Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 74: Playing Dumb

Chapter 74: Playing Dumb

At the door, the secretary slowly closed it, glancing back occasionally.

It was rare to see Damian so caring towards anyone, and the secretary was even more stunned that anyone would dare refuse Damian. Who was this woman?

"Mr. Sterling, your charm is undeniable."

Damian raised an eyebrow, "Why do I sense a different implication in your words? Jealous?"

He stopped what he was doing and turned to Emma.

Emma rolled her eyes at Damian. Despite having the looks to be conceited, she found his overconfidence excessive. Preferring sleep over engaging in conversation, she pulled the blanket over herself and chose to rest.

Damian glanced at Emma, and seeing her lie down, he returned to his work.

Emma fell asleep shortly after closing her eyes.

Damian Sterling called his secretary outside, "Before you come in to deliver the documents, switch to flat shoes. And make sure you don’t make any noise opening the door."

The secretary, though puzzled, knew better than to question Damian’s instructions, quickly agreeing, "Yes, Mr. Sterling."

Upon entering, the secretary saw Emma asleep on the sofa.

Damian glanced at the sleeping Emma as the door opened, ensuring she wasn’t disturbed before signaling the secretary to come over quietly.

After giving his instructions, the secretary left the office quietly, filled with questions.

The woman on the sofa, who held such significance to Damian Sterling, remained a mystery.

Emma Hart had no idea how long she had been asleep before she finally awoke, feeling vaguely as if a shadowy figure had been standing in front of her, seemingly tucking the blanket around her.

Barely opening her eyes, she instinctively looked down at her blanket to find it had indeed been neatly tucked in, confirming this wasn’t a dream, and the person who had done so... could only be Damien Sterling.

Upon getting up, Emma could no longer see Damien’s figure.

She neatly folded the blanket and got out of bed, then began to look around Damien Sterling’s office.

Her hand brushed against the edge of Sterling’s large desk, pondering, "The computers here are always connected to the internet, right?"

Just as Emma settled in front of Damien’s desk, a soft, fragmented voice came from outside the door. Listening closely, it was a woman’s voice.

"I’m sorry, Ms. Greenwood, Mr. Sterling is not in, and he has instructed us to notify him whenever you visit," said the secretary from earlier.

"What? I didn’t have to notify him before, why do I need to now? I know he’s not here," Sophia Greenwood said, twisting her waist as she headed towards the office.

The secretary, unable to stop Greenwood, knew well that this new directive had indeed been issued by Damien Sterling himself.

Sophia Greenwood opened the office door, carrying a delicately boxed durian pastry she had queued for early in the morning.

Fortunately, Emma Hart had already returned to her original spot on the sofa, but Greenwood still looked surprised upon seeing her, frowning slightly before quickly adopting a more natural demeanor.

"You are...?" Sophia Greenwood began to ask.

But the woman in front of her was all too familiar.

"I... am Emma Hart," Emma said, standing up with a slightly awkward smile.

However, this response likely didn’t convey the information Sophia was most curious about.

Emma looked at Sophia, as well as the item she was holding, guessing that there must be a romantic link between her and Damien Sterling.

In Emma’s view, Sophia Greenwood’s model-like figure, exquisite face, taste in clothing, and her noble aura matched perfectly with Damien Sterling.

Emma thought about herself, so ordinary in comparison, wondering why Damien would choose to interact with her instead of pursuing someone as stunning as Sophia.

"Hello, my name is Sophia Greenwood, and I’m also the Design Director at Sterling Group," Sophia Greenwood responded with a smile, gracefully sweeping her wavy hair to the side in a gesture that radiated a sophisticated beauty.

Emma Hart had never felt such a positive vibe towards any woman before.

Wearing her high heels, Sophia approached Damien Sterling’s desk, carefully placing the gift box down, meticulously adjusting its angle several times until she seemed satisfied with its placement, then clapped her hands lightly in approval.

Only then did Sophia remember Emma Hart was beside her, her face showing a hint of shyness as she said, "Will you be waiting here for dear Damien? Oh, my apologies, I meant Mr. Sterling."

Emma couldn’t help but notice Sophia’s use of "dear Damien"... such an affectionate nickname seemed worlds away from the demon Damien Sterling Emma knew.

