Chapter 24 The Scene of Meeting Again, Too Awkward
Emily had barely stepped through her front door when her phone rang again. It was Eli.
"Emily, what did you do to Byron? He's in a lot of pain, but the hospital can't find anything wrong. You need to come back and fix this."
The Reyes family had come knocking sooner than she expected.
Still, she couldn't believe Eli wouldn't use the situation to his advantage, knowing the Reyes family would be willing to lower their guard for Byron.
But whatever benefits he managed to squeeze out of the situation were none of her concern.
He remained as arrogant as ever in front of her.
"I told you, I'm not the one who'll regret this!"
Emily hung up the phone and immediately blocked Eli's number.
To avoid any calls from other members of the Johnson family, she blocked them all as well.
Afterward, she hacked into Eli's phone to check his recent contacts related to the orphanage.
Eli probably thought she didn't have the skills to do this, so he hadn't hidden his communications with the orphanage. She quickly confirmed where the child was staying.
She called the orphanage, posing as Eli, and soon got basic information about the child.
After a good night's rest, Emily went straight to the orphanage the next day.
When the director brought out Elijah's grandson, Emily's heart skipped a beat at the sight of his face, which bore a resemblance to someone she once knew. Her eyes welled up.
The child was said to be six years old but looked more like four or five, and he was noticeably underweight with some bruises on his body.
Emily knew that in such an environment, he was likely bullied by other children.
"Liam, how would you like to come with me?" Emily had already decided to adopt Liam, so she gently asked for his thoughts.
She had been nearly thirteen when the Johnson family found her.
Elijah had passed away shortly after she returned to the Johnson Villa, and Liam had come into his life not long before. After Elijah's death, Liam had to be sent to the orphanage.
The director explained that due to Liam's illness, almost no one wanted to adopt him.
The director looked at Emily with concern. "It's good for Liam if you want to adopt him, but you're only eighteen, which doesn't meet the legal requirements. Maybe you could persuade your family to help with the paperwork."
The director was a kind person and wanted Liam to find a loving home.
Seeing Emily's expression when she looked at Liam, he believed Liam wouldn't suffer if he went with her.
Emily frowned.
Asking Eli and Cleo for help was out of the question.
Even if they were willing, she couldn't risk it.
Liam would become a bargaining chip for them.
But...
Seeing the hopeful look in Liam's eyes, Emily couldn't ignore Elijah's descendant.
She repaid kindness with kindness and returned malice with double the force.
"Director, how about this? I'll go back and find a way to get the necessary paperwork. In the meantime, if anyone else wants to adopt Liam, could you give me a call first?"
Emily feared Eli might try to sabotage her efforts. As the chairman of the Johnson Group, he had considerable influence, and she worried the director might not withstand the pressure.
The director, seeing Emily's genuine desire to adopt Liam, nodded. "Alright."
Emily pulled Liam closer and gave him a quick check-up, her brow furrowing.
She knew Liam was in poor health, but it was worse than she expected. The director said he was on medication, but it clearly wasn't effective. He might look fine now, but internally, things were deteriorating.
Emily decided to leave the orphanage to get the right medicine for Liam, making it into pills for him to take daily.
When she said goodbye to Liam, he suddenly grabbed her clothes.
"Liam, be good. I don't want to leave you either, but I need to get the paperwork done to adopt you. Can you wait for me a few days?" Emily said patiently.
Liam nodded, then shook his head.
Emily frowned. "You nodded to agree, right? So why are you shaking your head?"
She realized he hadn't spoken the entire time.
During her check-up, she hadn't found any issues with his throat. Could it be psychological?
Emily's thoughts grew more complicated.
Liam, seeming anxious, tugged her towards the backyard.
There, he brought out a trembling, emaciated puppy.
He looked at her with pleading eyes.
At the same time, the puppy looked at Emily with the same pitiful eyes.
Emily's heart softened. They reminded her of herself back then.
"Do you want me to take care of the puppy?" she asked.
Liam nodded immediately.
So Emily left the orphanage with a puppy in her arms.
The puppy seemed to sense Emily's kindness and stopped trembling.
Back at Serenity Grove, she set the puppy down at the door.
She remembered hearing that a new dog should be taught to recognize its home and not wander off or make a mess. It was a bit superstitious, but given her second chance at life, she decided to follow it.
She picked a leaf from the ground, held the puppy, and symbolically wiped its bottom with the leaf.
It was at this moment that Daniel arrived.
Hearing a cough, she looked up and found herself staring into a pair of deep eyes.
Those deep eyes, like whirlpools, could easily draw someone in.
"Mr. Smith, what a coincidence! You look well. The medicine..." She almost mentioned the medicine, but caught herself. She wasn't wearing her mask, so he only knew her as the person he met at the hospital.
She almost gave herself away.
Daniel knew what she was about to say but didn't call her out.
He had been thinking about how to make up for the trouble he caused, and somehow ended up here.
But Emily's current situation...
"Yes, thanks to your help, I'm recovering well!" Daniel said, hiding a smile behind his hand.
Emily noticed his restrained amusement, which made her feel less awkward.
Though his presence was hard to ignore, she felt more at ease than their first meeting.
"Mr. Smith, if you haven't had a dog before, you might not know. This is a special method to make the dog obedient and protective!" she said, quickly wiping the puppy's bottom before picking it up to go inside.
Thinking about Daniel at the door, she hesitated before inviting him in. "Mr. Smith, would you like to come in for a bit?"
Daniel frowned.
Was she this trusting with strangers?
Knowing she had just moved in and had no staff, he thought it might not be appropriate to go in.
Seeing she wasn't affected by the Johnson family matters, he felt reassured. "No, thank you. I'll visit another time."
Emily assumed he was being polite and didn't insist.
She took the puppy inside and ordered a dog bed and food online.
After finishing, she called Aaron. "I need to pick up some medicine. Can you prepare these ingredients for me?"
"Sure!"
With everything arranged, she drove to the pharmacy.
When she arrived, she saw a crowd gathered at the entrance.
Emily frowned and hurried over, hearing the people talking animatedly.