Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 75: Is It Him?

Chapter 75: Is It Him?

What was she up to? Damien’s puzzled gaze shifted from Emma’s face to his own hand, inspecting his palm as if trying to discern every line.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

The question made Emma incredibly embarrassed; honestly, she didn’t know what she was doing, but it felt natural to high-five that hand.

Indeed, it was a bit crazy.

"It’s about time for me to head back for dinner, Mrs. Harris must have prepared it by now. Maybe you could give me a ride back?" Emma Hart shifted her gaze away, slowly moving her hands behind her back.

Damien Sterling lifted his head, propping his chin in his hand, watching her like she was a scene in a comedy.

Emma, under Damien’s scrutinizing gaze, felt a tug at the corners of her mouth, "Go on with your performance."

"I’m... really hungry." Emma felt that her hunger had become more abrupt since she became pregnant.

The secretary outside brought in a document and placed it on Damien’s desk, "Mr. President, here’s the document you wanted to review at noon."

Damien glanced at it, "You may leave now."

Emma thought he was about to start his work, given how meticulously he planned every minute of his day.

However, to her surprise, Damien grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair, put it on, and took Emma by the hand, "Let’s go have lunch."

As they opened the office door, Sophia Greenwood appeared, "What a coincidence?"

"We’re just about to head out for lunch," Damien Sterling announced, his hand resting on Emma Hart’s arm.

Emma, feeling slightly embarrassed, wriggled a bit in Damien’s embrace before stepping away from him, turning to Sophia Greenwood.

Despite Damien’s apparent indifference towards Sophia, Emma extended a warm invitation, "Let’s go together, shall we?"

"Sure," Sophia responded eagerly.

Damien gave Emma a sharp look but held his peace.

Emma feigned ignorance to his gaze, reasoning that with another person present, Damien would surely restrain himself.

Following a secluded path, our group arrived at a restaurant enveloped in peach blossoms, looking from afar as if nestled within a peach grove, aptly named "Peach Blossom Fall."

The beauty of the name matched the ambience inside, where soft, melodious music welcomed us, and the dimly lit interior created just the atmosphere Emma Hart adored.

The receptionist first noticed Sophia Greenwood and then Damien Sterling, wondering what fortunate wind had brought these two celebrities here today.

"Welcome, esteemed VIP guests, please follow me," the waiter led with respect.

Emma had grown accustomed to enjoying all sorts of supreme treatments alongside Damien.

The waiter, holding the menu, seemed hesitant and awkward, unsure of whom to hand it to between the two ladies.

Sophia, ever so polite, gestured towards Emma, "Miss Emma, please order the menu." Yet, as she spoke, a peculiar smile crept over Sophia’s face.

Emma chuckled, seeing no point in refusing back and forth, but upon opening the menu, she was baffled.

Were these characters not hieroglyphics? With all her years of education, Emma was sure... this wasn’t English.

She couldn’t make head nor tail of the dense script.

Sophia watched Emma flip through the menu slowly, obviously aware that Emma couldn’t understand it.

Her actions seemed intended to highlight the gap between them, suggesting Emma shouldn’t overreach into their circle, where even ordering a meal could be an ordeal.

"Miss Emma, what do you think?" Sophia Greenwood asked with a cunning undertone.

But she hadn’t anticipated Emma Hart’s response.

With a snap, Emma closed the menu and candidly said, "I can’t understand a word on this menu. Ms. Greenwood, perhaps you should order."

Sophia was taken aback by Emma’s forthrightness.

She had expected Emma to pretend to read and then awkwardly pass the menu back to her, hoping to embarrass her in front of Damien Sterling. Would Damien not question his own taste then?

Yet, Emma shattered her expectations by not pretending at all, openly admitting her confusion and politely suggesting, "Ms. Greenwood, please go ahead and order."

Without any reluctance, Sophia agreed, "Alright, after all, Damien dear and I frequent this restaurant."

She glanced at Damien, hoping for some acknowledgment.

"Been here once," Damien casually remarked, his eyes void of any exchange with Sophia.

Sophia’s face fell, her usually rosy complexion dimming slightly, though she forced a smile.

Emma could see Sophia’s affection for Damien and Damien’s lack of interest in Sophia.

Was it really fair to put her in the middle like this? Would Sophia hold a grudge?

Sophia Greenwood beckoned a waiter over, who turned out to be an Italian, fitting since this restaurant, known for its Italian cuisine, was owned by an Italian.

The male waiter spoke in fluent Italian, a language Emma Hart couldn’t grasp at all, leaving her completely lost in the conversation.

