Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 278: Emma Hart’s Secret

Chapter 278: Emma Hart’s Secret

Emma Hart had arranged to meet Amelia Davidson at the company today. As soon as Amelia got out of her car, she walked straight over to Emma. "Did you bring the files for that case last time?"

"They’re all on a USB drive. I could have just sent them to you online," Emma replied, worried about troubling Amelia with another trip.

"That wouldn’t do at all, you know how confidential this stuff is. Besides, it’s not just about the files. I came to see my baby," Amelia said as she bent down and affectionately rubbed Emma’s belly with a smile.

"This godmother role is set," Emma laughed, recalling her initial disbelief that Amelia Davidson could be so warm. She had always seemed as cold and ruthless as another "Damien Sterling" to her. Now, it seemed, appearances truly were deceiving.

Like now, Amelia was completely doting, the sort obsessed with the child even before its birth.

"Come on, Emma, let’s go have something delicious."

"No need," Emma protested, slightly overwhelmed by Amelia’s constant pampering, as if she was compensating for some great deprivation Emma suffered regularly.

"Then let’s go buy some clothes for the baby."

"No need for that either." The baby’s wardrobe at home was already overflowing with clothes for both genders and all ages—Damien Sterling wouldn’t have it any other way.

As they headed outside, a rather sleazy-looking man approached, hastily clutching something in his hand. His eyes landed on Emma, and he stopped dead in his tracks, his face registering shock. He pointed at Emma, hesitant, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes and feared he had mistaken her identity.

Emma, recognizing the man, couldn’t forget who he was— the one from her university days who had attempted to molest her but ended up being reported by her. This same man, unable to bear the shame, had spread vile rumors across campus claiming that Emma was the one who had behaved inappropriately!

How could Emma forget such a man!

She gave him a dismissive glance and turned away.

But that very look confirmed to the man that she was indeed Emma Hart. As he walked past, he spun around, pointing at her and shouting, "Emma Hart!"

Emma Hart’s steps halted abruptly as she took a deep breath.

The man behind her quickly moved to stand in front of her, sizing her up thoroughly before becoming even more certain that this was indeed the Emma Hart from his past. With a sleazy look, he said, "Emma Hart, you’ve become so elegant, quite different from the girl back in the university."

As he reached out to touch Emma’s cheek, he taunted, "What, don’t recognize me anymore?"

Emma slapped his hand away, "You’d better stay away from me! And even if you turned to ash, I’d still recognize you!"

The man gave Emma another appraising look. "Okay, okay, you’ve really come up in the world, haven’t you? Pregnant now! Your husband must be something too, right? Must be a happy family? What if I started rumors like those old days, your happy, wonderful family, wouldn’t it just..."

His laughter was obnoxious, his voice grating on Emma’s nerves, which she chose to ignore.

"Go ahead then!" Emma spoke boldly, not that she had a family to speak of, but even if she did, she wouldn’t let herself be blackmailed by such a repulsive man.

"I’m telling you, with a little money, this could all go away. I won’t ask for too much, just agree, and you can go your sunny way, and I’ll go mine. Why bother with all this?" The man shamelessly proposed, his company facing a crisis with falling performance and debts mounting. Seeing Emma from days gone by, he concocted this scheme.

But Emma remained unimpressed, and Amelia Davidson, who had understood what was happening, was initially worried that this might be something serious. After all, many young women make mistakes in college, and Amelia didn’t think there was anything unforgivable about youthful indiscretions if they had been corrected. At least she believed in the Emma Hart she saw now.

Upon hearing his proposition, Amelia recognized him for the sleaze he was.

Seeing that Emma was ignoring the man and not agreeing to his terms, he spat out a threat, "Fine, Emma Hart, you’ll regret this!"

As soon as the man’s taunting words fell, Emma Hart’s face turned grim. It wasn’t out of fear of his threats—after all, they were all fabrications. Between them, there was only his lecherous threats and resentment. Emma conducted herself with integrity; what did she have to fear?

But the man’s vulgar actions genuinely disgusted Emma.

"Go to hell! Let’s see what you dare do!" Amelia Davidson threw her bag straight at the man, hitting him squarely in the face, "Stop your damn blabbering!"

A bruise started forming on the man’s face.

"You wretched woman! You’ll regret this!" he shouted, turning hastily to leave.

Amelia, who had seen many such men, knew their type well— all talk and no substance. "Don’t waste words on such men!" She pulled Emma away, trying to calm the fury within her. "Let’s go."

Walking with Amelia, Emma felt a reassuring and solid trust. It seemed no matter the circumstance, Amelia always chose to believe in her.

Around the corner of the Sterling Group lobby.

The man held his face in front of a mirror, inspecting the bruise Amelia had inflicted. "That damned woman!"

Cursing under his breath, he winced in pain, hissing through clenched teeth.

Sofia Greenwood appeared before the man.

Seeing this strikingly attractive woman, he wondered about his luck today—meeting such beautiful women one after another.

As his pain seemingly subsided, he eagerly asked, "Excuse me, miss, who are you?"

Sofia stepped back, repelled by the greasy middle-aged man whose inherent sleaziness was all too apparent.

Sofia pointed towards Emma, whom she had just seen outside. "Do you know Emma Hart?"

The man’s eyes gleamed with ill-intent, realizing the conversation was about Emma. "Emma Hart is quite the character, isn’t she?" he mused. Seeing Sofia’s badge that read ’Design Director’ for Sterling Group, he thought, The design director herself inquiring about Emma?

"There must be something big tying you two. I know plenty of Emma Hart’s secrets," he said, letting his gaze wander slyly.

"Tell me!" Sofia demanded.

"Tell you?" The man smirked, "How could I just share someone’s secrets? Especially ones so scandalous?"

His eyes revealed his greed.

Sofia, understanding his insinuation, looked disgusted at his greedy face. "Speak up, how much do you want?"