Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 314: Disaster

Emily smiled as she placed the phone against her ear.

"Hey, Em," Mari’s concerned voice came through the speaker. "I heard what happened. Jamal told me everything. How do you feel? Are you okay?"

Emily sighed, glancing out the window as the car rolled past a quiet stretch of road. "It was a mess," she said softly. "But I’m okay. I’ll give you the details later when I’m home."

"I thought you’d be resting. Don’t tell me you went to the hospital."

"I’m actually on my way out with Callan," Emily said, leaning back in her seat.

There was a beat of silence before Mari’s voice exploded. "Wait—what? Which Callan?" she demanded dramatically. "Don’t tell me you like him so much you met some new guy bearing the same name!"

Emily laughed, pressing a finger to her lips as she lowered the phone’s volume so that her voice won’t get to Callan. "Stop being dramatic, will you?"

"I’m serious!" Mari shot back. "Why are you going out with Callan? We are moving on from him, remember?"

Emily rolled her eyes, but smiled despite herself. "Relax. It’s not that deep. We just wanted to sit and talk," Emily said in a very low voice so that Callan wouldn’t hear her.

"Oh, it’s deep," Mari said quickly. "It’s very deep as long as it involves Cal. You know how easily you get swayed when it comes to him. You’re probably already melting just hearing his voice."

"No. I’m not melting," Emily said, laughing quietly.

"Whose idea was this hangout?" Mari asked curiously.

"His, of course. We’re just going to talk, that’s all," Emily assured her.

"Nah. I don’t buy that. I know you enough to know you’re most likely already thinking that maybe you both can work. Listen to me, Emily Williams, this is a bad idea. Hanging out with the guy you are trying to get over is a recipe for disaster. You understand? Disaster."

Emily sighed, smiling faintly. "Can we not do this now? Please? Let’s have this conversation when I get back."

"No," Mari said stubbornly. "Give him the phone."

Emily blinked. "What? No."

"Yes!" Mari insisted. "Let me talk to him. I just want to warn him not to mess with my girl’s heart again. I love Callan, but I could kill him if he makes you cry one more time."

Emily covered her mouth to keep from laughing. "Absolutely not. You’re not embarrassing me like that."

"Fine," Mari huffed. "Then listen to me carefully, no matter what he says, don’t be moved. Keep him in the friend-zone until proven worthy. And I have to be the one to prove him worthy not you. Because I don’t trust your judgement when it comes to Callan. I’m serious, Em. Don’t let him mess with your heart again. And for goodness’ sake, don’t bring up the past. Keep it light. Talk about the weather, food, or shoes, whatever, just not the past."

Emily smiled gently. "I know. I planned to do just that."

"Good." Mari exhaled. "Alright, Don’t stay out too late, you hear me? Call me the minute you’re home."

"I hear you, mom," Emily teased.

"Don’t mom me. I mean it. Plus I have lots of tea to spill," Mari said with a giggle, and hung up.

Emily laughed softly, shaking her head as she dropped her phone in her bag.

From the driver’s seat, Callan glanced her way. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," she said lightly.

"Why were you whispering? You seemed like you wanted to enter the door so I don’t hear you," Callan observed.

"Yeah. We were just talking about something private."

He nodded but gave her a curious look. "Private, huh? Does Mari ever keep anything private though? The last time Jamal and I spoke to her, she was telling us about doing it with her boyfriend. I couldn’t believe it."

Emily chuckled. "That’s normal between friends. It’s not that serious."

"Normal?" Callan arched a brow.

Emily grinned. "Yeah. Didn’t Jamal tell you about his one-night stand?"

Callan raised a brow. "Does that means you told Jamal and Mari what happened between us too?"

Emily froze, eyes widening. She turned to look at him, stunned. "You’re seriously bringing that up now?"

He kept his eyes on the road. "I just asked—"

"You’ve spent years pretending it never happened, Callan," she cut in. "And now suddenly you want to talk about it? And in this manner?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but she turned away. "I can’t believe you."

He said nothing after that. He didn’t know what to say, so he chose to leave it until the mood shifted again.

The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy, until the car finally pulled to a stop in front of the rooftop restaurant.

Soft music and the scent of grilled food filled the air. Callan parked and stepped out. Emily got out of the car before he could get her door.

He led her past tables filled with laughing couples, until they reached a more private corner spot.

The view was breathtaking.

"Wow," Emily whispered.

"I knew you’d like it," Callan said, smiling as he pulled out her chair.

When they sat, she picked up the menu, but he gently took it away. "I already ordered."

She raised a brow. "When?"

"Back in the house when you went to get your stuff and the apples. I figured since we were hungry the food should be ready before our arrival," he explained.

"What did you order for me?"

He grinned. "Let’s make it a game. You go through the menu and pick what you would have ordered. Then we’ll see how well I know you," he said, wanting to get rid of any annoyance and irritation she was still feeling.

She rolled her eyes, smirking. "What if I choose something different?"

"Try me."

She glanced through the list, tapping her lip. "Fine. I’d have picked the grilled chicken salad and passion fruit smoothie."

His grin widened. "That’s exactly what you’re getting."

Her jaw dropped. "Liar."

He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "You’ll see."

When the waiter arrived minutes later, Emily gasped softly as her exact order was set before her.

"No way," she whispered, eyes darting up to Callan’s amused face. "You guessed right."

He shrugged playfully. "Told you I knew you."

She laughed. "I hate that you actually got this right."

Callan was glad to see her laughing now.

They began to eat, and for a while, there was only the sound of quiet music and clinking cutlery.

"This is really nice," Emily said, smiling. "The food, I mean."

"My Mom recommended this place," he said, his voice calm. "She said they came here on one of their date nights."

"That’s sweet," she said softly. "By the way, I saw the photos you sent from the couple game night. They all looked so happy."

"They were," Callan said quietly. "I wish you were there."

She smiled faintly. "It would’ve been fun. Who won the couple games?"

"Guess?"

"Aunt Sabrina and Uncle Alex," she asked without hesitation.

"How did you know?" Callan asked, surprised.

Emily burst out laughing. "Of course! Those two are always so competitive. They’ve been winning most of the games for years now."

He laughed too, the sound warm and genuine. "Wow. I guess I’ve missed a lot being away for so long."

The laughter faded, replaced by a quiet stillness. "Yeah," Emily murmured.