Chapter 994

Emily’s eyes flickered. Before Andrew could say something rash, she cut in, “You’ve misunderstood. Mr. Lane and I are just friends.”
The woman’s expression froze, her embarrassment deepening. “Oh, is that so
She distinctly remembered seeing them at that fishing event and hearing some of the rumors floating around.
“I’m so sorry, I misunderstood,” she said apologetically.
“It’s fine,” Emily murmured.
The car fell silent again. The woman didn’t dare say another word, afraid of making an even bigger fool of herself. She leaned her head against her hand, resting it on the window and closing her eyes.
The gentle vibrations of the car caused Emily’s head to bump repeatedly against the window. Frustrated, she leaned back against the seat and tilted her head, letting it come to rest on Elizabeth’s shoulder.
Elizabeth didn’t move, only glanced down at her.
Suddenly, Emily felt an intense gaze on her, but she kept her eyes shut, pretending to be asleep.
An hour later, the car pulled up to the airport entrance.
They all got out and retrieved their luggage. Emily had barely held her suitcase for a minute before Andrew took it from her.
The other woman grabbed her bag, bid them a hasty farewell, and hurried toward the check-in counter.
Andrew looked down at Emily. “VIP lounge?”
Emily nodded. It wasn’t time to board yet, so the lounge was their only option.
Handling all three suitcases with ease, Andrew walked steadily ahead of them. Elizabeth grabbed Emily’s arm, her eyes filled with a strange, suspicious look. Standing outside the terminal, the cool breeze cleared Emily’s head a bit. She pulled her coat tighter, deliberately ignoring Elizabeth’s stare. She would have loved to refuse Andrew’s help, but it wasn’t like he’d given her any chance to.
Once they reached the lounge, Emily held onto the armrest of a sofa and slowly lowered herself into it, her movements as cautious as an elderly woman’s.
Elizabeth brought her a cup of hot water. “It’s a three or four-hour flight. Are you sure you can handle it?”
Emily took a sip, still in the mood to joke. “It’ll be fine. Worst case, I’ll just sleep through it, and you can carry me off the plane.”
Elizabeth snorted. “In your dreams. I’d just call the hospital and have them send a stretcher for you.”
Emily considered this. “That works, too. Saves you the trouble of dropping me from exhaustion.”
Elizabeth sat beside her. “You still have the energy to trade barbs. I guess you’ll be okay.”
After stowing the luggage, Andrew walked over to Emily. “Feeling any better?”
Emily’s brow twitched. She made a conscious effort to put distance between them. “Much better, thank you, Mr. Lane.”
His eyes scanned her face, from her forehead down to her chin, taking in her pale complexion. “How many times have you said ‘thank you’ on this trip?”
The sudden question made Emily’s mind go blank. “What?”
His expression was unreadable. “Can you even count how many times you’ve said it?”
Of course she couldn’t. She had no idea what had gotten into him.
Emily didn’t answer, just lowered her head and sipped her hot water.
“Stop saying thank you,” Andrew said. “I don’t want to hear it anymore.” Emily managed a dry, “Oh.”
Elizabeth glanced from Emily to Andrew, whose gaze was as intense as a predator watching its prey, and forced a smile. “Oh, but she should say thank you. After all, Emily has a boyfriend. It’s important to maintain a polite and respectable distance from other men.”