Chapter 101: Sophia's Child

Emily finished her rant and plopped down in her seat. She knew she was rambling, but she had to get it off her chest.

Emily: [Great, I just unloaded everything. Now David's definitely gonna be mad at me.]

As soon as she stopped talking, regret hit her. But it was too late to take it back.

The room went dead silent. David kept his head down, hiding his face. The more he did that, the worse Emily felt. She even started to worry if James would want a divorce over this.

Emily: [First it was Sophia, now it's David. Figures.]

Emily started grumbling again. James, hearing her, reached out to comfort her, but she instinctively pulled away, leaving his hand hanging awkwardly.

Emily: [What's this? Not only are we getting divorced, but now he's gonna hit me? With James' strength, one hit and I'd be toast. Better keep my distance.]

Emily quickly scooted her chair away, putting more space between her and James.

James sighed. He just wanted to comfort her, but it seemed like he was about to hit her. He quickly realized that Emily's reaction was due to past incidents that made her feel like she wasn't part of the Smith family anymore. Once that feeling of rejection takes root, it's hard to shake off. Now, Emily was wary of everyone in the Smith family, no longer seeing them as family.

"Emily," David suddenly looked up, glaring at her.

"What?" Emily replied, moving her chair back even further.

David slammed his hand on the table, startling Emily. She vividly remembered the time David hit Oscar.

"Just say what you need to say; don't slam the table. Look, you scared Emily. Apologize!" James smacked David on the back with full force, making him wince in pain.

David rubbed his back, looking hurt. "Emily, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have slammed the table. I won't do it again."

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it." Emily was taken aback by James' sudden seriousness.

David pouted, feeling wronged and not wanting to talk. Then Sophia, sitting beside him, gave him a light smack. It didn't hurt as much, but it stung emotionally.

Sophia said, "You were going to say something to Emily. Go on."

David, still feeling wronged, said, "I wanted to say Emily is right. Who does Joshua think he is, trying to take Ella from me? If he shows up, I'll compete with him fair and square to win Ella back!"

"Are you stupid? This isn't something you can compete for fairly." Emily blurted out her thoughts again. She paused, then decided to continue since she was already halfway through. "You can use some tactics. If you don't want to, I can help. Like kidnapping Joshua to make him disappear for a while. I'm not good at that, but James can do it. Or using the Smith family's wealth to crush Joshua's family, making him too embarrassed to be with Ella. Again, James can handle that."

Emily counted on her fingers, realizing all her ideas involved James. She scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Forget I said anything."

"No, you're right," James said, shaking his head. He then looked at David. "I don't care about your petty issues. If you need help, ask Emily. In the Smith family, her words are as good as mine. Got it?"

David nodded reluctantly. He knew James' last sentence was meant for Emily. But why was he always the unlucky one?

Sure enough, Emily's eyes lit up at James' last words.

Emily: [Looks like James still trusts me and gave me a lot of respect in front of David. Not bad.]

James' lips curled into a slight smile. He was glad his words had softened Emily's feelings towards the Smith family. But her next words made him frown.

Emily: [As the head of the Smith family, you did well. The divorce should be handled quietly, not like last time when it was such a spectacle. That kind of drama affects the stock market for the Smith Group, and that's just not good for anyone.]

James thought, 'Thank you for considering the stock prices.'

Despite Emily's complaints, the Smith siblings exchanged glances and smiled. They knew the past issues were now behind them for Emily.

Just then, a message popped up in the Smith family group chat.

Ava: [I'm so bored. Where are you guys filming? Should I visit?]

Michael: [I want to come too.]

Mia: [Mom, Dad, are you both going? I can drive you.]

James: [No need. We'll be back soon.]

Sophia: [Yes, we'll return once we settle these kids.]

Ava: [Kids? What kids? Sophia, do you have kids? With who?]

Sophia glanced at James, surprised. She thought he had told Ava and Michael about the kids. But apparently, they didn't know.

"Emily, check this out." James showed Emily a screenshot of the chat, with the group name hidden. Emily was shocked. "Sophia, you have kids? Who's the father?"

Sophia slapped her forehead, feeling David's earlier frustration. Before she could explain, Ava called, clearly worried.

Sophia had no choice but to patiently explain to Ava and Michael. Emily understood that the kids referred to the ones they rescued.

Emily: [A bit disappointing. I thought there'd be some drama with Sophia.]

Sophia thought, exasperated, ' Emily, can you wish me well? I'm not like David, abandoning my family.'

Thinking of abandonment, Sophia's eyes lit up. She decided to divert attention by leading the group to criticize David for leaving Ella, forcing her to raise two kids alone. Even if those kids weren't David's, they were close to him. Who would believe there was no connection?