The Rogue King's Surrogate novel Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“Vanessa- Emery faked a polite smile as the woman strutted toward them. She let her eyes glide, just briefly, over Vanessa’s outfit—a sharp, overpriced suit that was about two seasons behind. “It’s so refreshing to see vintage fashion making a comeback. You wear it so…. bravely.”

Vanessa’s eyes narrowed slightly as she stopped beside their table, forcing Claire, who had been trailing behind her with a bored look, to bump into her. Clearly, Vanessa hadn’t been expecting a comeback. The last time she had seen Emery, the woman was a pitiful sight, practically begging her son. Now, she sat there, calm and composed, drinking as if she had no problems at all.

Despite this, Samuel’s sister- Claire- barely spared them a glance. She scrolled through her phone, treating her presence near Emery and Nina like some kind of punishment.

“I see you’re still dragging around your little entourage,” Vanessa said, adjusting her pearl necklace with a flick of her wrist. “Some things never change.”

Emery stirred her drink slowly, then looked up with a small smile. “You’re right. Loyalty is hard to come by these days. I’m glad I still have real friends.” She glanced meaningfully at Claire, who was too busy taking a selfie to notice.

In the past, Emery had tried to befriend Claire, knowing she was Samuel’s younger sister. But her efforts were only met with bullying, insults–and once, even a slap. Still, Emery stayed quiet, believing that keeping the peace was the price she had to pay to be with

Samuel.

She watched as Vanessa’s lips pressed into a thin line.

“I heard you lost your job,” Vanessa continued. “Such a shame. I guess not everyone is cut out for the real world.”

Emery set her cup down, folding her hands neatly on the table. “It’s true. Some people’s talents are just… underappreciated.” She smiled sweetly. “But at least I didn’t spend my best years networking at charity luncheons for the sake of my son’s résumé.”

Vanessa’s knuckles whitened around her clutch.

Claire finally looked up, frowned at the tension, then went right back to her phone without a word.

“Well,” Vanessa said sharply, straightening her spine. “It’s nice to see you making the best of… unfortunate circumstances.”

Emery tilted her head slightly. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’ve always known how to land on my feet. Some women need family names to survive. Others manage just fine on their own.”

There was a short pause as Vanessa’s gaze burned into her, but instead of slapping her or doing something harsh, she only smoothed the front of her designer blazer and smiled coldly. “Careful, dear. Pride comes before the fall.”

Emery’s smile didn’t waver. “Thanks for the advice, Vanessa. You must know a lot about falling… and not getting back up.”

For a split second, Vanessa’s nostrils flared. She was about to say something when her daughter’s words interrupted them.

“Can we go now?” Claire whined. “I don’t really like the smell of desperation. Ma, why are we even in this café? Isn’t this the cheapest

one-”

“Still as tactless as ever,” Emery said as she shook her head. “I mean… money can’t really buy class, right, Nin?”

Nina chuckled in response.

“Why are they even allowing this woman to come here?” Claire asked as she looked around. When she found a waiter nearby, she quickly called him. “Why did you let these two in?”

Her words were immediately met with confusion, while Einery and Nina couldn’t help but smile. In the past, Emery had endured so much bullying from this mother–and–daughter pair. She did it all for Samuel and his fucking peace. She told Nina not to bother with them before, but now? Emery wasn’t planning to let this go.

Since these two actually approached her, then they shouldn’t blame her for fighting back!

“Answer me!” Claire demanded. But when the waiter didn’t immediately answer, she continued. “You know what? Let me talk to your manager!”

1- uh- alright, please wait,” the waiter said before he practically ran away from Claire. Again, Emery chuckled.

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“You think you belong here?” Claire said, scoffing as she tucked her phone away. “Women like you should be ashamed of dirtying a place like this.”

Claire took a step closer to their table, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Maybe if you spent less time sleeping around, you’d actually still have a job. Or maybe this is your new job?” She smirked and gave a pointed look at Emery’s clothes. “God knows escorts need the work.”

everything. No wonder Samuel got tired of you.”

ire across the face. Hard. The sound was sharp,

Emery didn’t hesitate. She walked right up to her, lifted her hand, and slapped Claire

cutting through the entire café.

Claire stumbled a little, clutching her cheek with wide, stunned eyes.

For a moment, the entire place went still. Even Vanessa looked frozen, one hand halfway to her necklace.

Emery dropped her hand to her side calmly. Slapping someone actually made her feel so good, that she couldn’t help but smile. “You were always an entitled brat,” she said, her voice low enough for only their group to hear. “Now you’re just a loud, pathetic one. So, let me waste my time teaching you something today.”

Claire’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Her hand hovered near her cheek, stunned into silence.

Then without warning, Emery slapped her other cheek for the second time.

“What- what are you doing!?” Vanessa yelled. She tried to push Emery away, but the latter avoided her hand and simply took a step back as Vanessa steadied her daughter.

At that moment, the waiter returned with a man in a crisp white shirt and a manager tag beside him. He hesitated near the table, looking between the three women, clearly unsure whose side to take.

Emery didn’t miss a beat. She straightened her jacket and gestured toward Claire with a casttal wave. “Someone should probably help her. Poor thing looks confused. Maybe a team of psychologists could figure out where her brain went.”

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