The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains

Sophia was trying to sound tough, but Emily could see the tears in her eyes and the redness at the corners.

Sophia was trembling all over, shaking like a leaf. That fear hit Emily hard; she remembered feeling the same way, abandoned and let down time and again.

Emily looked up and saw Sophia still crying, curled up on the ground with nowhere to hide.

"Get up," Emily said, her voice cutting through the air.

Sophia looked up to see Emily reaching out a hand, stepping closer.

Unable to hold back her pain any longer, Sophia snapped. "Emily, I don't need your

fake kindness! Save your pathetic act for your mom and Michael!"

As expected, Sophia rejected her kindness outright. Emily was ready for this; she knew Sophia wasn't worth her pity.

She just saw a bit of her old self in Sophia and felt sorry for her out of habit.

But Sophia misunderstood, thinking Emily was being fake.

Emily smiled, pulled back her hand, and steadied herself. "I'm not here to comfort you, Sophia."

Emily's voice was calm and firm, no sympathy in her eyes, just clear rationality. "I'm a Brown, Hayden's daughter. I'm looking out for you for his sake. I know you're not reliable. Neither he nor your mom can count on you. So, I just pity you, got it? Since you don't appreciate it, there's no need for us to continue this. Let's go."

Emily shot a cold glance at Sophia, signaled to Michael, kicked away the second-hand bag in front of her, and left with Isabella. Michael saw this, smirked, and followed.

Emily's sharp glance was a metaphorical dagger.

She didn't need to say anything harsh or shout like Sophia.

The murmurs around them grew louder, and Sophia felt more humiliated by the second.

Her face burned with shame, spreading from her cheeks to her neck.

At that moment, the store clerk stepped forward to add insult to injury. "So you're Hayden's daughter? I heard you used to like your brother-in-law? Wow, that's a new low! But it looks like he doesn't want anything to do with you today!"

"I don't know what you were thinking before, but now you deserve this. Stop crying and pay for all these bags at full price!"

Sophia suddenly looked up, her mind reeling.

She couldn't hear the insults or complaints anymore, just the demand for full payment, which made no sense to her.

She glared at the clerk with bloodshot eyes. "Even a lowly clerk like you wants to bully me? These bags aren't damaged, why should I pay?"

Sophia's words stung.

In her despair, she forgot she was in a mall, surrounded by more clerks than customers. Her words angered the crowd.

The clerk wasn't one to back down and soon called for backup, blocking Sophia from leaving and demanding full payment or collateral.

The commotion caught the attention of the nearby police station and the mall manager.

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A bunch of onlookers started recording videos and posting them online. Before long, the headline went viral: #Brown Family Daughter Bankrupt and Destitute, Caught Destroying Bags in Mall.

By then, Isabella and Emily had already made it back to Emerald Lake Manor.

Emily was supposed to stay at Abigail's place for a while, but Isabella had other ideas. Since Emily and Michael weren't divorced yet, why separate? Did they really have no feelings for each other? It didn't seem that way.

So, Isabella pulled rank and insisted Emily stay at Emerald Lake Manor.

As for herself, Andrew had already sorted out her living arrangements.

The distance between her place, Emerald Lake Manor, and Abigail's house was just a street away.

Even though Emily was itching to get divorced and start fresh with Isabella, she knew Isabella was thinking about her reputation and didn't want to argue.

After all, Emerald Lake Manor was huge, with plenty of guest rooms.

They'd still be separated, and when the time came for the divorce, she could leave Emerald Lake Manor for good.

Thinking about this, Emily felt a glimmer of hope.

Suddenly, Michael spoke up. "You don't have to move out of Emerald Lake Manor after the divorce."

He was sitting on the sofa, watching Emily pack her bags.noveldrama

Emily looked at him, surprised and confused. "You mean... I can move out of Emerald Lake Manor now?"

"No, not that..." Michael realized he misspoke. Since when did he become so cautious around Emily, afraid of being misunderstood?

Michael clarified, "I mean, I'll give you this house at Emerald Lake Manor."

But Michael didn't mind this cautious version of himself; in fact, he found it intriguing.

He couldn't deny that he might have actually fallen for Emily.

Emily was taken aback. Michael had once told her harshly, "Didn't you say before... I could have any house except this one, which you would never give me?"

Michael was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered. "That was before, it doesn't count now. People change their minds all the time. I just think... this house is close to your mom and Abigail, convenient for you. What am I doing here? If I run into Abigail all the time, she will glare at me with those big eyes!"

Michael's words were oddly amusing, and Emily laughed, covering her mouth, her eyes sparkling.

In the warm light, for a moment, Michael felt like the world had paused. "By the way, I'm a bit hungry. I want pasta, do you want some?"

Michael's question was perfectly timed.

Emily hadn't eaten much dinner before coming back, feeling nauseous and dealing with severe morning sickness. Even though Isabella had kept urging her to eat more, Emily couldn't handle the discomfort.

Michael had noticed this, and he hadn't eaten much either.

So he had joked with Isabella to help Emily out. "Mom, Emily's taste has changed over

the years. She doesn't like this food anymore. It's okay, we'll have Ava make her something refreshing at home, she'll eat well."