Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 289: He’s Strange Tonight

Chapter 289: He’s Strange Tonight

After dinner, Emma Hart finished her milk and returned to her room. Damien Sterling was at his desk, poring over documents. Usually, as soon as Emma entered, he would look up and urge her to take a bath, but today he kept his eyes on his papers, treating her as if she were invisible, which left her feeling quite out of sorts.

Fortunately, Emma was self-aware and promptly took her bath, then settled herself in bed to foster some affection with it, eager to avoid any petty quarrels with Damien.

Soon after, Damien also turned off his desk lamp and lay down beside Emma.

"Why are you acting so strange tonight?" Emma asked.

"Am I really being strange?" Damien replied.

"Very strange! You didn’t even glance at me when you came back, and you kept staring at Mrs. Harris and the food for a long time." Please, Mr. Sterling, that’s really not normal.

"This afternoon at the office, I got aesthetic fatigue from selecting models for you; I feel dizzy at the sight of any beauty now," Damien confessed honestly.

"Oh... So, I guess... I’m still considered a beauty in your eyes?" Emma felt a slight surge of happiness, pleased that despite being pregnant, her charm was still intact.

Lit by the moonlight, Damien leaned over Emma, looking down at her for a few seconds with a mischievous grin. "Hmm... You’ll do."

"Hey!" Emma, quite displeased, gently slapped Damien’s shoulder. What did he mean by ’You’ll do’? That was hardly gentlemanly!

Damien simply smiled, a refreshingly clean smile that lacked his usual daytime severity, which made Emma’s heart beat faster.

He slowly moved closer to Emma, and they gently closed their eyes. Even Emma didn’t understand why she didn’t resist him.

A faint, brief sound interrupted them.

Damien and Emma immediately stopped and asked in unison, "Did you burp?"

"Not me!"

The faint hiccup sounded again.

Following the sound, they looked and realized it was coming from Emma’s belly. It turned out their baby was hiccuping! They looked at each other and laughed, then settled back down in bed. It seemed the baby was already used to ’eating up’ their affection.

No more disturbances; it was best they rest early, especially for the baby’s sake.

The following afternoon, Emma Hart entered Damien Sterling’s office.

"Mr. Sterling."

"You’re here, have a seat. The models will be arriving shortly."

Within moments, two statuesque beauties, each with ideal proportions, appeared before Emma.

"Hello, Mrs. Sterling."

"Hello, Mrs. Sterling."

Both models greeted Emma with broad smiles, eagerly introducing themselves.

Emma scrutinized them closely; they were young yet very adept at social interactions, and their appearances were flawless. However, something seemed off...

"I’m terribly sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling..." Just as Emma was deep in thought, a melodious voice like a chime caught everyone’s attention. They turned to see a young girl with bangs and braided pigtails hurriedly entering Mr. Sterling’s office, head bowed.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, everyone, I’m Harper Clark, here for the model audition..." Harper Clark nervously rattled off her introduction without daring to look up. She had overslept despite knowing about Damien Sterling’s no-nonsense reputation at Sterling Group, and she couldn’t be more annoyed with herself for it.

"It’s going to be you!" Emma was immediately taken with Harper Clark.

From the moment she saw Harper, Emma realized what was lacking in the other two models. Though all were under 22, the other models dressed too maturely, appearing around 25, lacking the youthful freshness and natural beauty she was seeking.

"Thank you, Mrs. Sterling!" Harper was thrilled.

The other two models, wide-eyed, couldn’t believe they had been eliminated, especially to lose to a newcomer. They felt indignant but managed to mask their disappointment.

"Mr. Sterling, we’ll take our leave then." One of the models, a voluptuous woman with D-cup size, tossed her bright, seductive lips into a smile at Damien.

"Thank you both," Damien briefly acknowledged them.

"Mr. Sterling, it’s time for your meeting." After the models left, the leggy secretary Amy walked in to remind Damien.

"Alright, you all continue discussing, Emma, stay here and wait for me after you’re done," Damien told Emma as he turned to leave.

"Okay, dear," Emma replied. Regardless of their strained relationship, they maintained a show of affection in public.

After Damien Sterling left, Emma Hart and Harper Clark began discussing the fashion details.

"Miss Clark, I’ll be relying on you going forward."

"Mrs. Sterling, please just call me Harper, no need for formalities! I felt a sense of warmth the first moment I saw you."

"Alright, Harper. The runway is your forte, which reassures me. As for the outfits, I’ll handle those. I need to take your measurements to tailor the clothes to your size."

"No problem."

Harper was surprisingly well-proportioned for her age! Watching Emma’s envious gaze, Harper’s eyes shimmered with confidence and pride. Being the wife of the president of Sterling Group seemed less intimidating than she had imagined. Harper thought she might still have a chance to shine.

"That will be all for today. Once the clothes are ready, Mr. Sterling will have someone deliver them to you," Emma told Harper.

"Um... Mrs. Sterling, that seems like a hassle. Why not just give me your home address? Whenever you call, I can come directly to your house. It would save a lot of time, and we could exchange ideas more effectively. I might even bring you some inspiration!" Harper eagerly explained the benefits of her visiting Emma’s home.

"I can’t decide that on my own. I’ll discuss it with Mr. Sterling when he returns. You should head home for now!" Emma replied.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Sterling." Harper’s eyes sparkled, curving into joyful arcs that were quite charming. Emma watched as Harper left.

These youngsters are something else! Emma was no fool; she knew exactly what Harper was plotting—to charm Damien in their home. But Emma wasn’t worried. After all, there was nothing more terrifying than Damien when he was truly upset. If these young ladies knew what Damien was really like, they’d probably be screaming for their mothers! With these thoughts, a smile unwittingly crept across Emma’s face.

"What are you smiling about?" Damien, returning from his meeting, caught her in her amused state...