The Hunt

Chapter 5

Emily was having a terrible day.

She was in high spirits after spending the day with Nick and was looking forward to seeing him again the next day, but Melissa seemed determined to ruin her mood.

Emily could not understand what her father even saw in the woman. She was considerably younger than he was, did not care about people's personal space and was completely useless at her workplace. As Emily saw it, Melissa had nothing but a pretty face and a flattering mouth to keep her going. She knew it was an awful thing to say about another woman, but that was the truth. Perhaps Emily wouldn't dislike these attributes if Melissa didn't use them to charm her father into blindly giving into everything she whined about. In fact, Emily had been very open to the idea of someone finally having caught Henry's interest, as scandalous as it was that it happened to be his secretary. But having made Melissa's acquaintance, she could confidently say the woman was the lowest of scum and would have no qualms disposing of her oblivious father when she no longer had any use for him. Emily was not one to stereotype people and pile them into a narrow range of categories, but Melissa's actions left no doubt in her mind about her intentions.

Sighing, she freed her hair from the vicious clutches of her scrunchie and plopped herself on the bed. She stared into the dark night through the window, conflicted.

Emily felt awful. She was torn between sitting down to talk to her father about Melissa and holding her tongue. At the moment, he was clearly so infatuated with her, that anything Emily said to him would only serve to instigate her father against her. But after last night, she felt terrible for the poor man. He deserved better. He did not deserve to be deceived like this, especially after she saw the look in Melissa's eyes as she jumped on every chance to converse with Nick.

Emily wanted to wring the secretary's neck.

But she wouldn't be Melissa Sawyer if she stopped at that. Oh no, she was nowhere near satisfied.

And so, she had gone empty handed and had the nerve to return with the newest coat, one which Emily herself hadn't been able to find yet. And Henry trailed behind her, as though he wasn't the one who had bought her the article she couldn't even hope to possess had it not been for him.

Emily couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't fathom how her father could be rash enough to let the reptile squeeze every last penny out of him. Did he even think about what would happen when he had nothing left to offer? Did he expect her to give up on her newly acquired lavish lifestyle and retire to a farmhouse in the countryside with him? Emily wasn't very experienced in matters of the world, but she thought her father downright foolish.

Emily had never felt more helpless. How was she to save her poor father from the woman's clutches? He was going to ruin himself, and she wouldn't spare a second thought before hopping on to the next rich man her eyes fell on. Emily hated that she had to contemplate poking her nose into her father's affairs at all. She was aware it was none of her business, but at the end of the day, he was her father. The man who had brought her up on his own and whom she loved with everything she had. How was she to watch him do this to himself and do nothing?

She didn't have anything solid to go by either, something that would convince him to stay away from Melissa. Melissa's interest in Nick was merely an observation, one Henry's male ego wouldn't let him put much faith in. In fact, it might have the opposite effect of antagonising Nick as the one who came onto the woman, something Melissa wouldn't hesitate to gaslight Henry into thinking. Besides, deep down, Emily knew nothing in the world could convince her father Melissa was no good for him. Whatever reason she would manage to dig up for him, he would be quick to forgive Melissa.