Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 299: Being a Man or a Woman in the Next Life

Chapter 299: Being a Man or a Woman in the Next Life

Ryan Garcia glanced back intermittently, eagerly hoping to see Damien Sterling’s handsome figure emerge in the freezing darkness of the night. "God, someone save me! It’s so cold!" His prayers seemed to work as Damien Sterling and his assistant approached from the opposite side. Damien’s eyes, sharp as ice, were fixed menacingly on Emma Hart’s back.

Ryan, not daring to raise his voice, frantically waved his arms. Damien ordered his assistant to ready the car, then he himself strode to the edge of the road.

"Emma Hart!" Damien shouted as he approached, and upon her turning, he slapped her across the face. A fiery imprint of his hand appeared on Emma’s right cheek. Tears of humiliation began to fall from her eyes instantly.

"Why did you hit me!" Emma shouted at Damien.

"Look at what you’ve done!" Damien exclaimed, frustrated by her audacity to stir trouble. "I just wanted to take a walk!" Emma cried, squatting down and hugging herself.

Ryan Garcia, standing aside, remained silent, wary of provoking Damien further. "Mr. Sterling," the driver called out, pulling up in the familiar black Bugatti at the curb. Damien, without a word, grabbed Emma, growling, "We’re going home!"

"I don’t want to!" Emma resisted.

But once Damien had made up his mind, there was no changing it. He lifted her up, placed her in the Bugatti, then closed the door. He nodded gratefully at Ryan Garcia and drove away, leaving Ryan alone in the disheveled wind, thinking to himself how much easier life seemed as a woman—so many people concerned over her in just a short time.

Inside the car, Damien and Emma each stared out their respective windows, ignoring each other. Damien couldn’t understand why Emma was acting so out of character, yet he knew her leaving was wrong. Emma continued to sob quietly, her mind a muddled mess, unsure of what she wanted, only that she needed to cry...

Damien Sterling looked at Emma Hart beside him, his heart twisted in discomfort. He wanted to reach out and comfort her but feared she might lash out in response. The ride home was awkward in silence.

At the Sterling family mansion.

"Mr. Sterling, Miss Emma, welcome back!" Mrs. Harris greeted them warmly, unaware of the day’s minor upheavals. No one responded to her greeting.

Emma, with red-rimmed eyes, went upstairs, followed by Damien trailing behind her. Back at home, Emma became much more composed; she stopped crying and fussing.

Damien stepped into the bathroom to shower, while Emma sat desolately in his office chair.

As the sound of the shower ceased, Emma watched Damien exit the bathroom and walked up to him, her head bowed, whispering, "I’m sorry, Mr. Sterling, today... it wasn’t intentional."

Damien sat on the bed, looking at Emma standing before him like a schoolgirl in front of the principal, ready to be disciplined. He smirked slightly, already having forgiven her: "Why did you suddenly leave home?"

"I... I didn’t. I just felt upset and wanted a walk; I didn’t expect to end up by the river..." Emma explained.

"Was it because you lost the competition that you felt upset?" Damien asked.

"No, it’s not that..." Emma’s response faltered.

Damien couldn’t help but smile, pulling her close into his arms, his hand gently caressing her belly. "Lying is something the kids will frown upon," he teased with a mischievous grin.

Emma’s face heated up: "..."

Damien continued, "Is it because the loss hurt your confidence, or is it because... you were jealous seeing me with Harper Clark?"

"I—" Emma wanted to immediately deny the latter, but she indeed felt a twinge of jealousy.

Harper Clark seemed like a radiant sprite, pure and spirited. In contrast, Emma felt her figure was completely out of shape now, especially with the pregnancy. The comparison made her suddenly feel so wronged that she burst into tears.

Watching the tears suddenly spring from Emma Hart’s eyes, Damien Sterling shook his head in helpless resignation and invited her to sit sideways on his lap, holding her close. This woman had a way of dissolving his resolve completely.

But Emma, once in his arms, only intensified her outburst, sobbing heavily and pounding her fists against Damien’s shoulders. "Enough, stop crying," Damien pleaded, his patience waning—there was nothing he dreaded more than a woman’s tears, especially Emma’s.

When she showed no sign of stopping, Damien swiftly turned, pinning Emma beneath him on the couch, and gently wiped the tears from her face. His voice, laden with a compelling allure, he warned, "If you don’t stop crying, I will have to be less gentle!"

Emma immediately stifled her tears, though her sobs still shook her. Damien frowned slightly and leaned down to kiss her. His dominant kiss left her with no choice but to respond.

Their lips pressed tightly, their tongues intertwined, charging the surrounding air with an intense sensuality.

Reluctantly breaking away from her lips, Damien moved to her ear and then down to her neck. Emma’s neck was her most sensitive area, and Damien’s skilled kisses left her breathless and unable to resist.

"You’re such a temptress!" Damien muttered, almost losing himself in the passion of the moment.

Suddenly, Emma screamed, "Ah! My stomach! It hurts so much!"

Instantly sobered from his desire, Damien snapped to attention. "What’s wrong?" he urgently inquired.

"It hurts! It really hurts!" Emma groaned in agony. "The baby... I think it’s coming!"

At that moment, Damien noticed a fluid streaming onto the sheets—it was the amniotic fluid; Emma’s water had broken!

Frantically, Damien grabbed his phone to call emergency services. He then shouted for Mrs. Harris and the other maids.

"Mrs. Harris, what should we do?" Damien asked, aware that of all the household staff, only Mrs. Harris had the necessary experience.

"Mr. Sterling, Miss Emma, don’t panic, don’t be afraid," Mrs. Harris soothed. "Miss Emma, listen to me, breathe deeply—in and out." She then pulled a small piece of candy from her pocket and gave it to Emma, concerned about her pallor and lack of dinner.

Emma felt miserable and resentful towards Damien for this ordeal. "Ah! In my next life, I don’t want to be a woman!" she cried out.

"Mr. Sterling! The ambulance is here!" called a servant from downstairs as the medical team arrived in the room.