Chapter 62

The room went dead quiet as soon as those words hit the air. After a few seconds, everyone started gasping in shock.

Calliope stared at Emily, blinking in disbelief. How could Emily be James's girlfriend?

The crowd's brains took a moment to catch up, then the gasps of shock started rolling in.

"How is that even possible?" Veda blurted out, clearly not buying it. "She's already married to John. How could she be your girlfriend?"

Veda's eyes were full of distrust.

James turned to Emily, tilting his head. "Emmy, why keep hiding the truth now?"

Emily gave Calliope a reassuring look, then walked over and naturally ended up in James' arms.

James calling her "Emmy" in front of everyone meant there was no point in hiding their relationship anymore.

He looked down at her, kissed her forehead gently, his eyes full of affection.

Then,James turned to the crowd, his gaze sharp. "Don't we make a good match?"

He kissed and hugged Emily, leaving everyone stunned. They'd never seen James look at a woman with such tenderness.

The young ladies around were practically swooning over James'

affectionate gaze, secretly wishing they were the ones in his arms. Their looks at Emily shifted from disdain to envy.

Calliope finally got why James was so polite to her at first. He actually wanted to be with Emily.

Veda's jealousy was almost palpable as she coldly said, "It's impossible.

She's already married to John! Mr. Smith,don't be fooled by her!"

James sneered. "Funny, I didn't know my girlfriend was married."

Veda thought it was typical for James to be seduced by Emily.

She glanced at John, hoping he'd say they weren't divorced yet, which would make Emily a cheater. But she forgot, John was the first to cheat.

John's eyes stayed on Emily, who.was in James' arms, his emotions all over the place.

"She married John three years ago. This is infidelity. And Mr. Smith,you're the third party in her marriage!" Veda accused.

The crowd gasped, thinking Veda had lost it.

James' eyes turned icy.

"Ms. Veda Johnson, are you done pretending? You were so friendly at first,but now you're just slandering Emily. You're truly malicious and ill-mannered. I wonder how you were raised in the Johnson family.Sure enough, like parents, like daughter. I'm grateful Emmny wasn't raised by your parents."

James finished his rant, leaving everyone from the Johnson family,except Emily,in shock.

Calliope tried to suppress a laugh, her shoulders shaking. It was the first time she'd seen Mia and Aiden so defeated, and it felt good. But looking at Emily, her heart ached for her.

Being publicly called out by James made Veda tremble with anger.

"But she pushed me! That proves she's cold-blooded," Veda said, her voice shaking.

James shot her a cold, dangerous look. "Ms. Veda Johnson, are you sure it was my girlfriend who pushed you? You really want to risk framing her?"

Seeing James stand up for Emily like that, Veda's face tuarned red with anger. She gritted her teeth and said slowly, "I swear it was Emily who pushed me. If I'm lying, let the Johnson family go bankrupt, and let me,Veda, die a miserable death!"

Aiden frowned on the side.

Veda never believed in oaths, thinkingthey were just empty words.

James' icy gaze locked onto Veda, and he sneered. "I hope you don't regret it when it's time to fulfill that oath."

Emily whispered something in his ear, surprising James.

"You knew about this too?" James asked.

He patted her head. "I knew you wouldn't come to the banquet unprepared."

James pulled out his phone and called the manager of Celestial Cuisine.

The manager, already aware of the situation, was sweating bullets when he answered."Mr. Smith, what can I do for you?" he asked, trying to keep his

voice steady.

"Turn on Galileo System and show what happened on that staircase."

The manager didn't waste any time.

Veda's eyes widened, and she started to tremble. The Galileo System was a 360-degree surveillance system with no blind spots.

Soon,clear images of her and Emily were projected on the big screen at the banquet. Veda was completely stunned, her mind going blank.

Her jealousy was laid bare, and her dark side was exposed for everyone to see. Their conversation played out clearly for all to hear.

"But Veda, I'm curious, why did you use such dirty tricks to take John away?"

"Because I've liked John since I was a kid. He's mine. Why should you come in later? You two shouldn't have had any interaction..."

It turned out Veda was the one truly jealous. She had voluntarily fallen backward,her screams drawing a crowd. The scene ended there.

The entire banquet hall fell eerily silent. Emily had never pushed Veda.It was all a performance orchestrated by Veda. Everyone had been her pawns,with every move aimed at Emily.

"Veda is too malicious. She not only took Emily's parents away but also her husband."

"Yeah, she's been a villain since childhood. She doesn't understand gratitude at-all."

"If the Johnson family thinks they can rely on her to prosper, they're

dreaming."

People around whispered and pointed fingers.

Veda stood there, feeling dizzy. This scheming drama that was meant to make Emily face defeat and total public disgrace ended up backfiring on her instead.

It was like a poisonous snake was coiling in her heart,gnawing away at her sanity.

Clutching her hands tightly, Veda couldn't control herself and shouted, "It was all a setup by Emily!"