Chapter 84 Still Pretending

After Emily finished talking, she realized she'd been speaking for almost two hours straight and felt her throat getting dry.

She eyed her empty teacup and was about to ask for a refill when, out of nowhere, a fresh cup of tea appeared in front of her.

Emily looked up, surprised, to see James standing there. "Drink it," he said simply.

After a moment of awkward silence, Emily handed the teacup back, opened the conference room door, and asked someone to bring in more tea.

James's face darkened a bit when he saw she didn't drink it, but he quickly masked his annoyance.

"We've shown our utmost sincerity for this collaboration. Is there anything else you need to know or discuss, Mr. Smith?" Emily asked with a professional smile.

James tapped the table casually, looked at Emily, and asked, "If you were in my shoes, what would you think?"

Emily took a deep breath and replied, "Well, I'm not you. I don't know you well enough to make that call."

James glanced at Aaron, who got the hint and said, "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

Aaron felt Emily's eyes on him and awkwardly avoided her gaze. He thought, 'Sorry, Ms. Johnson, but Mr. Smith signs my checks, not you.'

He quickly opened the door and left the room.

Emily crossed her arms and glared at James. "What are you up to, James? Here to stir up trouble?"

James raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.

Emily frowned.

Suddenly, James stood up and walked towards her. His intense presence made her uncomfortable, and she took a step back. James stepped forward again.

Not wanting to be cornered, Emily shoved him away.

The tension in the room eased a bit.

"James, it's work hours," she said coldly.

"I know," James replied, taking another step forward. He looked at her intently and asked, "Emily, are you hiding something from me?"

Emily's face changed for a split second but quickly returned to normal. She wondered if he knew about the abortion.

But his reaction didn't seem to indicate that.

She composed herself and asked calmly, "James, why don't you be more specific? Guessing games are exhausting."

James noted the changes in her expression and got the message.

He pulled out a contact lens case from his pocket and placed it on the table. Emily's face went pale at the sight of it, her mind racing for an explanation, but he didn't give her a chance.

James stepped closer with a smirk. "Med Mastermind, you're quite the secret keeper."

Emily's face showed a flicker of panic. She glanced at the case and feigned ignorance. "James, what are you talking about? I don't get it."

"Cut the act!" James sneered.

He wouldn't have confronted her without solid proof.

Emily's mind was in overdrive. James had asked Harper for Med Mastermind's contact info to help Olivia with her pregnancy, so she had turned down all orders after that, fearing James would piece it together.

Even on the day of the car chase, when Mia had a heart attack, she had to keep up the act because of the dashcam in the car.

She had imagined her identity was exposed many times but never thought it would be over a contact lens case.

"I don't know what you're talking about, James," Emily said coolly.

James continued, "Three years ago, my grandmother went for a walk and suddenly had a heart attack. The hospital said if she hadn't been treated right away, it could've been fatal. I didn't think much of it then, but later, I pieced it together."

He went on, "You lived three hours away from the hospital by car. She won't make it unless you give her first aid right away. Plus, the servants mentioned that her therapeutic diets were all prepared by you."

James picked up the contact lens case and stared at Emily. "They say Med Mastermind has different colored pupils. If you're not Med Mastermind, then explain why this was in your pocket and why you sometimes smelled like blood and disinfectant. And if I remember right, the military had locked down Mystic Summit that day, saying they were looking for someone, and your car was coming from that direction."

Emily took a deep breath, realizing there was no point in denying it. She admitted her identity.

"Yes, you're right," Emily said, taking a deep breath and looking at James with a calm demeanor. "But I don't treat just anyone. No one can force me to do something I don't want to do."

There was no way she could help Olivia with her pregnancy.

James saw her guarded expression, as if he had some hidden agenda, and felt a bit stifled and uncomfortable.

At this moment, Emily was backed into a wall by James, with no way out.

"Emily, being too stubborn isn't a good thing," James said with a strange emotion in his voice.

Emily felt annoyed.

"What does this have to do with you?" Emily wanted to escape this situation, feeling suffocated by James's presence.

James looked down at Emily, lifted her chin, and scrutinized her closely.

Just then, the conference room door suddenly swung open.

Emily and James both looked over to see Ella standing at the door with a tray of tea, her expression a bit strange.

Taking advantage of the moment, Emily pushed James away and straightened her clothes and hair.

"Who asked you to come here?" Emily remembered she hadn't asked Ella to bring tea.

Ella snapped out of it, walked seductively to the table, placed the tea down, and looked at Emily mockingly. "I thought you were innocent, Emily. Turns out you're quite the seductress. Is this how you got Mr. Scott?"

Emily crossed her arms and looked at Ella disdainfully. "You'd better focus on keeping your clients happy. Otherwise, you might not even notice when your business gets stolen."

"What do you mean?" Ella heard the hidden meaning in Emily's words and questioned her.

Emily sneered, "You can leave now."

She wasn't about to help Ella solve her doubts.