Chapter 160 Secret Jealousy
"Ms. Johnson is pretty chill and laid-back, didn’t ask for anything special."
York paused for a moment, then brought up Terry. "There's a young guy at Ms. Johnson's place, about her age, good-looking. He seems really close to Ms. Johnson, almost like her assistant."
"Alright."
Daniel seemed calm.
But his grip on the newspaper tightened, nearly tearing it apart.
Just when York thought Daniel wouldn’t care, he spoke again.
"Have someone check out this Terry guy. Make sure no one with bad intentions gets near Emily."
"Got it, I’ll get on it right away!"
Daniel's eyes returned to the newspaper.
But even after a while, he hadn’t turned the page.
His mind was somewhere else.
Until Emily’s call snapped him back to reality.
He didn’t keep Emily waiting, answering her call immediately.
"Daniel, I’m ready. Are you heading out? Should we go?" Emily’s cheerful voice came through the phone.
"Yeah, wait for me at home. I’ll come pick you up."
Daniel’s voice was deep and soothing, like he was commenting on the nice weather.
It was comforting to hear.
"Okay!"
Emily responded naturally.
Even though she was just next door, and he wouldn’t even need to get out of the car, Daniel went straight inside when he arrived at Emily’s place.
York had initially thought he would be the one to invite Emily out.
But watching Daniel’s back, he suddenly had a realization.
Daniel probably wanted to meet Terry.
Unfortunately, Terry had already left.
Daniel’s brows furrowed slightly but quickly relaxed when Emily looked over.
As they sat in the car, Daniel casually asked, "I heard from York that your assistant came over. Why didn’t I see him? Did our plans today mess up your meeting?"
Emily didn’t catch Daniel’s subtle probing and replied with a smile, "No, he just left his previous job and came over to vent."
"Does he need any help? What’s his profession? My company is hiring."
This wasn’t Daniel being generous.
If the guy had any designs on Emily, it would be easier to keep an eye on him.
And if he was just Emily’s assistant and close to her, it would help Daniel understand more about Emily’s life.
"Thanks for the offer, but it’s not necessary. I recently started a company, and he’s the general manager."
Emily responded naturally.
Daniel’s fingers clenched, suppressing the jealousy that surged within him.
She started a company for Terry. She really values him!
What kind of skills does Terry have to make Emily see him in such a favorable light?
Daniel fell silent, but he had already decided to investigate Terry thoroughly.
Meanwhile, Terry couldn’t help but sneeze.
His team immediately rushed to bring him cold medicine, tissues, and comfort.
Even though the team’s progress was still faster than Aiden’s company, it wasn’t as good as when Terry was around.
This time, they had to keep Terry’s team together.
"Alright, alright, I’m fine! It’s probably just Ronnie cursing me behind my back."
Terry waved his hand, stopping the others from fussing over him.
Ronnie had no idea he was being blamed for something he didn’t do.
Back to Daniel.
Half an hour later, the car stopped at the Smith Villa.
This was the ancestral home of the Smith family, the foundation of the entire clan.
The car drove straight into the villa and came to a stop.
The butler immediately stepped out to personally open the car door and welcome them.
Surprisingly, Daniel didn't get out right away. Instead, he walked around to the other side of the car and extended his hand.
Soon, a delicate, jade-like hand was placed in Daniel's palm.
A young woman dressed in a fresh and bright outfit stepped out of the car.
"This is my girlfriend. You can call her Ms. Johnson."
"Yes, Ms. Johnson, welcome. Please come inside."
The butler, being from a prestigious family, remained calm despite his surprise. Daniel, who had never been close to any woman, had brought his girlfriend home. He greeted them respectfully and led them towards the hall with politeness.
Daniel hadn't told Emily that today was the annual family dinner.
In the past, when Emily was engaged to James, the Smith family didn't accept her, especially with Yara's influence, so Emily never attended.
Later, as Emily's reputation worsened, James' family was even less likely to bring her to such gatherings.
Since Daniel arrived at the Smith Villa, everyone seemed to be chatting, but their attention was on him. The news of him bringing his "girlfriend" spread quickly.
Many had already craned their necks to catch a glimpse multiple times.
As they entered the hall, except for the former patriarch Kai and Daniel's grandfather Mason, everyone else, even Daniel's elders, stood up respectfully.
Because Daniel wasn't just the heir to the Smith Group, he was the next patriarch.
Everyone had to show respect since their access to resources and fairness depended on Daniel's word.
"Grandpa, Patriarch!"
Daniel led Emily straight to the two elderly men.
Emily felt all sorts of gazes—scrutiny, jealousy, curiosity, disdain—falling on her.
She needed to play along with Daniel, not as a perfect future wife, but someone more carefree. That way, the troublemakers would reveal themselves.
While Emily's thoughts wandered, Daniel suddenly squeezed her hand gently.
"Grandpa, Patriarch, this is my girlfriend Emily."
"No way! Emily is a loose woman, totally unworthy!"
When someone can't have something, they often try to degrade it first, hoping it devalues enough for them to swoop in like a savior.
As soon as Daniel acknowledged Emily's status, a few latecomers entered the hall and heard this remark.
The latecomers were James and his family. Upon hearing this, James snapped and shouted uncontrollably.
Mason frowned, and Kai looked displeased at James.
"James, what nonsense are you spouting? Drank too much last night and still not sober? Apologize to Daniel, his grandpa, and the patriarch immediately."
Kade almost smacked James in anger.
James was getting dumber by the day, not realizing where they were and what Daniel's status meant, daring to act so brazenly.
Kade quickly put on a smile and tried to explain.
As Daniel's elder and in front of so many clan members, he was sure Daniel would smooth over the situation for the sake of harmony.
James had never seen Kade act this way before. He lowered his head, hiding his resentment.
Before he bit through his lip, he bowed his head, "Daniel, I'm sorry!"
Daniel didn't even lower his eyelids, his presence commanding respect, "The person you should apologize to isn't me!"