Chapter 174
Victoria sighed and decided to be straightforward. “I’m saying this for your own good. You and Emily are close, but if Lucas gets upset about it, won’t that affect the Jones family too? You’re not
young anymore…”
“Mrs. Clayton,” Cole interrupted, his gentle demeanor unchanged, “Emily and I-”
“Only her family gets to call her that. Don’t you think it’s inappropriate for you to address her so intimately?” Victoria interjected again.
Truthfully, Victoria admired Cole. Compared to Lucas’s cold and controlling nature, Cole was more approachable and easier to get along with.
But in her mind, practicality always came first. No matter how good Cole seemed, the Grayson name still carried more weight.
Victoria had quickly retracted the mistakenly sent photos and waited for Lucas’s reaction.
When no response came, she assumed he hadn’t seen them and forwarded the photos to Enzo
instead.
However, as soon as she mentioned to Enzo that Emily marrying Cole wouldn’t be a bad idea, Enzo called her back and furiously scolded her.
“The Jones family may not be as powerful as the Graysons, but they wouldn’t stoop to picking up the Graysons‘ leftovers! What fantasy are you living in?”
That single sentence snapped Victoria out of her delusion.
She realized she needed to completely cut off any possibility of a connection between Emily and
Cole.
“Mrs. Clayton, she has every right to make friends and live her life freely. Neither Lucas nor you have the right to interfere,” Cole said patiently, his tone calm despite the tension.
“We’re just friends,” he added, though silently, he admitted to himself, for now.
Victoria scoffed. “What freedom? I’m her mother! It’s my duty to keep her in check. You young people act on impulse, but I can’t let her make mistakes that will tarnish her reputation!”
“Emily isn’t that kind of person,” Cole said, his brows furrowing in rare irritation. “She’s your
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Chapter 174
daughter. You should know her better than anyone.”
Over the years, though he hadn’t had much direct interaction with Emily, he had learned a lot about her through Grace. He admired her principles and strength.
Yet Victoria, Emily’s own mother, seemed to view her with endless judgment, as though she expected her to do something disgraceful.
“People can hide their true selves,” Victoria said dismissively. “You may not know her well, but as
her mother, I certainly do. Anyway-” She paused, struggling to find the right words. Finally, she blurted, “If you keep getting involved with her, and she ends up divorced, I’ll hold you responsible!”
Victoria wasn’t interested in understanding the dynamic between Cole and Emily. All she knew was
that Enzo firmly opposed Emily divorcing Lucas.
And since Lucas clearly cared about Emily’s interactions with Cole, she had to put an end to their
connection–no matter what.
Cole didn’t argue further. His lips pressed into a thin line, his expression unreadable.
“Cole,” Emily’s voice called from the living room.
Without responding to Victoria’s remark, Cole turned and walked back to the others.
After Grace and Emily finished the bottle of cocktail, Cole suggested they call it a night.
“Alright,” Grace said, though she was reluctant. With Victoria in the guest room, she couldn’t fully relax anyway. She figured it was better to leave early.
Emily put on her coat to see them off. Sensing Grace’s lingering disappointment, Emily promised, “Next time, I’ll come to your place. We’ll party until we drop, deal?”
Grace’s mood instantly lifted. Smiling, she followed Cole into the elevator.
“Don’t drink alone after we leave,” Cole said to Emily before the elevator doors closed. “Focus on finding inspiration for your competition. Good luck with the next round.”
Emily, feeling slightly tipsy, nodded. “Got it. I won’t send you off further.”
She took a step back, leaning against the wall, and waved goodbye.
The elevator’s light shone on her, highlighting her flushed cheeks, shimmering lips, and slightly dazed gaze. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing her delicate features.
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So What If I Loved You?
Chapter 174
Cole’s eyes lingered on her until the elevator doors fully closed.
He looked down, his expression unreadable, but his hand clenched at his side.
Back at her apartment, Emily found Victoria waiting for her in the living room.
“Are you really working now?” Victoria asked, her tone skeptical. She had overheard a snippet of Emily’s earlier conversation with Cole.
“When have I ever lied to you?” Emily asked calmly, carrying the empty glasses from the coffee table to the kitchen for cleaning.
Victoria followed her closely. “What kind of design did you say you studied again? And which company are you working for now?”
“I studied interior design, and I’m currently working as a design assistant at Bluecrest,” Emily replied, repeating herself for what felt like the hundredth time.
But Victoria didn’t care about her degree or career. “I don’t care what you studied. Just tell me–does your job have anything to do with Cole?”
Emily froze for a second, placing the clean glass onto the drying tray. Before she could figure out how to respond, Victoria’s temper flared.
“So it does have something to do with him? Did he get you that job? Emily, have you no shame? If you wanted a job, couldn’t you have asked Lucas instead?”
Victoria’s worldview was simple: women were dependent on men. If a man didn’t approve of something, a woman had no business doing it.
She stared at Emily like she’d committed an unforgivable sin, conveniently ignoring Lucas’s own
indiscretions.
“Do you want to keep staying here?” Emily’s voice shook slightly as she struggled to suppress her frustration. “If you do, then keep your mouth shut and stay out of my business!”
So What If I Loved You?
