Chapter 28
Emily had just gotten home when her phone rang. It was Eli.
“Emily, what the hell did you do to Byron? He’s in serious pain, but the hospital can’t find anything wrong. You need to come back and fix this. It’s a good chance to fix the situation. Don’t blow it.”
The Reyes family had come knocking sooner than she thought.
But she knew Eli would milk the situation, knowing the Reyes family would do anything for Byron.
Whatever he stood to gain, it had nothing to do with her.
He still kept up his arrogant attitude with her.
“I told you, I’m not the one who’s gonna regret this!”
Emily hung up and blocked his number.
To stop other Johnson family members from calling, she blacklisted them, too.
After that, she hacked into Eli’s phone to check his recent contacts related to the orphanage.
Eli probably thought she didn’t have the skills, so he didn’t bother hiding his communications. She quickly found out which orphanage the child was in.
She called the orphanage director, pretending to be Eli, and soon got the child’s basic info.
After a good night’s sleep, Emily headed to the orphanage the next day.
When the director brought out Elijah’s grandson, Emily’s cold heart softened, and her eyes welled up at the familiar face.
The kid was supposed to be six but looked more like four or five.
He was thin and had some bruises.
Emily knew that in a place like this, he might have been bullied by other kids.
“Liam, how about you come with me?” Emily had decided to adopt Liam, so she gently asked for his opinion.
She was found by the Johnson family when she was almost thirteen.
Elijah had passed away shortly after she returned to the Johnson Villa, and Liam had been sent to the orphanage not long after Elijah’s death.
The director said that because Liam was sick, almost no one wanted to adopt him.
The director looked at Emily with concern, “It’s great if you want to adopt Liam, but you’re only eighteen, which doesn’t meet the adoption criteria. Maybe you could get your family to help with the process, and then you could adopt Liam.”
The director was a kind person, hoping Liam would find a loving home.
Seeing Emily’s expression when she looked at Liam, he believed Liam wouldn’t suffer if he went with her.
Emily frowned.
Asking Eli and Cleo for help with the process was out of the question.
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Even if they were willing, she wouldn’t risk it.
Liam could become a pawn for them to manipulate her.
But…
Seeing Liam’s hopeful eyes, Emily couldn’t ignore Elijah’s descendant.
She repaid kindness with kindness and returned harm with harm.
“Mr. Director, how about this? I’ll find a way to meet the adoption requirements. In the meantime, if anyone wants to adopt Liam, could you call me first?”
Emily feared Eli might cause trouble. The Johnson Group’s chairman had significant influence, and she worried the director might not withstand the
pressure.
The director saw Emily’s genuine desire to adopt Liam and nodded, “Sure.”
Emily pulled Liam over and gave him a quick check-up, her brows furrowing.
She knew Liam’s health was poor, but it was worse than she expected. The director said he was on medication, but it was clearly not the right treatment. He looked okay on the outside, but his condition was deteriorating internally.
Emily thought for a moment and decided to leave the orphanage to get the right medicine, making pills for Liam to take daily.
When she said goodbye to Liam, he suddenly grabbed her clothes.
“Liam, be good. I don’t want to leave you either, but I need to complete the adoption process. Can you wait for me for a few days?” Emily said patiently.
Liam nodded, then shook his head.
Emily frowned, “You nodded to agree, but why did you shake your head?”
She realized he hadn’t spoken a word since she met him.
But her check-up didn’t reveal any throat issues. Could it be psychological?
Emily’s thoughts grew more complex.
Liam seemed anxious and dragged her to the backyard.
Then, Emily saw Liam bring out a trembling, emaciated puppy.
He looked at her with pleading eyes.
At the same time, the puppy looked at Emily with the same pitiful eyes.
Emily’s heart softened. They reminded her of herself back then.
“Do you want me to take care of it?” Emily asked gently.
Liam nodded immediately.
So Emily left the orphanage with a puppy in her arms.
The puppy seemed to sense Emily’s kindness and stopped trembling.
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She remembered hearing that a newly adopted puppy should learn to recognize the grass at the door.
Maybe because she had been reborn, she believed in these superstitions a bit.
So she followed through.
She picked a leaf from the door, held the puppy, and symbolically wiped its butt with the leaf.
It was at this moment that Emily met Daniel again.
Hearing a cough, she looked up and met his deep eyes.
His eyes were like whirlpools, easy to get lost in.
“Mr. Smith, what a coincidence. You look well. The medicine…” She almost said it, but quickly realized she wasn’t wearing a mask. To him, she was just the person he met at the hospital.
She almost blew her cover.
Daniel knew what she was about to say, but didn’t expose her.
He felt he had caused trouble at the police station and wanted to make amends, so he ended up here.
But Emily’s current situation…
“Yes, thanks to your help, I’m recovering well!” Daniel said, covering his mouth with a fist to hide his smile.
Emily saw his restrained smile and felt less embarrassed.
Though his presence was hard to ignore, she felt more composed than at their first meeting.
“Mr. Smith, you might not know, but this unique method makes the puppy obedient and protective!” She said, quickly wiping the puppy’s butt before picking it up to open the door.
Thinking about Daniel at the door, she considered inviting him in, “Mr. Smith, would you like to come in?”
Daniel frowned.
Was she so unguarded with strangers?
Knowing she had just moved in and had no servants, he thought it was inappropriate to visit.
Seeing she wasn’t affected by the Johnson family, he felt relieved and said, “No, thank you. I’ll visit another time.”
Emily thought he was being polite. Their meeting here was just a coincidence, so she didn’t insist.
She took the puppy inside and ordered a dog bed and food online.
After finishing everything, she called Aaron, “I need to pick up some medicine from the pharmacy. Can you prepare these ingredients for me?”
“Sure!”
Emily made arrangements and drove to the pharmacy.
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