Chapter 220: Is He Living Off a Woman?
"Zander, you coming with me or making your own plans? I'll wire the money to your account once we're back home," Emily asked, trying to keep it casual.
"I'll come with you. I'm worried the trip home might not be smooth," Zander replied, his tone serious.
It was indeed likely to be risky.
Orville had already been knocked out by Emily, but as she left the compound with Daniel, they could still run into reinforcements, suggesting Orville had backup.
So, even though she knew her official contacts were on their way, caution was still necessary.
"Alright, thanks for having our backs," Emily said.
Emily then took Hayden and headed back to the hotel with Zander's protection.
Leopard and Little Bird, like Zander, chose to join them.
This was voluntary.
Probably because when Emily was surrounded, she chose to let them escape first, disregarding her own safety. They felt Emily was someone worth trusting.
Emily didn't reject their goodwill this time.
She, Daniel, York, and Leopard shared one car.
Zander and Hayden were in the car behind them.
At first, everything went smoothly.
There were some minor dangers later, but their expert driving skills helped them dodge those. They were almost at the airport.
No one expected Emily's car to get into an accident.
The car was hit, and Emily's response was, "They hit us. We don't have time to argue, and it's possible they did it on purpose. Don't get out of the car. Just tell them we won’t pursue it and to clear the way."
"Got it!" York replied.
Just before leaving the hotel, Daniel had started to weaken again.
He directly ordered York, "From now on, follow Emily's instructions."
York had seen Emily's capabilities in the compound and had no doubts about her. He even had a hint of admiration for her.
To put it simply, they admired strength.
As long as you were strong, all opposition would disappear.
York lowered the window and conveyed Emily's message.
But the other party, whether out of extravagance or malice as Emily suspected, didn't clear the way.
They insisted, "Since it's our fault, we need compensation. And to ensure you won't fake injuries, you must go to the hospital for a checkup."
Even though York insisted it wasn't necessary, they wouldn't budge.
York was about to get out and argue, but Emily didn't want to waste time. "Let me handle this directly," she said.
York got out, and the other party thought he was just a driver, probably unable to make decisions, and started talking to him.
When Emily approached their car door, two young people stepped out.
One was a clean-cut young man with a naive yet arrogant look.
The other was James.
James blurted out, "Emily, what are you doing here?"
Emily frowned, genuinely surprised to see James.
She recalled that James had been sent abroad as a punishment by Daniel. Could he be in Zephyria?
She wasn't aware of any Smith Group projects here. But James was an enemy, not a friend. If he held a grudge against Daniel, exposing Daniel's weakened state could lead to endless trouble.
Emily suppressed her feelings towards James and spoke as gently as possible, "Just traveling. Didn't expect to see you here. Since we know each other, I'm in a hurry to catch a flight and might miss it. Let's forget about the accident compensation, could you ask your friend to let us pass?"
She thought James would let them go after hearing this.
Unexpectedly, the naive girl beside James asked, "Who is she? Is she your ex-girlfriend? You better not rekindle old flames. I won't agree. You're mine!"
The girl pouted, her tone carrying a hint of jealousy.
James quickly reassured her, "Lucy Kim, if you don't trust me, I might as well leave. I've told you before, I hate being doubted. She's like a sister to me. She came here alone, and as her brother, I should care for her, right?"
Lucy apologized immediately, "Sorry, James. I trust you. Your sister is my sister. Whatever care you want to give her, I'll support you and treat her well too."
Emily knew James was ambitious and could be manipulative to achieve his goals.
But she didn't expect him to deceive a girl like Lucy, who seemed to be from a well-protected family.
"Emily, why are you here? Did you come looking for me? Who are you with?" James asked, glancing at the car.
From his angle, he could see Leopard and a glimpse of Daniel's face.
The car's divider quickly rose, hiding Daniel's handsome face.
Just one look was enough for James to confirm it was a young, good-looking man.
He wondered if Emily was involved with him.
Thinking this, he tried to step closer to get a better look at Daniel.
He continued, "Emily, who are you with? Do I know them? If they're strangers, you should come with us. I'll take you home. I don't trust you with unfamiliar men."
Lucy, the naive girl, echoed James, "Emily, James is concerned for you. It's not safe for a pretty girl like you to be with strangers. Listen to him!"
Emily felt Lucy was foolish for being deceived.
If it were another time and place, she might have exposed James's true nature.
But she had no time now.
Ignoring Lucy, Emily lowered her voice and said to James, "I don't know if you're sincere with Lucy or not, but since you lied about me being your sister, you clearly don't want her to know we were engaged. So, stay out of my business. I have urgent matters and need to catch a flight. You have no right to interfere."
Her eyes were sharp, carrying a threat.
James was momentarily silenced by her forceful demeanor.
Emily had used the local Silverlight City dialect to speak with James.
If he didn't back off, she would translate everything to Lucy.
Finally, James stepped aside.
This meant he conceded.
Emily breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got back in the car.
Lucy didn't understand. James seemed concerned for Emily, but after a few words, he stopped. She reached out, wanting to say something.
James ignored Lucy and tried to see who was in the back seat.
Emily had anticipated this. She quickly got in and covered Daniel's face with her hands, ensuring James couldn't see him at all.