Chapter 562: The Meetup (2)

"Emma… Adam…" Katherine muttered their names. It suddenly felt awkward that they were standing all in the same room.

The last time they saw each other was a month ago when Emma got mad and shouted at her outside of Crown Resort Group. Her heart stung at the memory, but she swallowed the painful image of that day.

"Katherine…" mumbled Emma while Adam nodded at her once.

Both of their expressions were unreadable, and Katherine couldn't tell whether the two were still mad at her. Clearing her throat, she gestured towards the seats at the square table. "Please…" She smiled.

Emma was wearing jeans and a white blouse. She awkwardly smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles of her top as she walked over to the chair. "You could have told me beforehand that this was an expensive restaurant. I would have dressed better."

Adam pulled out the chair for Emma and sat to her right. Just like Emma, he also wore a casual outfit of shirt and jeans. He didn't say anything and kept silent like he always did.

"Sorry… This was the only place I could book at the last minute," Katherine responded, then she looked down at her clothes as she sat to Emma's left. "And there's nothing wrong with your clothes. I'm wearing jeans too."

She saw Emma's expression relaxed. The room was quiet for a few beats, and she grew restless by the second. She clutched her hands tightly together, raising her head and meeting Emma's stare. Katherine had faced so many enemies in her life, but no one prepared her for this. This was how she knew her friendship with Emma was genuine.

Emma looked tough on the exterior. She was beautiful too. The more that Katherine looked at her, the more she was convinced that her friend resembled Chris. Was she only seeing what her mind wanted to see? Why did she suddenly wish the two to be siblings so badly? Only Chris could tell once he sees her later.

Feeling the need to take the initiative, Katherine took a deep breath and slid her hand on the table towards her friend. "Ems—"

"I'm sorry!" Emma grabbed Katherine's hand and clutched it with hers. Her 'I don't care' look was now replaced with an apologetic expression. "I'm so sorry for what I said to you, Kathy…"

Katherine was surprised to hear her apology that her heart throbbed upon listening. She couldn't say anything, so she waited for what the other had to say.

"I've been a terrible friend when I said those words to you the last time we met. I was too mad that I didn't think first." Emma's chin wobbled, and tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Ems…"

"I was too worried about you, you know? And then I saw that you were okay like nothing happened at all… I got pissed. I didn't even let you talk." The tears finally trickled down Emma's cheeks as she burst into a breakdown. "I was so stupid! I'm sorry, Katherine!"

Looking at her friend, Katherine felt like someone had thrown cold water on her back. She couldn't understand the emotions she was currently feeling. Seeing Emma being remorseful like this caused her heart to throb.

She gripped Emma's hands tightly and softly chuckled, pulling her friend into a hug. "I'm sorry too, Emma… I didn't mean to make you worry. I was going to come see you, then you saw me first. I had so many things to tell you, but I just had to find the right things to say. I didn't forget you, okay? Things just… happened so fast. I wish I could have been a better—"

Emma wailed loudly. "No, it's my fault. Don't you dare take that away from me! Okay? Let it be my fault. I accept and admit that!"

Katherine couldn't help but laugh, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. Emma was still so silly. And she missed her friend's silliness.

She caught sight of Adam from her periphery while she hugged Emma, and she saw the small smile on his face. Katherine knew that he wasn't mad at her or at least not anymore, so she smiled back and reached for his hand. When he received hers, they both squeezed as if to let each other know that all is forgiven.

"That's enough," Damien's voice came through Katherine's comms.

"What?" Emma pulled away and wiped her tears. "What did you say?"

"Nothing…" Katherine coughed and shook her head.

Her right ear, where her earpiece was, was pressed against the side of Emma's head earlier when they hugged. Her friend must have heard Damien's voice when he spoke. There wasn't a CCTV in the private room, but Katherine forgot that she had one pinhole camera hidden on the top button of her blouse. And she realized that Damien saw her 'holding' Adam's hand.

Katherine wanted to roll her eyes at the thought. She didn't think Damien would get over his jealousy over Adam.

Wanting to change the subject, Katherine informed the two, "I'm sure you're hungry… I hope you don't mind that I already ordered? It'll be my treat."

Emma wiped her face dry from the tears and checked herself from the small mirror in her makeup palette. "I don't think I will ever get used to you being an heiress. But I will not say no to free food. You know that." She beamed.

"It's nice to see you again, Kath," said Adam in a soothing tone. It was the first words he ever spoke to Katherine since they arrived.

Katherine returned their smiles with her own. "I have wanted to do this for you both since I came back… Do you remember I used to tell you that if I win the lottery one day, I will treat you to good food?"

"Oh, my god. That felt so long ago!" Emma gasped, a memory suddenly resurfacing in her mind.

Katherine reckoned that her friend was probably thinking back about the time she was still Katherine Miller—someone who used to live in a shoebox apartment with mostly only fifty dollars in her name.

Adam chuckled. "Ah… You were eating your last instant noodles that night. The same day you got fired from one of your part-time jobs."

Remembering her past felt so nostalgic that Katherine was slowly getting emotional again. Adam was talking about her 'last' instant noodles because it was literally the only thing she could afford. It was sometime after her friend, Steven, betrayed her trust and ran away with her only savings. Emma and Adam ended up giving her some of their food, and they ate in her tiny apartment.

Katherine couldn't believe that she was able to live through that. She did suffer a lot in the past because of what Chris did to her, but she met these two friends in the process. And for that, she was thankful.

The thought of Chris again made her remember why she was here in the first place. And that was for Chris to see for himself—face to face—whether Emma was really his sister. She swallowed when her heart began to race. He would have to come inside the room later.

Pulling the corners of her mouth into a smile, Katherine looked at her friends and told them, "Well, I didn't win the lottery… But I did find my real family. That already feels like winning."

"I'm so happy for you, Kath…" Emma held her hand. "And to top it off, you found your real-life prince charming! I say—that's a total win in my book. A hot A.F. billionaire? You caught a big one! Does he have a brother… or a friend… maybe a cousin..."

Katherine could only chuckle as she grabbed the glass of water and took a sip. If only Emma knew that the hot as fûck billionaire was listening.