Chapter 32

Nora let out an angry laugh, her words dripping with sarcasm. "Emily, I always thought you were some high-society princess, but turns out you crawled up from the gutter. Everything about you is fake. How many beds have you warmed to get here?"

Emily's eyebrows shot up, a cold glint in her eyes. She could handle the jabs at her background, but that last comment? No way.

Emily was only here for the evidence Nora had. Otherwise, she wouldn't waste a second on her.

Emily clicked her tongue, a playful glint in her eyes. "You've got one minute. Hand it over, or you'll be blacklisted from the entire design industry."

Nora snapped back, "Don't you dare threaten me!"

Emily raised an eyebrow, texted on her phone, and then set it down with a smirk.

Nora felt a chil run down her spine under Emily's gaze. A minute later,her phone rang. It was HR from Luminous Studio, telling her not to bother showing up tomorrow.

Nora was stunned. "Why? I already got the offer, didn't I?"

"Think about who you've pissed off. Management's decision, not mine,"the HR rep said before hanging up.

Nora was in shock, her eyes wide. She yelled, "Emily! What did you do to my job offer?"

Emily's smile wasicy. "You should've listened to me."

Nora didn't want to back down. She straightened up and said,"Losing this job is nothing. Plenty ofcompanies want me as a designer."

Emily gave her a knowing look. "You're blacklisted now. Good luck finding another job."

Nora didn't believe it, but a knot of fear tightened in her chest.

She quickly called her industry contacts, but every response was a no.

Some even said, "We don't hire plagiarists."

Her hand shook as she held the phone. She was really blacklisted. But how did Emily have this kind of power?

Nora glared at her. "Who did you sleep with to get this kind of influence?"

Emily's expression darkened. "Do women always have to rely on men to succeed? Is it so hard to admit that I'm just good at what I do?"

Emily stirred her coffee. "So,ready to confess?"

Nora took a deep breath, still on the fence.

Just then, a clear voice cut through the tension. "Emily, stop wasting your time on her."

James walked up behind Emily, draping his coat over her shoulders.

Emily was only wearing a thin shirt, and Celestial Cuisine was pretty chilly,so she appreciated the warmth.

James sat down next to Emily,pulling her close.

Emily adjusted his coat, genuinely surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to celebrate Eric's birthday. Didn't expect to see you here," James replied.

Emily smiled. "I haven't had the gold leaf chocolate pudding here in ages.Want to try somelater?"

As she spoke, the waiter brought over the dessert. Emily scooped up a spoonful and fed it to James.

James wasn't really into sweets, but since Emily offered,he took a bite.

Emily watched him and smiled. "Not bad, huh?"

James nodded.

Nora was stunned. When James glanced her way, his gentle look turned icy,making her go pale.

No wonder Emily could blacklist her. If James was involved, it made sense.

But how did Emily be so close James? He was a big deal! And the way they acted around each other, it was clear they weren't strangers before their cooperation.

Nora suddenly felt trapped, regretting her past actions.

She clenched her hands, too scared to show any hatred in front of James,and pleaded, "Mr. Smíth, please, have mercy. It was Veda who gaveme the info. I can show you our chat logs."

Nora quickly pulled up her phone, showing Emily the messages and files from Veda.

She bit her lip. "I was just her pawn."

Nora knew the consequences of crossing James. He had a reputation in North Starry Capital for being ruthless to enemies. Those who crossed him never fared well.

Emily said calmly, "Claiming you were just being used as a pawn won't save you now. You have three days to leave Emerald City. If I see you again,you won't survive!"

With James there, Nora didn't dare argue and just nodded.

After Nora left, Emily leaned on James's shoulder. "Mr. Smith, you showed up at the perfect time. Can I call this using your influence?"

James raised an eyebrow. "Are you using my influence?"

He ruffled her hair. "Doesn't seem like it. How did you manage to blacklist her?"

"She got caught plagiarizing. Designers hate that. I just spread the word,and it took off."

Emily looked at James, who seemed to see through everything,and quickly looked away.

In truth, James didn't know everything. He had his ways, but he couldn't interfere with the affairs of other companies.

Emily was genuinely there to enjoy a meal, not just for the confrontation,and she went all out with her orders-a real feast on the table.

James ate with her for a bit and then said, "Since you used my influence,can I ask you a favor?"

He reached out andI gently wiped an oil stain from the corner of Emily's mouth.

Emily blinked. "What?"

"It's Eric's birthday, and everyone's bringing their partners.I can't go alone.Come with me."

For these high-society guys, having a woman by their side was like having a luxury watch or car, just like women with their dresses and jewelry.

Emily looked at her clothes. "Can I go dressed like this?"

James touched her face. "You look good in anything."

Emily couldn't say no and simply said, "I don't usually go to birthday

parties. If I mess up, it's on you."

James smiled. "If you mess up,I'll be there to fix it."