Emily was careful in her new freedom, mindful of Nolan's eyes. He had been reluctant to grant her emancipation, only making his decision after she'd plead her case to buy her father the Hamptons house - the very site of his arrest. Emily fully planned to gift her father the house upon his release though she doubted he'd have any interest in setting foot in the space again. Rather than any desire to retire back to the Hamptons, David had joined in on Emily's fantasy. He dreamed of the day he could walk free and disappear with his daughter to a quiet life of solitude far away from the awful shadow of Americon Initiative.
For the time being, Emily was insistent to have the house - while she would live with Nolan, the Hamptons house would serve as a place where she could meet Aiden and they could conspire together in private. Its immediate vicinity to Grayson Manor was simultaneously to her advantage and a drawback to her future plans where that family was concerned. Still, the house was integral - simply, she had to have it.
Rather than exchange any big gifts on Christmas day this year, Emily and Nolan had forgone most presents and instead spent the day itself speaking with David through Nolan's screen card and collaborating in the kitchen on a wonderful dinner. Drinks and laughs were had throughout the day, the night ending with the both of them falling asleep on the sofa amid Emily's favored recording of Carol of the Bells and a fresh blanket of crisp white snow.
In the days following the New Year, Nolan had probed Emily over the house as they were out shopping. On waking, the man had offered to treat Emily to anything her greedy heart desired from Tiffany & Co. His words had been spoken in jest but the sentiment was true. Emily was continually shaping her image and though in her emancipation she would soon have access to all of the funds her father had intended for her, she would happily help herself to everything Nolan would allow. Her freedom hadn't been finalized just yet, though Emily had submitted it immediately after receiving Nolan's signature.
Now, dressed to the nines as becoming for New York and Tiffany's especially, they were ready to take on the day.
"Are you dead-set on the Hamptons house?" He asked idly as she looked over the earrings on display.
The sales associates were keeping a discrete distance but would snap to their side the moment any deep interest was shown in the showcased wares. Since entering into the money his company brought on, Nolan was no longer a stranger to the way things worked in higher retail. He was happy enough to treat Emily to whatever rocks she wanted but he wondered if she might accompany him to Armani later and help him pick out a new suit - a better job for a fashion consultant, but he trusted Emily's sense of taste far more than his own. As his collection of summer polos well proved, the man only had eyes for codes, not clothes.
Emily looked at him and nodded. "Yes. I told you, I'll gift it to dad once he's back from - uh, his business trip." She cleared her throat and debated herself over diamond hoops or pearls. Then again, why debate at all? Nolan would get her anything she wanted, and even if he put his foot down over her shopping, Emily could buy whatever she wanted once her emancipation went through and she had full control of her money.
"Have you spoken to him about it yet?"
"No. We talked last night but I didn't mention buying the house for him. I want it to be a surprise." Here Emily turned to the man and implored him, "Please, Nolan. I need your help with this."
Emily was a capable person, but even once she came into all of her money she had no idea with where to start in buying property. There were resources, of course, but she only wanted Nolan's hand involved in this purchase. The house was both integral to her plans for the future and symbolic in its meaning to her. The house, the home it could become on their triumph, would be a place of purity for them all to enjoy in that bright someday of her ever-morphing fantasy.
Her plea had the desired effect; Nolan was like any other man, he thrilled to be needed, to be called on to swoop in and save the day for a woman. Despite his light protests over the years he was somewhat addicted to Emily's hero-worship of him. Where she was concerned, the man was helpless.
Nolan reached and took her hand, dramatically kissing the back of it like some gallant suitor. "Oh, Emily, how can I say no to you?"
"Nolan."
Nolan dropped Emily's hand as he turned, smiling, to the familiar voice behind him. "Padma!"
His girlfriend was sanding just behind them, wearing a sleek black outfit under her Burberry coat, her hair pulled to the side over her left shoulder. She had a bag from Jimmy Choo in her hand, the latest addition to her sprawling heel collection. She raised a brow at his greeting and nodded toward his cousin. "Emily."
Similarly, Emily inclined her head with a small smile to the other woman. "Padma."
Greetings complete, Padma asked, "What are you two doing here?"
"Oh, we were just-"
"Nolan's treating me to some new jewelry." Emily supplied, waving toward the case before her. A sales associate misread her gesture and headed straight over, ready to help and more than ready to earn the handsome commission.
