Ding dong— The doorbell rang. Emily glanced toward the door. "That must be Dylan, here to pick you up. Go run your hand under some cold water again," she said to Satan. She quickly dried her hands and rushed to open the door. "Surprise! My dearest girlfriend, are you shocked? Are you thrilled?" Jackson stood at the door, holding a large bouquet of roses, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you so happy you're speechless?" Emily hesitated for a moment. "Didn't you say we were just going to have a video call tonight? What are you doing here so suddenly?" "Well, that's why it’s called a surprise!" Jackson grinned. "So? Do you like it?" "...Yes," Emily replied softly. "Great! I knew you would." Jackson beamed as he handed her the bouquet. "It took me forever to find these. I went to so many flower shops, but none of them had the perfect shade of roses. Finally, I found this one place and bought their entire stock. Only the purest roses are worthy of you." The bouquet was large and heavy, almost blocking her face as she held it. Jackson quickly took the flowers back. "Let me hold onto these for you. By the way, you mentioned your colleague was here—where are they? I'd love to meet them." "Wait," Emily stopped him, her tone serious. "Jackson—" But he was already too excited. He placed the bouquet on the nearby shoe cabinet and moved to embrace her. "I've missed you so much, Emily. You didn't call me, so I just had to come here and see you." Emily felt awkward, gently pushing him away. "Jackson, please—" "What? Are you worried your colleague will see us being affectionate? Let them! It’s a perfect time for them to meet your dashing, handsome boyfriend!" Jackson said with a laugh as he guided her toward the living room. "I haven’t flown this long in ages. My legs are killing me; I need to sit down for a bit." Jackson plopped down on the couch, then noticed the cup of porridge on the coffee table. Without a second thought, he grabbed it and took a sip. "Finally, I get to taste your cooking," he sighed contentedly."Jackson, that was mine. I already drank from it," Emily said quickly. He paused for a second, then smiled mischievously. "Oh? I see the lipstick mark. Guess I’ll just have to drink from here." He pressed his lips against the cup exactly where her lipstick stained the edge and took another big gulp. "Ahh, nothing beats your cooking. I really did come at the perfect time, didn’t I?" Just as Jackson finished speaking, his expression shifted. He noticed something—someone—in the kitchen. Satan stood there, quietly wiping his hands with a paper towel. Jackson's smile vanished, replaced by a cold, tense glare. "So this is your 'colleague'?" Emily hurried to explain. "Jackson, this is Vincent, CEO of the Great Wall Group. He’s... technically my colleague. He's been ill recently and can’t eat anything solid, so I made him some porridge." "There aren’t any places around that sell porridge? The CEO of a multinational company can't afford to buy his own?" Jackson’s tone grew sharp. "I thought Stardream needed you here urgently for a major project. But now I understand. Vincent couldn’t meet you in Rome, so he manipulated things to drag you here to New York, didn’t he?" Emily tugged at Jackson’s arm, trying to calm him. "Jackson, you’re misunderstanding—" "Am I?" Jackson shot back, eyes narrowing. "Tell me, Vincent, would you deny that you personally requested Emily for this project? Don’t pretend it’s not for other reasons." Emily cut in. "Vincent can’t speak right now. His throat—" "He's pretending to be pathetic, isn’t he? " Jackson sneered. "If I hadn’t shown up today, what else would have happened here? Were you planning to take advantage of her while she was vulnerable?" His accusations became more cutting, and Emily felt her face burn with embarrassment. "Jackson, calm down—" "How can I stay calm when my girlfriend is hiding her ex-husband in her apartment? You expect me to be rational?" Jackson stood up, his anger barely contained. "Vincent, there’s the door. Get out." Satan remained still, his eyes flicking between Emily and Jackson, silently observing. "Are you going to leave or not, Vincent? Don’t make me throw you out myself." "Jackson—" Emily tried to reason with him, but he cut her off."Emily, don’t stop me. Don’t I have the right to protect my relationship?" For a moment, Emily was speechless. Then Satan spoke. "You lied to her." Jackson paused, confused. "What?" Satan’s voice was strained and raspy. "You lied to her. You told her I abandoned her and our child." Jackson stood still, processing the accusation. "I lost consciousness in the fire. I was being resuscitated," Satan continued, every word costing him great effort. "I never gave up on them. I would never give up on her." The two men locked eyes in a silent, fierce standoff, neither willing to back down. Emily, caught between them, felt her heart race. She couldn’t stop either of them—Jackson’s fury or Satan’s resolve. Desperate, Emily dialed Dylan’s number. "Dylan, are you here yet?" "I’m at the hotel entrance now. Is there a problem, Miranda?" Dylan asked, his voice concerned. "Yes, there is... I need to get Vincent downstairs. Can you wait outside?" "Of course, I’ll be right here." Emily hung up and turned to Satan, gently tugging on his sleeve. "Dylan’s here. I’ll take you downstairs." But Satan pulled his arm away and stood his ground. His eyes were fixed on Jackson. "You kept her hidden from me." Jackson smirked. "So what?" "Legally, she’s still my wife," Satan said, stepping closer. "Not anymore," Jackson retorted. "Miranda isn’t Emily. She has new guardians in the UK. Ask them yourself." "You arranged that?" "That’s none of your concern, Vincent. She’s my girlfriend now. I’ll handle it." Satan’s voice was calm but firm. "She won’t be yours forever." Jackson smirked. "Oh, right. She’ll be my wife soon enough."Satan shook his head, resolute. "She won’t marry you." "You don’t get to decide that." "She doesn’t love you," Satan said, moving closer, his gaze intense. "She doesn’t love you, Jackson. She’ll never marry you." Jackson’s confidence wavered for a split second, his brow furrowing in frustration. "She’ll love me one day." Satan’s lips curled into a knowing smile, his voice soft but unshakable. "As long as I’m still here, that will never happen." Jackson’s eyes flashed with irritation. "You’re so sure of yourself? I have a lifetime to win her heart." But Satan simply shook his head. "She still has me in her heart."