Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 427: Just Want to Celebrate with You

Chapter 427: Just Want to Celebrate with You

Damien Sterling returned to his desk and reopened the video surveillance. On the screen, his entire home was decorated with Bailey’s adorable little ornaments, the dining table laden with various dishes and a large cake. Though moved, Damien Sterling couldn’t entirely shake off a feeling of unease.

Suddenly, his phone rang. "Hello? It’s almost eight o’clock. When are you coming back?" Emma Hart’s voice came through, sounding anxious. She had called Damien several times earlier, but he hadn’t answered, which had worried her.

Damien glanced at the video feed and hesitated before saying, "I’m sorry, I have a meeting tonight. I might be home very late. You should go to bed first." His cold response was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing Emma Hart’s enthusiasm.

"Alright then. Be safe on your way back." Emma’s tone was now noticeably unhappy. "Okay, bye." Damien replied curtly and hung up after a long pause.

On the other end of the line, Emma Hart stood still, her expression blank, her mouth downturned, looking heartbroken.

"What’s wrong, Emma? What did Mr. Sterling say?" Riley Turner looked at Emma with concern. "Nothing, he said he has a meeting tonight and won’t be home for dinner." Emma’s voice was hoarse, as if a fire was burning in her throat.

So, all the effort she and Riley Turner had put into tonight was in vain.

"I see." Riley also felt a wave of disappointment. They both stared at the table full of food in silence for a while before Riley suggested they eat something and deal with the rest later.

Emma agreed, asking Mrs. Harris to bring over two bowls of rice.

But Emma had little appetite, taking only a few bites of rice and forcing herself to eat a bit more.

After dinner, Riley gave Emma a comforting hug and then went home.

It was already past office hours, but Damien Sterling was still sitting alone in his office, lost in thought. He pinched the bridge of his high nose, his brow furrowing unconsciously.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the glass door. He looked up to see Lucy Allen. Seeing Damien look at her, Lucy took the initiative to open the door and walked in with a sweet voice, "Mr. Sterling, it’s so late. Aren’t you going home? Or is your wife upset?" When Damien didn’t respond, she stepped closer, reaching out her delicate hand to grasp his warm, solid hand.

Her lips curved into a small smile, her magnetic voice whispering in his ear, "Don’t look so down. Come with me, I have something to show you."

"What is it?" Damien reluctantly shook off her hand.

"In the design department, the team just finished something for the company that needs your approval." Damien followed Lucy Allen to the design department.

When they arrived at the door, he noticed it was pitch dark inside. "Director Allen, what exactly are you up to?" Damien asked, annoyed. The place was clearly empty; was Lucy Allen playing a prank on him?

Lucy chuckled softly, snapping her fingers in the direction of the room, "Three, two, one." The lights instantly came on, and the sound of festive whistles filled the air. His colleagues in the design department were all wearing little party hats.

A few colleagues brought the cake over to Damien Sterling, urging him to make a wish. Faced with such enthusiastic coworkers, he couldn’t refuse. He allowed a faint smile to appear on his lips and blew out the candles as his colleagues sang the birthday song.

Damien asked one of his colleagues to cut the cake and share it with everyone. In the brightly lit office, the party atmosphere reignited, while Damien sat on a nearby chair, silently watching the scene unfold.

"Mr. Sterling, have some cake. I prepared this especially for you," Lucy Allen said, offering him the largest piece of cake.

"Thank you, but I don’t like sweets," Damien politely declined.

"That’s alright," Lucy shrugged and smiled gracefully. She remained poised and elegant, as usual, handling the awkward situation with ease. Damien checked his phone; it was almost ten o’clock. It was time to go home. He called Assistant Lee and had him book a VIP room at a nearby karaoke bar for his colleagues to continue the celebration, then he left.

When he got home, the house was quiet as usual at this hour. Everyone was likely asleep. But tonight, the living room was decorated with various birthday decorations, and the TV was still on. His woman lay on the sofa under a small blanket.

He tiptoed towards Emma Hart, trying not to wake her. But as soon as he opened the door, Emma woke up.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, she lazily asked, "You’re back? Have you eaten?"

"Not yet," Damien replied.

Upon hearing his response, Emma got up and started to put on her shoes, heading for the kitchen. "Riley Turner and I made dinner for you, but since you didn’t come home, I’ll heat it up for you now."

"And there’s cake, right? I want some," Damien said.

Emma stopped in her tracks, looking at him in surprise, her eyes asking, "How do you know?"

"Don’t think too much. Just heat up the food for me," Damien smiled and urged her. Emma nodded and headed to the kitchen.

He devoured the delicious meal on the table, while Emma sat beside him, watching with a sense of accomplishment.

"Don’t forget to have some cake later," she reminded.

"This cake isn’t made by you, is it?" Damien said with a faint smile. Emma’s voice dropped slightly, "It’s true, I didn’t make it. Oh, and there are cookies too." After making the cake, she and Riley Turner had used the leftover ingredients to bake some cookies.

Damien looked at the plate of cookies she handed him. Half of them were beautifully crafted, while the other half were misshapen and dry. "I can tell which ones you made," Damien couldn’t help but laugh.

Emma rolled her eyes at him.

"Thank you for your hard work, but I like the ones that look less perfect," he said, picking the ugliest cookie from the plate and popping it into his mouth.

"You’re eating that ugly one? You really have a strange taste," Emma laughed.

"As long as you made it, I like it," Damien said, smearing some cake frosting on Emma’s face.

