“This issue can be easily resolved,” Joshua said, his smile fading into a cold expression. “Just be my girlfriend for a year. Once I’ve had my fill of you, that’ll be enough!” For a long moment, Emery remained silent, her mind racing at full speed. This jerk! Just because we spent one night together, he expects me to stay with him for an entire year! What a sly old fox! But… she was now in a situation she couldn’t escape from, even if she disagreed. Furthermore, she hadn’t avenged her grudges yet, and she had no one to rely on… Moreover, buying a house required a significant amount of money. This cunning old fox had both a house and wealth, which meant she would be able to save up a bit. Maybe I could use him as my backer! Those b*stards from the Langford family would probably drop dead from rage, haha! Joshua’s influence in Qutbridge was unmatched. He had wealth, power, and looks. Most importantly, he had never been with another woman before, which meant he was clean! “All right! I’ll agree to that!” Joshua nodded, flashing an enchanting smile at her. “Yannick! The contract!” Upon hearing the call, Yannick quickly fetched the contract that his boss had asked him to prepare the night before. After entering the room, he cast a glance at Emery. This woman is petite and skinny, almost as if she’s malnourished. How could Mr. Magellan possibly be attracted to her type? Last night, Joshua had unexpectedly called him over while shirtless, then ordered Yannick to pinch his chest muscles! This had led a blushing Yannick to misunderstand that Joshua was into men. But then Joshua said coldly, “You don’t have to pinch; you can also kiss and suck. Either way, I want red marks reminiscent of hickeys, the kind that won’t fade by tomorrow morning…” And so, the two men proceeded to mar Joshua’s skin with “hickeys.” Mr. Magellan did all that, just to keep this woman by his side? Why is this behavior of his reminding me of all those women who tried to get into his bed before? Joshua took the contract, pulled out a pen, and signed his name in bold strokes. Then, he handed the contract over to Emery. This sly fox, he even had the contract all prepared and was just waiting to trap me, wasn’t he? How could he do this to his nephew’s ex-fiancée? What a scumbag! She picked up the pen and, without hesitation, signed her name. “Mr. Joshua, I can’t come and live with you just yet,” Emery said calmly. “I still have some matters to take care of at the Langford residence. Give me a few days; it won’t take long!” Joshua was visibly delighted. “Great! I’ll be waiting for you! Also, hand me your phone. Let’s exchange contact information as it’ll make communication easier!” As he spoke, Joshua reached out and took the cellphone from Emery’s hand. “Unlock!” Subsequently, he saved his number into her phone. He even made a point to save it under the name “Boyfriend.” Then, as if nothing had happened, he casually returned the phone to Emery. Emery took her phone, picked up the items she had splurged on the day before, and walked out without looking back. “Wait up! This is for you!” Joshua tossed over a set of car keys. Emery snatched the keys from the air. “Thanks, Mr. Joshua!” Suddenly, Joshua said, “If anyone bullies you, you can turn to me!” Without turning back, Emery gave an “okay” sign with her hand and swiftly walked away. She hadn’t returned home all night yesterday, so it was certainly going to be difficult to explain this to the Langford family. When she returned, what undoubtedly awaited her was a storm of wrath and ridicule. Emery shook her head, letting her thoughts wander as she opened the door and stepped into the Porsche Cayenne. Joshua stood in front of the second-floor window, watching as she sped off with a slam on the accelerator. Such fierceness! She’s more like a leopard cub than a kitten! Racing through the streets, Emery reached her destination in just over half an hour. She parked her car in front of the Langford residence’s gates. After locking the car, she walked straight in with her shopping haul in hand. As soon as she entered the house, she found the Langford family gathered in the living room on the first floor. Apart from Gary, Eleanor, Winona, Nicholas, and Bradley, there was also an outsider – Howard. Upon seeing Emery enter, the group was momentarily taken aback! Immediately, Winona rushed over. “Emery, how could you not come home last night? Mom and Dad were so worried about you! We couldn’t reach you on your phone either. Where on earth were you?” “Emery, you’ve been back just one day, yet you already dare to stay out all night? You’ve certainly grown bold.” Nicholas’ eyebrows knitted together in anger. “Kneel down! You rebellious girl, how dare you stay out all night? You’ve completely tarnished the Langford family’s reputation!” Gary roared. Once they had finished speaking, Emery responded unhurriedly, “I stayed over at my best friend’s house last night! Don’t you find it ridiculous that your whole family is interrogating me like some criminal? You’re seriously making a mountain out of a molehill!” “The audacity! Does what she’s saying even sound human to you?” Gary’s hands trembled with rage. “Emery, how could you talk back to your father like this! After all, you were the one at fault first!” Eleanor glared at her as she spoke. Emery let out a cold laugh. “I’ve disgraced the Langford family? The Langford family lost its dignity two years ago!” Unable to contain himself, Bradley stepped forward and retorted, “You dare bring up what happened two years ago? It’s all because of you going to jail that we suffered from such humiliation!” Limping up the stairs with her things, Emery paused at Bradley’s words. She turned around, looking down at him with a smirk. “Oh really? You all should be more than aware who it is that should have been behind bars, no? Do you think I’m a fool since I didn’t say anything? Winona framed me, the fake heiress, and now you’re trying to pin the crime on me too?” The people downstairs instantly exchanged glances, rendered speechless! Two years ago, under everyone’s persistent questioning and with the surveillance footage as evidence, Winona had admitted to her family that she had indeed falsely accused Emery! “You… you just know how to twist words to suit your argument!” Bradley’s voice had become noticeably softer. “Forget it, let her be!” Eleanor said softly. “There’s a barrier between us now, in her heart and ours.” Nicholas’ eyes darkened before he turned and walked out. This matter was the only thing that made him feel a pang of guilt in his heart! Upon seeing Emery’s limp, Howard felt as though a hand was squeezing his heart tightly, making it hard to breathe. Emery returned to her room and closed the door behind her. She hung up the clothes she had bought the day before in the wardrobe, then changed into a set of loungewear. After that, she turned on her laptop and logged into her author’s account. It had only been one day, yet there were once again thousands of messages and comments urging for updates. Emery found one of the books that had been discontinued. She roughly skimmed through the plot and then updated the two chapters that she had saved before she was sent to jail. She then resumed her writing. Regardless of anything, her primary focus now was to earn money. Additionally, she couldn’t bear to let down her fans who had been waiting for her all this while. Before long, the sound of someone knocking on the door was heard. Emery rose to answer the door. To her surprise, it wasn’t Winona standing outside as she had expected, but rather, Howard! A disgusted look immediately crossed her face. “What are you doing here?” “Emery, can we talk for a moment? I’ve been meaning to ask, what happened to your leg?” Howard said softly. “I have a perpetual limp now! Are you satisfied? You’re all the culprits!” Emery let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Emery, I never intended for you to end up in jail! The annulment was my family’s decision, not mine. You’ve always been in my heart!” Howard’s expression was filled with urgency. “Hah! Howard, do you find this amusing? You’ve done what you’ve done, and now you tell me it was against your will. If I had died in prison, would you still have had the chance to apologize?” Emery asked, her expression cold and indifferent. “Emery, there’s no way you would have died! Both the Langford family and I had arranged things with the prison. They had promised to take good care of you!” Emery was amused by his words. “Take good care of me? How so? By doing this?” As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing the scars littering both arms. “Or this?” She rolled up her pants, revealing the scars on her leg.