Chapter 13 Emily Turns Out to Be a Female Molester
"Let me help you with your bath," Emily said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"I can do it myself," James snapped, his eyes narrowing in frustration.
Emily raised an eyebrow, taking in James's disheveled appearance. "If you could, would you be in this state?"
"I... don't need your help!"
James clung to his pride, even though he'd long lost any semblance of dignity in front of Emily. He couldn't let her look down on him.
But what Emily did next left him utterly stunned.
"Not listening, huh?"
A faint, sweet scent suddenly enveloped him. Before James could react, he felt a chill as his shirt was torn to shreds.
'Is Emily some kind of molester?'
James was both shocked and furious. Covering his bare chest with his hands, he hissed, "What do you think you're doing, you shameless woman? I'll call for help!"
"Go ahead, if you don't mind losing face."
"You!"
"Mason, wait outside the door."
Emily had just stripped James of his shirt and was about to remove his pants when she remembered Mason was still in the room. She turned and spoke softly to him.
Mason obediently nodded, got up, and carefully closed the door behind him.
As soon as the door shut, James's anguished cries echoed through the room.
Mason covered his ears, sighing inwardly at James's stubbornness.
'James, why do you provoke Emily?'
'If you just listened to her, she'd be so gentle with you.'
Meanwhile, inside the room, James, his face flushed, was holding onto his pants, locked in a battle of wits with Emily.
"Do you have any shame at all? You can't just take off a man's pants!"
"It's not like I haven't seen it before. What's there to be embarrassed about?"
"You... shameless!"
For some reason, the thought of Emily having seen other men's bodies made James inexplicably upset.
'This Emily is really...'
"James, if you keep stalling, Mason won't get any sleep tonight!"
Emily, exasperated by James's antics, decided to use Mason's well-being as a means of leverage.
Sure enough, the mention of Mason made James's angry expression falter. He gritted his teeth and reluctantly agreed, "Fine, but no funny business."
"Deal."
She agreed, but there was no way to avoid touching while giving a bath!
An hour later, a freshly cleaned James lay in bed in new pajamas, his face burning with shame as he buried his head under the covers, refusing to recall what had happened in the bathroom.
Emily tidied up the bathroom and came out, immediately spotting the large lump under the blanket.
She couldn't help but chuckle. How could a grown man act so embarrassed, as if she had taken advantage of him?
Well, she had been the one to make the first move.
She had to admit, James had a great physique.
Despite being bedridden for over a month and not getting proper nutrition, his years of working out had kept his body in good shape. His chest and abs were still firm and enticing, and Emily had taken full advantage of the opportunity to explore.
As for washing below the waist...
Emily's face reddened slightly as she remembered.
She hadn't expected that, despite his condition, James would react physically to her touch.
At that moment, Emily had blinked and, on a whim, asked, "Do you need some help?"
Maybe it was the intimate atmosphere of the bathroom, but James, who usually spoke curtly to her, had whispered hoarsely in her ear, "Do it."
What happened next made even Emily, who prided herself on being shameless, feel a bit awkward and blush.
She was just a caregiver, and helping a paralyzed employer with physical needs should be normal.
Emily reassured herself with this thought.
After calming her racing heart, Emily opened the door and called Mason back in.
Mason rushed into Emily's arms, snuggling up to her.
Emily smelled so nice!
Why were Emily and James both blushing?
Mason blinked, puzzled, as he looked at the two avoiding each other's gaze, both looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Mason, it's time to get ready for bed."
Emily, regaining her composure, hugged Mason and smiled. "How about I read you a bedtime story?"
Mason's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly.
"Wait, are you staying here?"
James, who had been pretending to sleep, couldn't help but turn over and glare at her.
"Yes, it's better to have someone around since you're not well."
"Not you. Get Atlas."
"Atlas is old. He has enough on his plate managing the household, taking care of Grandma, and looking after you. Do you want to wear him out?"
"Anyone but you!"
James wasn't used to having someone else in his room. It disrupted his sleep, and his cleanliness obsession meant no one was allowed in his room. He even did his own cleaning.
However, Emily was unaware of James's quirks. She made herself comfortable on the floor, laying out a bed and cuddling Mason before starting to read a story.
"Hey..."
"Don't interrupt Mason's story."
'Does this Emily not understand anything?'
James clenched his fists in frustration. If he could see, he would have thrown her out right now.
What kind of wife was she? To him, Emily was just a gold-digger after the Thomas family's fortune!
His wife could only be that woman!
As Emily's gentle voice filled the room, James's thoughts drifted back to a snowy night five years ago.
Five years ago, in a hotel suite.
"What's your name?"
"Sir, after tonight, we owe each other nothing. Names don't matter."
The woman's voice trembled slightly.
Was she scared?
"Alright."
In the dimly lit room, he spent the night with a woman whose face and name he didn't know.
Before dawn, the woman left, taking two million dollars and disappearing into the snowy night.
But the faint, sweet scent she left behind lingered in his memory forever.
"...And finally, the little frog found its mother and siblings, and they lived happily ever after."
Emily closed the storybook gently. She glanced to the side and saw Mason snuggled up to her, his eyes closed, his little face flushed, already deep in a sweet dream.
Emily smiled tenderly, tucking Mason in before turning to look at James.
Was James asleep too?