Chapter 32 Her Youthful Eyes, Dead in the Past
"What?" Violette exclaimed, caught off guard.
She'd only heard that Emily had been mistreated at the Johnson Villa and had moved out. She had no clue about the broken engagement.
James hadn't reached out to Emily in the past few days. The Smith family had been dealing with some chaos, keeping him occupied. Plus, he figured giving Emily some space might make her realize her mistake and apologize.
Instead of a call from Emily, he got one from Bianca.
"James, sorry to bother you. Has Emily been with you these past few days?" Bianca's voice was shaky, like she'd been crying.
Mentioning Emily made James's face harden. But hearing Bianca's distress softened his expression with concern.
"What did she do now? And Bianca, what's wrong? Did someone hurt you? Was it Emily?" James immediately assumed Emily was causing trouble. Why else would sweet, gentle Bianca be upset?
Bianca quickly denied it. "No, James, Emily didn't hurt me. I'm worried about her. She seems to have a big misunderstanding about me. Because of me, she broke Hayden's leg and had a falling out with her dad. She stormed off, and I don't know where she went. I thought she might have come to you."
James's expression shifted.
If Emily had run away, she might have gone to their old house full of memories. But that house had burned down. Where could she be?
A girl out alone at night!
The thought made James's face darken.
He didn't mention that Emily hadn't contacted him, but his voice was clearly displeased. "I can't believe she hurt Hayden. How has she become so reckless?"
Honestly, James found it hard to believe Emily would do such a thing. He knew how much she cared about the Johnson family. She'd never really experienced family love growing up and longed for it deeply.
Seeing James defend Emily, a cold glint flashed in Bianca's eyes. It seemed James still had feelings for Emily.
She quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to badmouth Emily. If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it either. Maybe it's my fault.
"This afternoon, she said she knew medicine and started treating people outside. I was worried she might get into trouble and tried to advise her. She misunderstood me and got very angry, taking it out on Hayden and the others."
"So, James, I want to ask for your help. Could you persuade Emily not to be angry with the family? If she dislikes me, I'm willing to stay away from the house, as long as she's willing to apologize to her parents and return to the Johnson Villa. I don't mind."
Bianca's retreat made James feel even more sympathetic.
"Bianca, it's not your fault. It's her being narrow-minded. You were only trying to help her. With her limited medical knowledge, treating people could be dangerous."
James didn't doubt Bianca's words at all. He even thought she was too kind. Emily was simply too immature. Learning a bit of medicine and daring to treat people.
"Don't worry, I'll talk to her and make her apologize to you and Hayden," James promised seriously.
Bianca was pleased with his response.
She continued, "James, can I ask one more thing? I want to go with you to find Emily. I don't know where she went after leaving the Johnson Villa. I'm really worried and want to help persuade her to come back."
"Alright, when I find her, I'll take you to help convince her to return home," James agreed after a moment's thought.
Bianca's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Good, I'll be waiting."
After checking on Bianca's condition, James hung up the phone and immediately dialed Emily's number.
Emily was in the study, organizing materials for her major transfer tomorrow. Without glancing at the caller ID, she answered the phone.
"Emily, where are you right now? A girl out at night, what kind of behavior is that? And Bianca was only worried you might harm someone with your limited medical skills. Instead of appreciating her concern, you blamed her and took it out on the Johnson family. You should know, the only reason you're engaged to me is because you're part of the Johnson family. Otherwise, with your past of scavenging for a living, you wouldn't be worthy of marrying me."
As soon as the call connected, James's angry voice hit her like a storm.
Once, she had been forced to scavenge to survive. He had only pitied her. Now, it had become his weapon to attack her. The James who once defended her had changed.
Emily responded coldly, "You're just listening to Bianca's side of the story, right? Since you believe her, don't come bothering me anymore."
"Emily!" James's face darkened. "You're being unreasonable. The engagement is a matter between our families, but if you continue like this, I'll tell my family to cut ties with the Johnson family. Then you won't have any way out."
She must know that the two families had joint projects and interests, which was why she dared to act so recklessly. Yes, that's it! So, even after returning the tokens of engagement, she wasn't worried.
"Those interests belong to the Johnson family, not me. And from the moment we returned the tokens, we have nothing to do with each other. Don't contact me again. We have no relationship."
James was living in his own world, unable to understand her words. Emily hung up the phone and blocked him, all in one swift motion.
James heard the busy tone. This was the umpteenth time she dared to hang up on him. She had never done this before! It seemed she was really angry this time. She hadn't mentioned her whereabouts!
James thought for a moment. If she was foolish enough to be easily deceived, he needed to look out for her. He decided to call her again.
The first time he dialed, he heard an automated message. He thought she was really on the phone. But after a while, he tried again and still heard the automated message. James realized she had blocked him!
Emily, you really have some nerve!
James's face darkened, his eyes filled with rage. He immediately called his assistant. "Find out where Emily is staying, right now!"
The assistant sensed the coldness in James's voice and responded quickly, "Yes, sir!"
After hanging up, the assistant began arranging the investigation. Meanwhile, Emily was unaware of the commotion, but it caught Daniel's attention.
"Mr. Smith, someone is investigating Ms. Johnson," Daniel's assistant Miguel Jimenez reported promptly. Especially since Emily's apartment had been sold through Daniel's connections, James's assistant's investigation triggered Daniel's defense system.
"Who?" Daniel's expression remained calm, but the atmosphere around him suddenly grew cold.
Miguel knew this was a sign of Daniel's anger. "It's James," Miguel answered truthfully.
Daniel's brows furrowed slightly, his voice icy. "Too idle. Give him something to do. Assign him to the resort project."
"Yes, sir," Miguel responded calmly. But inwardly, he was shaken. It wasn't that Daniel was generously giving James a project. That project was a good one if done well, but it had many pitfalls. If someone wasn't capable, they would suffer greatly.