Chapter 26
“You… Eli almost lost it, ready to start cursing.
But remembering his goal, he held back and said in a deep voice, “I heard you haven’t been home for two nights. Now that I’m back from my business trip, you need to come home right now.”
Even if he wanted to discipline her, he had to get her back first.
Emily knew exactly what Eli was up to.
Her tone was icy, “Since you know I don’t live at the Johnson Villa anymore, why do you think I’d listen to you and go back there?’
She had long been disappointed with the Johnson family.
If she were miserable, those who made her miserable wouldn’t have it easy either.
Eli was almost furious.
Bianca, standing beside him, kept trying to calm him down.
Looking at the sensible Bianca and then thinking of Emily, he felt even more disappointed.
“I recently got some news. I heard that the person who took you in years ago has a grandson in an orphanage. If you want to know more, you have to come home today.”
Eli was puzzled by Emily’s sudden change in behavior. He suspected that her previous obedience was just an act. He wanted to investigate her past to see if she had any connections that could affect the Johnson family.
He found out that when Emily was about seven or eight, she was taken in by a homeless man who collected trash for a year. Further investigation revealed that the man had a grandson in an orphanage.
Emily had experienced the harshness of life at a young age, which made her yearn for warmth even more.
The love she had shown the Johnson family was because she had once received it herself.
It was a rare period of warmth in her childhood.
“Fine, I’ll come back!” Emily thought of the kind Elijah, and her cold heart softened a bit. She agreed to Eli’s demand.
“You have half an hour. Hurry back!”
Eli got the confirmation he wanted, but instead of feeling happy, he felt uneasy.
Why did it seem like Emily valued a homeless man more than her own family?
What an ungrateful person!
Emily hung up the phone, her face dark as she drove back.
Charles, watching Emily leave, was shocked.
“The doctor always acts so high and mighty with us, but who knew she had a father like that? It seems no one has it easy in this world, Charles shook his head, full of emotion.
Daniel glanced at Charles.
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“This time, it was my fault. I was just worried and anxious. When you have high hopes, you don’t want to be disappointed. Daniel, I hope you’re doing well.
The two were good friends, having grown up together, sharing a deep bond.
He had a stepmother, and then even his biological father would act like a stepfather. He was almost killed by his stepmother back then. Despite Daniel’s seemingly indifferent nature, he was a loyal friend.
If it hadn’t been for Daniel’s intervention, which changed his fate and led his grandfather to take over his upbringing, he might not have grown up well.
Daniel looked at him deeply, his voice hoarse, ‘Don’t let it happen again.”
“I promise!” Charles immediately beamed.
But Daniel frowned, his face serious.
If he remembered correctly, the Johnson family’s daughter was supposed to be frail and much loved by her family.
Could the rumors be wrong? Did Eli not truly care for this daughter?
But he wasn’t surprised by this guess.
In their circle, some genuinely loved their children, but many prioritized interests. Daughters were often groomed for future alliances. The Johnson family’s daughter had been frail since childhood, making it more difficult for her family to benefit from her marriage. Eli’s indifference was understandable.
Still, Daniel felt a moment of unease.
He called his assistant, “Look into the relationship between the Johnson family’s daughter and the rest of the family.”
This wasn’t a secret.
But Daniel had never paid attention to such matters, so he didn’t know.
If it weren’t for his photographic memory, he wouldn’t even know who Bianca was.
The assistant quickly sent over the information.
Daniel read it, his long fingers trembling slightly as he held the documents.
He hadn’t known that the Johnson family had not one, but two daughters.
One was Bianca, the other was Emily.
From Eli’s attitude, the doctor must be Emily.
But the Emily in the documents seemed like a completely different person from the one he knew.
His fingers tapped on Emily’s name, his eyes deepening, like they held an endless vortex, mysterious and profound.
Daniel felt utterly speechless.
He might have made a rookie mistake,
Thinking of this, Daniel picked up his phone, about to call his lawyer.
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“Mr. Smith, everything has been handled…”
The lawyer briefly reported the situation and the final outcome to Daniel.
Daniel, usually composed and indifferent, rarely showed such a conflicted expression.
At this moment, his brows were furrowed, looking somewhat troubled, with a hint of frustration at the corners of his mouth.
Not only had he not helped, but he seemed to have made things worse.
But judging by Emily’s recent behavior, she didn’t seem to hold it against him.
Was it because she was too magnanimous, or did she not know the lawyer was his?
Suppressing his emotions, he asked the lawyer for more details.
The lawyer, sensing the tension even over the phone, answered carefully, afraid of making any mistakes.
“This matter ends here. If anyone asks any question, either keep silent or respond, ‘I was sent by Mr. Smith.’ Don’t say a word more, understand?”
Daniel’s words were more of a threat than a question.
The lawyer didn’t understand why Daniel was so insistent.
But he knew Daniel had his reasons and immediately agreed, “Understood, Mr. Smith.”
And so, this became a perfect misunderstanding between Emily and Daniel.
She assumed James was standing up for Bianca, making her even more disappointed in him.
At this moment, she was already standing at the entrance of the Johnson Villa.
The butler, seeing her return, was delighted but quickly hid his emotions, saying, “Ms. Emily Johnson, you’re back. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
The butler had never treated her poorly despite the Johnson family’s disdain for her. Emily was grateful and nodded warmly, “Thank you, Gabriel. I’ll go in
now.”
She calmly walked up the steps and into the living room.
Inside, Eli and the others, having heard her arrival, wore serious expressions, the atmosphere tense.
The only one unaffected seemed to be Bianca.
She was still sweetly comforting Eli, “Dad, Emily misunderstood my relationship with James and has always been jealous of the love you and Mom have for
- Please don’t be too harsh on her, okay?”
Eli’s stern face softened immediately at Bianca’s words, “Alright, alright, you’re too kind. As long as she admits her mistakes and changes, I won’t make things difficult for her.”
Emily walked in just in time to hear this.
She laughed mockingly, “I did nothing wrong, so what is there to change?”
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