Chapter 39

Finn was totally floored.

He had a cushy gig at the Johnson Mansion with great pay andeasy tasks.Now,out of the blue, he was fired, and with kids to support, he was freaking out.

"Mr. Johnson, I can't lose this job."

Aiden didn't say a word, juast stared at Emily.

Finn turned to Emily, pleading. "Ms. Johnson, I messed up. I shouldn't have bossed you around. Please, give me another shot. I really can't afford to lose this job."

Funny how people only owned up to their mistakes when their interests were on the line.

Emily just smiled. "Why should I give you a chance? You didn't give me one when you didn't feed me."

Aiden frowned,clearly hearing this for the first time. Emily was his daughter, after all, and this made him uncomfortable.

Aiden's gaze turned icy as he looked at Finn, who shrank back, eyes darting around, too scared to speak, He lowered his head,trembling,but deep down, he was fuming at Emily.

The other servants kept quiet. Finn had been at the Johnson Mansion for years, and now he was kicked out over a few words. It was pretty scary.

No one dared to underestimate Emily anymore. At least, they had to show her some respect.

Aiden asked. "Have you ever gone hungry since you came home?"

Emily sneered. "Yeah, thanks to youand Mom. I almost starved."

Aiden was stunned.

"Emily, how can you say that about Dad? He didn't know because you keep everything to yourself." Veda came down the stairs, smiling faintly.

Emily chuckled. "So it's my fault I went hungry?"

Aiden couldn't take Emily's sharp words anymore. His brows knitted tightly, his voice turning colder, "Enough. I called you back for dinner, not to cause trouble."

"Am I supposed to just sit here and get bullied by your family? Even an outsider can push me around because you all don't care about me."

This seemed to hit a nerve with Aiden, a flash of anger in his eyes.

Emily stood at the door, darkness behind her. The lights and warmth of the house seemed to have nothing to do with her.

Aiden was trying hard to keep his cool.

To break the tension, Veda walked up, hugged Emily's arm, and led her back inside, saying gently, "Emily, Dad used to be busy with work.There shouldn't be any bad blood between father and daughter."

Emily walked back in but subtly pulled her hand away.

She said calmly, "We just had a fight at the hospital, and now you're acting all nice like nothing happened. Veda, you really surprise me."

This was exactly why Emily felt disgusted. Veda always played the gentle

and understanding role.

Veda looked conflicted and a bit hurt, lowering her head and saying softly,

"Emily, do we really have to be at odds like this? We're sisters."

Emily rolled her eyes. She couldn't be bothered with Veda. Feeling tired,she plopped down on the sofa and said, "So why did you call me back?Just to make me uncomfortable?"

Aiden finally cracked a smile. "Veda landed a job as a designer at Golden Birch Group."

He looked pretty proud saying that.

Emily just rolled her eyes."She couldn't cut it at the Williams Group."

Veda looked embarrassed.

Aiden's face darkened, a flicker of anger in his eyes. "Wasn't that because you were gunning for her? Veda's your sister. Why treat her like an enemy?"

Emily didn't even bother to argue. Aiden had always played favorites with Veda.

Aiden went on, "And another thing, you need to get Isolde off the hot search."

"Why?"

Aiden frowned. "Don't you get it? Do you want everyone to know you were at Isolde's house? Do you want the world to know Lucas violated you?"

Emily slammed her teacup down, the porcelain shattering and making a

sharp noise that made everyone's ears ring.

Veda's face changed, and she quickly said, "Dad, how can you say that to Emily! Emily, don't be mad. There are too many comments about Isolde online now. If more info gets out, it won't be good for you."

Emily chuckled, feeling speechless at Veda's fake concern. "Are you worried about me, or are you worried people will find out you're Isolde's daughter? Veda, you've really thought this through."

Normal people couldn't be this shameless.

Mia came down from upstairs, looking annoyed at Emily. "You refuse to help a bit, and Veda just spoke well of you. Veda, we don't need her. Let's go eat. I made your favorite dish today."

Mia dragged Veda to the dining room. Emily smirked. This was her biological mother, who only had eyes and heart for Veda,even knowing the online info couldn't have come from Emily.

Emily followed them to the dining room, but there were hardly any dishes she liked on the table. It felt like they get her back just to annoy her.

She took a few bites, and Mia started talking about Veda's job, giving Emily a cold look. "If you ever see Veda at Golden Birch Group,just steer clear,understood?"

Emily clicked her tongue."Why should I?"

"I'm worried about people gossiping about Veda. She can't handle those provocations."

Emily chuckled. "It's her business working at Golden Birch Group. I'm not there, so I won't run into her. Even if I do, I won't bother with her."

Mia frowned. "I'm trying to talk to you nicely. What's with your attitude?"

Emily put down her utensils, a hintof mockery in her voice."Iget that you favor Veda, but why should I avoid her? Mom, you should tell Veda to stay away from me, or her identity won't be the Johnson family's heiress.

Mia slammed her utensils down. "Emily! Are you threatening me?"

Emily smiled faintly. "How is this a threat? Just a friendly reminder. Push me too far, and I can do anything."

Mia was fuming.

Aiden tightened his lips. After a while, he spoke slowly, "Enough,both of you! Emily,why didn't you bring John home tonight?"

Emily raised an eyebrow. "You should ask Veda."