Chapter 139 I Want a Chance to Pursue You
"You don't have to answer me right away. Liking you is my business. I'm telling you because I want a chance to pursue you."
Daniel's eyes were locked on her, unwavering.
Emily found herself unable to say no.
She dug her nails into her palm to keep herself from acting impulsively.
When she looked up again, she masked the emotions in her eyes. "Daniel, I'm sorry..."
Just hearing those words made Daniel's eyes go dim.
Emily wasn't really rejecting him; she just didn't want to rush into a relationship this time.
"I'm not in the right mindset for a relationship right now. You know, because of what happened with James, I lost faith in love."
Plus, she was busy with her career and genuinely had a lot on her plate.
Daniel felt like he was on an emotional rollercoaster.
But at least she didn't say that she had no feelings for him at all. She was just afraid of getting hurt, so she didn't dare to take that step.
"I get it," Daniel said sincerely. "I can wait for you. I just hope that when you're ready for a relationship, I get the first chance."
His genuine words made it impossible for Emily not to be moved.
Besides, she shouldn't punish him for her ex's mistakes. He had always been good to her, supporting her unconditionally.
"Okay, I will."
Emily nodded, giving Daniel the chance he asked for.
A smile spread across his face, his eyes crinkling with joy.
Emily rarely saw him smile like that, and it was quite charming.
Maybe because they had cleared the air, Emily found it easier to be around him.
She expressed her needs openly, "I think I'm a bit hungry."
Daniel noticed her relaxed attitude towards him, and his mood lightened, his voice becoming more cheerful.
"Alright, see if you like the food. If not, I'll have the hotel send something else."
Daniel opened the food containers.
The aroma of the dishes filled the air.
Emily had only felt a bit hungry before, but now her stomach was growling.
Daniel noticed her expression and smiled indulgently.
"Wait a moment!"
Daniel went to get a towel and brought it to Emily to wipe her hands.
Emily felt a bit embarrassed, as if she were being treated as helpless.
"That's not really necessary..."
"If I say I'm going to pursue you, I need to show it through actions, not just words."
Daniel felt it was something he should do. In fact, he thought he hadn't done enough for her. Often, she handled things on her own.
Emily felt awkward eating alone, so she shared the meal with Daniel.
She then remembered to ask if she was interrupting his business trip to Regal City.
"The matter is already resolved. This was just a side trip." Daniel replied casually.
Emily understood the implication. She was actually his main purpose.
Her heart softened even more.
Since there was nothing else to do, Emily and Daniel returned to Silverlight City together in the afternoon.
Emily didn't expect to see Chase, Aiden, and James at her home.
It seemed Chase had found out her address from Bianca or James, but this neighborhood wasn't easy to get into without James' help.
Violette saw Emily return and, like a child who had done something wrong, nervously walked over to apologize. "Emily, I'm sorry. I should have stopped them, but Aiden said he was looking for me, so I opened the door. I didn't expect them to come in."
Emily guessed why they were there and didn't blame Violette.
"Violette, it's okay. They're here now. Even though I've cut ties with them, that's between me and them. I won't force you to make any choices. After all, you've known them for years."
"Emily, are you avoiding us because you saw us here and didn't dare to come in?"
Aiden and Chase saw Violette open the door and guessed Emily had returned.
They didn't get up immediately, maintaining their usual superior attitude.
But after waiting for a while without seeing Emily come in, Chase couldn't hold back and walked to the door.
He was worried Emily might leave after hearing Violette say they were there, which made him anxious.
Seeing Emily at the door, Chase breathed a sigh of relief.
He still spoke in an annoying tone, without any hint of asking for a favor.
Emily sneered and walked inside. "Avoid you? I haven't done anything wrong, so why would I avoid you? But you, should I call you shameless or just too self-righteous? We've cut ties, yet you keep coming back. What do you want?"
She was deliberately being provocative, and it made their faces look very unpleasant.
Chase almost lost his temper, but was stopped by Aiden.
As for James, he should have left after leading them to Emily's villa, especially after the humiliation he suffered. But maybe he was just a glutton for punishment.
He insisted on seeing Emily.
Aiden tried to speak in a gentle tone. "Emily, you were really out of line back then, so everyone made that decision to remind and warn you. We're family, sharing the same blood. How could we really cut you off?"
Emily couldn't help but clap, looking at Aiden with a mocking smile. "Nice words. When you thought I was useless, you kicked me out. Now that you think I might be useful, you're back. So, what's your real purpose today?"
Aiden glanced at Chase, signaling him to speak.
Chase, with a dark expression, reluctantly spoke. "I heard from Bianca that those songs of mine were composed by you?"
"So what if they were?"
"Can you stop being so hostile? I'm trying to make peace here. I'm giving you a chance to reconcile. Just send me the drafts of your compositions."
Emily thought calling them shameless was an understatement.
Chase was unbelievably shameless.
"How can you say something so shameless? Knowing I composed them, you just ask for them? Why should I give them to you? Even when we hadn't cut ties, you shouldn't have asked for things like that, let alone now."
"So what do you want? Do you want the Johnson family to take you back? We can agree on behalf of the others."
Chase frowned, his tone more like he was doing her a favor.
Emily found it amusing.
"If that's your sincerity, I think you can leave now and never come back. I'll inform security."
She made a gesture towards the door.
Her gaze lingered on James. "Especially you. If you bring people here again, I won't hesitate to complain to Daniel."
"You're using Daniel to pressure me? Do you really think Daniel's slight favor means you can stay by his side forever? The Smith family won't accept you!"
James tried to belittle her.
Emily felt a chill in her heart.
Her expression was cold but calm. "That doesn't matter. At least for now, it's useful enough to strip you of your inheritance at Ascend Global Group."
"You!"
James glared at her but didn't dare say another word under her gaze.
Chase, seeing James' frustration, couldn't hold back.
But Aiden stopped Chase, fearing his impulsiveness would make things worse.
"Then state your demands. We'll try to meet them," Aiden said.
"Since you know Bianca took credit for my work, I want her to apologize to me publicly," Emily replied calmly.