Chapter 123: When Did James Start to Become Completely Rotten
"Eli, you're the doctor here. Just tell everyone you got food poisoning or something. Say that's why you're feeling sick," Eli whispered urgently to Bianca.
Bianca quickly chimed in, "Yeah, I just ate something bad. This has nothing to do with James. Please, don't get the wrong idea."
At first, no one thought much of it, but her explanation made everyone start to wonder.
James heard the word "pregnant" but didn't immediately connect it to himself. However, Bianca's words made his heart race, and his face froze in shock.
No way... this couldn't be happening!
No, it had nothing to do with him. He remembered both he and Bianca had taken precautions!
Emily looked at James with a knowing, almost mocking smile. "James, are you sure it has nothing to do with you? Even if Bianca isn't pregnant, you two did sleep together, right?"
Her eyes were sharp and cold, piercing through James's soul.
James's face turned ashen. Under her gaze, he felt so guilty that he took a step back. "No, Emily, let me explain. We didn't..."
"Emily, I'm sorry. It was an accident. James was drunk and mistook me for you. We never wanted you to find out. If it weren't for me possibly showing pregnancy symptoms today, you wouldn't have misunderstood..."
Bianca interrupted James's denial with her own explanation, which only confirmed their affair.
"Shut up! We didn't do anything!" James's eyes were red with anger as he instinctively shouted at Bianca.
For the first time, he realized how easily her words could be misunderstood, as if she was pretending to explain but actually leading people to think the worst.
This sudden realization left James's mind in a fog.
He recalled past events. It seemed this had happened before—Bianca explaining things, but Emily becoming even more upset each time.
So, he had been wrong all along!
James opened his mouth to explain, "Emily, I'm sorry. Things aren't what you think. I never wanted to hurt you. Can we..."
"No, James. It's over!" Emily cut him off, seeing the recognition in his eyes.
But it was too late!
Emily turned away from him, saying, "You should worry about the baby Bianca might be carrying."
"Mr. Smith, are you leaving? Let's go together."
Emily's clear eyes reflected Daniel's sharp, chiseled face, as if James no longer existed in her world, replaced by Daniel.
"Let's go," Daniel responded, unable to hide his joy at Emily finally letting go of James. He smiled slightly and walked out with her.
James panicked. He knew that if Emily left, it would truly be over between them.
"Emily—"
James tried to catch up.
"James!"
Bianca held him back, not wanting him to leave.
At that moment, James's grandmother, Mireille, also stopped him. "James, you can't go after her!"
Mireille might not have been very fond of James, but she valued the Smith family bloodline. If Bianca was carrying her great-grandchild, she wouldn't allow James to pursue Emily.
Because James's wife could no longer be Emily.
Mireille rarely got involved in decisions, but when she did, her word was law.
Absolute law!
Everyone in the family had to obey.
James instinctively halted.
Eli, recovering from the shock of the news, seized the opportunity. "Kade, given the situation, what do you think?"
Kade hadn't expected James to get someone pregnant. If it was indeed the Smith family bloodline, they couldn't ignore it. Plus, Bianca was a cherished daughter of the Johnson family, not someone to be casually dismissed.
Kade couldn't afford to offend them and replied diplomatically, "Of course, we need to confirm the pregnancy first. Once that's done, our families can sit down and discuss. What do you think, Eli?"
In other words, if Bianca was pregnant with James's child, they would discuss marriage.
"Absolutely. So, the first step is for Bianca to go to the hospital for a proper check-up. James, you'll need to accompany her. She's not fond of hospitals and might be more cooperative with you there."
Eli made his request.
At this point, James couldn't refuse and reluctantly agreed.
So, shortly after Emily and Daniel left, James and the others hurriedly took Bianca to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Emily and Daniel were in a car together.
The atmosphere was strangely silent.
Emily hesitated, unsure whether to ask if he had come specifically to help her out of the situation.
But for some reason, she had a feeling that asking would change their relationship irreversibly.
So, Emily chose to remain silent.
The car felt inexplicably warm, making her heart race with nervousness.
"Did you really see that Bianca is pregnant, or did you just say that to stir things up?" Daniel suddenly asked.
Emily was taken aback.
She looked at Daniel with suspicion and curiosity.
He... was gossiping?
It felt oddly out of character.
But the answer wasn't hard to give. Despite trying to figure out his intentions, she answered honestly, "My medical skills might be better than you think. I did see that she's pregnant, and based on the timing, it should be James's."
Daniel raised an eyebrow at her words.
"Based on the timing? They betrayed you, and you even know the timing?"
As soon as he asked, the air grew tense.
Daniel realized discussing such a topic with a girl was inappropriate, almost like he was being a jerk.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you have a habit of peeping."
Daniel didn't notice how his explanation only made things weirder.
York, who was driving, almost swerved off the road. It was the first time he realized that even the usually composed and brilliant Daniel could act like a lovestruck teenager when it came to feelings.
He wanted to laugh but didn't dare to. He almost choked on his suppressed laughter.
Surprisingly, Emily didn't find Daniel's behavior inappropriate.
It seemed they were kindred spirits.
She understood his meaning instantly and didn't overthink it. Instead, she calmly replied, "I just wanted to know when the man who claimed to love me and put me first in everything started to rot, when he began to betray me in body and mind."
Emily's face was calm, and her tone was even.
But Daniel could hear the underlying sadness, and it pained him like a needle to the heart.