My Great Escape Led Me to You novel Chapter 145

After an hour, Emily Blair and Elizabeth Wilson had completely sold out every skewer on their stand.

The air around the stall was thick with the scent of grilling, and by the end of their shift, both girls were drenched in sweat. They wiped their foreheads, sat down together, and started counting their earnings—both the cash and the mobile payments. Altogether, they’d made six hundred and seventy-three dollars that night.

Emily knew this was probably their best haul in days.

The first night always brought out the enthusiasm in their classmates, but she was well aware that interest would start to fade over the next few days, and so would their profits.

She glanced at Elizabeth, knowing they’d need to come up with a way to keep the business going.

Elizabeth’s eyes lit up at the total. She wiped her brow and said, “I’ll go home and work out the costs, then subtract them from what we made. Whatever’s left—we split it fifty-fifty.”

Emily laughed, shaking her head. “No need. I’m just here to help out. You found the spot, you did all the frying, you even mixed the sauces. You’ve done all the hard work; I barely did anything. Just give me a tenth, that's fine.”

When she saw Elizabeth start to protest, Emily quickly cut her off.

“Don’t argue with me. You need the extra cash for your grandma’s hospital bills. Don't be too stubborn.”

She gave Elizabeth’s shoulder a comforting pat. “Honestly, I was going to say you could keep it all, but I know you’d feel bad about that. So, ten percent is more than enough. Pretend you’re just paying back a loan.”

Emily even put on a mock-serious face. “No negotiating. Anything more, I won’t take it.”

Elizabeth’s lips trembled as she tried to reply, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

“Emily, thank you. Really, thank you.”

She ducked her head, wiping hastily at the corner of her eye. “I’ll admit, I used to believe what people said about you—that you were hard to get along with. But I was wrong. We were all wrong.”

“Emily, I’ll never forget this. Never.”

Emily burst out laughing. “You make it sound like you’re swearing vengeance or something.”

Elizabeth managed a watery smile.

By midnight, the girls were riding their battered tricycle back home.

Halfway there, a Rolls-Royce blocked their path.

Andrew Lane stepped out of the car, tugging at his tie with a weary, impatient gesture. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then spoke in a low, cold, no-nonsense voice.

“Get in.”

Elizabeth immediately moved in front of Emily, frowning. “Is there a problem?”

Andrew didn’t even glance at her. His dark eyes, hard as obsidian in the night, fixed on Emily. “Emily Blair, get in the car. Don’t make me say it again.”

Maybe it was because her friend was with her, but Emily found a bit of courage as she met Andrew’s cold gaze.

“Why should I go with you?”

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