Sophia and the waiter communicated smoothly until the waiter suddenly turned to Damien Sterling, asking something, and then inquired towards Emma, "Any dietary restrictions?"

Emma, unable to understand, exchanged confused looks with the waiter.

Sophia’s lips twitched in smugness, yet she offered no help.

After a moment, Damien straightened up, embodying the gentleman he was, and informed, "She’s pregnant."

Although Emma didn’t understand Damien’s words, the waiter’s surprised look and glance at her belly gave her a clue.

"Caviar, how do you like it prepared?" Sophia asked deliberately.

"The same way you have it is fine," Emma responded. "I seldom visit such upscale places," Emma openly admitted, not ashamed of her lack of pretense in Sophia’s high-society presence.

Sophia was taken aback, having assumed girls approached men like Damien Sterling for material gain, trying to showcase their taste. Yet, Emma’s straightforwardness was unexpected.

Damien Sterling coughed lightly, aware of Sophia’s tactics but choosing to ignore them.

He glanced at the menu, "Remove these items."

"Damien dear, why cancel the dishes we’ve just ordered?"

"Because she’s pregnant," Damien stated, his voice not loud but firm and commanding, as if making a declaration.

Sophia was aware of Emma’s pregnancy but hearing it from Damien caused an involuntary clench of her hand under the table.

After a final review of the menu, Damien instructed the waiter to take it away.

Damien Sterling walked away from the table, leaving Sophia Greenwood observing a side of him she had never seen before—attentive and considerate, but not for work, instead, for a woman.

This realization irked Sophia internally.

When the waiter brought drinks, Sophia handed Emma Hart a glass of blueberry juice, claiming it was her favorite.

"I don’t like blueberry juice," Emma said, puzzled, and she was somewhat allergic to blueberries.

Sophia’s forehead creased, "Oh, I remembered wrong. That was Mr. Sterling’s ex-girlfriend’s preference. My mistake."

Emma offered Sophia a polite smile, indifferent to any mention of past relationships.

Sophia watched Emma, who remained unfazed by her comments, as if nothing could disturb her calm demeanor.

After dinner, as Emma sat in the car looking out the window, a figure crossed the street and quickly entered a store.

This momentarily sparked Emma’s interest, making her stare out the window longingly until the figure disappeared.

"Could that be Ethan Turner?" she wondered silently.

Only when she turned back did she meet Damien’s piercing gaze, sharp enough to sense something was amiss.

"Who did you see?"

"No one," Emma lied.

"Lying," Damien said, his grip on her chin suggesting he could see through her.

Emma’s attempts to dodge were futile; she couldn’t mask her lies as effortlessly as Damien could detect them.

"Who was it?"

"Ethan Turner!" Emma confessed, despite the pain in her chin, her voice firm and defiant.

Damien’s grip loosened momentarily before his gaze turned even more intense, his cold demeanor more pronounced.

"No need to look anymore, he’s already dead."

The man’s words didn’t seem to be in jest, yet Emma Hart couldn’t bring herself to believe them.

"No, it can’t be!" she exclaimed.

"What’s so impossible? Don’t you know me well enough by now?" he retorted sharply, abruptly releasing Emma’s chin to stare out the window.

His implication was clear; his temperament would never allow Ethan Turner to appear before him again.

Outside, the trees swayed, and the scorching sun seared the earth, creating a stark contrast between the tranquil inside of the car and the fiery summer outside.

Emma couldn’t fathom the idea that the boy who used to shout her name across the campus, the one who always smiled so brightly in his athletic gear, could be gone.

In a frenzy, she began to hit Damien Sterling, "You’re lying! This can’t be happening!"

Damien shrugged off Emma’s arms, and as she lunged at him again, he lost all patience.

Seizing her wrists, he forcefully restrained her arms, "Stop this madness!"

Tears threatened to flood from her eyes, a testament to how much that man meant to her. How could she be so naïve?

"It’s impossible..." Emma finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably as her arms fell hopelessly to her sides, no match for the man before her.

Outside the villa, Damien dragged the seemingly soulless Emma from the car to the sofa, visibly angered yet cautious not to harm her belly as he pushed her onto the couch.

His concern quickly morphed into fury, "Stay home and take care of yourself. Don’t let your emotions affect our child." With that, he turned and left indifferently.

Emma spent the entire afternoon lying on the sofa, tears continuously streaming down her face.

Ethan Turner... She refused to believe anything had happened to him.

She had seen him just today, yet Damien Sterling’s words instilled fear in her, a man who never lied.