Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 239: The 24-Hour Nanny

Chapter 239: The 24-Hour Nanny

"I do not take pleasure in spying on others!" Damien Sterling stated coldly, his lips curling into a mischievous smirk, as if the act of spying was some grand honor bestowed upon Emma Hart.

Inside, Emma felt a tumultuous wave; such an ’honor’ was the last thing she wanted!

"Don’t always sit at your desk; move around—it’s good for when you decide to have children," Damien instructed hesitantly, as if he felt embarrassed to even mention it.

Was this supposed to be concern?

Emma stared unblinkingly at the man before her, cold as steel. Damien suddenly realized the teasing sparkle in Emma’s gaze and quickly averted his eyes from hers.

Recklessly, Emma leaned closer, her voice laced with mirth, "It sounds as if you’ve had experience, Mr. Sterling."

"Emma Hart!" Damien called out her name in a deep, resonant tone.

His moods were as changeable as the weather—unpredictable and quick to shift.

It seemed even a half-joke was too much with him.

"Alright, Mr. Sterling, what did you need me for?" she asked.

In the midst of their exchange, an assistant carefully brought in a cup of something and approached their table, placing a white porcelain bowl before Emma and gently setting a spoon on the white napkin before respectfully stepping back. "Miss Emma, bird’s nest soup."

Emma nodded, waiting for the assistant to leave before she turned her puzzled gaze back to Damien.

"Drink it," Damien said more naturally.

What did that mean—corporate wellness?

Emma poked at the soup in the white porcelain bowl with her spoon, a rarity unless she was with Damien, where Mrs. Harris seemed to frequently prepare such dishes for her.

After stirring it a bit, Emma took a sip and then looked up, "Is this all you wanted?"

"What else?" Damien responded as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

Emma, preoccupied with her own work, hurriedly ate a few more spoonfuls before attempting to leave.

"Sit down!" Damien’s command stopped her in her tracks.

Emma slowly turned back, resembling a child caught cheating by a teacher.

Facing Damien’s stern gaze, his eyes dark and brooding, he glanced at her sharply, "Finish it all!"

"I can’t possibly overindulge; my body won’t even absorb all these delicacies, it’s just a waste. And Mrs. Harris will have dinner waiting at home..." Emma Hart prattled on, but Damien Sterling across from her was unmoved. "Eat it!" he commanded, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on her, utterly indifferent to her dietary dilemmas.

All he cared about was her wretched job, and Damien was well aware of Emma’s preoccupations. Allowing her to work at his company was already a significant favor in his eyes.

Emma met Damien’s firm gaze, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the table, a signal of his growing impatience. She knew that if she didn’t drink the soup, Damien wouldn’t let her leave. With a forced smile, Emma pulled out her chair to sit down again, attempting to ease her own discomfort and stave off Damien’s anger. She cheerily addressed the bowl of bird’s nest soup, "Actually, this doesn’t taste too bad, does it?"

"If it’s good, then finish it." Damien’s expression remained sour.

Emma sneakily rolled her eyes at him while he looked away. His perpetual command tone grated on her; why couldn’t he ever speak kindly?

"Do you think I didn’t see that?" Damien’s cold voice cut through the air, his voice husky. His piercing eyes lifted to meet hers, sharp as a hawk’s, gleaming like a sword aimed directly at Emma.

Startled, Emma’s hand shook slightly, stabilizing her spoon as she pretended to be impressed, "Ah! This is really delicious!"

"If you like it, have more!" he retorted.

Leaving Damien Sterling’s office, Emma felt almost too full from the soup. Wiping the slight residue from her lips, she headed towards the design department, returning to her desk sated and slightly resentful. She sighed, inwardly cursing Damien for summoning her just to consume a bowl of bird’s nest soup. Her face couldn’t help but show traces of disgust towards Damien.

Suddenly remembering something, a smile spread across Emma’s lips; Damien’s cameras were everywhere. It was better to keep smiling, regardless of direction. Emma feigned a grin, scanning her surroundings.

As a colleague passed by with a glass of water, she asked Emma, "What’s up, Emma? Something made you happy today?"

"No," Emma Hart laughed awkwardly, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.

Her colleague left, puzzled by her reaction.

Just as Emma had settled back into her work, her phone buzzed with a message from Damien Sterling: "Time to drink water!"

Emma glanced at the message and continued with her tasks, not giving it much thought.

Minutes later, another message arrived: "Do I need to come and feed you?"

The text was almost threatening. Hastily, Emma grabbed her water glass and took a sip.

She knew better than to ignore Damien; surviving under his supervision meant adhering strictly to his commands.

But it wasn’t over yet. Another text pinged her phone: "Come up!"

With a sigh, Emma looked from her phone to her computer. Did Damien really have nothing else to do today but monitor her? How incredibly idle of him!

Reluctantly, she stood up and lazily made her way to Damien’s office, wondering what Sophia Greenwood would think if she knew how often Emma was summoned there. Sophia would probably be infuriated to death.

In the office, Damien pointed at a glass of water on the desk. "Drink this."

Water?

Emma frowned, baffled by Damien’s insistence. "You called me up here just to drink water?"

"What else?" he retorted.

"But I just drank some water on my own."

"Was it cold? Who allowed you to drink cold water?" Anger flashed across Damien’s face as he glared at her.

The sip of water she had taken wasn’t cold, not really, and surely it wasn’t a big deal.

His control over such trivial matters was excessive. Emma lifted the glass, eager to leave, and couldn’t help but remark as she drank, "You are almost becoming my 24-hour nanny."

"What did you say?"