Ryan Cox's face was clouded with anger. "Mr. Gomez, I'm the one who called you here. Don't let her fool you."

Emily Blair laughed, her tone light. "Fool who, exactly? You just make things up as you go."

Benjamin Gomez didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned to Emily, his gaze steady. "May I see the wound?"

Emily shifted uncomfortably. She rarely wore dresses-only at formal events. At work or business dinners, she always chose pants. Today, she'd picked a pair of flared jeans, snug along her thighs and loosening below the knee, perfectly concealing the scrape just above her knee.

Still, she had no intention of showing it.

"It's just a scratch," Emily replied. "Nothing serious."

Benjamin studied her, his expression difficult to read. "I thought... Never mind."

Emily arched an eyebrow. "You thought I'd play the victim, try to guilt you into helping me?"

Benjamin neither confirmed nor denied it.

She shrugged. “Let's not kid ourselves. I may not fish for sympathy, but I do remember that you said you owed me a favor last night. Or have you forgotten already, Mr. Gomez?"

"I remember," he said, voice low.

Emily flashed a smile. "Then, is now a good time to collect?"

Benjamin didn't answer.

Emily was about to press the point when Ryan exploded, "Emily Blair, don't push your luck!"

His face was a patchwork of greenish bruises and frustration. He strode to Benjamin's side, eyes darting between Benjamin and Emily, wary and on edge.

Ryan leaned in, voice tight with bitterness. "Mr. Gomez, I don't know what's going on between you and Emily Blair, but remember—I'm the one who brought you here." Benjamin's brow furrowed.

Ryan edged even closer, dropping his voice. "Don't forget your mother, Mr. Gomez. Your family owes me a debt you'll never repay."

Emily could see Benjamin waver.

She turned to Lucas Cox, who'd been watching from the sidelines. "That's your brother, isn't it? Not going to say anything?"

Lucas's face was stony, his expression icy. He gave a short, bitter laugh. “Brother? Don't flatter either of us. At best, we share some DNA. There's no love lost. I haven't even confronted him about his family hiding my mother all those years."

Emily's gaze softened. "I see."

Lucas lowered his voice. "Ryan dragged Benjamin here, so this might be our last shot. If you have a plan, now's the time-wait any longer and we're done for."

Meanwhile, Ryan was still hissing urgent words at Benjamin, anxious and desperate. But it was clear Benjamin recoiled from the contact, stiffening at Ryan's proximity.

Suddenly, Emily spoke up, voice clear. “Tell me what do you think matters more to Benjamin Gomez? Ryan Cox's business, or the person who once saved his life?" Elizabeth Wilson's brow shot up. “Saved his life? What do you mean?”

Both women turned their eyes on Emily.

Raising her voice, Emily called out, "Mr. Gomez, I have just one request."

Benjamin turned away from Ryan, who was still mid-sentence, and looked at her. "Go ahead."

Ryan's face was ashen, but Emily's smile was radiant.

"I want you to stay out of this, Mr. Gomez. Don't help Ryan Cox. Just pretend you saw nothing."

"Emily Blair!"

"Alright."

Ryan's furious outcry and Benjamin's calm agreement overlapped in the air.

Lucas's eyes widened in shock.

He knew the history better than anyone-his mother, forced by family pressure into Ryan Cox's hands, not for marriage, but simply handed over as payment for a business deal. Ryan had just finalized a divorce at the time. After Lucas was born, Ryan offered to marry his mother, but she refused. Later, she met Mr. Gomez- Benjamin's father. They fell in love, and whether it was Ryan's guilty conscience or pressure from Benjamin's father, Ryan let her go. When her family tried to retaliate, Ryan shouldered the blame and protected her.

No matter how you looked at it, The Gomez Family had no right to claim the moral high ground. Over the years, Ryan had endlessly leveraged that debt for favors, and the Gomezes had always obliged—as long as the requests weren't too outrageous.

But this time, Lucas was genuinely shocked: Benjamin Gomez had refused Ryan and chosen to help Emily instead.

Lucas turned to Emily, his voice edged with curiosity. "What's between you and Benjamin Gomez? Why is he helping you?"

Emily's reply was cool. "Just this once. There won't be a next time."

As soon as Benjamin made his decision, everyone except Ryan seemed to exhale with relief.

Ryan's face twisted in panic as he pleaded, “Benjamin, you can't do this! Have you forgotten your mother? Forgotten who helped your family when you needed it most?"

In his desperation, Ryan even reached out, trying to grab Benjamin's arm.

Benjamin's eyes darkened as he fixed his gaze on Ryan's hand, staring until Ryan jerked it back.

Ryan was frantic. "You can't do this to me—I called you here!"

Benjamin's tone was final. "After all these years, I've done everything I could for you -everything I should. That's enough."

The color drained from Ryan's face.

Benjamin looked him straight in the eye. "You should be satisfied."

Ryan slumped, defeated.

Then Benjamin turned to the investigators. "Proceed as you see fit. Don't worry about my opinion."

The officials looked relieved. "Understood."

Emily watched in silence as Benjamin met her gaze.

He asked quietly, "Does this settle my debt to you?"