Chapter 16: I Agree to Everything

Emma thought James would consider it for a moment, but to her surprise, he answered right away.

"I agree." His tone was flat and casual as if he was talking about the weather.

Even Emma, who was usually composed, was a bit dumbfounded by his reaction. "You're not going to think about it?"

James shrugged. "No need to think about it. Let me take you back to the hotel to rest."

He opened the car door as if he didn't take her one-year condition seriously at all.

Seeing his indifferent attitude, Emma couldn't help but curl her lips. She thought, ‘This playboy is really carefree. Well, it is better that he doesn’t take it seriously.’

Emma said, "Thank you."

Once in the car, James was still out of tune. He drove fast, even checking his messages while waiting at traffic lights.

If it weren't for his decent driving skills, Emma would have felt like jumping out of the car.

‘He probably learned such driving skills from his group of friends.’ Emma thought to herself.

After arriving at the hotel, James didn't stay long and left quickly.

Emma was also happy to be left alone. She hoped James would leave sooner, so he wouldn't do anything impulsive again.

Late at night, Emma received a message from Linda, saying that Zoe had left the country overnight, and Austin was still being investigated by the police.

Linda: [Right now, Smith family members are blocked at the hotel entrance, almost in tears. They probably still want you to marry in place of Zoe, because they bought her plane ticket to leave.]

This was a bit unexpected for Emma.

Emma: [They can't get in?]

Linda: [Yes, Mr. Anderson ordered not to let them in. And there's something funny. The Smith family also went to the Anderson family, saying that James locked you up, but they didn't care at all. They are very indulgent towards James. Even if you marry into the Anderson family, they won't bully you.]

Emma was in a good mood. James didn't directly tell her family that she agreed to marry him, so the Smith family thought there would be no one to marry James tomorrow.

The Smith family surely wouldn’t dare to stand up to the Anderson family at the wedding. They would definitely come to talk to her about the conditions.

But the Smith family still used a risky strategy, unwilling to let Zoe marry. They just wanted to use her.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Emma thought it was the Smith family trying to sneak in, but it turned out to be a hotel waiter. "Madam, this is prepared by Mr. Anderson for you, milk pudding. He wants you to drink it and have a good sleep."

Emma knew it was sent by James.

Her lips twitched slightly. "What is James doing?"

The waiter respectfully bowed his head. "I don't know. Mr. Anderson left in a hurry after making this."

Emma was shocked. She couldn't help but open the lid of the bowl. Instead of the dark and sticky mess she imagined, the food smelt rich and thick. It looked very delicious.

She asked, "Does he often do this?"

The waiter shook his head. "I don't know. This is the first time Mr. Anderson has made it in the hotel."

Emma thought, ‘It makes sense. James is becoming more and more unpredictable. First, he gave me money, then he wanted to marry me. He even kissed my face which I purposely made ugly. Now he even…’

Emma shook her head abruptly, throwing away all the thoughts in her mind. Anyway, she would divorce him in a year.

When the time came, she would tell her stubborn master that they were not compatible, and her master wouldn't be able to blame her.

Emma even checked for poison specifically and found that the food was indeed safe. She slowly ate it, surprised by how delicious it was.

After enjoying the food, Emma finally left the hotel.

The Smith family was still here. As soon as they saw Emma, Joey immediately came up and grabbed her hand. "Emma, come with me."

"Emma, in the end, you are the best. Since Zoe has gone abroad, tomorrow only you can get married. It's pitiful that you have just returned and haven't enjoyed the family's love yet, and now you have to enter into a commercial marriage. James’s family background is acceptable, but his character is not good. Mom can understand if you don't want to marry. But our family is not considered prominent in Gontan. We really can't afford to offend the Anderson family. Can you just get married?" Kayla cried like a tearful person, wiping her tears with a handkerchief all along.

If not for the calculation and guilt in her eyes, Emma really thought she treated herself as her biological daughter.

It was already late now, but there were many people passing by the hotel, stopping to watch.

Moreover, those who could afford to stay at the Imperial Hotel were not ordinary people.

Originally, upon hearing that James was mentioned, everyone instinctively showed a trace of disdain. However, when they saw Emma's face, they couldn't help rolling their eyes.

A person said, "With your looks, you still want to marry into a wealthy family? It's your fortune that Mr. James fancies you!"

Another person said, "Don't be too greedy in life. If it weren't for the marriage contract between the Smith family and the Anderson family, do you think you could enter the Anderson family?"

Someone else said, "This is hilarious. Tomorrow's headline will be Mr. James Anderson being rejected by an ugly girl."

Someone said, "But how come I heard that it was originally Zoe who had the engagement with Mr. James? By the sound of it, Zoe has gone abroad?"

Another person replied, "Zoe has a high education, good looks, and even better temper. She is considered the best candidate for wife in the high circles of Gontan. How could she be willing to marry Mr. James? It's only this ugly duckling who can climb up to Mr. James by taking advantage of the Smith family's influence. It's really ungrateful to even reject it."

A person said, "This ugly duckling should just remain a lower-class person in the village for the rest of her life."

"Emma, Mom has never looked down on you. Marrying into the Smith family is far more beneficial than harmful for you. Can you reconsider it? I am begging you." Kayla still showed a look of guilt, but there was a strong sense of sarcasm and coercion in her eyes as she was about to kneel down.

Joey, seeing this, quickly added, "Emma, Dad is also begging you. The Smith family cannot afford to lose this marriage contract."

If Emma were an ordinary person, she might have been intimidated. However, Joey and Karla were about to kneel down, but Emma remained unmoved.

A flash of anger crossed Joey's eyes, but Kayla reacted quickly and hurriedly pulled Joey up. "Honey, you are the head of the family. How can you kneel to our daughter? Let me, as her mother, handle this."

Joey glared at Emma. "As a daughter, do you really have the audacity to let your mother kneel down?"

The opinions of the bystanders towards Emma grew more negative, with many pointing and whispering.

Emma crossed her arms, sneering. "So this is moral coercion, right? Did I ask you to kneel down? You insisted on it yourselves and then tried to save face by claiming that you were forced to kneel. In the end, you didn't even kneel down, but the guilt is all on me. Seems like no matter what I do, I'm wrong, right? If you have the guts, then just kneel down, and give everyone a reason to scold me."

The crowd fell silent for a moment. They hadn't expected a girl from the mountains to be so sharp-tongued.

No wonder she forced the Smith family to cause a scene at the hotel entrance.

Joey and Karla's faces were particularly unsightly. Kayla made up her mind, gritted her teeth, and said, "Fine, as an elder, I'll kneel down for you!"

As she spoke, she really was about to kneel down, her eyes barely concealing her humiliation.