Chapter 193 Family Gathering
Charles's stamina was remarkably impressive—he always pushed Emily to complete exhaustion before finally letting up. But undeniably, in this intense intimacy, she too gradually surrendered, tasting pleasures she'd never experienced before.
After their passionate encounter, Emily lay limp in his arms, not wanting to move even a finger.
Charles, however, remained energetic, carrying her to the bathroom to clean up and carefully helping her wash.
Back in bed, he held her tightly, his chin nuzzling the top of her head. "Emily, I'm discovering I can't live without you more and more."
Emily listened to his strong heartbeat, her voice carrying a trace of tired but affectionate reproach, "You're absolutely shameless."
Despite her words, she snuggled even closer into his embrace.
Before, she'd been accustomed to facing everything alone. Only after being with Charles did she understand how wonderful it felt to be cherished and needed.
Even when his desires seemed insatiable, she found herself willingly indulging him.
Charles pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, whispering, "Sleep now, my wife. Tomorrow..."
"No! Don't even dream about tomorrow!" Emily gave him a light pinch, only earning a low chuckle as he held her even tighter.
The next morning, Emily had just finished handling a contract at Obscura Fashion when her phone rang. The caller ID showed Simon. She hesitated for a moment before answering.
Simon's voice carried a note of careful uncertainty. "Emily, it's me. Your grandma is being discharged from the hospital tonight. She says she misunderstood you before and wants to apologize. She specifically asked me to invite you home for dinner so the family can have a proper talk."
A flash of cold amusement crossed Emily's eyes. Lauren wanted to apologize.
How unbelievable!
She could almost predict that this so-called family dinner was nothing more than a trap set by the Johnson family, aimed at extracting benefits from her, especially shares in Mirage Fashion.
She just wondered what role Simon was playing in all this.
"Declan and Erica will be there too, so we can all have a nice gathering," Simon added, then waited silently for Emily's response.
He'd learned from Lauren about what she and Erica had done to Emily, and he knew Emily definitely wouldn't want to see Erica and Lauren now. But they were all his family after all.
Lauren was his mother and Emily's grandmother. Were they really going to remain estranged forever?
Before making the call, Lauren had repeatedly assured him that she'd come to her senses, that inviting Emily home was truly just to apologize, with absolutely no ulterior motives.
Even if they did try to cause trouble, as long as he was there, he'd protect Emily.
Emily was silent for several seconds before slowly responding, "Alright, I'll come tonight."
She was curious to see exactly what the Johnson family was planning. Mirage Fashion was something her mother had built from scratch; she would never hand it over to anyone. This family dinner would be the perfect opportunity to completely dash their hopes of seizing Mirage Fashion.
After hanging up, Charles's text came through: [Are you busy? Let's have dinner together tonight.]
Emily replied: [No, I have to go to the Johnson Villa for a gathering. Lauren's being discharged and says she wants to apologize to me.]
Within two minutes, Charles was calling. "The Johnsons are up to no good. I'll come with you."
Emily's refusal was firm. "No need. I'm the one they want to target. If you're there, they'll definitely put on fake masks and then scheme behind the scenes. Having everything out in the open makes it easier for me to guard against them. Plus, they know about your influence—they'll definitely try to latch onto you for favors. Once you get involved with these people, it's really disgusting. I can handle this myself, don't worry."
She knew the Johnson family's nature all too well. Once they saw Charles there, who knew what kind of relationship-building or favor-seeking they'd attempt, possibly even setting their sights on the Windsor Group. She didn't want to cause Charles any trouble.
Charles was quiet for a moment, knowing Emily's temperament, and finally compromised, "Then be careful. Call me immediately if anything happens. I'll wait near the Johnson Villa and can come over anytime."
"Okay." Emily agreed with a smile.
At seven o'clock that evening, Emily arrived punctually at Johnson Villa.
As soon as she pushed open the front door, she caught the aroma of cooking food, but the living room was filled with a subtle tension.
Lauren sat on the sofa, her face still somewhat pale but her eyes gleaming with calculation. Simon stood nearby and, seeing Emily, quickly approached her, "Emily, you're here."
Celeste wore a well-fitted dress, her face plastered with a fake smile, "Emily's here! Come sit down, I'll get you some water."
As Celeste turned toward the kitchen, Declan's gaze lingered on her, a barely perceptible greed flashing in his eyes.
Simon really was lucky—this Celeste, despite having children and being no spring chicken, still possessed an alluring charm that made her far more attractive than Erica.
Erica sat beside Lauren, and upon seeing Emily, her eyes filled with assessment, especially noting Emily's elegant clothing and the diamond ring on her finger. The jealousy in her eyes was barely containable.
Lucy had been schemed against by Emily, losing her chance to marry into wealth, yet Emily remained as radiant as ever. Erica couldn't accept it!
Declan hadn't been to Emerald City in ages. Seeing Emily, he was momentarily stunned before breaking into an exaggerated smile, "Emily, you're getting more beautiful by the day! Now you're the boss of Obscura Fashion—absolutely remarkable!"
As he spoke, he looked her up and down, mentally calculating. Emily was so beautiful and wealthy—if he could get her to help with some investments or introduce him to major clients, he might be able to start some new ventures.
He was currently broke, though Lauren had promised to take Simon's Mirage Fashion and give it to his son, Marshall.
But seeing Simon's cold attitude toward him, he felt this might be problematic. Simon had his own children, too. Would he really give up Mirage Fashion?
And he'd heard Emily had connections with the Windsor family. Would she really be willing to give up such a prize?
Then again, Emily was already so wealthy. What would it matter to share Mirage Fashion with Marshall!
While Declan was still brainstorming, Emily had no interest in playing along with his act. She looked directly at Lauren, "Grandma, I heard you wanted to apologize to me?"
Simon quickly chimed in, "Mom, didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to apologize to Emily? Now that Emily's here, why don't you go ahead?"
Lauren hadn't expected Emily to be so direct. She was taken aback and immediately feigned confusion, rubbing her forehead, "What apology? I'm getting old, my memory's failing me. I forgot. Emily, don't take it to heart. Grandma's just getting senile. If I offended you in any way before, please forgive me."
She had no intention of actually apologizing—she'd only wanted to lure Emily here so she could discuss the Mirage Fashion shares with Emily.