Chapter 44

Without giving Emily a chance to speak, Veda jumped in, "Hey, my birthday's the same day as Emily's. Emily, you should totally join us."

Emily had never really celebrated her birthday before. Isolde used to be so petty, and after she got back to the Johnson family, Mia thought she was too plain and never bothered to celebrate with her.

It was only after she married John in name that she got to celebrate her birthday three times at the Williams Mansion, all thanks to Calliope, and she even got birthday gifts.

Emily calmly replied, "I don't want to steal your thunder. You should be the star of the show."

Throwing a big birthday bash was just a way to show everyone that Veda was the Johnson family's daughter. Aiden and Mia really did dote on Veda.

Veda felt a bit uneasy, licking her back teeth. Why did Emily always seem so high and mighty?

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed Mia's arm and said sweetly, "Mom,Emily's your daughter too. I want us to celebrate together. You and Emily can't stay like this forever. Moms and daughters can't really hate each other,right?"

Veda's thoughtful words really hit Mia in the feels.

Mia glanced at Emily with a hint of disdain and said, "You should take a page out of Veda's book."

Emily stayed quiet. She never tried to please Mia, who always thought she was wrong no matter what she did.

Feeling bored. Mia just took Veda and left. The relationship between Mia and Emily was completely iced over.

Aiden looked at Emily helplessly, walked over, patted her shoulder, and said softly, "Your mom's just like that. Try talking to her when you get home."

Emily gave a faint smile.

If talking could fix things, she and Mia wouldn't have been so distant for all these years.

But lately, the whole true and false heiress drama of the Johnson family was blowing up online. So many versions of the story were floating around.

At first, only a few people in the upper-class circles knew a bit about the truth. Now, it was all over Twitter, making it a big deal.

Veda was the most pissed. Now everyone in Emerald City knew that Veda's real parents were Isolde and Lucas, both of whom had terrible reputations.

People were trashing her online, which is why Veda wanted to use this birthday party to show everyone she was the real deal, the true heiress of the Johnson family.

She thought she was way more impressive than Emily. 'Why are those netizens hating on me? What does Emily have that I don't?'

Veda clung to Mia's arm and whispered, "Mom, I really want to celebrate my birthday with Emily."

In a soft tone, she added, "A lot of people online are talkingabout me and Emily. It's fine if they criticize me, but you,Dad,and Emily don't deserve

this. I don't want you guys to get dragged into this mess because of me."

Veda ended with a touch of sadness. "Mom, it's all my fault."

Mia hugged Veda lovingly, feeling that Veda, who had been raised by her side since childhood, knew how to care for her.

Mia sighed. "Emily never listens to me."

Mia felt helpless with her own daughter.

To keep Veda happy, Mia said, "Alright, I'll find some time to talk to her."

'Emily would definitely give Mom this face,'Veda thought.

Not long after Aiden left, James came back. He had actually finished his call earlier, but seeing Emily talking to her parents, he hung back.

James sat across from Emily and asked,"Missed me lately?"

Emily blinked, a bit surprised. She didn't answer right away.

After a moment, she smiled, reached out, and pinched his cheek. "Of course, I've been thinking about you all the time."

James clicked his tongue. He had been holding back, not seeing or messaging Emily. He didn't expect her to ignore him too.

He stared at his phone every day, making everyone at the company think he had lost it.

But now, seeing Emily's bright face, all his anger melted away.

James's cold expression softened a bit, but he still had someresentment."If you missed me, why didn't you reach out first?"

Emily smiled. "I didn't want to bother you with your busy schedule."

James didn't have the heart to call out her excuse. He knew if he hadn't reached out, they might have drifted apart. Emily showed no sign of trying to keep him.

"I just ordered a bunch of your favorite dishes. Consider it an apology,"Emily said.

James snorted. "Apologies are useless."

Emily furrowed her brow. "James, enough!"

James fell silent. He realized that with someone like Emily, he couldn't lose his temper or play disappearing acts. He was completely under her spell.

If Emily left him and fell for someone else, he'd definitely regret it.

During the meal, James thought of something and slowly said,"When I was looking into Isolde, I found some interesting stuff. Want to know?"

Emily looked at him curiously. "What did you find?"

James handed his phone to Emily, showing her a video.

Emily was surprised. "How did you get this?"

She knew Isolde wouldn't easily send Veda back tothe Johnson family because Isolde and Lucas were selfish, only caring about their own interests.

In the video, Veda gave Isolde some money. It was cash, and the exact amount was unclear.

But it was clear that over the years, Veda must have been supporting

Isolde and Lucas. It was only after Veda went abroad that they lost contact,and the money stopped.

No wonder when she told Isolde that Veda had returned, Isolde was furious.

James casually replied, "It wasn't hard to find. How you handle it is up to you."

From the angle of the footage, it was clear this surveillance was tricky to get.

Emily said, "Thanks. You've really helped me a lot."

She rested her head on her hand, gazing tenderly at him,"Mr.Smith,I owe you another favor. How can I repay it?"

James didn't like her clear-cut attitude. He frowned slightly and said,somewhat displeased, "I like you owing me favors."

That way, she could be indebted to him forever.

Emily just smiled at this.