"That's a good looking boyfriend you have there, Emma," commented one of the older ladies from the side.
"You have a good eye, Aunt Li," Emma gleefully responded.
"But I have never seen him before. Which family is he from?"
"Did he return from abroad?"
"I heard from my daughter how are dating someone from an ordinary family."
"Emma, you can't just focus on looks. Family and status matter more than you think. You can't let just any low-born mix into your bloodline."
"Right, even if you are playing around, at least find someone who is worthy of you. A pretty faced boy is only going to suck your blood away."
"If you can find no one, I can recommend. My cousin's son is a better catch than him."
"Think about your father. He must be ashamed of you acting out all the time."
"It is not right to keep a pretty boy. You are only going to be laughed at."
Remarks were made one after another like darts with poisoned tips, and the judgemental eyes remained on them, accompanied by sneers under the mask of wanting good for Emma. Daniel lowered his line of sight, gloominess crossing through them.
Emma slammed her hand on the table. The sudden sound sliced through the chatter.
Anger flashed in her dark eyes before she snapped, "It's my dad money. Whether I keep one pretty boy or ten of them, it's nowhere for you to dive your nose in. At least he looks good, unlike you all groveling after my father for scraps like parasites."
Gasps spread throughout the room.
"Emma, you! I was just giving you advice! How can you behave like that?"
"Is it because you're dating this-"
Before the woman could carry on, she grabbed a dessert plate from the banquet table and hurled it to the floor. The porcelain shattered against the marble tiles, the impact silencing the room entirely.
"Shut up," Emma commented in a razor sharp tone. Her contempt filled gaze swept over them. "Just because my dad shows your family some face, you think you are worthy of me. Funny."
Emma rolled her eyes and reached for Daniel's hand, tugging him out of the crowded room. She led him into one of the quieter side rooms. But as soon as the door shut behind them, she felt his cold gaze land on her.
"Is it fun?" asked Daniel, his tone icy.
Emma ran her hand through her hair. "What is that attitude after I went against them to defend you? A thank you would suffice."
A sneer made its way on to Daniel's lips. "A thank you? You did it for me? Wasn't it all for the sake of that pride of yours? I am just an accessory, a plaything for you to parade out."
Emma furrowed her brows and groaned. "You are impossible to deal with! Why can't you just be satisfied with me once? It is as if you are determined to go against me all the time even if I do it for your own good. Do you know what it meant for me to bring you here?"
Daniel silently removed his gaze away from her.
"Remember, at the end of the day, you agreed to be my boyfriend. That's why, you must do as I say," Emma pointed out in frustration, folding her arms over her chest.
"Your boyfriend," Daniel muttered.
Then, Daniel turned his back on her, about to leave when Emma reached out to grab his arm and asked, "Where are you off to now?"
Daniel's eyes shot towards her.
"Off to get some fresh air," Daniel retorted, "will you threaten me with my mother over that?"
Emma stared at him in disbelief. "Is this what you think?"
"It's hard to say what a willfull princess like you will do when your plaything doesn't play according to your wishes."
The calm cruelty in his voice made something inside Emma snap. She shoved his arm away.
"You can fucking do whatever you want. See if I care when you die."
She turned away sharply, her cheeks flushed with fury, breath uneven. She stood there, fuming, as Daniel's footsteps faded away.
The scene in front of Emma now overlapped with the one in her memory.
After Daniel left in anger that time, Emma was called by Vanessa a while later, letting her know she found the perfect way to blow off her steam.
There she was once again met with the scene similar to now.
"What are you doing?" Emma asked, her voice steely and cold.
Why was this happening when she had deliberately taken a different path by not bringing him along this time?
In her previous life, she always grumbled over how dissatisfied and ungrateful Daniel remained. What she did for him probably was merely humiliation in her eyes.
Although she excitedly and proudly introduced her "excellent" and "hard-won" boyfriend, everyone belittled him and treated him like an amusing sideshow. She never once stopped to consider how her actions might have felt from his perspective or asked his opinion.
Only after she lost her own glory did Emma finally understand the kind of devastation a difference in status could bring. It could crush someone, strip them of their dignity piece by piece.
Daniel was only twenty year old then. No matter how maturely he handled his emotions, at the end of the day, he was barely an adult navigating the world that constantly made him feel inferior.
How difficult it might have been for him.
Two of them were not meant to cross paths, and Emma intended to set it right in this life.
Emma's eyes fell for Daniel for a second. He looked like miserable sight. His eyes were filled with repressed anger as he was held down by two men. Another stood beside him, holding a bottle of champagne while wearing a cruel smile.
Emma strode over and ordered, "Release him."
Her dark glaring eyes and sharp tone immediately silenced the room. Few gulped nervously. Both the boys instantly let go of Daniel and took few steps backwards, their courage disappearing in an instance.
Then, Emma was about to place her hand on Daniel's shoulder to help him up when she stopped herself mid-motion and softly said, "Get up."
Daniel's quiet yet suspicion and animosity filled eyes fell on her.
Simply from that look Emma understood Daniel thought she orchestrated the entire thing.
Emma didn't care whether he misunderstood her. If possible, she hoped he would forget about her because she wasn't worth his resentment.
"Why are you here?"