Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 118: Relying on Oneself

Chapter 118: Relying on Oneself

Damien Sterling’s driver brought the private doctor to the villa promptly. Upon his arrival, Damien greeted him with a stern rebuke, "If you’re ever this slow again, you’re fired."

Despite the doctor’s dismay, he had rushed out the door the moment he received the call.

The drive over, usually a fifteen-minute journey, took only seven minutes today thanks to a lucky string of green lights and unimpeded traffic.

Following Damien up the stairs, the doctor, who had served Damien for many years and made numerous house calls, noted that it was the first time he had ever seen Damien waiting at the door.

From the upstairs bedroom, Emma Hart’s voice could be heard crying out in pain as they approached, "It hurts, it really hurts..."

Entering the room, Damien quickly made way for the doctor to approach Emma, who lay in agony on the bed.

"What’s wrong with her?" Damien asked, visibly anxious, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The doctor, equally flustered and without taking a moment to sit, hurriedly unpacked his medical equipment to examine Emma.

However, all the data from the devices indicated that she was perfectly normal, which puzzled him even as he combined Eastern and Western diagnostic methods.

"Miss Emma, it seems that I can’t find anything wrong..."

"Oh, it hurts so much," Emma elongated her complaint.

Taking advantage of a moment when Damien was distracted, Emma whispered to the doctor, "Just say it’s because I’m upset."

The doctor hesitated.

Emma glanced at Damien’s impatient expression and then back at the doctor, now clearly intimidated.

With a mischievous tone, she whispered to the doctor, "If you can’t come up with something, he won’t let you off easily."

Hearing Emma’s suggestion, the doctor pondered for a moment, then discreetly nodded, finding her advice quite sensible.

Emma hid her grin, now adept at using her influence. She quickly composed herself, feigning weakness as the doctor stood up.

Impatient, Damien demanded, "Did you find anything? If not, we’re going abroad immediately! Get the helicopter ready!"

Pacing back and forth, hands on his hips, Damien was ready to mobilize a helicopter at a moment’s notice.

The private doctor hurriedly spoke up, "Mr. Sterling, Miss Emma, she..." The doctor glanced at Emma Hart, who dared not make another move in front of Damien Sterling, managing only to give a covert signal when Damien wasn’t looking.

Taking a deep breath, the doctor explained, "Miss Emma is suffering from stress-induced emotional blockage. As long as she keeps her spirits up, there shouldn’t be any problems."

"Unhappy?" Damien Sterling asked with a hint of skepticism.

The doctor nodded in affirmation.

This seemed to calm Damien’s anxious heart. "Are you sure?" he pressed.

With another nod from the doctor, Damien gestured for him to leave.

Now alone in the room, Damien turned to Emma. "Tell me, what’s making you unhappy?"

"You won’t let me work," Emma stated directly, stealing a glance at Damien to gauge his reaction.

She was cautious, wary of his potential fury over a topic he had explicitly forbidden her from bringing up again.

When Damien remained silent, Emma suddenly cried out in pain, "Oh, my stomach hurts so much."

This outcry, feigned or not, had Damien springing from the bed like a catapult.

"Emma Hart!" His voice rose in alarm, matched by Emma’s continued cries of pain, each more exaggerated than the last.

Stealing another glance at Damien, now glaring at her, Emma elongated her moans, "It hurts, hurts, hurts..."

Seeing his previously furrowed brows now smooth out, Damien stood before Emma with a sly smile. "Emma Hart, have you had enough?"

"Ow..." Emma was about to launch into another round of complaints when Damien quickly conceded, "I agree."

Just as Emma was about to cry out again, she paused, registering his words. He agreed? Did he really just agree? At last, he had!

"Then, can you also lift the restrictions other companies have placed on me?"

"What, isn’t the Sterling Group enough for you?"

Emma, looking smug, was quickly doused by Damien’s cold reality check, "I’ve only agreed to lift the Sterling Group’s ban on you. I haven’t agreed to directly insert you into the Sterling Group. Whether you can land a job still depends on you."

Emma nodded in understanding. She knew what Damien meant; his actions were merely to impose a restriction.

Yet, to Emma, this was a step closer to her dream.

Damien Sterling stepped forward, leaned down, and with a gentle touch, flicked Emma Hart’s delicate skin.

Capturing her chin softly in his hand, he asked, "Do you remember that you owe me a favor?"

Emma nodded, acknowledging her obligation; she was not one to renege on her word.

"Have you made up your mind?" Emma inquired, though she knew deep down that formalities hardly mattered to Damien. If it was something Damien desired, conventional rules would be set aside.

"Let’s have the wedding," Damien stated emphatically.

"Okay," Emma agreed, wanting to nod but finding her jaw immobilized by his grip.

Emma didn’t resist this time, waiting instead for Damien to release her chin.

She was eager to start preparing the materials needed for her job application.

That evening, Damien chose to work in the study instead of the bedroom, a change from his usual routine.

In the middle of the night, Emma decided to show Damien her interview materials.

Pushing the door open, she found Damien watching an animated movie on the large screen.

To her surprise, it was "E.T.," her favorite film from years past.

Damien hastily turned off the screen upon seeing Emma, but she had seen everything.

Emma seized the opportunity to tease him. "Mr. Sterling, I thought you found this movie lacking in substance? You should be watching films like ’Wall Street,’ ’The Silicon Valley Story,’ or ’Barcelona.’"

"I just clicked on it by mistake. I had no idea what it was," Damien retorted defensively.

The study, though not very spacious, featured a white wall opposite that created a natural home theater setup, complete with a luxurious Italian carpet on the floor, offering the comfort of a cinema experience at home.

"Go make me a glass of juice," Damien ordered casually, the two of them alone in the room.

It was clearly Emma’s task to perform.

Emma brought the juice over, and as she leaned forward to hand it to him, Damien swiftly caught the glass, ensuring no spillage, and used the momentum to pull Emma into his embrace.

His dominant and assertive hug enveloped Emma tightly in his arms.