Padma smiled thinly but indicated that Nolan follow her over to the storefront, away from Emily and the sales staff. What she wanted to address couldn't be said in front of the girl. Padma had to air her issues with the man himself. Once properly away, she turned to Nolan and said it plainly, "You told me you were working today."
"Believe me, shopping with Emily is a lot of work." Nolan tried for a joke but he could sense that trouble was brewing, and so deflected as quickly as he could. "Soon as we finish here we were going to grab dinner, please say you'll join us."
She narrowed her eyes, already irritated with his cavalier attitude. Nolan wasn't this dense, so his playing dumb here made it all the more infuriating. "And be the third wheel on your date? Are you sure she won't mind?"
"My what?"
"You lied to me so you could take your little cousin out on the town." She bit out. Emily was no little girl - in fact the only thing little about her was that she was just a little too familiar with Nolan, and he was no better. Hell, she'd happened upon them with Nolan kissing the girl's hand!
"Padma, it's not like that. What's gotten into you?"
"What's gotten into me is that you've barely spent any time with me at all since she came back from school. I've barely heard from you since the other night, and you didn't even stay with me, you practically ran out after we were done!" Indeed Nolan had declined her offer to spend the night when she'd surprised him at his own apartment, but he had hardly hopped out of bed and ignored her in the days since.
"That is not what happened-"
"You lied to me today to get out of spending time together."
"Hey, hey, come on, that's not true-" Nolan reached to take her hand, but Padma pulled away, crossing her arms.
"Nolan. What's going on between you and Emily?"
"What? What are you even asking me right now?"
At Nolan's question, Padma's temper rose. Her every doubt was rushing to the surface over her man's behavior toward this mysterious girl since first meeting her over the summer. "I know you're keeping secrets where she's involved. You've barely told me anything about her - where her parents are, why she doesn't have any family closer than you, some distant cousin. And the way you two act when you're around each other! You can't even see it, can you? You act like she's-"
"Think very carefully about what you're saying." Nolan warned her. The man was suddenly serious, his own temper rising on the defensive. "Are you actually jealous I'm spending time with my family during the holidays? Emily has to go to school on the other side of the world, she's completely alone over there. When she's home I try to give her just a little bit of the normalcy that she's lost and you've come here to twist it into something sick. You know what, forget it, I don't want to see you tonight."
Padma's eyes widened, surprised at the turn things had taken. Based on their past, Nolan was usually very amiable and sweet. Hell, she'd never even seen him upset until now, let alone angry enough to refuse her company. Clearly, she had miscalculated and overstepped her bounds, maybe she had even mistook her place with him entirely. After all, there had been no promises. She rushed to smooth things over, reaching for him as he turned to enter the Tiffany threshold and rejoin his ward. "Nolan, please, wait! I'm sorry. You're right, I'm sorry. Please. I just...I don't know what I was thinking."
Nolan wasn't having it, not today, not after such an accusation had passed the air between them. "You just accused me of two-timing with my cousin, in public. You know the whole city has its eyes and ears on us. This is going to be all over the Internet now."
"Nolan, please, I was just upset. I didn't mean it." Padma reached for him again, but Nolan would not be convinced.
"Stop. Don't embarrass yourself any more than you already have." He hissed, cold in his command.
Nolan turned from her and reentered the store, well aware of the three vloggers who had been within earshot of Padma's tantrum. He was sure that the Twittersphere was already lighting up with speculation over Nolan and Padma's imminent split and his relationship to Emily. The thought of being publicly accused of incest made his skin crawl, nevermind that he and Emily didn't share a drop of blood.
Nolan huffed, already thinking of the stories one of his own vlogger aliases could create as a way to spin away anything unseemly that may connect to his name. He might even need to get Denise involved. He hadn't worked for years to build himself up just to be slandered by some upset girlfriend. It was times like these that Nolan preferred to deal with men, typically they were less emotional, less prone to make a scene.
Nolan approached Emily and looked across the counter, where the sales associates were wrapping up several items. It never took long for Emily to do her damage. Not that he was in a mood to care. He felt defiant now, ready to buy Emily everything from Tiffany to Harry Winston to Cartier, just to rub it in Padma's face.
