low and a little rough. "Ms. Blair and I just saw each other two days ago. You remember, right?"

Emily watched as the waiter poured her tea. "Of course," she said. She looked at him and added, "The weather's getting chilly, Mr. Lane. You should take care of yourself."

Andrew smiled slightly, his eyes never leaving her. "Thank you for your concern, Ms. Blair. If it hadn't been for the rain that day, I probably wouldn't be sick now."

His words had a hidden meaning. Emily took a sip of tea. “Sounds like you're just out of shape, Mr. Lane. Some people get caught in the rain and don't get sick at all. If you're not feeling well, you should work on building your health once you recover."

Her tone was cool, her words unmistakably pointed.

Andrew coughed again and let out a quiet laugh. "I always thought I'd recover faster if I had someone special by my side."

Emily's voice was calm. "If you're sick, Mr. Lane, you should be home resting. It's freezing out, and you're running around before you're even well. Even if you had a dozen people caring for you, it wouldn't matter if you keep pushing yourself like this."

He watched her, a small smile at the edge of his lips. "Are you worried about me, Ms. Blair?"

He didn't mention that after he'd gone home that night, he'd stood under cold water

in the shower again and again, just to make himself sick.

Emily took another sip of tea. "I'm just a nice person, that's all."

Andrew lifted an eyebrow and nodded. “Alright.”

Juliet glanced between the two of them. "You're sick, Mr. Lane?"

His face went back to normal. "It's nothing, just a little cold."

Juliet didn't look convinced. "Even so, you should take care of yourself."

Andrew glanced at Emily with a hint of a smile and sighed. "I was dropping something off the other day, but the person wouldn't come downstairs, so I waited outside for a bit. That's probably how I caught this fever."