Chapter 178 A Blind Date?
Emily had finally enjoyed a few peaceful days, and as her father, if he couldn't help Emily, he absolutely wouldn't cause her any more trouble!
Simon clenched his fists, his tone taking on a firm edge for the first time, "Mom, if you insist on having Declan come to Emerald City, I'll call Emily right now and tell her everything you said and did today! You know how much Mr. Windsor cares about Emily. If Mr. Windsor finds out you've been bullying Emily, do you think Emerald City will still have room for the Johnson family?"
Lauren was startled by Simon's assertiveness. She'd seen Simon's meekness her whole life—this was the first time she'd witnessed him being so forceful.
Her hand holding the phone paused. Though she favored Declan, she was afraid Simon would really tattle to Emily. If Emily completely cut ties with the Johnson family and Charles harbored resentment against her, she wouldn't even have a chance to benefit from their success.
Seeing this, Lucy quickly grabbed Lauren's arm and cried, "Grandma, please don't be angry. If Dad won't come, that's fine, but I've been so wronged. I miss my mom! If Mom could come to Emerald City to see me, I'd feel so much better."
Lauren's eyes lit up, thinking this was also a solution.
She glared at Simon and put away her phone, her tone softening slightly, "Fine, I won't have Declan come, but Erica must come! She's Lucy's mother; it's only natural for her to come to Emerald City to comfort Lucy. You have no say in that!"
Simon frowned, knowing full well that Erica Johnson was cut from the same cloth as Lauren, but for now, he needed to appease Lauren. He said coldly, "She can come, but she's not allowed to cause trouble for Emily, or I won't forgive you!"
Lauren snorted and didn't argue further, though she was already scheming in her mind.
Once Erica arrived, there would be plenty of ways to deal with Emily.
A day later, Erica arrived in Emerald City.
Lauren didn't tell Simon and had the driver pick up Erica directly, even booking a private room at the Jade Pavilion.
Then she called Emily, her tone sickeningly sweet, "Emily, Erica came to Emerald City to see Lucy. Let's have a family dinner, you should come join the fun too."
Emily held the phone, a cold smile tugging at her lips.
Lauren being suddenly so pleasant definitely meant trouble.
But she was curious to see what tricks they were planning now.
Emily replied, "Sure, send me the address and I'll be there on time."
After hanging up, Emily took a velvet box from her drawer containing a small gift Elodie had given her a few days ago. This little device could come in handy at crucial moments, perfect timing to bring it today and test its effectiveness.
She changed into a champagne-colored dress that hugged her slender waistline, pinned her long hair into a low ponytail that exposed her delicate collarbones, creating an elegant yet aloof aura.
As she was leaving, she ran into Nathan at the building entrance.
Nathan had just retrieved some documents and was returning when he saw Emily heading out. He quickly approached, "Ms. Johnson, where are you going? Do you need me to drive you?"
"No need, just attending a family dinner," Emily said coolly.
Emily's casual mention made Nathan's expression change instantly, "Attending a Johnson family dinner? Ms. Johnson, maybe you should reconsider? What if they..."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Emily interrupted him, taking out her phone. "I'll send you my location. If I don't text you within an hour, come find me."
Seeing her resolute attitude and knowing Emily wasn't someone to be manipulated, Nathan nodded, "Alright, I'll drive you there and wait outside."
The car stopped in front of the Jade Pavilion. Emily opened the door, looked up at the imposing entrance, and walked straight in.
The moment she pushed open the private room door, the lively chatter inside fell silent.
Lauren sat in the seat of honor, and Lucy leaned against Erica with a smug expression on her face. Erica wore a floral dress with heavy makeup, calculation glinting in her eyes.
Beside them sat an unfamiliar mother-son pair. The mother wore a fur coat with gold bracelets on her wrists and had a mean-spirited face; her son appeared to be in his twenties, portly with a greasy complexion, his lecherous gaze fixed on Emily while practically drooling.
Lauren waved hypocritically, pointing to an empty seat next to the strange man, "Emily's here! Come sit! This is Mrs. Griffin and her son, Zander Griffin. They came to Emerald City for a visit, perfect timing for you to meet them."
Zander immediately stood up, rubbing his hands together with a sleazy tone, "So you're Emily? I've heard you're incredibly beautiful, and seeing you today, you're even more stunning than the rumors!"
His gaze wandered over Emily from head to toe, his undisguised greed making Emily's stomach churn.
Instead of taking the designated seat, she pulled up a chair and sat as far away from them as possible, her tone cold, "Grandma, didn't you say it would just be our family for dinner? Why are there outsiders here?"
Erica immediately picked up the conversation, smiling hypocritically, "Emily, how can you call Zander an outsider? He's old family friends with us, and from a prominent family too! Mrs. Griffin and I were thinking—you're not getting any younger, and Zander happens to be single. You two should get to know each other; maybe you'll hit it off!"
"A blind date?" Emily raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding their intentions. "How thoughtful of you, Erica. But I already have children, and their father is Charles. Didn't you know?"
At these words, Calla Griffin's smile froze, and she instinctively looked at Erica.
Erica quickly took over, giving Calla a meaningful look while speaking with conviction, "Calla, don't believe her! Emily's just trying to avoid the blind date by making up stories! She's never even had a boyfriend. Where would children come from? Besides, someone like Mr. Windsor couldn't possibly have children with her! She's just afraid Zander might reject her, so she's making excuses!"
Calla studied Emily suspiciously. Seeing her elegant demeanor that didn't suggest she'd given birth, her doubts lessened somewhat, though she couldn't help muttering, "Even if it's an excuse, that's quite a thing to say."
But Zander didn't care at all, his eyes glued to Emily as he spoke urgently, "Mom, what's wrong with having kids? Emily's so beautiful; even if she has children, I'd still marry her! As long as she's not married, I have a chance! Emily, don't listen to them. I'm sincere about you. Being with me would definitely be better than being with Charles!"
Seeing this, Lucy quickly chimed in, "Emily, look how sincere Zander is! Mr. Windsor is so busy; when does he have time to spend with you? Zander's different—he can be with you every day and buy you lots of beautiful clothes and jewelry. Stop being so stubborn!"
Lauren also set down her teacup, "Emily, Zander is a fine young man from a well-off family. Don't be ungrateful! Use this dinner to have a proper chat with Zander. If you two could get together, it would be good for you!"