After searching the entire day and reviewing all surveillance footage, Emily remained unfound.
The assistant hesitated before speaking, "Mr. Scott, perhaps we should dispatch a team to searvh the sea..."
Derek's cold eyes bore into him, "What do you mean by that?"
His gaze was piercing, akin to two sharp, cold knives.
The assistant, frightened, lowered his head but stammered, "Mrs. Scott vanished on this road, all locations have been searched, and surveillance checked, but no one can be found. There's only one possibility, Mrs. Scott may..."
"No way!" Derek snapped, "Keep searching! Ensure you find her!"
Observing Derek's frantic state, the assistant sighed. In all his years with Mr. Scott, he had never witnessed him lose his temper. He dared not delay and hastily called for continued efforts in the search.
The search persisted for a week. Derek, rapidly losing weight, was wasting away. He had lost someone, his beloved woman.
Though she wished to be alone, how could he truly leave her alone?
Knowing Emily wasn't okay mentally, Derek realized that he had been foolish to let her be alone.
Four years later, a party was underway in Kinnis.
In the lounge area, three women sat—the slightly older one, Simona Parker, the head wife of the Parker family, and beside her, the Parker family's two daughters.
Simona pointed discreetly, "Emily, the one in the gray suit is Richard Levin. The Levin family intends to unite with our Parker family. If you hit it off, the families can witness your betrothal with him."
Seated next to Simona was a woman with a strikingly beautiful face. Her black hair was elegantly pulled up, with a few strands cascading on her forehead. Her cool eyes carried a hint of frostiness, and her scarlet lips were full and glistening.
Even in the farthest corner of the banquet hall, she commanded attention.
Speaking softly, she uttered, "Mother, I don't want to marry."
"Don't be foolish," Simona reassured, holding her hand. "Since we adopted you, it's our responsibility to help you find a suitable husband. Richard Levin is indeed a good man; you can go try dating him."
"Yes, the Levin family is the largest in Kinnis. You're fortunate to be married to Richard Levin," another young girl said with a delicate smile. However, despite her smile, a hint of jealousy lingered in the depths of her eyes.
Emily, a foster daughter adopted by the Parker family four years ago, carried herself with a sense of nobility. Her most envy-inducing trait was her face; her features were extraordinarily beautiful, leaving no room for flaw on her fair countenance.
An almost imperceptible aura surrounded her, making onlookers hesitant to meet her gaze, yet irresistibly drawn to do so.
Emily gently frowned.
She harbored no desire to marry and had never entertained such thoughts.
There was a lingering feeling that there was something she had yet to accomplish, someone she needed to meet.
However, despite pondering for three years, her past remained elusive.
The first memory after waking up involved the Parker family asking for her name. Instinctively, she responded with "Emily."
Simona, holding her hand, revealed that Emily had been rescued by the Parker family when found injured on the beach. A substantial amount was spent to replace her blood and save her life. With a strong bond felt towards her, Simona proposed adoption, and she became Emily Parker.
Living with the Parker family for three years, life was peaceful and uneventful, except for her nominal sister, Fiona.
Emily's gaze turned to Fiona.
"Emily, why are you looking at me like that?" Fiona asked, touching her face. "Do I have dirt on my face?"
Emily smiled and replied, "I recall Fiona has an interest in Richard. Why not let her marry into the Levin family?"
Simona's face briefly stiffened before she sighed. "The Parker family and the Levin family are long-time friends with intentions of a union. Unfortunately, Richard's parents aren't fond of Fiona. However, Emily, you're different. With your beauty and generous personality, Richard's parents will undoubtedly approve of you."
Emily said in a faint voice, "Since Fiona likes Richard Levin, I'll stay out of this."
After finishing her statement, she got up and walked towards the restroom.
Observing Emily's figure, Fiona clenched her fists. "Mom, look at her!"
Simona gently pressed her hand and said, "Fiona, regardless of everything, Emily is your savior."
"And didn't we save her too?" Fiona sneered, "If my dad hadn't happened to go to the coast and rescue her in the first place, I guess she would've been a shark's meal."
"If your dad hadn't saved her, some passing fisherman would have, and she wouldn't have died no matter what. But you're different..." Simona spoke at length, "If Emily hadn't just happened to show up, if your blood types hadn't been a perfect match, and if the blood-swap surgery hadn't been successful, you'd be dead right now..."
"Okay, stop it!" Fiona stood up unhappily, "Don't tell her about saving me, or she'll be even prouder in front of me!" She shrugged it off and headed for the banquet hall.
Simona sighed. The entire Parker family had truly done a lot to save their daughter.
It took a whole decade for them to finally locate Emily, who had the right blood type for Fiona, so they compelled her into a blood exchange surgery against her will. At that time, Emily was still pregnant...
After the surgery, Fiona's body slowly recovered. Emily, on the other hand, woke up after a year in a coma, having forgotten everything from the past.
Due to the guilt to Emily and the Parker family's belief that Emily's beauty might benefit them in the future, they adopted her.
Fiona walked straight over to Richard.
"Richard," Fiona smiled as she approached, "You look so handsome in that suit today; I almost didn't recognize you."
Richard hooked his lips and showed a smile. "Fiona, let me ask you, does the adopted daughter in your family have a boyfriend?"
Fiona's smile froze on her face. Ever since Emily became the Parker family's adopted daughter, mentioning the Parker family in Kinnis made people think of Emily before anyone else.
She and Richard had grown up together, but now, surprisingly, Richard seemed to be focusing all his attention on Emily.
"Richard, you don't know it yet, but my mom is planning to marry Emily to you," Fiona laughed softly.
Richard's eyes lit up. "Fiona, are you telling the truth?"
Seeing him so excited, Fiona was genuinely getting annoyed. Due to the close relationship between the two families, she had once had a crush on Richard. However, Richard was flirtatious and frequently changed girlfriends. Over time, she stopped considering marrying Richard.
Despite Richard being a flirt, the Levin family was truly the top family in Kinnis. Emily, on the other hand, was just an adopted daughter of the Parker family. Why should she be able to marry into the Levin family?
"She's just an unidentified adopted daughter; how can she be qualified to marry you?" Fiona's eyes blinked. "I'll tell you something. I accompanied her to the hospital for a checkup a few days ago, and the doctor said that she seems to have given birth before... Shhhh, don't let it get out... Richard, I'm only telling you this secret because I'm on good terms with you... don't sell me out."
Hearing what Fiona said, Richard clenched his goblet violently.