Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Emily ignored the other women and was about to leave when she saw Peggy rushing in through the door, clearly distraught.noveldrama

Peggy's eyes were red and swollen. She ran past Emily as if not seeing her and went straight into the manager's office.

Seeing Peggy's state, Emily sensed something was wrong and decided to wait.

Moments later, Peggy emerged looking devastated. Emily caught her arm. "Peggy, what's happened?"

Peggy looked up, tears immediately streaming down her face. Suddenly, she grabbed Emily's hand. "Emily, I need your help desperately."

Emily quickly tried to calm her. "Of course, whatever I can do. Just tell me what's wrong."

With tears in her eyes, Peggy explained, "My brother's been in a car accident. He's in intensive care right now. The manager won't give me time off because it's the weekend and they're short-staffed. Emily, could you cover my shift? My brother's life is hanging in the balance I can't possibly focus on work."

Emily hesitated. After all, when Faris had given her the million dollars, he'd told her to quit this job-which she had. She'd only taken the job out of desperation in the first place and had no desire to return, even for a day.

"Emily, please. I have nowhere else to turn. Just this once?" Peggy pleaded, clutching Emily's hand.

Peggy had always been kind to her, and Emily couldn't bring herself to refuse someone in need. She eventually agreed and even gave Peggy all the cash she had on her.

The club was busier than usual that weekend. As Emily finished applying her makeup in the dressing room, she prayed the night would go smoothly. If it weren't for Peggy, she would never again have put herself in a position to be appraised by men like merchandise.

The moment she stepped into the private room, she regretted her decision. There, in the dim light, sat Faris.

Their eyes met. His gaze was intense and cold.

Emily barely remembered how she managed to walk in, each step feeling like treading on needles. She ended up seated between Faris and the client who had requested her.

With Faris's sleeve brushing against her arm, she sat frozen. He completely ignored her, focusing on drinking and chatting with the others.

She couldn't shake the feeling that he seemed angry. And why wouldn't he be? In his position, she would be too.

The other girls knew about Emily being taken out of the club by Faris that night. Seeing no interaction between them now, they had their own theories and agendas, deliberately trying to engage Faris in conversation.

Despite their obvious flirtations, Faris maintained a polite smile, showing no particular displeasure.

Something uncomfortable stirred in Emily's chest watching the scene unfold. Though she was hardly a paragon of virtue herself, seeing these women pawing at Faris felt wrong-like they were sullying him somehow.

Suddenly emboldened, she pushed away the woman who was clinging to Faris.

Caught off guard, the woman nearly hit her head on the coffee table. Regaining her composure, she glared at Emily. "Emily, what are you doing?"

Emily gave her a cool glance, then moved closer to Faris, naturally slipping her arm through his. "I think I'm just as good," she said calmly.

The woman snorted dismissively. Emily glanced at Faris and said, "My name sounds nice. Mr. Melville said he likes my name, didn't you, Mr. Melville?"

Afraid he might not respond and leave her embarrassed, she didn't wait for his answer. Instead, she grabbed a bottle from the table and said, "As for holding liquor-well, that's something I prove, not claim."

With that, she tilted the bottle back and drank it all in one go, without even pausing for breath. Everyone in the room was stunned.

Faris narrowed his eyes, regarding her with newfound interest.

Emily had barely eaten that evening, and the alcohol hit her empty stomach hard. The other girls, not wanting to be outdone by someone usually so reserved, began drinking competitively as well.

When she was thoroughly intoxicated, Emily collapsed onto the sofa, caught by Faris's steady arm.

Through her haze, she heard applause and someone saying, "Looks like Faris is in for a treat tonight. That woman is clearly something special."

Faris continued holding her, but she could no longer make out his expression or hear what he was saying before everything went dark.

She awoke with a pounding headache and parched mouth in an unfamiliar bed.

Recalling fragments of the previous night, she sat bolt upright.

She was still wearing last night's clothes. So he hadn't touched her?

"You're awake?" a man's voice suddenly came through.

Emily looked toward the sound. On the balcony, Faris was leaning against the railing, smoking.

She quickly jumped out of bed, embarrassed about her behavior the night before. Avoiding his gaze, she mumbled, "I'm sorry for causing trouble."

Faris walked into the room, the familiar scent of tobacco preceding him.

"To prove you can hold your liquor, you have to drink'-isn't that what you said?" he reminded her.

His words triggered more memories, making Emily wish the floor would swallow her whole.

He sat down on a nearby sofa, looking at her with amusement. "You certainly drank. And proved your tolerance isn't particularly impressive."

Emily was mortified.

Faris played with his lighter, a cool smile on his lips, taking in her embarrassment. "Didn't I give you a million dollars? Was it not enough to leave that job behind? Or perhaps that story about you and your brother was fabricated?"

Emily shook her head vigorously, rushing to explain, "No, I didn't lie to you. Everything I told you that night was true-I can take you to the hospital if you don't believe me. I haven't worked at Eclipse Lounge since that night. Yesterday was only because a friend had a family emergency and the manager wouldn't give her time off, so she begged me to cover for her."

She was almost in tears, desperate for him to believe her.

After hearing her explanation, Faris remained silent, studying her, his thoughts unreadable.

Finally, Emily quietly admitted the underlying truth. "Actually, I went to the club hoping

to hear if you'd been asking for me. Without seeing you again, I felt uneasy keeping the money."

Faris continued watching her, brow furrowed in thought.

Eventually, he seemed to accept her explanation and asked about her brother's condition. She told him they were just waiting to find a suitable heart for the transplant.

Faris nodded, extinguishing his cigarette in the ashtray. He stood and approached her.

"In that case, from now on, you'll stay with me. That way, you won't feel uneasy about the million dollars, will you?"

Emily looked up sharply, hardly daring to believe what she'd heard.

"What's wrong? You don't want to?" Faris asked with a smile.

Emily quickly shook her head. "No, I'd like that very much," she replied firmly, containing her excitement.

From that point on, he took her everywhere-to parties, on vacations, on outings-and frequently bought her gifts. To outsiders, he appeared to adore her. Sometimes even she would forget that their relationship wasn't real.

Women fall in love easily, and Emily had been drawn to him since that night by the river. How could she resist his affection? Though she constantly reminded herself not to forget her place that he had said this was just a transaction-she couldn't help falling deeper into his warmth.

When she discovered he was missing a finger, she sensed there was a story behind it. She had asked him about it when he was in good spirits, but he never answered, and each time she brought it up, his mood visibly darkened.

That hand with the missing finger didn't repulse her; rather, it made her heart ache for him.

When he was in a good mood or had been drinking, he would kiss her, even hold her

as they slept, but he never went further.

She thought perhaps there was someone else in his heart, or maybe he'd been wounded in love before.

One day, she went to his club looking for him. Rafael told her he was entertaining

some VIP clients at the golf course behind the building and suggested she wait in his

office.

Sitting in his office with nothing to do, she idly flipped through the newspapers and magazines on his desk, when something unexpected caught her eye.