The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains

Emily didn't have a chance to stop him before Andrew's call went through. Michael, cool as a cucumber, said, "Explain the 'Lucky' mess to Mrs. Smith." Andrew then quickly told Emily why "Lucky" ended up with Sophia and kept insisting that Michael had no clue about it; it was all his own screw-up.

To Emily, it sounded like Andrew was just covering for Michael. No matter how convincing they tried to be, the bottom line was that "Lucky" was now with Sophia.

Emily shot Michael a glare. "Do you really think I'll buy that? The facts are staring me in the face, and your excuses mean nothing."

Michael was so mad he felt a knot in his stomach. He slammed the phone on the table and snapped, "Emily, do you have any conscience? You accuse me of lying, I explain, and you still don't believe me. Fine, but how do you explain trashing my office?"

Emily suddenly remembered the time she wrecked his office. She had almost forgotten, but clearly, Michael hadn't.

Maybe seeing her embarrassment, Michael pressed on, "Do you have any idea how much those antiques you smashed in my office were worth? And those documents and computers? They had top-secret company info. How are you gonna make up for that?"

Emily was stunned and looked at him, suddenly at a loss. "What info? Didn't you have backups? Antiques? Those were fake."

Michael laughed bitterly. "Emily, do you really think the president of Smith Corporation would have fake antiques in his office? Who's the fool now?"

Emily was left speechless. The situation had flipped. She had come to confront Michael, but now she was the one on the defensive. She thought for a moment. "Just antiques, right? I'll pay you back." She figured she could at least cover a few antiques.

Michael said, "Fine, let's see you do that. The vase you broke is worth fourteen million dollars."

Emily's eyes widened. "Fourteen million dollars? Did you rob a bank or something?"

Michael seized the chance to shift the focus from "Lucky". He said, "The 'Lucky' issue is settled, right? Now let's talk about compensation."

Emily fell silent but still had "Lucky" on her mind. "Fine, I'll pay you back, but you have to give 'Lucky' back to me first."

Michael thought of the broken "Lucky" and said, "I'll return it to you. I've already got it back. As long as you behave, I promise to give it back."

Emily glared at Michael and said coldly, "What? Are you trying to blackmail me like Sophia? How are you any different from her? You're both the same." She hadn't expected Michael to use "Lucky" as leverage, and her heart turned cold. Michael sighed inwardly. If he told her "Lucky" was broken, it would probably lead to another fight.

"Emily, why are you so hung up on getting 'Lucky' back?" Michael suddenly asked.

Emily scoffed, "I just like it, okay? Is that a crime? You promised to give it to me. Now you're breaking your promise and grilling me?"

Michael had never seen Emily so feisty before. He had no idea she could be this maddening.

Hearing her mention broken promises, Michael swallowed his anger and said, "I said I'd give it to you, as long as you behave."

Same old line. Emily was sick of it. She looked at Michael, knowing "Lucky" was so close yet so far. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Why are you all always picking on me? Sophia bullies me, you bully me, even Veda hits me whenever she feels like it. Why? Just because you all have money?" Emily looked straight at Michael, speaking calmly, but tears kept falling.

Michael felt a pang in his heart at her words and tears. Forgetting what he had just said, he immediately got up, sat by the bed, and handed her a tissue.

But Emily stubbornly looked away and refused it. Michael sighed, raised his hand, and wiped her tears away. "What did I say to make you cry? I've already punished Veda for slapping you. I told her to apologize or go back and kneel in the family chapel." Michael's voice was unusually gentle and helpless.

Emily could hear the coaxing tone in his voice. She seized the opportunity. "What will it take for you to give 'Lucky' back to me?"

Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, Michael resignedly said, "It's broken. I had Andrew take it to be repaired. Once it's fixed, I'll give it to you."

Emily hadn't expected Michael to help repair it. She had planned to find someone to fix it herself once she got it back. Looking at Michael, she felt a bit better.

"Why are you crying over such a small thing? It's just a piece of jewelry. Every quarter, major brands send you jewelry, and I've never seen you wear any of them. Why are you so fixated on this hairpin?" Michael spoke helplessly as he tucked her hair behind her ear. The intimate gesture made Emily's body stiffen, but Michael remained calm, as if they were a loving couple.

Since he had agreed to return and even repair it, she said, "Don't you want to know why I want it so much?"

Michael nodded, waiting for her to continue.

She suddenly smiled mischievously. "I'll tell you once you give it back to me."

Michael was stunned. Her rare lively expression, even while sick, couldn't hide her stunning beauty.

Michael instinctively smiled and tapped her nose. "You are so cunning."

As soon as he said it, they both froze. Such a conversation and intimate atmosphere shouldn't exist between them. Michael seemed to realize this as well and quickly stood up, coughing to hide his embarrassment. "Get some rest. I'll join you for dinner tonight."

Emily didn't say anything, feeling strange inside. Michael walked to the door and added, "Don't forget to compensate for the antiques."

Emily's face changed, and she retorted, "Why don't you just rob a bank?"

Hearing Emily's exasperated voice behind him, Michael dissolved into a wider smile.