Chapter 4

Emma Johnson pov

The interview was incredibly difficult.

Liam was uncooperative, even deliberately obstructive.

No matter what I asked, he answered distractedly, even intentionally steering the conversation towards his personal life, trying to provoke me.

"Regarding the recent rumors of a strategic alliance through marriage…"

"Not interested."

Liam cut me off, suddenly leaning forward, his gaze intense.

"I'm currently more interested in women who seem all prim and proper on the surface, but secretly go all out for a man. Do you have any recommendations?"

As he leaned closer, the tooth mark on my collarbone, which had never faded, began to burn.

I swallowed, suppressing the urge to kiss him, and continued with my questions.

"What's your take on the online rumors that members of the Smith family possess some kind of special supernatural identity?"

Liam was silent for a moment.

"Online speculation can't be taken seriously. Otherwise, I'd be ruling humanity directly, not sitting here for your interview."

Honestly, I also thought those speculations were far-fetched.

But suddenly, some of Liam's oddities flashed through my mind.

Like how incredibly fast he ran in high school.

Like how he always seemed to take time off on the night of every full moon, claiming it was for a family dinner.

And… how his eyes sometimes turned silver.

I closed my notebook, refusing to let my thoughts wander further.

As a journalist, I needed to be professional, not indulge in wild guesses.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Smith. I have enough material."

Just as I was about to stand up, the private room door was suddenly pushed open.

A beautiful blonde woman with long, flowing hair burst in. She had a vibrant, bold beauty, completely different from mine.

"Liam! I heard you were here."

Sophia Miller flung herself at Liam like a butterfly, kissing him directly on the corner of his mouth.

It was Sophia Miller.

Liam's latest rumored girlfriend, the one who'd posted flirty captions on Ins.

She had a wolf-head tattoo on her arm, just like the one on Liam's chest.

Probably matching couple tattoos.

Liam turned his head to dodge her lips but didn't push her away.

His gaze swept over Sophia's head, fixed on me, as if expecting my reaction.

I merely glanced, giving Sophia a polite nod:

"Ms. Miller, hello."

Then I turned to Liam:

"Mr. Smith, since you have company, I won't disturb you further. I'll send you the draft for your review once it's written."

With that, I turned and left, my steps quick, without a single lingering look.

But I still heard the voices behind me.

Sophia sounded a bit confused:

"Liam, who was that? She seemed… odd."

He abruptly shook off Sophia's hand, then impatiently swept the glass off the table, sending it crashing to the floor.

"Get out."

Sophia jumped, startled:

"Liam…"

"All of you, get out!"

Liam roared.

The pain from the tooth mark vanished.

It was all too strange, but forgive me for not wanting any more involvement with Liam.

I wasn't going to turn back to ask him about it.

When I left the club, the wind outside was cold, clearing my head.

Mike, the photographer, was already restless in the car. Seeing me, he quickly started the engine:

"How was it? Did you get it?"

"I got it."

I tossed the voice recorder into my bag, leaning back against the seat, exhausted.

"Let's head back to the office."

Back at the newsroom, I rushed to finish the article overnight.

I sent the draft to Mr. Harrison, with a short message:

"Task completed. Please sign off."

Mr. Harrison was probably surprised by my efficiency. He didn't make it difficult for me and promptly approved my resignation.

The moment the formalities were done, I stood outside the company building, looking at the bustling city, feeling only a sense of liberation.

I sent Noah a message:

"I've resigned."

Noah replied almost instantly:

"Congratulations. To celebrate your newfound freedom, how about dinner tonight? I've booked a restaurant."

I thought for a moment, then replied:

"Okay."

I hadn't told anyone that I'd already bought my plane ticket to New York for the day after tomorrow.

This dinner would be a farewell.

A farewell to the past, and a farewell to this city.