Suppressing a smirk, Emma watched Sophia, feeling as though she was unwittingly marking her territory.

Thinking of Damien Sterling’s lifelong happiness, Emma felt compelled to clarify, "Actually, he and I don’t have that kind of relationship; we’re just ordinary friends."

Sophia nodded in understanding, "Us... we’ve just grown up together, that’s all."

Emma thought to herself: Growing up together is perfect, best friends from childhood, then let those two be together forever...

The secretary knocked and entered, "Ms. Greenwood, here’s the coffee you requested."

Sophia handed a cup to Emma, who waved it off, explaining, "I can’t drink this."

"Why is that?"

"I... just don’t like it." Better not to say too much.

Emma inadvertently caught Sophia glancing at her stomach, though it could have just been her sensitivity; Sophia might have simply looked over her accidentally, and Emma just happened to notice her gaze landing there.

Sophia brought the coffee to her lips, her striking lipstick leaving a mark on the rim of the cup.

Emma remembered the two coffees ordered earlier; how coincidental that she asked for two? Surely, it wasn’t meant for Damien Sterling.

In fact, Sophia had been informed early on by one of the secretaries upstairs, whom she had won over, that a woman had arrived in Damien Sterling’s office. Naturally, Sophia had to come up and see for herself.

As they conversed, footsteps echoed from outside the office, signaling Damien Sterling’s return.

A fleeting look of surprise crossed Damien’s dark features before he regained his composure.

"Why are you here? Have you finished all your work?" Damien asked coldly.

Such indifference might have been typical for Damien, but in front of Emma Hart, it unavoidably placed Sophia Greenwood in an awkward position.

"Damien, dear, can’t we talk about something other than work?" Sophia’s tone was almost coquettish.

"And if not?" Damien retorted, walking towards Emma, leaning over to pick up the coffee from the desk, and asking sharply, "Did you drink this?" His brows furrowed deeply, as if on the brink of eruption.

Emma shook her head, "No." Damien leaned in close to Emma, sniffing near her lips, "Good."

In front of Sophia, Damien made no attempt to hide his actions.

Emma stepped back hastily, the gesture overly intimate, and she could see that Sophia held special feelings for Damien, placing her in an uncomfortable position, especially after she had just assured Sophia they were merely friends.

Emma’s embarrassment was evident, but upon looking at Sophia, she realized she wasn’t the one who looked the most upset.

"I’ll go back to work," Sophia said abruptly before turning to leave.

The door closed behind her, and Damien casually walked to his desk to review documents.

Emma followed, standing in front of the desk, "Why do you act this way?"

"Act what way?" Damien feigned ignorance, his nonchalant demeanor as if the recent events had nothing to do with him.

Irritated, Emma blurted out, "Why don’t you two get married?"

Damien stopped, his gaze turning stern towards Emma, "You’re meddling too much!"

"I was just asking," Emma quickly backed off, thinking it best to retreat before his anger escalated.

Damien’s eyes shifted, "Did you touch my computer?"

Emma Hart was startled by the question, indeed she had used the computer... but she hadn’t done anything significant and had meticulously restored everything to how it was before she touched it.

Surely, there was no way he could have noticed.

"Just killing time, playing a game," Emma decided to lie without really lying.

"Oh? What game?"

"Tetris," Emma said offhandedly.

"Is it fun?"

"Yeah, quite fun," Emma responded nonchalantly, though Damien Sterling’s computer didn’t even have that game installed.

Damien chuckled coldly, and although Emma couldn’t pinpoint where her slip-up was, she still felt guilty enough to step away from Damien’s desk.

Emma managed to survive until noon at Damien Sterling’s company, not daring to disturb him throughout the morning; his office had been a hub of constant activity.

Checking the time, she figured it was reasonable to ask Damien if she could leave, even if it meant having someone from his team escort her home. She just couldn’t stand staying there any longer.

Entering his office, Damien was still engrossed in his work at the desk.

Approaching him, Damien mechanically reached out his hand, seemingly expecting some document.

Emma slapped his hand as if giving him a high-five.

However, after completing this action, Emma felt as though she had just slapped a tiger on the butt. Involuntarily stepping back, she covered her mouth with her hands.

Emma stared at Damien, his eyes radiating confusion, while his deep pupils were filled with a cold light.