Chapter 24

"Sis, I messed up.I'm really sorry."

The sound of Veda slapping herself echoed through the room, leaving everyone in shock.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "I don't have a sister."

Veda gritted her teeth, slapped herself again, and said, "Ms. Johnson,I'm sorry.I was wrong."

John looked at Veda with concern. "Veda! You don't have to do this."

John's eyes were filled with worry, but a slight movement caused a sharp pain in his arm. He gritted his teeth and glared at Emily.

"Emily, don't push it!"

Emily rolled her eyes. As she tidied up the design drafts on the table,she glanced at them indifferently. "Veda chose to slap herself as an apology.Am I being too harsh? John, did I say anything wrong?"

John took a deep breath, feeling that the current Emily was like a cactus.She wouldn't have cared about these things before.

Outside the Golden Birch Group building, Ryan saw Emily and smiled,leading her straight to the office.

Veda's two assistants met her in the corridor outside,instinctively wanting to hand the design drafts to Emnily.

"Ms. Johnson, these are the design drafts Veda stayed up all night to draw.Please take them in for Mr. Smith to see."

Even though Veda didn't negotiate with James, if he chose her design drafts, the credit would still go to Veda.

To their surprise, Emily just glanced coldly and said, "No need."

After entering the office, Emily didn't see James right away. She looked at Ryan, confusion written all over her face, but he was already stepping out and closing the door behind him.

At that moment, Emily heard some sounds. It turned out there was a hidden door in James's office.

James came out adjusting his tie. The interior decoration style inside was exactly the same as Crystal Valley Manor.

With his tie half done, James walked up to Emily and sneered. "Running away so fast. Are you that irresponsible?"

Emily reached out to fix his messy tie.

Her fingertips brushed the bite mark on James's neck, her eyes slightly deep, and she chuckled, "You didn't seem to lose out either."

Last night was wild, and she still felt a bit sore. She walked into the hidden room to take a look, which was really exactly the same as Crystal Valley Manor.

Emily raised an eyebrow and joked, "Mr. Smith, do you really like Crystal Valley Manor that much?"

Crystal Valley Manor was decorated entirely according to her preferences.

At this moment, Emily saw James holding a tube of ointment in his hand.He walked towards Emily, embraced her from behind, his fingertips

wandering on her waist, gently lifting her skirt.

Emily frowned and directly pressed James's hand. "I came here today to discuss business with you, not to flirt."

"I applied ointment for you last night, and you need to do it again today."

Emily took the ointment from James's hand, pursed her lips, and said unpleasantly, "Who was the one who didn't show any restraint last night?"

James proudly crossed his arms, laughing recklessly. "Who was so proactive last night?"

Emily took a deep breath and went to the bathroom to apply the ointment.

It did feel more comfortable, and she discussed the issue of the drafts with James after coming out.

James had high demands for the design drafts, pointing out a few details.Emily planned to leave and make the revisions, but James directly handed her a laptop. "Make the revisions right here in my office, and I'll review them directly."

Thinking she might run into John and Veda back at the company, Emily figured it was more peaceful to stay with James, so she agreed.

Since people kept coming in to deliver files to James, Emily hesitated for a moment but eventually went to the hidden room.

Soon, Emily heard voices outside; James was being interviewed by reporters.

Then her phone buzzed with a live broadcast notification. Emily opened the page, and the flood of comments on the screen left her utterly helpless.

[Oh my god! No one told me Mr. Smith was so handsome! He's definitely my type!]

[I need all the info on this guy.]

[Oh my god! Is he married? I want to marry him!]

The number of viewers in the live stream skyrocketed fom just a few thousand to over a million in just five minutes, and it was still climbing.Emily couldn't help but think these viewers were really just there for James's looks.

In high definition, James's face was flawless.

Initially, the questions were about economics and business. After listening to James's insights for a while, Emily couldn't help but admire him. He truly deserved to be the CEO of the Golden Birch Group.

After all the business questions were asked, a bold journalist asked, "Mr.Smith,do you have a family or a girlfriend?"

James thought for a moment and said, "Neither."

Emily raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling that drawing design drafts was pointless. She lay on the bed, waiting for the next question.

Over the years, the only woman around James had been her, but Emily was indeed not his girlfriend. They weren't even lovers.

Seeing that James didn't reject the question, the journalist got bolder. "So,Mr. Smith, what kind of girl do you like?"

He seemed-to be thinking seriously, contemplating his words. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but he quickly suppressed it and said,"I

like girls who cry easily and are afraid of the dark."

Emily's heart fluttered. So James did have a girl he liked.

She had never thought that James would like her. In the years they had been together, she had never cried outside of the bed, nor had she ever been afraid of the dark.

It seemed that being with her was just for the fun of being taken care of.

[So Mr. Smith likes the type of girl who is weak and vulnerable?]

[I'm a crybaby, and I'm afraid of the dark too. Please protect me,Mr.Smith.]

[Are you guys stupid? It's just that the girl he likes happens to cry and is afraid of the dark.]

[Being liked by Mr. Smith must be very happy.]

The journalist continued, "Is Mr. Smith currently pursuing her?”

James casually replied, "There are people who like herlining up from Emerald City to the other side of the world, and I'm just one of those waiting my turn overseas."

Everyone was curious about how outstanding the girl was. As the journalist was about to ask more questions, James glanced at the time and calmly said, "Time's up."

Immediately after, Ryan came in to escort the reporters out. For the viewers, the last five minutes of the one-hour live broadcast were the most exciting.

Emily thought the girl James liked must be a top socialite in the circle.

After all. when it came to that girl. James's eyes were clearly overly gentle.