Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 253: What Is He Here For?

Chapter 253: What Is He Here For?

In the bedroom, a floor-to-ceiling window reveals a serene expanse of mountains and forests. Unlike the vibrant cityscapes, this tranquil view whispers of solitude and peace. Damien Sterling, his back to Emma Hart, stands before the window, his silhouette as formidable as the mountains behind him in the darkness of the night.

With a casual gesture, Damien picks up a white porcelain cup and takes a sip of water. "Handle your own problems," he states coldly. His disdain for her working was evident, and he was certainly not about to solve her workplace issues. As Emma’s pregnancy becomes more apparent, Damien sees it as an opportunity for her to step back willingly.

"Why won’t you help me? Do you really want the whole company to misunderstand? If that’s the case, why don’t you come forward and clarify who the father is?" Emma’s frustration peaks as she faces Damien’s icy demeanor, which seems to disassociate him from the chaos surrounding her pregnancy—a situation he inadvertently caused, yet trivially refuses to address.

"There are many things I could do for you, but you refuse them," Damien retorts.

It was true that Damien had offered Emma special considerations in the past, all of which she had declined.

"You’re being unreasonable; this situation is different from the others..." Emma begins to argue her point with what she believes are strong arguments, but Damien abruptly walks to the light switch and plunges the room into darkness.

In the dim room, only a faint glint from his eyes is visible. A deep, husky voice cuts through the darkness, "Go to sleep."

His tone is cold, edged with frost.

Emma snorts, "Typical, you have no reasonable explanation!"

Whether he is justified is not for Emma to say—Damien is his own justification.

The next morning.

The weather seems indifferent to Emma’s troubled heart, with clear skies and a warmth that feels even more comforting than usual.

Emma rises, disheartened; she had a restless night, unlike Damien, who seemed unaffected. Today was the day she needed to clear the air.

She no longer wants to face the rumors and whispers alone. Now, only Zoe can vouch for her, but Emma worries that Zoe’s words carry little weight.

Yet, she has no choice—Zoe is her last resort.

As soon as Emma Hart arrived at the company, she could feel the whispers circulating about her.

Frantically searching for Zoe, who was unreachable by phone, Emma’s anxiety peaked when Sophia Greenwood entered with Mr. Lee, laughing and chatting as they headed to the conference room.

"Let’s head to the meeting room," Sophia announced to the Design Department, not particularly concerned about the ownership of the design drafts now that their deal was nearly sealed.

Inside the conference room, the atmosphere was tense.

Hannah Davis sat confidently, her legs crossed and lips painted a bolder red than usual, as if celebrating an anticipated victory.

Emma continued to scan the room for Zoe, holding onto a sliver of hope that perhaps that man might have a change of heart and send her the crucial video evidence.

Sophia Greenwood began the meeting. "Regarding the previous design draft incident, we owe Mr. Lee, our partner, an explanation as well as a review within our team. Let’s hear from Hannah Davis and Emma Hart about how you can each prove the work is yours."

Hannah walked up confidently, holding her documents. "Good morning, Ms. Greenwood, Mr. Lee, colleagues. I’ve been with the company for many years, tirelessly dedicating myself and continually growing. The company has provided me with numerous opportunities, and I have embraced new design elements over the years..."

Emma could barely stand to listen further. Every word from Hannah seemed to whitewash her own role, justifying why her design now appeared different from her previous work. It was less a presentation of ownership than a defense.

Emma watched Hannah’s arrogant demeanor with disdain. She could tolerate the initial chaos, but Hannah’s later words were unbearable. Hannah added with a nervous smile, "I believe our work ethics are deeply connected to our personal integrity. If someone’s personal life is chaotic, it’s likely their professional life is a mess too."

Hannah glanced at Mr. Lee, who adjusted his glasses as if he agreed with her insinuation.

Emma felt this wasn’t the end of it. True enough, Hannah’s next words took a sharp turn.

"At our company, we have another designer who was pregnant before marriage and engaged in scandalous behavior during her college years. How could such a person possibly create designs that match the esteemed character of your company?" After delivering her speech, Hannah Davis returned to her seat, clearly directing all blame towards Emma Hart.

Emma stared at Hannah, her anger mounting. She approached Hannah and demanded, "Did you see any of that with your own eyes?"

Initially startled by Emma’s boldness, Hannah quickly regained her composure. "Enough of that, bring evidence if you want to prove something." Hannah sat back, smug, knowing the video evidence was gone.

"I have a witness!" Emma declared.

Hannah glanced at Emma dismissively, wary.

Sophia Greenwood interjected, "Who?"

"Zoe," Emma replied.

At that moment, Zoe finally appeared before everyone. Emma rushed to her, grabbing her hand eagerly, "Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you all morning," hope shining in her eyes.

But Zoe pulled away and walked over to Hannah’s side.

Stunned, Emma watched Zoe’s betrayal unfold before her eyes.

This sinking feeling was soon confirmed. Emma stepped up to the stage, looking tentatively at Zoe, and declared, "Zoe told me she saw Hannah steal my files. She is my witness!"

In Damien Sterling’s office, Logan Harrington sprawls inelegantly across the genuine leather sofa, his legs stretched out carelessly. He fiddles with his phone, captivated by a sneakily taken photo of Amelia Davidson on the screen, puckering his lips as if to kiss it.