Emily noticed the set of his shoulders and the chill in his eyes, not to mention that Padma had not come back into the store with him. She touched his arm. "Is everything all right?"
"No. But it will be. Padma's just...Ems, pick out whatever you like here and have everything sent to the house."
Before she could respond, Nolan stepped away with his cell phone to his ear.
Emily laid in bed, staring out at the city from her bedroom window. Her fingertips were delicately tracing the diamonds in her new tennis bracelet, one of several gifts charged to Nolan's standing account with Tiffany & Co. On her vanity there were three pairs of earrings and several necklaces, in addition to a cuff and a custom Tiffany perfume. Emily loved Tiffany teal, but she loved that Nolan was fighting with Padma even more.
No, she didn't know exactly what had been said between the two earlier that day, but by now she could guess. Padma had clearly been less than pleased to happen upon them while they'd been out shopping, and then there had been a short, sharp exchange between them toward the front of the store. Though they had been quiet, Emily was sure that she'd heard both of them say her name. At the time, she could only guess at the context.
Nolan had returned alone and insisted that she pick out whatever jewelry she liked, then ushered her off to an uncomfortable dinner at his favored steak house. He had been largely restless at the table, fidgeting with energy while downing three neat whiskeys and attacking his steak like it had insulted his mother. Their day out had soured the moment Padma had arrived. Emily had done her damnedest to buoy Nolan's mood but the man had been too deep in his upset to pay her much mind.
Now, after having excused herself to bed, Emily could hear bits and pieces of Nolan's conversation with Padma.
Apparently Padma was suspicious that something was going on between Emily and her guardian.
If only!
Emily rolled over in bed and strained her ears, trying to listen. They were arguing in Nolan's bedroom, so there were a few walls and plenty of distance between them. Really she could only make out every fourth word or so, and only when either person raised their voice to a certain level.
"...being...why would...not-!"
"...weren't go-...I see..."
Emily wasn't worried about her identity being exposed. Padma had no clue that Emily was anyone other than who they'd told her she was; but a concerning thought was that Padma might have reason to think that Emily was a girl Nolan had somehow taken under his wing and groomed to please him. Strange then, that he would send her to the other side of the world for an education, but the woman could conjure up all kinds of ideas in her jealousy. Emily knew such an accusation could spur an investigation, but she trusted in the records Nolan had created and once her emancipation came through it would hardly matter.
Padma was letting her jealousy get out of control to even ask the question and then show up at the apartment that night unannounced, though of course it hadn't helped that Emily had answered the door to the woman in a pair of her favored skimpy pajamas - powder blue satin shorts and a camisole that did absolutely nothing to disguise the chill across her chest. Alas Nolan hadn't taken the bait, but he definitely noticed. Terrible optics from Padma's perspective, but that woman wasn't Emily's concern. The sooner she was gone, the better.
Emily thought on that.
Nolan had chosen her over Marco. Would he do the same with Padma?
He might not, given Emily's emancipation. The argument could be made that as a legal adult, she and Nolan could cut ties, never to stay together or even speak again. If their relationship was that strong, Padma could demand that Emily find her own way in the world. It's her or me! Emily was confident that Nolan wouldn't allow anyone to force him into making such a choice, however. Nolan loved her and Emily loved him - their love was built on secrets and loyalty and friendship. What did he have with Padma, really, that he couldn't have with Emily someday?
If he broke with Padma for good, then there could be room for Emily in Nolan's life if he would accept her. On the other hand, breaking with Padma could leave the door open for Nolan to find another woman - or man - while she was finishing with her last semester. And this wasn't even taking her father's appeal or her dealings with Takeda into consideration.
She sighed lightly. Life used to be simple!
Emily took her time in the morning, moving slowly as she dressed, then applied her makeup and put on one of the new Tiffany necklaces before emerging from her room. Nolan and Padma's arguing had died down late last night, and she had heard the front door open and shut shortly after. This morning while getting ready she'd heard the front door open and close several times. Had Padma left on her own the night before or had Nolan gone with her? Was Nolan going in and out of the apartment by himself?
She stepped out into the living room and found Nolan on the sofa, his fingertips flying over a tablet screen. There was a variety of half-drunk cups of coffee surrounding him. Espresso, latte, americano...he was clearly in the zone, caught in the magical headspace of his talent for invention. Caffeine was his fuel, the tablet his medium for expression. Emily was curious on what he was creating, but she wouldn't dare interrupt. She only walked past him into the kitchen so that he would notice she was up and about.
