Two days before the party, the entire Hong family mansion buzzed with preparations.
Guests were arriving from abroad.
Business partners were sending gifts and flowers.
Everything was perfect—exactly the way a celebration for Hong Yi should be.
Except Emma wasn't smiling.
Hong Yi's cousin, the woman the family pushed as his "future fiancée," sat frozen on her bed with a trembling hand covering her mouth.
In her other hand—
A letter.
A letter from Xiamen's father.
And inside, the truth she never expected.
Haoyu…
Hong Yi's beloved little boy…
He wasn't a distant relative.
He wasn't a child adopted out of kindness.
He was Hong Yi's son.
Emma's heartbeat hammered wildly.
"No… this can't be real… this can't…"
Her eyes raced across the handwritten lines again, desperate to find a mistake, a lie, something she could reject.
But the words were clear:
"My grandson —Haoyu—is Hong Yi's biological child.
Xiamen raised him alone.
i know you love him if you want to marry Hong yi meet me I have plan "
We can discuss after meeting.
Emma's breath shattered.
If Hong Yi knew—
If he realized the truth—
If he understood that Xiamen had protected his son all these years…
He would never marry her.
Never.
Not when he still looked at Xiamen like she was the only woman in the room.
Not when he spoke her name with that rough tenderness.
Not when he broke inside every time she tried to walk away.
Emma pressed the letter to her chest, panic rising like fire.
"No… no, I can't lose him. Not now. Not after everything."
Tears pricked her eyes.
She loved Hong Yi—more than anyone knew, more than she ever admitted.
But he never looked at her the way he looked at Xiamen.
Even the family pushing them together couldn't force his heart.
And now this…
A son.
Xiamen gave him a son.
Emma's hands shook violently.
"If Hong Yi finds out… everything is over."
She stood abruptly, pacing the room.
"I need to stop this. I need to think. I need a plan."
Her mind raced.
She had two goals:
1. Keep Hong Yi from learning the truth.
2. Get rid of Xiamen—before she ruins everything.
But she wasn't reckless. She knew Hong Yi.
He wouldn't allow anyone to harm Xiamen, not even with words.
So Emma wiped her tears and steadied her breathing.
"If I want to protect what I have…
I need to talk to her father."
Her gaze hardened—an expression she never showed in public.
"I need to know what Xiamen father is planning…
And what he wants in return."
She grabbed her coat and the letter, determination replacing panic.
"She won't take Hong Yi from me.
Not now.
Not after all these years."
If I need to killed someone for Hong yi I can do it.
Without hesitation, Emma left her room, stepping into the cold hallway with a new plan.
A dangerous one.
A desperate one.
A plan that could change everything before the party even began.