Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 156

Emma remembered Mavis had wanted to treat her to a meal, but since her body was still aching, she had Mavis come over to the apartment instead.

"You know everything, don't you?"

Mavis got straight to the point, and Emma smiled.

"I had someone look into you while I was on my way yesterday. Once I learned you were fighting with your family and insisting on opening a racing club, I guessed you probably wanted out of the arranged marriage."

Emma didn't know the Ryder family, but she knew Travis's parents well.

Both of them wanted a gentle, virtuous daughter-in-law who could rein in Travis's impulsive and fiery temper.

If Mavis genuinely wanted to marry Travis, she wouldn't have built a reputation for being rebellious without even trying to hide it.

And it was no secret that Mavis was close to Tristan.

"I didn't expect you to help me yesterday."

Mavis looked at Emma with gratitude. Had Emma not brought up the business interests to her parents, they never would have dropped the issue to save face. They would have just continued to guilt-trip the Reynolds family or pressure the Lockwoods into forcing the marriage.

Emma's eyes darkened. "I was helping myself. Even though your kidnapping attempt failed, there's no way the Reynolds family would agree to the marriage now. If the situation blew up, I would have been dragged right into the center of the controversy."

"Then why did you ask the Lockwoods that question at the end to help me?" Mavis asked eagerly.

Whatever the Lockwood family did wouldn't affect Emma in the slightest, yet she had still chosen to help her.

Emma sighed, gazing out at the bustling city through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Because I know no one in your family is going to back you up. The people who would have planned for your future and spoken up for you are gone."

Her voice was soft, but it struck right at the core of Mavis's heart.

Once upon a time, she, too, was doted on and spoiled by her grandparents.

But ever since they passed away, her parents only revolved around her younger brother, planning and providing for him while disregarding her completely.

"I don't want to marry Travis. I know he has a junior colleague overseas whom he spoils unconditionally. Even if we married, his priority would never be me. And I don't want to marry Tristan either, because he's exactly the same."

She had only gotten close to Tristan so the Reynolds family would see how unruly she was.

"I never intended to hurt you. I only hired someone to kidnap you because I wanted Travis to be the one to break off the engagement. I just wanted my friend to hide you away for a day."

Mavis bit her lip and looked at Emma, her eyes pleading.

"So, can I beg you to sign a settlement letter and let my friend go? If you're really that angry, I can go to jail in his place."

Before Emma could say anything, a voice cursed loudly from the doorway.

"Stop trying to trick my sister! If you wanted me to break the engagement, you could have just told me. When have I ever forced anyone into anything my entire life? Mavis, do you dare tell me you didn't feel even a shred of resentment toward my sister when you hired someone to kidnap her?"

Travis swaggered into the room. He first checked Emma's shoulder and foot, making sure she was medicated, before sinking into the sofa.

With his legs crossed and his arms folded, his sharp, narrow eyes were filled with absolute contempt.

"But he still needs to rot in a cell for a few more days."

Travis stood up, adjusted his clothes, and dragged Mavis out with him when he left.

When the two reached the first floor, he stopped in his tracks without looking back.

"Mavis, whoever I marry in the future will understand just like I do that a business marriage doesn't require love. You want genuine affection, and my sister gave you exactly that by setting you free to escape your family's control."

"But as for me, don't even think about it."

Hearing those words, a sharp pain pierced Mavis's chest.

"Why? Because of Emma? But she's already married."

She knew she could hide her feelings from the oblivious Emma, but she could never hide them from Travis, who had grown up right alongside her.

Travis's eyes were dark and heavy.

"If it weren't for her, I wouldn't even be standing here alive right now. As long as she needs me, she will always be my first choice in this lifetime."

When Carter walked in, those were the exact words he heard.

The bright mood he had carried in with the cake was instantly shattered into pieces.

So this wasn't just a senior colleague; this was a romantic rival?