Emerald’s POV
"What do you think of women who fall in love with unfaithful men?"
Grandfather’s voice remained calm and measured, but the question struck me harder than I expected.
Immediately, a sharp wave of pain crashed into my chest. In an instant, everything from last night came rushing back.
The lies. The betrayal. The humiliation. It all returned with brutal force.
The emotional wounds I had been struggling to hold together suddenly reopened. My throat tightened painfully. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. My lips parted, then closed again.
I tried once more, still nothing. The pressure in my chest became unbearable. Before I could stop it, tears welled in my eyes.
’No. Not here. Not in front of him.’ I swallowed hard and forced myself to speak. "I..."
The word came out broken. Despite my voice shaking, I tried again.
"I think..."
The warm, relentless tears spilled. I immediately looked down, ashamed. My breathing turned ragged as the tears continued falling despite my efforts to control them.
I hated this. I hated crying in front of anyone. Especially him. Especially now.
I had spent my entire life learning discipline under this man. Weakness was not something I ever wanted him to see. But the pain was too much. Everything I had suppressed since last night came crashing down at once.
I sniffed quietly and tried to steady myself. Still, my heart felt as though it was breaking all over again.
To my surprise, a tissue box slid into my field of vision. I froze. Slowly, I looked up. Grandfather had pushed a box of tissues toward me. His expression remained unreadable.
I stared at it for a moment. Part of me didn’t even dare touch it, but the humiliating awareness of tears and the slight wetness near my nose forced me to accept reality.
With trembling fingers, I took a few tissues. "Thank you, Grandpa." My voice came out embarrassingly soft.
I quickly wiped my face and cleaned myself up as discreetly as possible. The entire time, I remained painfully aware of his sharp, observing gaze on me. When I finally managed to regain some control, I inhaled slowly and forced myself to answer.
My voice still shook. "I think... they are foolish." That sounded painful to my ears. "They allow love to blind them."
I swallowed. "They ignore signs they should never ignore." My fingers tightened around the tissue. "And by the time they realize the truth..."
A bitter ache spread through my chest. "The damage is already done."
The silence in the study stretched until my breathing finally steadied. Then he asked another question.
"What word of advice do you have for them?"
I blinked. The question caught me off guard, so I looked at him, genuinely stunned. This question really felt different.
For the first time since I entered this study, it felt as though Grandfather was no longer asking about hypothetical women. He was asking me directly.
What now?
What comes next?
What was I going to do after everything that had happened?
Even though I understood what he was really asking, I still answered in the way he had framed the question.
I sniffed lightly before speaking. "They need to pick themselves up. Heal. And they should never allow themselves to be deceived or trampled on again."
My fingers relaxed slightly as I paused for a moment. Then I held his gaze and finished. "They need to guard themselves better. And focus on their own growth."
Grandfather’s expression remained unreadable. He gave no visible reaction. Instead, he reached toward one of the drawers attached to his desk and pulled it open.
My heartbeat quickened immediately.
From inside, he took out a large envelope and placed it neatly on the desk before him. My eyes fell on it at once. A strange feeling settled in my chest.
That envelope had to be it. My punishment—the formal consequences of my disgrace.
I had known this moment was coming. This was the man I had grown up fearing and respecting in equal measure.
Grandfather never let mistakes pass without consequences. Especially not public disgrace or failures tied to the Hugo name.
Whatever was inside that envelope would determine what came next for me.
Grandfather’s gaze settled on me once more. "I have a few tasks for you."
I stiffened. ’Tasks?’ My brows furrowed slightly.
Grandfather continued. "Your answers today have pleased me."
I sat up straighter. A quiet alarm began ringing in my mind. Pleased him? That did not make sense. Was he... not punishing me?
No. This can not be right. This is Grandfather. Nothing with him was ever simple.
Then he stated the first task. "First, you will enroll at Lanard Business School in Boston to pursue your MBA."
My eyes widened slightly, but he continued calmly. "A place has already been secured for you."
I stared at him. Boston? MBA? My mind raced.
"I expect you to study quietly." His voice sharpened. "I do not want to read, see, or hear your name linked to tabloids, television, or radio again."
My gaze dropped to the envelope. Suddenly, I understood what was inside. The admission documents. But another thought immediately followed.
How did he do it?
Lanard Business School was one of the most prestigious and competitive business schools in the world. Securing a spot there was incredibly difficult.
Grandfather had influence and money, yes. But what happened to me had only happened last night. How had he arranged this so quickly?
Then another unsettling thought surfaced. Had he secured this spot long ago? Had he been waiting for the right moment to send me there?
The thought sent a chill through me.
"Second," Grandfather continued, and I immediately straightened. "You will graduate with Baker Scholar Honors."
For a moment, I forgot to breathe. Baker Scholar Honors meant high distinction—an achievement reserved for only the top five percent. My thoughts spun at once.
It meant excelling through both academic years at the highest level. Anything less would be failure.
I exhaled shakily. Before I could fully absorb the weight of that demand, Grandfather calmly delivered the third task—and this time, his words stunned me completely.
"Third." His gaze sharpened. "You will reclaim Mercer Technologies within six months."
The world around me seemed to stop.
I stared at him, certain I had misheard, but his expression did not change. His voice remained calm, measured and cold. "You may use whatever means necessary."
A dangerous silence filled the room. Then he delivered the final blow. "I will not accept failure."
My body went rigid. I forced myself to remain composed, but inside, everything had turned chaotic.
Take back Mercer Technologies? The company I had helped Kelvin build from nothing—the same company he had publicly used to destroy me?
How was I supposed to reclaim that company within six months while completing an MBA at one of the most demanding business schools in the country?
I carefully controlled my breathing. Outwardly, I remained composed, but internally, my thoughts were spiralling.
This was impossible. No, not impossible, but brutally difficult.
Then it hit me. This was my punishment. Not the past humiliation, shouting, confinement or physical assault.
Grandfather had chosen something far worse. He had given me impossible expectations. Three brutal tasks. And failure was not an option.
Genuine fear settled deep in my chest. I finally understood that he was punishing me in the cruellest way he knew how. By forcing me to become stronger.
But how was I going to accomplish all three?