She was halfway through a Spanish omelet when Nolan finally looked up, pulling himself out of his tunnel vision to realize he wasn't alone. It could be jarring for him, to come out of such intense focus and for his senses to be hit all at once with the scent of the food on the stove, the sight of Emily in the kitchen, the sounds of her activity and the realization that hours had passed since he'd last looked up from the screen. It was akin to being splashed with a bucket of cold water. "Oh!" He gasped and cleared his throat. "Morning Ems!"
"Good morning Nolan. Do you want some breakfast?"
"I..." Nolan looked about himself, to the variety of coffees he'd gotten from the cafe, all of them lukewarm now and holding absolutely no appeal. He wasn't particularly hungry, but his need for caffeine was paramount to the creative process. He was very close to the end of his latest project. "I'm not hungry, but can you grab me a coffee from the building café?"
She gestured to the coffee pot. "I could make you something here."
He shrugged. "Nah. What's the point of an onsite café if I don't use it?"
She raised a brow to all of his empty cups. "Looks like you used it five times already."
"Just one more, I want to make it an even number. A mocha this time!"
She smiled at him, "You got it. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Thank you, you're always looking after me." He said kindly.
"Well, someone has to!"
Emily winked at him and then went out to the elevator to fetch his order. Nothing like a bit of morning flirtation to start the day.
She adored the building café. It was tastefully decorated and as it catered to the residents, all patrons were invited to lounge in the space for as long as they so chose. Emily had found a nice cozy nook where she could conspire online with Aiden and Takeda, not to mention she'd been keeping in touch with Daniel Grayson - none of which she felt comfortable doing in such close proximity to Nolan. He had already shown some suspicion where her extracurriculars were concerned, no reason to feed the fire. While Emily had made the cafe something of a hideaway, Nolan liked the cafe just fine but he preferred to keep to himself while working through his bursts of inspiration. During her time with him, Emily had also taken more advantage of the cafe by meeting the other residents of the building - all of them very well-connected and sure to be useful going forward.
After placing the order for Nolan's mocha, Emily moved over to the nearest sunken lounge and looked at the television mounted on the wall. She had little care for anything outside of the Americon Initiative case and so immediately noticed when her father's name flashed across the news scroll. David Clarke Appeal Date Set
Five simple words sparked a thrill of hope and excitement through her. A date for the appeal meant that they were one battle closer to winning the war for her father's freedom. It would mean another trial, but things would be different this time - David had a new team of lawyers, some had chosen to return from the last trial and some had joined with them for the first time.
"Miss Thorne? Miss Thorne!"
Emily turned and realized that the barista must have been calling her name for a minute or more but she'd been so rocked by the news that she hadn't realized. She stepped up to the counter and took the paper takeaway cup. "Sorry about that, I was a million miles away!"
The barista shrugged it off and went back to work, while Emily returned to the apartment. Crossing the threshold, she saw that Nolan was already pacing up and down the living room with his cell phone held to his ear and the card screen held out before him with her father's face coming in and out of focus as he tried to hold a steady connection.
"Nolan! You saw the-?"
He turned to her, motioning for her to come closer. "Yes, Denise just called me."
"I just saw it on the news."
David's voice, scratchy and broken came across the air. "-is...manda-...got-"
Nolan frowned down at the card screen. "Can't get a good connection on this thing today!"
Nearing him, Emily could hear Denise's measured voice coming through his phone. "Mr. Ross, Mr. Ross, are you still there?"
Nolan huffed and gave Emily the card screen, focusing on his lawyer. "Denise, you sexy beast, how did you pull this off?"
Emily rolled her eyes at his cat-calling. A lesser woman would rant at him over his jokes but thankfully Denise Walker was made of tougher stuff. Nolan walked over to the bar and started making himself a celebratory cocktail. Never too early, in his opinion. Emily moved about the room, trying to get the card screen to connect. Nolan hadn't been joking, the device wasn't cooperating at all.
"Dad, dad, can you hear me?"
"...just...can't go-...the..."
Emily stood near the windows but she still wasn't having much luck.
