Chapter 165 He Moves Her with Little Details
"Hey!"
Emily hesitated for a moment before answering the call.
She thought it might be someone from the Johnson family, but she didn't expect a complete stranger.
"Hi, Ms. Johnson. I'm Raina. Are you free tomorrow? I'd like to meet and discuss something."
"Ms. Smith, we don't seem to know each other. What could you possibly need to discuss with me?"
Emily found this Raina to be a bit odd.
But she didn't agree right away. If Raina was an enemy, she didn't want to tip her off too soon.
So, questioning her like this was in line with the persona Emily had built within the Smith family.
Raina seemed genuinely gentle, without a hint of discomfort. She even laughed and replied, "It's natural for you to be cautious. But don't worry, I won't harm you. If I did, Daniel wouldn't let me off the hook. It's about Veda and the others. I'm doing this for your benefit, and I genuinely admire you, Ms. Johnson. I'd love to be friends with you. Would you be open to that?"
Her calm and measured tone made it easy to warm up to her.
Emily felt touched and responded, "Alright, just let me know the time and place. By the way, how did you get my number?"
Raina hadn't expected Emily to be so sharp.
She didn't panic, though, and apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry, I took the liberty. Knowing you were James' ex-fiancée, I figured he must have your number, so I asked him and tried calling you. Luckily, I got through."
Emily pretended to be annoyed, "In the future, I don't want anything involving James. If you want to be friends with me, understand?"
Raina quickly caught on, "You want to be friends with me? That's great! Don't worry, I understand."
Her joyful tone over the phone made it clear she was genuinely happy to be friends with Emily.
After setting the meeting for tomorrow, Raina hung up.
As Emily ended the call, Daniel had already placed the finished dishes on the table.
Next, Daniel began serving Emily.
Emily truly felt his sincere effort. He even removed the fish bones for her and gently placed the fish on her plate, "Go ahead, no bones. You don't have to worry about choking."
Emily's feelings were hard to describe.
She felt both aggrieved and moved.
She actually liked the taste of fish but had a bad experience when she was younger. At a family wedding, she ate fish too quickly and got a bone stuck in her throat.
Since then, she never dared to touch fish again.
Later, back at the Johnson Villa, she wanted to eat fish but didn't dare.
Everyone at home remembered what Bianca liked, but no one knew Emily's preferences.
Once, Bianca served her fish, and Emily not eating it was seen as an insult to Bianca, leading to a barrage of scolding.
At this moment, Emily pursed her lips and held back her tears.
He seemed to truly care about her and was trying to understand her.
Emily took a bite of the fish, and under Daniel's expectant gaze, she smiled with tears in her eyes, "It's delicious. I love it."
She felt very satisfied with this meal.
Daniel noticed she liked fish, and almost half of the fish ended up in her stomach. She indulged herself, letting him remove the bones for her, feeling very content.
"How's your health? I can give you another acupuncture session later."
Emily wanted to repay Daniel and considered using some of her energy to help him with acupuncture.
The closer Daniel got to her, the more he seemed to understand her true thoughts. He noticed her intention and said, "I've been feeling great after taking your medicine and the last acupuncture session. You've had a long day; let's skip it today and do it next time."
He didn't act superior in front of her and genuinely considered her feelings.
Emily felt that if this continued, she might truly fall for him.
But having experienced betrayal, she was always a bit timid about relationships.
In the end, Emily didn't insist and left.
On her way back, she couldn't help but think about Daniel, and even felt a fondness for his dogs.
"Cloudy, Biscuit, let's go for a walk. Are you excited?"
Emily didn't expect to run into Daniel outside.
"Why aren't you resting? Let me walk Cloudy and Biscuit for you."
Daniel explained, "I thought I'd walk off dinner and didn't expect to run into you."
He naturally took the leash from Emily's hand.
"It is quite the coincidence."
Emily smiled.
But she didn't really believe him. The villa was big enough to walk off dinner within its grounds.
Based on her understanding of Daniel, he wouldn't be so free to come out just to walk off dinner.
But strangely, knowing his reason, Emily didn't find him frightening.
They walked the dogs and chatted casually.
People who lived in this villa were either rich or influential, and naturally, some knew Daniel.
When they saw him, they greeted him.
Seeing the rumored single Daniel suddenly with a woman, and the two of them chatting happily, with Daniel looking at her with affection, was surprising.
They tactfully complimented, "Is this Mr. Smith's girlfriend? You two make a perfect couple!"
At such moments, Daniel didn't deny it, just changed the topic and continued walking with Emily.
His lack of denial was essentially an acknowledgment.
So, the news quickly spread within their circle.
Daniel bringing Emily to the Smith Villa was already an acknowledgment of her status.
But the Smith family had kept quiet, miraculously keeping the matter under wraps.
Those who had previously humiliated Emily were now silent, pondering how to earn Daniel's forgiveness.
Veda or Zoey saw the news in the group and called Veda.
"Veda, I heard Mr. Smith has a girlfriend. Is that true?"
Zoey's affection for Daniel was no secret.
Both families had considered a union, but Daniel, being powerful and independent, had always resisted, so the matter hadn't progressed.
Seeing Daniel getting older, Mason wanted to discuss his marriage during the family gathering.
As the true head of the Smith family, everyone hoped he would have a suitable marriage, strengthening the Smith family's position.
No one expected Daniel to suddenly bring Emily home.
"Zoey, how did you find out? I told everyone not to leak this information. Who's the traitor!"
Veda thought there might be a traitor among the Smith family's servants.
Although she was close to Zoey, she was selfish about her family's secrets. If Zoey had bribed the Smith family's servants, Veda would consider distancing herself from Zoey.
Zoey, trained as a family heir, knew better than to cross such lines. She hadn't done anything foolish.
"Just look at this!"
Zoey sent the photos of the two walking dogs in the same villa, which had driven her nearly mad when she saw them.
Veda saw the photos and immediately guessed they were living together.
"That woman is shameless and cunning. But apart from her looks, she has nothing. Do you think she can successfully marry Daniel?"
Veda spoke with confidence.