Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 530

In reality, Allen and his team were nearby. Ever since the attack, their mission had been simple: never let Emma out of their sight.

All Emma had to do was shout, and Allen would appear. But Isla wasn't some thug; she was just a girl, and a dancer in her own troupe at that.

After a few tense seconds, Isla released her grip on the door.

Emma shut the door firmly. In that final moment, she heard Genevieve's furious voice. "Isla! Are you harassing my sister again?"

"I don't get it," Isla's voice shot back. "How can you defend the person who hurt your brother so badly?"

"What do you know? It's not her fault what happened with my brother! Besides, she's been really good to me…" Their voices faded as they walked away.

Emma sighed to herself. Genevieve had lived next door for a year, and Emma had truly come to see her as family. When the girl first arrived from abroad, she'd struggled to adjust, getting sick now and then, and Emma had always looked after her like a little sister. That was why Genevieve always said she was so good to her.

But now, with things so strained between her and Sebastian, she wondered how long that goodwill would last. Then again, relationships were always about hellos and goodbyes. It had always been that way.

For now, the most important thing was figuring out how to handle—or at least prepare for—the trouble Isla was bound to cause.

But after that day, Isla seemed to change completely. She stopped finding fault with everything and making passive-aggressive comments to the other dancers. Instead, she started getting along with several of them, frequently treating them to dinner and giving them small gifts like lipstick and skincare.

"Isla, is there a problem?" Emma asked directly.

"I want to terminate my contract," Isla announced, pulling the girls who had stopped dancing closer to her. "And so do they. We're all leaving."

"Terminate your contracts?" Emma repeated. "Are you sure?"

She had spent the last few weeks cozying up to these girls, all for this moment—to catch Emma completely off guard right before the show. She wanted to see how *Forest Lullaby* could possibly be performed with so many dancers missing.