On Nolan's side of things, Denise was frank in her explanation. "As you know, a reason for the previous delays were due to the open slots on the defense. One of the attorneys on Mr. Clarke's newly reassembled defense team was two years behind me in school. His career has been lagging lately so I made contact and recommended the case to him as a way to gain some publicity. He's consulted with me on some of the details, strictly as colleagues, so now we have a window into the proceedings. I was waiting to tell you about the approval to appeal until the news was made public."
Nolan gulped down his drink and indulged in the sudden sexual impulse he felt toward the woman. "Denise, when will your husband next be out of town? Let me come over, I'll give you ten minutes of the most mediocre sex of your whole life."
Across the city, Denise was trying not to laugh at his frank proposition. "You're terrible, sir."
"That I am. So how about it?"
"No."
Nolan shrugged and began to make himself another cocktail, the mocha he'd ordered through Emily having been completely forgotten. "What is it that David wrote in his business books? 'Every no gets you one step closer to a yes.'"
"Not with me in that regard, sir. You'd only fall in love and that would complicate our working relationship." Privately, Denise enjoyed her star client's attention. She would never cross the line with him, of course, but it was all part of the strange game they had been playing with each other for the last several years.
"Great point, things have been complicated enough these last few years."
"I agree. I'm having lunch with my colleague next week, he's asked my advice on a few points that the defense is planning to mount. I can come to the NolCorp office to feed you the details we discuss."
He shivered as she so easily outlined this plan that she had put in place. A word into the ear of a former colleague who was down on his luck, a few suggestions here and there, and a promise to feed the details to both him and Emily. Truly, he was in the presence of greatness. "My God, woman. We're all playing checkers, and you're a Grand Master."
"Thank you sir."
Nolan loved that the woman didn't self-deprecate in response to his compliment. There was no reason to. She was top tier, as sure of herself in the law as he was in his codes. "I'm going to send you a copy of The Queen's Gambit. And a crate of Godiva, a pallet of caviar, and a magnum of champagne."
"I will accept the book sir, but perhaps you should hold off on the champagne until the trial begins and Mr. Clarke is cleared of all charges."
Nolan took a deep breath, tempering his excitement. She was right, he was getting way ahead of himself. The trial wasn't until the summer, and a million things could happen before it started. "All right, all right, fine, burst my bubble. You're right, as always."
"Not always, sir. I was against your taking in Miss Clarke. I see now that you did the right thing."
"The right thing, sure. The smart thing? Not so much."
"How do you mean?"
"Ah, nothing. Rough night, that's all." Nolan shrugged it off, he didn't want to think about the fight he'd had with Padma the day before. "Ems is trying to get through to David now but the connection has been spotty today. Let me get back with you after I work on the screens."
"Yes, sir. I'll be available any time."
"You know you're the best, right?"
"Of course, Mr. Ross."
Smiling, Nolan ended the call and moved to Emily before she could throw the misbehaving card screen against the wall in frustration.
Emily had one wish, one desire outside of her father's release: a house where he could enjoy his freedom once proven innocent.
After the hopeful news of her father's appeal approval and a date set in the summer to look forward to, how could Nolan deny her plea for the Hamptons cottage?
He couldn't. There was no question.
The purchase of the house itself wasn't as difficult as Emily had first feared. Being that it was the site of the infamous Clarke arrest, the house had been treated as a crime scene - seized by the state, searched top to bottom by warranted federal agents for evidence, and then surrendered once no longer of any use to the investigation. From there, the house fell into some disrepair - beachfront properties being under constant assault by the elements and so requiring constant maintenance. The cottage was no different, and without an owner for the last few years, the damage showed. On visiting the property, Nolan had advised against the purchase - of all the houses in the area, there were newer, bigger, and more importantly, houses without the memory of an FBI raid that had shattered her childhood. Truly, he liked the idea of David having a place to come home to, he simply didn't see the reason that David should come home to this house out of all the others.
Still, Emily was as insistent as ever, and Nolan saw no reason to put up much of an argument. If she wanted the house so badly, then she was welcome to buy it. He assisted her in the process and had then taken a step back so as not to become overbearing. This was her house, her project. Emily was free to do any and everything she wanted with the house, from repairing and repainting to burning it down to the ground and dancing through the ashes.
Whatever her plans for the space, Emily wouldn't be able to oversee them until she returned from overseas that summer.
The holidays had ended, and her last semester abroad was set to begin.
