Chapter 272

Emily Blair paused to think, but before she could gather her thoughts, a message from Elizabeth Wilson popped up on her phone.
Elizabeth Wilson: “He finally left.”
Elizabeth Wilson: “You have no idea this guy kept complaining about my cooking while shoveling it down, scared off several of my regulars too.”
Elizabeth Wilson: “I told him to stop eating, but he just ignored me, muttering to himself like a lunatic. Wouldn’t leave, wouldn’t let me serve anyone else. Every time I asked him to go, he just sat back down.”
Elizabeth Wilson: “Absolute freeloader! I can’t run a business like this!”
Emily couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head as Elizabeth’s messages continued to flood in.
She remembered all too well how awkward Xavier Gonzalez could be-never quite able to read the room, never sure how to handle social situations, always blundering through conversations in the most spectacular ways.
But from another perspective, that was also his strength. Xavier had a single- minded focus on his work, an intensity that Elizabeth actually admired.
An idea began to form in Emily’s mind.
The year she died in her last life had been the very year that short-form video platforms exploded in popularity. Suddenly, everyone was hooked-viral stars were born overnight, and the tech companies behind those apps raked in fortunes, becoming industry giants in the blink of an eye.
But right now, that revolution hadn’t happened yet.
Emily’s eyes lit up. This was her chance.
She would need to move quickly; there were less than two years left before that tidal wave hit.
As for Xavier Gonzalez, she thought, maybe it was too soon to judge him. She should try to learn more first.
She replied to Elizabeth: “Do you even know who he is?”
Elizabeth: “No, and I don’t care just want him out of my hair.”
Emily hesitated, then decided not to explain Xavier’s background just yet. Her fingers tapped out a gentle response: “I’ll come by after the competition.” Elizabeth: “Alright.”
Emily didn’t put her phone down. Instead, she opened her cloud storage app, scrolling through the videos and documents she’d saved-courses and resources on computer science.
She’d planned to study them for ages, but life kept getting in the way.
Now, Xavier’s sudden appearance had reminded her just how urgent it was.
Meanwhile, Isabella Austin stood outside a bedroom door, heart heavy with thoughts of the five-million-dollar demand weighing on her. She composed herself, put on a gentle smile, and knocked. Only after she heard the familiar low voice inside did she open the door and step in.
“Andrew, I’m home,” she said softly.
Andrew Lane was sitting on the sofa, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, his long legs crossed. Head bowed, he studied a stack of documents in his hands. The pale light from the ceiling lamp carved sharp, elegant lines across his face, his features striking and handsome—almost heartbreakingly so.
He looked up when he heard her, his dark eyes warm with a hint of tenderness. “Come sit. Take a break.”
Isabella felt her heart skip a beat. After the tense meeting with Emily Blair, seeing Andrew calmed her nerves.
So what if Emily liked Andrew? So what if Emily asked her for five million dollars? Andrew’s heart was hers-something Emily could never take away.
She crossed the room and sat beside him, her voice soft. “Busy with work?”
Before he could answer, she snuck a quick glance at the documents in his hands, then just as quickly looked away.
“I won’t peek. What if I accidentally see something confidential?”
A barely-there smile flickered in Andrew’s eyes. “It’s fine. I’ve told you anything here, you’re welcome to see.”