Damien glances over and remarks, "You know, there are more bacteria on a phone than on a toilet seat."

Logan pulls his face away from the screen, shooting Damien a disappointed look. "Do you have to be so gross?"

"It’s a fact," Damien responds coolly.

"Well, even if it were a toilet seat, if it had my goddess’s picture on it, I’d still kiss it!" Logan defiantly lights up the screen again, puckering up.

"You sure about that?" Damien throws back, a slight tease in his tone.

Since when had Damien become so disgusting? Logan reconsiders as Damien’s distasteful analogy echoes in his mind, throwing his phone aside in disgust. "Gross!"

"Got grossed out that quickly? What were you saying just now?" Damien comments without looking up.

It’s well-known Logan is a bit of a germophobe; even the toilet seats at his home are immaculate. Such comparisons are clearly too much for him.

Logan stretches lazily, his expression still one of pleasure and comfort. "Being here, I feel just a little closer to my goddess."

Damien stops his work and looks up at Logan, clearly obsessed. "Hey, aren’t they handling that design theft issue downstairs? Aren’t you going to help out?" Logan mentions offhandedly, not truly considering it a serious matter. After all, merely being associated with the Sterling family would secure anyone’s future, let alone Emma Hart, who is carrying Damien’s child. The importance of working fades in comparison.

Logan, much like Damien a wealthy heir, views their fortunes differently.

"Why are you wandering around here? Is everything fine at the company? Old Mr. Harrington mentioned that the sectors you’re overseeing are slipping. Be careful, or he’ll make me deal with you again," Damien warns, knowing too well that old Mr. Harrington often turns to him to rein in Logan.

Logan, disinterested in corporate matters, retorts, "A little nudge from you could easily boost those numbers, right?"

Logan Harrington’s casual demeanor had become habitual; despite his good looks and sharp mind, he rarely applied himself seriously. In contrast, Damien Sterling found himself unexpectedly admiring Emma Hart for her diligent work ethic, which was occasionally praiseworthy.

"Can I even be anywhere else? With today’s situation involving Emma, Amelia Davidson is deeply concerned. She kept saying yesterday that only she could prove Emma’s innocence. I don’t know what her plan is," Logan mused aimlessly.

"Oh?" Damien frowned, intrigued. Amelia could prove it? He harbored some doubts himself.

"Yeah, who knows? It’s unclear. My goddess usually resorts to force. She seemed hesitant yesterday, not sure why, but even her hesitation looked beautiful to me..." Logan drifted off, lost in his admiration.

Damien looked at Logan disdainfully, "Why do I feel like you’re asking for a beating?"

In the meeting room.

Emma Hart looked hopefully at Zoe, who clenched her teeth tightly, seemingly unable to speak, avoiding Emma’s expectant gaze.

Emma reached out to steady Zoe, but Zoe instinctively pulled back. Emma whispered, "What’s wrong? Just tell us what you saw."

Zoe seemed to nod timidly, and Emma began to sense her trembling, as if she were terrified.

Suddenly, Hannah Davis approached from behind, placing a hand on Zoe and nudging her backward, "Emma, don’t pressure her to speak. Did you bribe her?"

Bribe? Emma instead felt that it was Hannah who seemed to have coerced Zoe!

It must be true, otherwise Zoe’s reaction wouldn’t be so off.

Just as Emma was about to respond, Zoe seemed to prefer hiding behind Hannah. Disappointed, Emma looked towards Zoe. This testimony was already weak, and now even Zoe didn’t want to stand up. What should Emma do?

At this moment, Emma was clearly at a disadvantage, and the room filled with voices condemning her.

"Desperate measures, resorting to such low tactics!"

"Guilty of actions, but not of courage!"

"She’s a blight on the company!"

...

Emma Hart stood her ground in defiance. "Everything you’re saying is without proof!"

"There’s no smoke without fire!" Hannah Davis retorted with an elevated chin, bearing down on Emma. Despite the groundlessness of such accusations, in an environment where everyone was aware of Emma’s premarital pregnancy, her reputation was already tarnished.

"Then tell us, Emma, who is the father of the child you’re carrying? Dare you bring him here to prove it?"

"He..." Emma hesitated, then asserted, "The paternity of my child has nothing to do with the theft of the design drafts. Whoever stole them is responsible, and you can’t prove the drafts were your own! Don’t twist the truth!"

Hannah scoffed coldly. "What is the truth, then? Is it that the drafts belong to someone who has diligently served the company, or to a morally corrupt newbie who hasn’t even been at the company for a year?"

That’s how the world works; conventional wisdom tells us that Emma couldn’t possibly create such designs. She’s just a material designer, and so, many people and dreams are destroyed by such narratives.

Who can vouch for the paternity of the child in her womb besides that man? Emma’s gaze drifted off into the distance as if hoping for something, but how could that man possibly step forward to prove these allegations?

Just as Emma’s face showed her despair, the conference room door swung open. Entering were Damien Sterling and Logan Harrington.

Emma’s eyes flickered with a glint of hope. Why had he appeared? Was he here to help her?

Logan scanned the conference room, seemingly unable to find the person he was looking for.

"Mr. Sterling, what brings you here?" Sophia Greenwood addressed Damien respectfully in the presence of everyone, their faces marked with surprise. Such a trivial matter to summon Damien Sterling seemed highly unusual.