I Have Disowned You!

"Mbo?!" Emily stared at the CEO in disbelief.

She couldn't believe what she had just heard. It felt like a hallucination, something too good to be true.

"Pick... One," Joel repeated, his voice firm.

Her initial confusion turned into certainty. She had indeed heard him correctly.

"Mbo?!" She exclaimed, her mouth agape.

Joel scowled, his patience wearing thin. "So, not only are you dumb, but you're also deaf now?"

Emily clenched her fists, refusing to let the arrogant CEO ruin her good mood that morning.

"Wait, so you mean I get to choose?" She asked, studying him intently.

Rolling his eyes, Joel called one of the guards over and pointed to a black car that resembled his own.

"Hey you, drive that black one out here," he commanded.

His own car was red, while the one he had selected for Emily was black. He ushered her out of the garage, leading her into an enormous duplex within the compound.

Whenever Joel was furious, he would lock himself in one of the rooms in the duplex, drowning his sorrows in smoking and drinking. It took only Danielle's persistent pleas to bring him out whenever such happened.

Part of the duplex served as a wardrobe, or rather, a closet. Joel guided Emily inside, inputting a passcode before leading her up the stairs.

As she stepped into the closet, Emily couldn't help but gasp in awe. It was three times the size of her father's house. The closet was filled with designer shoes, bags, clothes, and an array of jewelry from Empire World.

"Wow!" Emily exclaimed, overwhelmed by the sight.

Joel scoffed, remarking, "You get to change your wardrobe every week. As your room isn't spacious enough, you’re moving upstairs with me.Point to the clothes you want for this week."

Emily couldn't believe her ears. Changing her wardrobe every week? Who wouldn't love that?

She licked her lips thoughtfully, taking in the immense selection before her. However, Joel grew impatient.

"Dummy," he muttered.

Taking matters into his own hands, Joel began pointing out various clothes, shoes, bags, and jewelry for her.

The maids quickly gathered the items he selected and made their way downstairs. Joel then led Emily out of the duplex, guiding her into the villa and up the stairs to the room adjacent to his.

He swung the door open, revealing a stunning and spacious room. Emily couldn't help but gape at the sight.

The wallpaper design was exquisite, the flooring impeccable. The queen-size bed, the beautiful desk, and even a telephone on the bedside table—all of it was simply breathtaking. And to top it off, there was even a luxurious duvet on the bed.

"No complaints, right?" Joel stated rhetorically, observing her reaction.

He then pulled her into the bathroom, and Emily was momentarily stunned. The bathroom was pristine, with a sparkling clean toilet seat and a jacuzzi even larger than the one in her room downstairs. There was also a shower, adding to the luxury.

"Still no complaints," Joel said, nodding in approval as he led her back to the room.

He guided her to the far end of the room and effortlessly pushed a seemingly ordinary wall, causing it to slide to the side.

Emily clapped her hands excitedly. The villa itself held so many mysteries, and she was discovering them one by one.

Joel took her hand and led her into a walk-in closet.

"Here's your closet," he said with a sigh.

Emily scratched her head, still amazed at everything she had experienced. All the clothes Joel had chosen were already neatly organized in the closet. She couldn't help but stare at the CEO in admiration.

"Kumawo," Emily smiled as they descended the stairs.

Joel snickered, picking up his pace. "I didn't do any of this for you. We can't have anyone finding out that the new anchor is a dummy."

Emily gripped the banister tightly, a hint of irritation crossing her face.

Couldn't he have at least pretended to be a decent person for now? She thought, pouting to herself.

—

Globals Corporation🏬🏬🏬:

"Sir, there's a new newscaster in EWEI," Gabe informed, standing calmly behind his boss.

Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So?"

"She surpassed Stephanie," Gabe added with a slight twitch of his mouth.

Vincent clapped his hands, laughing. "Fantastic!"

Gabe placed a newspaper on Vincent's desk. "She made today's headlines."

Vincent furrowed his brow, staring at the girl in the picture. Suddenly, he remembered who she was and smirked. "Ah, Emily."

Gabe's eyes widened in surprise. "Sir, you know her?"

Vincent smiled. "Yes, she's a friend of mine."

"How did that happen?" Gabe stammered.

Vincent chuckled, recalling their first meeting when she was heartbroken. "Well, she's the new anchor..."

Gabe nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Vincent smirked again. "Hmm... And about the arrangements..."

Gabe bowed respectfully. "I'm on it, Sir."

"Be careful. We don't want Joel suspecting anything," Vincent warned, his lips twitching.

"Yes, Sir." Gabe bowed once more and exited the office.

Just before Gabe could leave, Vincent called him back. "Oh, and Gabe..."

Gabe turned to face him.

Vincent fluttered his eyes mischievously. "I need all the information you can gather about Emily. Everything."

