Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 140: The Shame

Chapter 140: The Shame

Listening to Damien Sterling’s mockery and trampling, Emma Hart knew all too well that his actions were not solely motivated by those few photos.

But now, Emma had no time to argue with Damien Sterling, as her grandmother awaited surgery in the emergency room, urgently needing her signature.

Determined, Emma Hart stepped forward.

Oliver Westmore, trailing behind her, tried to hold her back, but it was too late.

Emma approached Damien Sterling, her lips pressed tightly together, and finally, she spoke, "Mr. Sterling, please, I beg you, save my grandmother!"

A wise man never quarrels over immediate losses.

"How do you plan to repay this debt?" the man asked, feigning a furrowed brow as he gazed at Emma Hart.

Emma bit her lower lip, glaring at Damien Sterling’s infuriating face. It wasn’t his grandmother lying in the emergency room; she wished she could flatten his smug expression with a slap.

This man always took advantage of others in their time of need.

"I’ll do whatever you ask," Emma Hart said, her voice laced with forbearance.

Emma Hart was almost to the point of offering herself in payment!

Was this man just trying to make her utter such words to flaunt his dominance? Emma Hart couldn’t bother to expose Damien Sterling’s scheme anymore.

"Emma..." Oliver Westmore said, his voice filled with sympathy.

Emma Hart remained silent. She had long become accustomed to the man’s sarcasm. After being by his side for so long, she had become immune to his barbs.

Emma urged, "Hurry, please save my grandmother!"

Damien Sterling, leisurely, took Emma Hart’s face in his hands, tilted her chin up, and directed her gaze towards Oliver Westmore, "See, she enjoys being mistreated, and she’s happy about it."

Emma Hart, speechless, knew well of the man’s vile nature. Yet, being humiliated by Damien Sterling in front of Oliver Westmore, she couldn’t muster enough strength, tears welling in her eyes.

But saving her grandmother was what mattered most.

Emma Hart rushed to the emergency room entrance, only to find the surgery had already begun. Holding her mother’s hand, she said, "Mom, I’ve just paid the money!"

Her mother, taken aback, replied, "But your grandmother was taken into surgery a while ago!"

Emma was confused. Wasn’t the hospital clear about needing the payment first?

"When I arrived, I saw several doctors hurriedly enter the surgery room, a stark contrast to the situation when I first got here. They seemed very proactive," Emma’s mother recalled. "Oh, right, that change happened after Mr. Sterling arrived."

Could it be that man had arranged everything in advance?

But why then did he perform such an act earlier?

Emma Hart found Damien Sterling’s intentions more and more incomprehensible.

"Emma, it seems Mr. Sterling is quite fond of you. That puts my mind at ease," her mother remarked, watching the interaction with a satisfied smile.

Emma Hart’s eyes widened in astonishment as she turned to her mother, "Mom, are you seeing things?" she exclaimed incredulously.

As the years added on, her mother seemed to grow more muddled. Where on earth did she get the idea that this man harbored any affection for her?

"Your mother isn’t wrong, Emma. When have I ever treated you poorly?" The man’s voice emerged calmly from behind Emma Hart, as he placed his arms around her, enveloping her slender frame with his robust body, like a guardian deity.

Emma Hart’s mother stepped forward to express her gratitude, "Mr. Sterling, you’ve helped us move houses again. I don’t know how to thank you enough!"

Emma Hart opened her mouth to interject, but it was too late.

She had planned to return the house to Oliver Westmore during her grandmother’s hospitalization, not expecting her mother to relay this news directly to Damien Sterling.

Damien glanced at Emma, then shifted his gaze to her mother, "Auntie, I’ll arrange a better house for you."

Emma’s mother believed him, waving her hands modestly, "Oh, there’s no need, really. As long as you’re good to our Emma, that’s all that matters."

Emma Hart watched her mother, feeling helpless as if a mother-in-law was entrusting her daughter to a son-in-law.

She couldn’t predict what bizarre, unmanageable chemistry would result from letting her mother and Damien Sterling continue their conversation. So, she pulled Damien aside, "Stop talking, will you?"

A smile hung on Damien Sterling’s face, giving Emma’s mother considerable face, his usually cold expression nowhere in sight.

Seizing a moment when Emma’s mother was distracted, he whispered in Emma’s ear, "How could I let my woman’s family live in some other man’s house?"

Damien deliberately elongated the word "other," his intentions clear to Emma.

Then, behind Emma, he added, "Besides, that house’s value is about to plummet."

Emma, at that moment, did not grasp the full meaning of Damien’s words.

In the brightly lit conference room, all the renowned real estate developers from City A had gathered.

Today, they were vying for the piece of land located directly opposite the one previously developed by Westmore Group.

It was common knowledge that the villas built by Westmore Group had sparked a local real estate boom, inciting envy among many.

This auction, targeting the land across from Westmore Group, had attracted widespread attention.

Rumors had it that securing this prime location was akin to striking gold.

Westmore Group and the Sterling Group, both having previously acquired land in this coveted area, were among the main contenders in this auction.

After several rounds of intense bidding, the auctioneer, with a hammer in hand and visibly excited, announced the conclusion of the third bid.

"The land is awarded to the Sterling Group for a whopping 12 billion," he declared.

This outcome, though anticipated by many, left the crowd buzzing.

It was always expected that this valuable piece of land would end up in the hands of either Westmore Groupor the Sterling Group.

The crowd surged forward to congratulate Damien Sterling of the Sterling Group.

"Mr. Sterling, you have an incredible eye for value!"

"With this land, your fortune is made!"

"This acquisition by the Sterling Group is what everyone hoped for!"

Amid the surrounding praises, only a few were truly heartfelt. Many couldn’t hide their envy, though they dared not express it.

Just when everyone assumed Damien Sterling would build a new generation of luxury villas opposite the night market, a surprising announcement came from the Sterling Group.

They had decided to build a cemetery opposite the Westmore Group villas.

This news quickly reached the ears of Old Man Sterling, who, leaning on his cane, stormed into Damien Sterling’s office, visibly irate.