Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 263: Throwing You Out Too

Chapter 263: Throwing You Out Too

As Sophia Greenwood thought about Damien Sterling’s worries for the woman in front of her, her mood soured. Just looking at Emma Hart was irritating.

"Emma Hart, you should go home and rest," Sophia said, arms crossed as she stood before Emma, looking down at her with disdain and barely concealing her contempt. She flicked her eyes over Emma dismissively, clearly loath to linger on her presence.

"What’s the issue?" Emma asked, noticing the tension.

Sophia pursed her lips and glanced coldly at Emma. "The company needs to handle your situation, so you’re being asked to stay home for a while to sort things out."

"Go home?" Emma looked puzzled at Sophia. "Is this the company’s decision? Wasn’t my name already cleared?"

"It’s the company’s decision," Sophia retorted sharply, annoyed by Emma’s perpetual air of martyrdom, as if the whole world owed her justice. This attitude was precisely why Sophia found Emma so unbearable, especially since it was actually Damien’s decision.

The real intention wasn’t to facilitate a company investigation but rather to get Emma out of the office under the guise of rest. Was she supposed to maintain this charade of a benevolent lie for Emma’s compliance?

Sophia couldn’t help but think how kindly Damien treated Emma, and how cruelly indifferent he seemed towards her.

"I won’t argue further. What the company decides is final!" Sophia stated flatly, ending the conversation.

By evening, Emma had spent a restless afternoon at home, waiting for Damien to return, though she knew he was unlikely to easily acquiesce to her wishes. Pacing back and forth in the living room, she mulled over how to discuss this matter with Damien. Recalling past interactions, she realized that reasoning with Damien was never wise. If he were a reasonable man, would she even be in this predicament?

Clearly, that approach was futile.

Mrs. Harris, carrying a glass of warm water, approached Emma, who was alternately placing her hand to her lips and tapping her head as she paced like a woman possessed. "Miss Emma, are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh, I’m fine," Emma responded, hardly aware of her own distress.

"Here, have some warm water," Mrs. Harris suggested gently.

Emma Hart took the warm water from Mrs. Harris’s hands, feeling the comforting warmth of the cup. Since becoming pregnant, she had avoided all cold and raw foods, as advised for expectant mothers. Suddenly, a mischievous thought crossed her mind.

Should she stir up some trouble?

With a conspiratorial smile, Emma approached Mrs. Harris, who looked puzzled. "Miss Emma, what are you up to?" Mrs. Harris had long noticed that Emma could never sit still. She managed well enough at work, but the moment Emma had free time, she was full of wild schemes.

What was she planning this time?

Emma whispered into Mrs. Harris’s ear, causing the latter’s lips to twitch awkwardly. She glanced at Emma with a forced smile. "Miss Emma, that might not be such a good idea."

"There’s nothing wrong with it. He won’t fire you, you can be sure of that. Just pretend you don’t know anything, please, Mrs. Harris," Emma pleaded, clasping her hands together in front of her and pouting in a way that nearly brought her to tears.

Mrs. Harris, who had a soft spot for Emma, sighed. "Miss Emma, you really put me in a difficult position."

Emma’s face lit up with a grin, her expression confirming Mrs. Harris’s reluctant agreement. "I knew you cared about me the most!"

Outside the villa.

The sound of Damien Sterling’s car engine filled the air. Ever since Emma had commented on how wasteful the lights along the driveway were, Damien had spared no expense to install voice-activated systems from the base of the hill all the way to their mid-mountain home. Did the cost of voice activation really outweigh the savings on electricity?

Emma, ever aware of Damien’s usually shrewd dealings, chuckled to herself thinking that even the clever can have their foolish moments.

From the window, she watched as Damien’s car slowly made its way towards the villa. She quickly drew the curtains and darted into the house, rushing toward her room.

When Damien Sterling entered the house and looked around, he didn’t see Emma Hart anywhere. He had learned from Sophia Greenwood earlier that afternoon that Emma had come home, but where had she disappeared to now?

Mrs. Harris noticed Damien searching and took his bag, informing him, "Miss Emma has been in her room all afternoon."

Damien knew all too well that Emma could hardly sit still. Normally, going to work kept her busy, but resting at home was a different story. Why would she need to run around outside when she was getting noticeably bigger each day? Unlike other women who had to work out of necessity during pregnancy, Emma didn’t need to, thanks to his support.

"I understand," Damien said curtly.

He changed into his slippers and headed straight upstairs, not even pausing to take the glass of water Mrs. Harris held out—his usual habit upon returning home apparently forgotten in his preoccupation with Emma.

Opening the door, he found Emma very comfortably reclined in a chair, surrounded by an assortment of ice cream. Emma was just about to spoon another mouthful of ice cream into her mouth. The table was littered with empty boxes—she must have been indulging all afternoon.

Immediately, Damien’s anger flared. He stormed over, snatched the ice cream from Emma’s hand, and threw it into the nearby trash bin, exclaiming, "Who said you could eat this?"

With his hands trembling, Damien grabbed another ice cream from the table and squeezed it directly out of the box, as if he was channeling his urge to grasp Emma instead.

Emma didn’t dare to look up, her voice low, "I... just wanted some."

She had planned to be bold and defiant, to proudly proclaim in front of Damien, "I wanted to eat it!" But reality played out differently, and she faltered.

Her brother had called again that afternoon, pressing her for money and even using their mother and grandmother as leverage. If Emma didn’t work, how would she manage all these financial demands?

"Throw all of this away!" Damien commanded.

"I won’t!" Emma retorted, her face flushed with anger as she yelled back. Did he think she would just do whatever he demanded?

"If you don’t throw it out, I’ll throw you out too!"

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