Chapter 34
James lifted his eyelids and looked at Sophia walking in. His expression instantly darkened.
He really didn't want to see Sophia when he was in such a pathetic state.
After all, he had abandoned Emily to be with Sophia in the first place.
Now he'd been bitten like this by Emily - if word got out, it would be a complete joke.
"What are you doing here?" James's tone wasn't friendly, even carrying a hint of irritation at being disturbed.
Sophia seemed oblivious to his coldness. With a perfectly vulnerable smile on her face, she carefully walked to the bedside carrying a thermos and said softly, "I heard you were hurt, and I was so worried, so I made your favorite soup and brought it over. James, is your hand okay?"
As she spoke, her eyes fell on James's wrist wrapped in thick bandages. A flash of suspicion quickly passed through them, then was replaced by deep concern.
James snorted coldly and didn't answer her question, just turned his head to look out the window. "It's just a small wound, nothing serious. Just put the soup down and leave. I want to be alone."
Sophia's hand holding the soup paused, a trace of hurt flashing in her eyes, but she quickly covered it up.
She placed the thermos on the bedside table but didn't leave. Instead, she sat down on the chair next to the hospital bed, her voice low and soft like their intimate whispers. "James, I know you're in a bad mood. But what's this all about?"
Faced with her probing question, impatience flashed across James's face. "You don't need to know about my business. It was just an accident."
He deliberately emphasized the word "accident," which only made Sophia more suspicious.
However, in front of James, she always played her part well, not showing any slip-ups.
"Since it was an accident, you should be more careful from now on. "
No matter what James said, Sophia maintained her gentle and soft-spoken manner.
And this attitude gradually calmed James down.
"By the way, Emily hasn't been causing trouble for you lately, has she?" After the atmosphere between them eased, Sophia casually brought up Emily.
She originally didn't want James and Emily to have any more connection.
But now Brian was watching her, forbidding her from making any more moves against Emily. Yet Sophia couldn't stand seeing her comfortable, so she wanted to use James to deal with Emily.
At the mention of Emily, James's expression instantly became even uglier, the gloom in his eyes almost overflowing.
His reaction naturally aroused Sophia's suspicion.
Sophia frowned, her eyes showing some confusion. "Did she do something?"
Since the conversation had reached this point, James naturally had no intention of hiding anything for Emily, though he cleverly changed his version of events.
"I ran into her by chance today and wanted to persuade her to sign her parents' divorce papers. But I never expected that crazy woman would actually bite me!" His single sentence contained a huge amount of information, leaving Sophia stunned.
She hadn't expected that the wound on James's wrist was actually caused by Emily.
But Emily wasn't someone who disregarded appearances - why would she use such a method against James?
Could he have done something?
Sophia had her doubts, but didn't show it on her face.
"How could she treat you like this? No matter what..." Sophia trailed off, her tone carrying just the right amount of shock.
"James, no matter what, she is my sister. Although what Emily did was really irrational, please don't dirty your own hands because of her."
Hearing these words, James felt that Sophia was becoming more and more understanding and sympathetic. Compared to that crude woman, Emily, they were worlds apart.
If it weren't for Emily's good looks...
James barely suppressed his wandering thoughts, sneering, his eyes contemptuous. "Sophia, you're just too soft-hearted. Do you think she'll be grateful just because you're good to her? Her mother is a bitch - how good can the daughter she gave birth to be?"
Hearing James insult Emily and Amelia, Sophia felt a surge of satisfaction.
She didn't want to say anything nicer, but rather some suggestive remarks that gradually stirred up the dark thoughts in James's heart.
Meanwhile, Emily rode her electric scooter all the way home at breakneck speed.
As soon as she entered, without even taking off her shoes, she anxiously called into the house, "Nina, Oscar, I'm home!"
Immediately, the sound of small footsteps came from inside, and two little ones ran out from the living room.
"Mommy!"
Nina enthusiastically greeted Emily, while Aiden, a step behind, keenly noticed something was wrong with Emily.
"Mommy, what's wrong? Your face is so pale."
Hearing this, Nina also quickly examined Emily, worry appearing on her small face. "Mommy, are you okay? Should we go to the hospital now?"
Emily shook her head and crouched down to tightly hug Aiden and Nina.
Feeling their warm body temperature, the heart that had been in her throat finally slowly settled down.
Thank goodness, they were fine.
That bastard James was just trying to scare her.
"I'm fine, just a bit tired from work today." Emily forced a smile, smoothed the children's hair, and carefully checked them for any injuries.
"Did any strangers come to the house today? Or did you receive anything strange?"
Nina shook her head, her big eyes full of innocence. "No."
Aiden thought about it and also nodded, adding, "Everything was normal. Mommy, did someone bully you?"
Emily's heart ached - this child was too sensitive.
She touched Aiden's little head and said softly, "No, I just met an unreasonable client outside. Okay, let's not talk about this. I'm going to make dinner for you."
With that, she got up and went into the kitchen, her body swaying slightly.
During dinner, Emily was distracted, constantly replaying James's words in her mind.
"Two bastards..."
"Regular kindergarten..."
"As long as you stay with me for a month..."
Those vicious words pierced her heart like needles.
Emily knew very well that James was a bastard who would do what he said.
If he really caused trouble at Funshine Preschool, with her current capabilities, she had no way to fight back.
But to stay with James for a month?
She'd rather die!