Too Far for Longing

Chapter 5 Framed

　　Before Emily hit the ground, she heard a door being opened.

　　"You got the girl. But I want more than the promised million—add another three hundred grand on top. I need to see the money today!"

　　"Tch. You better be more careful. This time you checked the security footage and found out Emily overheard you. What if William had heard it directly next time? You'd be dead before you even knew it. Hand over the evidence."

　　It was Luna!

　　Then, everything went dark for Emily.

　　When she opened her eyes again, she felt drained, but her clothes were intact and her hands and feet weren't tied.

　　She let out a breath of relief, but confusion crept in right after.

　　If they didn't mean to hurt her, why did Christopher and Luna go through all this trouble to bring her here?

　　She looked around. It was an abandoned factory.

　　Leaning against the wall, she got up and moved toward another section of the building when she heard a woman's cries and the sound of tearing fabric.

　　She peeked inside—and froze.

　　Luna was pinned to the ground by two thugs. Her clothes were barely hanging on, covered in bruises.

　　Emily knew she couldn't take on those two men, but there was no way she could just stand there and watch Luna get assaulted.

　　She checked herself, relieved to find her phone still on her. She was about to call William when—

　　"Well, since you're awake, you might as well come in." Luna shoved the guy off her and grabbed a coat lying nearby to cover herself.

　　Emily was still processing what she heard when someone shoved her from behind. Her phone slipped from her hand, and she landed hard at Luna's feet.

　　She looked up, completely stunned. What was happening?

　　The three thugs stood silently now, clearly waiting for Luna's cue. But just moments ago…

　　"Confused?" Luna smirked, clearly enjoying herself. "You'll see soon enough—you're never coming back from this."

　　Before Emily could wrap her head around it, another man walked in and whispered something to her.

　　Luna turned to Emily, smirking coldly. "You never had a chance against me."

　　Then she flung the coat off, and the thugs lunged toward her. Luna's screams echoed through the factory, loud and gut-wrenching.

　　"Emily! Please! Don't do this to me! You're pushing me too far—I swear, nothing ever happened between me and William!"

　　Hearing the absurd lies, Emily felt completely chilled. A terrible sense of foreboding took over.

　　BANG! The factory doors burst open.

　　A team of men in black stormed in, filling the room with tension.

　　Within seconds, the thugs were tackled and held down.

　　She watched as the last man to enter took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around Luna.

　　"William, thank God you're here! I was so scared… they almost—" Luna broke down in his arms.

　　"Why would you do this?" William's gaze locked onto Emily, cold and sharp.

　　She'd never seen him this furious—not since three years ago when Grace was kidn*pped and William had questioned her for not calling the cops fast enough.

　　Now, once again, he'd made up his mind before asking anything.

　　Not even a "Did you do it?"—just straight to "Why did you do this?"

　　The effects of the drug had completely worn off, and Emily felt a tight pain in her chest.

　　"I didn't do anything. Why would I know the reason? Maybe ask the woman putting on this little play in your arms." Her voice was steely, meeting William's eyes without fear.

　　William frowned, glancing down at Luna, who was shivering with tear-streaked cheeks—looking every bit the victim.

　　"Emily, your lies are getting more pathetic by the minute."