Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 284

Carter had headed to the hospital early to follow his doctor's orders, leaving Emma waiting for him at a nearby coffee shop.

They had successfully established contact with Director Courtney, and Emma was perfectly content to take the investigation one slow step at a time. Pushing too hard would only put the Director on high alert.

Her plan was simple: once Carter's checkup came back clear, they were heading straight back to the capital.

"Miss Lockwood, I'm begging you, please drop the charges!"

Emma was halfway through her coffee when an elderly couple burst through the doors and collapsed in front of her, pleading desperately.

The sudden commotion startled the baristas and the other patrons, though no one stepped forward to intervene.

"I remember you. Brenda Yates's mother."

Emma remained seated, her posture perfectly relaxed. This was the same woman who had caused a massive scene at the restaurant, inadvertently making Emma's name infamous across Garrison City.

She took a slow, deliberate sip of her coffee as the old woman nodded frantically. "My grandson... he's the one who... a few days ago..."

"I'm aware," Emma said, her gaze turning frigid. "I'm just surprised they let you out so quickly."

The woman had stormed a public restaurant with a knife and actually managed to injure Percy. However, due to her advanced age and the court ruling her temporarily insane from the grief of losing her daughter, her sentence had been practically nonexistent.

"Why did your grandson attack me this time?"

Emma found it bizarre. They had an elderly woman with a virtual get-out-of-jail-free card at their disposal, so why send an eighteen-year-old kid to do the dirty work?

Were they worried the grandmother wasn't strong enough to finish the job?

"We... we don't know!" The old woman cried out, panic seizing her features. "He was supposed to be at school! We have no idea how he found out you were in Garrison City, let alone why he..."

She grabbed the edge of the table, tears streaming down her face. "He's so young! He just finished his college entrance exams and got into a brilliant school. You can't let him go to prison!"

A thought flashed through Emma's mind. *Exactly. How did Brenda's son track me down?*

She set her coffee cup down and stood up. Just as she was about to walk around the table, a tall figure lunged into the cafe.

"You two again? Haven't you caused enough damage?"

Percy positioned himself squarely between Emma and the elderly couple. Recognizing him as the man she had previously stabbed, the old woman waved her hands in absolute terror.

"No, no! I was just—"

"Save it. Get the hell away from her."

Without waiting for a response, Percy grabbed Emma's wrist and pulled her out of the shop. The moment they stepped onto the pavement, Chase and the rest of the security detail closed in around them.

Carter had been keeping a remarkably low profile recently, but he had been quietly tracking every single incident involving Emma from the shadows.

"If there's news, Carter will handle it."

Emma wanted nothing to do with him, but Percy stepped directly into her path, blocking her escape route.

"My cousin is brilliant, sure. But he's too rigid. He's so strictly bound by the rules that his mind simply won't go to the darkest places to look for answers."

Emma's brow furrowed slightly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Take a look for yourself. Just... brace yourself first."

Percy unlocked his phone and pulled up a photograph.

Emma's eyes widened in sheer horror, her gaze snapping up to meet Percy's in absolute disbelief.

Out of the corner of his eye, Percy spotted Carter walking toward them from the hospital entrance. A slow, triumphant smirk spread across his face.

"This is the man who forged the DNA test. The one who was supposed to testify that it was faked."

Percy locked his phone and leaned in slightly. "So, Emma... are you interested in talking to me now?"