Emma paused for a second before retaliating against the man who had just played a prank on her.

In the quiet, white bedroom, the warm morning sunlight streamed in. Beneath the covers, two warm bodies were entwined. Damien Sterling lifted his head and gently kissed Emma Hart’s smooth forehead. After wishing him a happy birthday last night, she had given him the best gift he could ask for. Even after a year, her body still enchanted him.

He smiled as he watched Emma Hart’s peaceful sleeping face, exhausted from their passionate night. The sudden vibration of his phone shattered their tranquil world. Emma Hart woke up from the noise.

"Hello? Mr. Turner?" Damien answered the call from Mr. Turner. "Alright, I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll send someone to find her right away!" Damien hung up and immediately dialed another number.

Emma Hart heard Damien arranging for someone to search for Riley Turner.

"What happened?" she asked anxiously.

"Riley Turner didn’t come home last night. She’s missing," Damien said calmly.

"What!" Emma felt her mind go blank. Riley was fine last night; how could she just disappear?

"When did she leave our house last night?" Damien asked.

"Around eight. Do you think something happened to her?" Emma’s face turned pale with fear. She had invited Riley over last night. If something had happened to her, how could she face her parents?

Damien pulled Emma’s small frame into his arms, comforting her, "It’s not your fault. Don’t be afraid."

"Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Hart, Miss Turner is here," Mrs. Harris said, knocking on the door.

Hearing that Riley was here, Emma felt a mix of disbelief and relief. How could the missing person suddenly appear at their home?

She quickly broke free from Damien’s embrace, ran to open the door, and asked, "Where is she?" Only Mrs. Harris stood at the door.

"She’s downstairs," Mrs. Harris pointed towards the first floor.

Emma was about to rush downstairs when Mrs. Harris stopped her. "Emma, you’re not dressed." Emma stopped, realizing she was in her pajamas. Blushing, she ran back to the bedroom, quickly put on some clothes, and hurried downstairs. Damien shook his head with a wry smile and headed to the bathroom.

In the living room, Riley Turner sat in a daze. The glass of water Mrs. Harris had given her remained untouched.

"Riley!" Emma ran downstairs.

"Emma," Riley turned to her.

"What happened? We just got a call from your dad saying you didn’t come home all night," Emma grabbed Riley’s shoulders, frantic with worry.

Riley’s eyes blinked, trying to avoid Emma’s questions. "It’s nothing, really."

"If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll have to call Mr. Turner," Damien said coldly from the stairs.

Seeing Emma on the verge of tears, Riley couldn’t keep hiding the truth. She explained that she had a fight with her father yesterday afternoon because she wanted to work at another company. After coming to Emma’s house, she argued with her father again on the way home. Not wanting to return to continue the argument, she booked a room for the night. This morning, she came to Emma’s house because she didn’t know what else to do.

Her explanation only made Emma feel more heartbroken.

Damien Sterling chuckled; something like this hadn’t happened to him since elementary school.

"What’s wrong with staying in the family business? The outside world is full of dangers you might not be ready for," Damien Sterling asked, surprised by the young girl’s determination.

"There’s danger everywhere in society. Dad can’t protect me forever. I’m young and want to venture out on my own," Riley Turner said earnestly.

Emma Hart and Damien Sterling pondered for a moment.

Suddenly, Riley Turner grabbed Emma Hart’s wrist and, trembling, pleaded, "Emma, Mr. Sterling, please don’t tell my dad I’m here. I don’t want to go home!"

"Okay, okay! You can stay here for now," Emma Hart agreed in a panic, startled by Riley Turner’s plea.

After calming Riley Turner for a while, Emma Hart led her to the dining table for breakfast. Damien Sterling asked Emma Hart to come upstairs to help him with his tie.

"What are you going to do about Riley Turner?" Emma Hart asked Damien Sterling.

"I’ve already spoken to Mr. Turner. Let her stay with us for a day. I have a tough task for you: convince her to go home within a day," Damien Sterling said with a mischievous grin.

"That’s impossible!" Emma Hart almost shouted.

"Why not? You’ve improved your cooking skills significantly in a short time. I’m sure you can handle being a mediator," Damien Sterling continued.

Emma Hart playfully punched Damien Sterling’s chest and said, "Those two things aren’t even related!"

Damien Sterling caught her fist and smiled wickedly, "If you can complete the task and get her to go home, I’ll give you a reward. What it is will be a surprise."

Emma Hart rolled her eyes, thought for a moment, and agreed.

After Damien Sterling left, Emma Hart and Riley Turner sat in the garden talking. Bailey, the dog, obediently licked Emma Hart and lay down beside her.

In the middle of their conversation, Riley Turner’s phone rang. It was Mr. Turner.

They argued on the phone, with Riley threatening to tell her mom about her dad’s secret drinking if he didn’t agree to let her find a job.

Emma Hart was shocked by Riley’s rebellious side.

After hanging up, Riley flashed a victory sign at Emma and laughed.

"You always had a way to deal with your dad, didn’t you?" Emma asked.

Riley nodded.

Before dinner, Mr. Turner drove over to pick up Riley.

Emma quickly called Damien Sterling, "Dear Mr. Sterling, the task you assigned is complete! What’s my reward?" she asked eagerly, knowing Damien’s gifts were always generous.

"Really? I heard Riley handled it herself, didn’t she?" Damien teased.

Emma paused, then said, "You only said she had to leave today, not that I had to convince her. Now, tell me what the reward is!" Emma pleaded.