Chapter 22: He Grabs Her Weak Spot, Shameless
"You..." Eli almost lost it, barely holding back a curse.
But he remembered his goal, took a deep breath, and said sternly, "I heard you haven't been home for two nights. Now that I'm back from my business trip, you need to come home immediately."
Even if he needed to discipline her, he had to coax her back home first.
Emily knew exactly what Eli's intention was.
Her tone was ice cold, "Since you know I'm not living 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 was unhappy, those who provoked her wouldn't have it easy either.
Eli was almost furious.
It was Bianca who kept calming him down.
Looking at the understanding 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 when you were younger has a grandson in an orphanage. If you want to know more, you must come home today."
Eli thought Emily's sudden change in behavior was suspicious. He suspected her previous obedience was just an act, so he decided to dig into her past to see if she had any connections that might 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 garbage. Further investigation revealed that this man had a grandson in an orphanage.
Emily had experienced warmth and coldness at a young age, which made her crave affection even more.
The reason she could always show love to the Johnson family was because she had once been shown kindness.
It was a rare, warm memory from her childhood.
"Fine, I'll come back!" Emily thought of the kind Elijah, and her hardened heart softened a bit. She agreed to Eli's request.
"I'll give you half an hour. Hurry back!"
Eli got the confirmation he wanted, but he didn't feel happy.
For some reason, he felt uncomfortable.
How could Emily value a non-relative, a garbage-collecting Elijah, more than them?
What an ungrateful person.
Emily hung up the phone, her face gloomy as she drove back.
Charles, who watched Emily leave, was shocked.
"The doctor had such an arrogant attitude towards you and me. I didn't expect her to have a father like that. It seems that no one has it easy in this world," Charles shook his head, full of emotion.
Daniel glanced at Charles with a calm look.
Charles understood immediately.
"This time, I was wrong. 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 who grew up together and had a deep bond.
He got a stepmother and then a stepfather. He was almost killed by his stepmother back then. Despite Daniel's seemingly indifferent nature, he was a person with deep feelings.
If it weren't for Daniel's words back then, which changed his fate and led to his grandfather taking over his care, he might not have grown up well.
Daniel looked at him deeply and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't let it happen again."
"I promise!" Charles immediately beamed with joy.
But Daniel frowned, his face serious.
If he remembered correctly, the Johnson family's daughter was supposed to be in poor health and quite cherished 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, there were parents who truly loved their children, but many prioritized interests. Daughters were carefully groomed for future marriages. The Johnson family's daughter had been in poor health since childhood, making marriage alliances more difficult. Eli's lack of affection wasn't surprising.
Still, Daniel felt a twinge of unease in his otherwise steely heart.
He called his assistant, "Dig into the Johnson family, especially their daughter and their family dynamics."
This wasn't exactly top-secret stuff.
Daniel just never paid attention to these social circles, so he wasn't in the loop.
If it weren't for his photographic memory and overhearing James and Bianca, he probably wouldn't even know who Bianca was.
The assistant quickly sent over the information.
Daniel's long fingers trembled slightly as he held the documents.
He didn't know the Johnson family had not one, but two daughters.
One was Bianca, the other Emily.
Judging by Eli's attitude, the doctor was 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 in the documents, his eyes deepening, as if hiding endless whirlpools, mysterious and profound.
Daniel felt utterly speechless.
He might have made a rookie mistake.
Thinking of this, Daniel picked up his phone, ready to call his lawyer.
But the lawyer called first.
"Mr. Smith, the matter has been handled..."
The lawyer briefly reported the situation and the final outcome to Daniel.
Daniel's emotions were restrained and indifferent.
He rarely showed such a conflicted expression.
At this moment, his brows were tightly knit, seemingly conflicted, with a faint hint of frustration at the corners of his lips.
Not only did he not help, but he seemed to have made things worse.
But judging by Emily's behavior earlier, she didn't seem to hold a grudge.
Was it because she was too magnanimous, or did she not know the lawyer was his?
He suppressed his emotions and asked the lawyer for details.
The intensity of his emotions was so strong that even the lawyer on the other end of the phone felt it, making him answer with great pressure.
He thought carefully before answering, afraid of making any mistakes.
"Let this matter end here. If anyone asks, either stay silent or say you were sent by Mr. Smith. Don't say a word more, understand?"
Daniel's words were more of a command than a question.
The lawyer didn't understand why Daniel was so insistent.
But he knew Daniel had his reasons, so he immediately agreed, "Understood, Mr. Smith."
Thus, the situation became a perfect misunderstanding between Emily and Daniel.
She assumed it was James 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 composed himself, knowing the Johnson family's attitude towards her. He said, "Ms. Emily Johnson, you're back. Everyone is waiting for you."
The butler had never treated her poorly despite the Johnson family's disdain. Emily was grateful and nodded warmly, "Thank you, Gabriel. I'll go in now."
She calmly walked up the steps and entered the living room.
Inside, Eli and the others had already heard her arrival. Their faces were stern, and the atmosphere was tense.
The only one unaffected seemed to be Bianca.
She was still sweetly comforting Eli, "Dad, Emily only misunderstood my relationship with James and was always jealous of the love you gave me. That's why she did what she did. For my sake, please don't be too harsh on her, okay?"
Eli's stern face softened immediately at Bianca's coaxing, "Alright, alright, you're just too kind-hearted. As long as she admits her mistakes, I won't make things difficult for her."
Emily entered just in time to hear this.
She sneered, "I didn't do anything wrong, so what's there to admit?"