Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring

Chapter 81

The motion stopped, and the room was suddenly silent. Emma's knuckles whitened on the phone as she whispered, "Mom. Til call you back.

She hadn't even turned a step further when a loud, cheery "Surprise!" exploded from the kitchen.

Emma almost jumped out of her skin, clutching her chest as her twins, Emily and Ethan, burst into the room while Brandon followed them. Emily clutched a cake, wearing a very proud smile; Ethan was bouncing around beside her. "Oh my God, you scared the life out of me!" Emma exclaimed, bursting out laughing as her gaze shifted from her children to Brandon.

Brandon stepped forward, his eyes warm and sincere. "Congratulations, Emma. You've outdone yourself. I'm so proud of

your

Enuna's heart softened at his words, but suspicion flickered in her gaze. "Wait a minute. How did you get in here?" she asked. narrowing her eyes at Brandon.

Ethan piped up with a grin, "We let him in, Mom!"

Her smile faltered, and her heart skipped a beat. She trusted Brandon implicitly, but the thought of her children opening the door to someone without her knowledge sent a chill down her spine. She made a mental note to address this later. Brandon, not realizing her turmoil, began setting the table with the feast he had brought. The spread looked incredible, and as they sat down together, the tantalizing flavors only added to the joyous atmosphere. Emma savored the moment, her heart swelling with gratitude for the people around her. After breakfast, she sat back with her phone to check her messages, eager to see the world's reaction to last night's revelation.

Her inbox was flooded with congratulatory messages, glowing reviews, and support from people all over the world. For once, the spotlight felt good, like a warm embrace rather than a blinding glare.

But then, her scrolling stopped.

A single article headline grabbed her attention, freezing her mid-motion. Her chest tightened as she read the words: "Miss Annie Confirms Pregnancy Following Public Fainting Incident.

Emma's stomach dropped. Her fingers trembled as she clicked on the link. The article laid everything bare-Annie was pregnant.

The room around her seemed to tilt. Her mind replayed last night's events, from the revelation to the fainting and chaos, now culminating in this. Annie's pregnancy was a bombshell that threatened to override everything. Emma felt the morning's joy drain out, only to be filled with a growing pain that she had long thought she'd left behind

She screwed her fists up into balls and forced herself to take deep breaths. Not now, she said to herself. Don't let this ruin. everything.

But deep within her, she knew that she could not overlook this news

Annie had reached home hours ago, but she didn't feel the comfort she was used to being enveloped in because of her sumptuous surroundings. The echoes of last night's revelation still ring through her head, filled with panic and disbelief. The words of Emma from the restroom confrontation replayed her mind, an endless melody that cut a little deeper with each reprise. Annie had taken them as empty threats then, but now, they felt like daggers poised to strike her heart. 21:18 Tue, Dec 17 - .

Chapter 81

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Emma Black-quiet, unassuming, and supposedly defeated-had unveiled herself as a formidable force. Wealthier, more powerful, and infinitely more cunning than Annie had ever imagined. The realization hit Annie like a freight train: Emma wasn't afraid of her. Emma hat never been afraid.

Sinking into the warm bath, hoping it would take the edge off her frazzled nerves, did little to alleviate Annie's discomfort. Her chest tightened as she recalled the look in Emma's eyes last night: a mixture of confidence and disdain. Annie firmed her fists underwater, her nails digging into her palms. She had underestimated her Emma, and now she was paying the price

She had walked in a carefully created bubble of influence and charm for so many years. Her followers adored her; the public hung on to her every word. That was overnight shattered. The followers were significantly lost, with her social media pages being flooded by comments sympathizing with Emma. To worsen the situation, that slapping video which had circulated around the world-the one Emma had executed with unapologetic grace-was celebrated as a queenly act of defiance.

A surge of scalding hot humiliation flared in the raw surfaces of Annie's chest. She had tried holding her composure, or at best, the stereotype image of a victim before the camera, but even that had backfired: people were now revisiting past incidents that showed every slightest mistake on her part.

And then there was Adam. His cryptic warnings had taken on a sinister clarity. He had hinted that a woman had approached him with an offer. Annie, blinded by her own hubris, had laughed it off. But now, it all made sense. If Emma happens to be the woman, she could pay Adam ten, even fifty times what Anne had offered, and she wouldn't have felt the sting of the expense.

Annie's panic deepened. For the first time, she felt like a pawn on a chessboard, one move away from being toppled. She thought of her fainting episode-an embarrassment that had only added to the mockery. The public had twisted it into another victory for Emma, claiming Annie had been overwhelmed by the sheer force of Emma's power and revelation. But Annie wasn't one to crumble. So far, she had based her life on resilience, working her way to the top by manipulation and charm. She wasn't about to blow it now. A plan had already begun to seethe in her mind, one that was already in action,

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