Chapter 72 Dead Men Tell No Tales
"Does Charles actually know the children are his?" Celeste turned to look at Clara, her eyes filled with urgency.
"I don't know." Clara genuinely didn't know. If Nathan had overheard her conversation with Emily, then Nathan would definitely know, and Charles would naturally find out, too.
But what if Nathan hadn't heard?
Then the only people who knew about this would be her and Emily.
As long as Emily didn't tell, Charles would never know!
She might still have one more chance to gamble.
She was betting that Emily didn't want Charles to know about these two children's existence. Otherwise, why had she been back in the country for so long without revealing the children's identity?
She must have reasons for not wanting to go public.
Simon remained silent for a moment, his eyes growing sinister. He walked to the window, his back to the two women, his voice cold as ice, "Whether he knows or not doesn't matter. We'll make sure he never finds out."
Celeste's heart tightened. "Simon, what are you planning?"
"Just two children. If they're dead, they're dead. As long as we get rid of those two kids, dead men tell no tales. Even if Charles suspects something later, he won't have any evidence to prove the children were his. Then we'll have people spread rumors everywhere, saying Emily's personal life is messy, that she doesn't know which man she had children with, and now she's trying to use the kids to climb up to Charles. Charles hates being deceived and used more than anything. He'll definitely despise Emily, maybe even think she's a gold-digging woman. When that happens, forget about helping Emily, he might even help us crush her!"
"Dad, have you lost your mind? Murder is a criminal offense!" Clara trembled all over. Those were Charles's children. How dare Simon even consider this?
Simon let out a cold laugh. "As long as we leave no evidence, who'll know it was us? For the Johnson family business, what's a little risk? As long as we can preserve the Johnson Group's assets, two children's lives are worthless!"
Celeste looked at Simon's ruthless expression, feeling both terrified and conflicted. But thinking about the crisis the Johnson family was about to face, she gritted her teeth and didn't object further.
If the Johnson Group collapsed, her comfortable life would be over, too.
Since they were already in a fight to the death with Emily anyway, adding another score to settle between them wouldn't matter.
Clara also knew she had no way out. Once the Johnson Group fell, she'd truly be nothing.
"Dad, what do you want to do? I'll listen to you."
Clara submissively asked for Simon's plans. This idea had to come from Simon, so that even if things were exposed later, she wouldn't be the mastermind.
Simon clearly thought the same way. He walked over to Clara and patted her shoulder, his voice carrying a hint of sinister pleasure. "I'm putting you in complete charge of this matter. Feel free to proceed with confidence."
'Damn old fox.' Clara cursed silently to herself.
Ethan and Emma had no idea they were being plotted against by the Johnson family. They were still at school at this moment.
Emily held Emma in her arms, her fingertips gently soothing the little girl's reddened cheek from earlier, then ruffled Ethan's hair, her voice so tender it could melt hearts. "Ethan was so brave today, knowing how to protect Emma. You're becoming a real little man."
Ethan's small face still carried a trace of seriousness, but he quietly puffed out his chest and tightened his grip on Emma's hand. "You said I'm the big brother, so I have to protect Emma properly."
"Emma was very brave, too. She didn't cry earlier and even knew how to protect the other children." Emily smiled and pinched Emma's little nose tip. Emma immediately broke into a sweet smile and snuggled deeper into her embrace.
Nathan and Wesley, watching this scene from the side, both had probing looks in their eyes.
Nathan already had his answer in his heart—these two children were Charles and Emily's.
Wesley also raised an eyebrow and asked casually, "Emily, you've been hiding this pretty deep. With our relationship, you didn't even tell me Ethan and Emma are your children."
Ethan immediately looked up. "Wesley, you've got it wrong. Emily isn't our mom. She's our mom's good friend, and also our godmother."
Emma nodded along, her big eyes bright and sparkling, "Our mommy has very important things to do, so Emily usually takes care of us. Wesley, don't get confused."
"Isn't your godmother Elodie?"
"We have two godmothers." Emma's words were completely seamless.
Emily went along with the children's story and nodded. "Their mother is a friend of mine and Elodie's. She's temporarily unable to care for the children, so she entrusted them to me. She doesn't want outsiders to know her identity, so I can't say."
Nathan and Wesley exchanged glances, neither pressing further, but the doubt in their eyes didn't fade.
Emily didn't dwell on this topic. She stood up and said to the two men, "Thank you both for today. But I still have matters to handle. I need to go to the principal's office. Feel free to do as you please."
With that, she crouched down again to touch the children's faces. "Be good and wait for me in the nurse's office. Don't wander around."
Ethan and Emma responded in unison, watching Emily's figure disappear down the hallway before walking to the nurse's office together.
According to school regulations, the school nurse needs to soothe the children's emotions after a conflict. Jasper was aware of this rule and had been waiting for them in the nurse's office for a long time.
As soon as they entered, Jasper told the nurse, "We're fine. I can take good care of them, no need to trouble you."
The nurse looked at the three children's composed demeanor, hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Then rest well, and call me immediately if you need anything."
Before leaving, she didn't forget to turn on some cartoons to help the children relax.
The moment the door closed, Emma frowned and spoke, "That Clara was so annoying earlier."
Ethan nodded along, his tone indignant. "She's a bad person! And Charles is a bad person, too! He didn't even come personally to protect Mommy; just sent his assistant, Nathan. That shows Mommy isn't important to him at all! I don't want him as my daddy."
Emma immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Wesley is so different. He was so busy but still rushed over specially to speak up for us. He's so much better than Charles! Jasper, let's have Wesley be our daddy instead. He'd definitely protect Mommy properly!"
Jasper sat to the side, silently listening to Ethan and Emma's words, his small brow also furrowing.
Though he was more mature than Ethan and Emma, he also felt angry at Charles's behavior. If he really cared about Emily, how could he let her face so many things alone?
Meanwhile, in the principal's office, Emily sat on the sofa, looking at the principal across from her, who wore a guilty expression, and said slowly, "I won't pursue the school's inaction regarding today's incident, but I have one condition."