"Yes, Sir," Gabe replied, nodding, before swiftly leaving the office.

—

Chen's Residence 🏠🏠🏠

Rachel entered her mother's room with a grin. "Omma!"

Her mother stood up and hugged her with a smile. "Rachel!"

"Omma, can you believe it?" Rachel pulled her mother down to sit on the cushions, her expression changing.

"What's wrong?" Hye Ri asked, looking at her daughter intently.

"It's that wench!" Rachel spat out.

Hye Ri sneered in annoyance. "Who? Emily? Her mother?"

Rachel scowled. "Emily. She anchored the news last night, can you believe it? I've never had a chance to anchor, not even once."

Hye Ri couldn't believe her ears. "What!?"

"Yes, Omma. She humiliated me," Rachel complained.

Hye Ri grimaced in disgust. "Rubbish! How? How did she manage to enter Empire World?"

Rachel bit her lip in annoyance. "Omma, we need to act quickly."

As they heard footsteps approaching, Hye Ri quickly signaled to her daughter to put on a show.

"Mbo?!!! Emily did that?!!!" Hye Ri yelled.

Rachel smirked, knowing her mother was trying to get her father's attention. She forced a weary expression, masking her true emotions.

"Nde! Omma, I still can't believe unni did it," Rachel said, playing along.

Hye Ri pretended to be shocked. "Aishhh, so she slept around with men just to become a newscaster at your workplace!? Aigoo..."

Rachel shook her head vehemently. "Omma, don't say that. Although that's what everyone in the industry believes, I refuse to accept it."

She sighed. "But what hurt me the most is that she stole my radio broadcast last night, even though she knew I was supposed to co-anchor."

Hye Ri sighed in disappointment. "Mbo!? That's heartless!"

Rachel pouted. "But Omma, please don't tell Appa, okay?"

"What did that impudent girl do this time?" a masculine voice interrupted them as the door slid open.

"Yeobo!" Hye Ri called out.

Rachel feigned surprise. "Appa!"

Both women quickly got to their feet.

"That bastard! That insolent bastard!" Mr. Chen thundered angrily.

He clenched his fists in frustration. "So now she's sleeping around!? Aishhh!"

"Appa, no. That's not true..." Rachel protested, shaking her head as she rushed to her stepfather.

Just as Emily entered the compound, she heard raised voices from her stepmother's room and hurried inside.

"What happened?" she asked, rushing into the room.

Mr. Chen turned and slapped her resoundingly across the face.

Emily gasped, cupping her cheek with her left hand. "Appa..."

"Do you have no shame at all? Pursuing your sister's position and sleeping around with men? Or didn’t you steal her radio broadcast last night?" Mr. Chen breathed heavily with anger.

"I don't ever want to see you in this house again! From this moment forward, I have disowned you! You are no longer my daughter!" He declared, scowling as he stormed out of the room.

Rachel and her mother exchanged knowing looks in secret.

Emily gasped, falling to the floor. Nothing she did ever pleased her father. He always treated her poorly, complaining about everything she did. And now, he had disowned her just like that.

Rachel pouted and squatted beside her sister, offering a faux comforting hug. "Unnie..."

Emily's lips trembled as tears streamed down her face. She looked at her sister, her heart throbbing with unease.

"Rachel, I didn't know that broadcast was supposed to be yours. If I had known, I wouldn't have done it," Emily managed to say amidst her sobs.

Rachel pressed her lips together and hugged her, feigning pity. "Unnie, you don't need to explain anything. I believe you. I know you didn't wish me any harm."

She discreetly smirked, well aware of the kind of person her stepsister was. Rachel knew Emily would have gone home that morning to share her good news with their parents. That's why Rachel had arrived before Emily—to turn her achievement into a nightmare. Mission accomplished.

Emily forced a smile through her tears. "Thank you."

She slowly pulled away from the hug and stood up.

Hye Ri and Rachel exchanged subtle smiles as they watched the devastated girl leave the room.

Emily made her way to her mother's room, only to find it empty. She left a letter for her and trudged out of her father's house.

She walked to the bus stop and sat under the shelter, crying her heart out, though her face cap helped her remain unrecognized as the anchor from the previous night.

She was still crying, her heart heavy with despair, when a figure squatted down before her, holding out a handkerchief. Through her teary vision, Emily looked down and saw her knight in shining armor—Vincent.

Vincent's compassionate smile warmed her wounded heart as he gently dabbed her tear-stained face. Rising to his feet, he sat down beside her on the bench.

"I've told you before, beautiful girls like you shouldn't shed tears," he said, his voice filled with tenderness, while carefully wiping away her tears.

He pulled her close, cradling her head against his shoulder, and softly caressed her arm as Emily's sobs intensified.

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