Chapter 784: Be Careful Not to Cripple His Leg

Chapter 784: Be Careful Not to Cripple His Leg

"If you two need to talk, maybe save it for later. Kaia, can you help me out or not?"

Daniel cut in again, interrupting the siblings mid-conversation.

Kaia saw her opening and jumped on it. "If I help you with this, wouldn't I be betraying Emily? Weren't you just cozying up to some other woman? Does Emily even know about that? If you can run around with other women, why shouldn't Emily be able to see other guys?"

The more she talked, the more convinced she became she was right.

She was completely oblivious to the fact that even through the phone line, Daniel's intimidating presence was palpable.

But Gilbert knew Daniel well enough.

Emily was his line in the sand. Kaia was basically tap-dancing all over that line—a death wish if he'd ever seen one.

Gilbert tugged at Kaia's sleeve, his eyes warning her to back off.

Kaia caught on a beat too late. She could feel the pressure now, actually.

But what was said was said.

Besides, she'd only told the truth. She was just standing up for Emily. She didn't think she'd done anything wrong.

Daniel was annoyed, sure, but not furious.

He thought it over. Emily had reclaimed her identity now anyway. The whole disguise thing wasn't exactly a secret anymore.

For once, Daniel decided to be patient and actually explain. "The woman in those photos with me 'was' Emily. She was just in disguise."

"What? No way. You're lying. Disguises? That's only in novels, isn't it?"

Kaia's first instinct was disbelief.

Daniel replied evenly, "I've explained what needs explaining. If you don't believe me, you can ask Emily yourself when you get the chance—just not right now. So, are you helping me or not? If you do, I'll grant you a wish."

Kaia actually really hoped Emily and Daniel would end up together.

If the woman in those photos really was Emily in disguise, then Daniel didn't deserve the 'cheating scumbag' label after all.

That would improve her opinion of him considerably.

She thought carefully about the eligible bachelors in Emerald City. Honestly, there weren't many who could measure up to Emily.

Her gaze drifted involuntarily toward Gilbert, growing warmer by the second.

Gilbert, who knew his sister better than anyone, saw it coming.

"Don't even think about it. Don't try dragging Emily and me into anything."

Daniel heard that and immediately understood what kind of scheming Kaia might be cooking up.

He warned her on the spot. "Kaia, if you dare try to set up Gilbert and Emily, I'll break both of Gilbert's legs."

Gilbert's expression froze. He coughed to cover his awkwardness, then reminded him, "Daniel, tone it down in front of my sister. What are you even saying? I only admire Emily, nothing more. Of course, unless you screw it up yourself."

Kaia thought about Daniel's ruthlessness and shuddered.

Besides, Gilbert had just said he wasn't interested in Emily like that.

She understood—Gilbert had a pretty strong moral compass. Unless Daniel gave up on Emily, Gilbert would never listen to her and go after Emily anyway.

"Fine, fine. I'm not actually saying Gilbert should chase her. And anyway, doesn't it all come down to what Emily wants?"

Kaia didn't push the Gilbert angle for another reason: she could tell Emily still had feelings for Daniel.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone along with taking those intimate photos with him.

"I can help, but don't forget about that wish you promised me. It might not be so easy to fulfill."

Kaia sounded reluctant, but her goal was achieved.

Daniel didn't care about Kaia's emotional theatrics. "As long as it's within reason, I'll make it happen. Daily updates—don't forget. And don't let Emily know about this."

Good thing he hadn't told Kaia that Emily had rejected him, used him and bolted.

Otherwise, Kaia would probably laugh in his face while refusing to help.

Daniel hung up, finally feeling some relief.

This time, he'd done the right thing.

Someone really was angling to marry into the Day family, and naturally, Raina was behind it, fanning the flames.

Emily had no idea about any of this yet.

She'd already pulled out the partnership agreement with the Mitchell family.

Honestly, she'd assumed that since Otto valued this collaboration, partnering with the Mitchell Group would be a major win for the Day family.

But looking at the actual project details, Emily wasn't impressed.

Their materials seemed somewhat outdated and behind the curve, in her opinion.

Still, the partnership involved more than just products. Both were major corporations with a history together, plus some smaller side projects. It wouldn't be smart to sever ties and burn bridges over this—the resulting rumors could damage the Day Group's reputation.

Especially now, right when Emily had just entered the Day Group.

Emily marked the partnership as pending and didn't rush to schedule another meeting with the Mitchell Group.

Meanwhile, at the Mitchell Villa.

Chairman Gregory was in his study with several other board members—old friends, all of them—discussing this very matter.

"If you ask me, Otto's gone senile. Handing the Day Group over to Emily just like that, letting her take charge—what's a young woman like her know? And I heard she didn't even grow up in a wealthy family. What kind of vision could she possibly have? That's why she keeps dragging her feet on this project. Is she trying to assert dominance, or what?"

The speaker was Landon, a Mitchell Group veteran who'd helped build the company alongside Gregory's father back in the day.

Men from his generation were old-school sexist, and with Emily being so young on top of that, he looked down on her even more.

The real reason, though, was that he had a better partnership opportunity lined up—one that came with a hefty kickback.

His good-for-nothing son had racked up massive gambling debts. Landon desperately needed cash, which was why he was stirring the pot now.

"That's not entirely fair. Otto just returned and immediately dealt with Calista and her faction decisively. He regained control quickly without destabilizing the Day Group at all. How is that senile? He dismissed Calista, the daughter he raised himself, but treats Emily with special regard. Doesn't that say something about Emily's capabilities?"

The response came from Nathan, a middle-aged man with an honest demeanor. His assessment was objective, not biased toward either side.

Now both viewpoints were on the table.

What came next was essentially everyone picking sides.

Some backed Landon—people who had ties to him or were closer to him personally.

Others were more pragmatic.

Some were rational thinkers.

The discussion grew increasingly heated.

It felt like they might blow the roof off.

Finally, Gregory raised his voice. "Quiet!"

Everyone turned to look at him, waiting for his verdict.

Just as Gregory was about to speak, the study door suddenly swung open.