Chapter 4
The procedure for deactivating her state ID was quick. After finishing, Norah took a cab back to the villa.
It wasn’t long before Antonio walked in with a box of bean pie. He looked apologetic as he said, “Norah, you’ll be my wife soon, and Isa and I will be family.
“That’s why I’ve been taking extra care of her. Please don’t misunderstand. I’ve been pursuing you for so long. You should know that I only love you.”
Norah couldn’t understand how his acting could be so convincing.
The bean pie was from Hadleigh, located on the other side of town. With its unique flavor, there was always a long line, often lasting over three hours, all just to get one.
Antonio had gone to such lengths to make Isabella happy. It was truly the kind of devotion people spoke about, but that devotion wasn’t for Norah. It was for Isabella.
Norah was exhausted and had no interest in continuing to play along. She shook her head. For the first time, she didn’t accept his attempt at smoothing things over.
“I don’t feel good. I’m going to rest.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and went straight to her room.
Antonio stood frozen for a moment. He realized that Norah wasn’t in a good mood, but he didn’t think much of it. He assumed she was still upset about him going to find Isabella earlier.
To make it up to her, he canceled all his work commitments for the time being and dragged her out for a date.
They had a candlelit dinner together, went shopping for luxury items, and ended the day with a movie.
Just as they sat down in their chosen seats, a few ladies walked in. To Norah’s surprise, the one in the center of the group was none other than Isabella.
Though Antonio’s face remained unchanged, Norah could tell that his mind wasn’t with her.
His gaze kept drifting toward Isabella. Although the movie was halfway through, Norah knew that he wasn’t really watching it. Only when she suddenly called his name did he snap back to reality.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I feel sick. Let’s go home,” Norah said softly, as if she was suggesting leaving early genuinely because she was unwell.
Antonio glanced at Isabella one last time with a hint of reluctance but still chose to stand up and leave with Norah.
As they stepped out of the cinema, a commotion suddenly erupted behind them. A crowd surged forward, shouting, “The cinema’s on fire!”
Antonio’s face went pale as he heard the shouts. Just as he was about to rush back into the theater, he saw the group of people who had entered with Isabella running out as well.
He quickly stopped them. His voice was filled with urgency and panic as he asked, “Where’s Isa?”
The group exchanged uncertain glances at his question. When they thought about it, their faces turned pale, and they hesitated before answering, “I-I think she hasn’t come out yet.”
Antonio’s rage erupted immediately, burning away all his rationality. He shouted, “Didn’t I tell you to look after her?”
He didn’t want to hear anything more from them. At once, he rushed toward the burning cinema.
Before he could get too far, his driver, Jordan Foster, blocked his way. “Mr. Emerson, the fire is too intense. You can’t go in. The rescue teams are on their way—”
Jordan’s words were cut short by Antonio’s furious shout. “Get out of the way!”
With that, he pushed past everyone and ran toward the burning cinema.
