Chapter 33

The party was on the third floor of Celestial Cuisine.

James pushed open the door, and the smell of wine and flowers hit them.

Emily immediately caught a whiff of Cassia's signature perfume, which was way too fancy to be used as just a room fragrance.

The private room was huge, with people sipping wine, playing cards,and dancing. Everyone looked stunning, like they just stepped out of a magazine. There was a multi-layered cake on the table, with a piece already missing.

"Jim. you finally made it. I missed you so much."

Anais Allen rushed over to hug James, her voice light and cheerful. But when she noticed the woman around James, who had his coat on, her expression changed.

Her voice went up a notch. "Jim, who is this woman?"

James was the center of attention as soon as he walked in. The folks who had been with James at the Royal Venue recognized Emily, and now they all had knowing looks.

Anais wasn't the type to back down easily. But if this woman had something special with James, that was a different story.

Those who hadn't seen Emily before were wide-eyed.

James casually put his arm around Emily. "Let me introduce you to Emily Johnson, my girlfriend."

The room went silent. making his words even more striking.

Everyone was stunned. They all thought James would end up with Anais.Their families and backgrounds matched perfectly.

But Emily just popped up out of nowhere. For over twenty years,James had no woman by his side. Had he been waiting for Emily all this time?

Someone suddenly asked, "Mr. Smith, did you come here with your grandmother for her health because of Emily?"

James didn't answer directly, just said coolly, "I'm not changing girlfriends in the future."

Anais felt dizzy,swaying from the alcohol. "I am your fiancée! How can you have a girlfriend? What about me?"

James glanced at her indifferently. If Anais wasn't Eric's sister, he wouldn't even bother looking at her.

He asked, "What does it have to do with you if I have a girlfriend?"

Anais shouted, "We could have gotten engaged two years ago. It was you who ran away!"

Emily finally got it. This Anais claimed to be James's fiancée, but it was clear that James had no intention of marrying her, despite Anais's insistence, so he brought Emily along as a shield.

Emily immediately hugged James's waist, her voice playful. "James, this lady is a bit scary. Let's just give the gift and leave."

Emily snuggled into James's arms. Anais saw her and her eyes turned red.

James looked down, a bit surprised at Emily. He instinctively felt that

Emily had cooked up some wild ideas, but he didn't want to explain. He looked at her with interest and indulgence.

Eric knew James well. He quickly pulled Anais aside and whispered,"Don't make a scene."

Anais was so angry she didn't listen and even accused him directly,"Your brother-in-law is cheating! Should I not make a scene? Or should I just wait for James to have a love child with someone else?"

Eric was speechless. He couldn't imagine James as his brother-in-law. Both he and Anais were out of their depth.

James had never shown any interest in Anais, not even when they were kids.

Eric had tried to talk sense into Anais at home, telling her to stop obsessing over James. He warned her that even their friendship wvith James wouldn't save her if she kept this up. But clearly, Anais wasn't listening.

James didn't give Anais a second glance. He led Emily to an empty sofa,poured her a drink, and then, in front of everyone,kissed her.

Everyone was stunned. They all thought James wasn't really into Emily,just using her to keep Anais at bay.

But kissing her in public? James, who had avoided women for years,was making an exception for Emily!

Anais was burning with jealousy and rage. After James stepped out to take a phone call, she approached Emily with a glass of wine.

She intended to pour the wine over Emily's head, hoping to humiliate her.

Emily saw her coming from the corner of her eye. Just as Anais was about to pour the wine. Emily stood up, knocked the glass out of her hand, and the red wine splashed all over Anais's face. Anais looked a mess.

Anais had never been treated like this before and lost it. "You bitch,you did that on purpose, didn't you!"

She lunged at Emily, trying to grab her hair.

Emily easily dodged, and Anais, too focused on her attack, tripped over a table leg and fell,hitting her head and getting a bump.

Anais looked even more disheveled and in pain.

Everyone just watched. When two women fought, it wasn't appropriate for the men to step in.

Besides, one was the daughter of the Allen family, and the other was James's girlfriend. No one wanted to get involved.

Anais had always been arrogant and domineering, so everyone was happy to watch her get a taste of her own medicine. Even Eric didn't bother to intervene.

Emily was toying with Anais, like playing with a puppy. Anais was no match for her. Just as Anais was about to lose it completely, James returned from his call.

Emily saw James, her eyes reddened, and she quickly hid behind him,sounding distressed. "Jim, Ms. Allen seems drunk and really aggressive. I'm scared."

Everyone was taken aback.

Emily's voice had a rare hint of vulnerability, which made James raise an eyebrow slightly.

Anais was even more furious, shouting, "How dare you call hím Jim? You bitch. I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Anais lunged to slap Emily.

James caught her arm, his voice icy. "Anais, she's my girlfriend. If you keep this up, I won't tolerate it, even for your brother's sake."

It was clear that Anais meant nothing to him, not even compared to her brother Eric.

Anais felt utterly humiliated. Her body ached, and she couldn't stop the tears from flowing.