Chapter 61

Aiden caught James' stare and felt a bit uneasy.

Without missing a beat, he snapped, "Emily, since we're done, just get out of here."

Emily's face stayed blank. Calliope shot Aiden a furious look and started to pull Emily away, but James blocked their path again.

Calliope didn't care about the deal between the Williams Group and the Golden Birch Group. She held back her anger and asked coldly,"Mr.Smith,what do you mean? We can't even leave now?"

James replied gently,"Mrs. Williams, we need to clear things up."

Calliope frowned, half-hugging Emily protectively.

She turned to Emily and whispered, "Emmy, has Mr. Smith lost it? Why is he so officious?"

Emily sighed and looked at Calliope. "Mom, let's just wait."

James had actually shown up earlier but got held up by Anais outside.After finally shaking her off, he was a bit late coming back in.

Emily usually didn't let much get to her, like nothing could break her down. But now, her eyes were red, showing signs of being wronged,though she didn't cry.

James remembered what Veda had said earlier, and a cold aura surrounded him. The air felt a bit thinner.

James' tone was calm, but anyone could tell he was pissed.

He looked at Veda. "Ms. Veda Johnson, are you sure Emily pushed you?"

By now, John had helped Veda up, and she had some light scrapes.

She said in a choked voice, "I believe Emily didn't do it on purpose."

James narrowed his eyes, full of pressure. "Whether she did it on purpose or not, you're sure she pushed you,right?"

Veda was taken aback by his question, slowly raised her head, and looked at him pitifully.

James changed his approach. "Are you sure you're not lying?"

There were murmurs among the crowd. Veda's palms were sweating.

Every word James said carried weight. He controlled the situation like a king.

Veda clenched her hands and quickly said, "I'm not lying. Emily was jealous that our parents favored me, and John liked me more, so we argued. Then she pushed me down the stairs."

The surveillance at Celestial Cuisine had been unplugged by her in advance. There would be no loopholes because no one could believe she would joke with her own body.

Mia sided with Veda and said directly, "When we got there, Veda was already at the bottom of the stairs. The injuries on Veda's body can't be fake."

James' gaze swept coldly over everyone present. Except for Calliope,no one seemed to believe Emily.

For some reason, Veda vaguely felt that James was trying to side with

Emily.James was here to celebrate her birthday. He couldn't have a relationship with Emily. Apart from a little work-related connection,they had no personal interaction!

Veda frowned, her gaze on Emily, with a hint of scrutiny in her eyes. But when Emily looked back at her, Veda slowly lowered her eyes.

James and Emily couldn't have any relationship. After all, Emily was a married woman. Veda felt relieved.

Choking back tears, Veda spoke again, "Mr. Smith, you don't know that Emily is very jealous. Because our parents favor me and John prefers me,she wanted to hurt me."

James said calmly, "I'm not here to discuss right or wrong with you. In my eyes, whatever Emily does is right. Do you understand?"

Everyone was stunned.

Then James continued, "Don't you know why Emily dislikes you deep down? As a beneficiary, do you think it's right to show off in front of Emily every day?"

At these words, everyone present was shocked. They never expected such words to come out of James' mouth, and they were almost the same as what Emily had just said.

Feeling something wrong, Aiden hurriedly said, "Mr. Smith, this is just a private matter in our family. I hnave failed to teach my daughter properly,and I apologize for making you witness this."

James glanced indifferently at Aiden and said in a flat tone, "From what I know about Emmy, if she pushed Veda down the stairs, Veda wouldn't be able to stand up."

At this point, even the most obtuse person present knew that James definitely knew Emily.

James didn't even hesitate to call her Emmy, such an intimate nickname.

Veda gritted her teeth, and John whispered in her ear, "Stop it. Don't you think it's embarrassing enough?"

Veda lost her mind instantly. John was still protecting Emily. The little bit of self-esteem in Veda's heart was suddenly shattered by John.

Everything she did was to be with John. As long as she became the true heiress of the Johnson family, they would no longer have any barriers in terms of status.

Veda forced a pale smile, looked at Emily, and spoke slowly, "Mr. Smith,my sister likes John, but John likes me. For the past three years, John has been with me. My sister became insanely jealous. And today, with our parents being so good to me, she couldn't control her emotions and hurt me."

James almost laughed at her words.

Calliope frowned on the side and glared at John. He used to be quite clear-headed, but his intelligence degraded after being with Veda for three years.She felt embarrassed.

John clenched his lips, feeling like he had become an animal in a zoo,being watched by everyone. He took a deep breath, wanting to get away from Veda immediately.

James said in a deep voice, "Is Emmy coveting John? Is that why she has a bad relationship with you?"

Others didn't find anything wrong with this statement, but Emily could sense a hint of jealousy. James was really the jealous type!

Veda nodded solemnly. At this point, Veda didn't care if she would be seen as a third party.

She added, "John is so outstanding, so it's normal for Emily to like him."

But then, James suddenly smiled. "Why would my girlfriend covet other men?"