The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 433 - 440: You Can Never Make up for It in a Lifetime

Chapter 433: Chapter 440: You Can Never Make up for It in a Lifetime

"Emily Berns!"

"Lucy Campbell!"

The person who entered was Lucy Campbell, and the other was Gina Lopez. As soon as Lucy Campbell and Emily Berns met, they instinctively called out each other’s names.

James Brown felt a bitter pang in his heart. If it was just Lucy Campbell coming in, then the conflict would only be between Emily Berns and him. But now, Gina Lopez had also followed, and if Emily Berns lashed out at him, Gina Lopez wouldn’t remain uninvolved. Plus, the fact that he was married would now be revealed to Emily Berns, which meant he had no idea what Emily might do next.

Emily Berns suddenly turned around and strode toward James Brown’s desk. She placed both hands on the desk, gritted her teeth, and squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth, "What do you have to say this time?"

Now that he had been exposed, James Brown immediately calmed down. Lighting a cigarette, he smiled and said, "I have nothing to say."

"You..." His attitude made Emily Berns even angrier—she felt like she could bite a chunk out of him.

Gina Lopez sensed that something was off. Emily Berns looked like a scorned woman confronting a heartbreaker. Quickly closing the door, she walked to James Brown, placed a hand on his shoulder, and met Emily’s gaze. "Honey, what’s going on here?"

Before James could respond, Emily Berns had already shouted in shock, "You bastard, you’re married?"

James Brown nodded, gently patting Gina’s hand. "Yes, this is my wife, Gina Lopez. Gina, this is Emily Berns. We had some bad blood in the past."

Gina gave a polite nod and extended her hand toward Emily Berns. "Nice to meet you."

Emily did not shake hands but stared at Gina, slowly saying, "You actually married this bastard? You must have terrible judgment."

Despite the rejection, Gina wasn’t fazed. She calmly lowered her hand and said, "I know exactly who my husband is. No matter what he’s done in the past, now he’s my husband. Whatever happens, we’ll face it together. Miss Harris, if my husband has wronged you before, tell me, and I will make sure to give you an explanation."

James Brown was deeply moved. Most women would have been outraged if their husband got confronted like this, but Gina stood by him, protecting him. Truly, she was one incredible wife.

Emily Berns sneered. "An explanation? What gives you the right? This bastard played with me years ago and ruined my dignity. What kind of explanation could you possibly have?"

Standing off to the side, Sarah Utah was stunned. She hadn’t expected Emily Berns to have a history with James Brown. Emily’s outburst was a shocker to Sarah—James Brown really was something, managing to attract someone as prominent as Emily Berns. And now Emily had stormed into his office. Sarah was so overwhelmed, she didn’t know how to describe her feelings, but one thing was certain: Even knowing James had been involved with Emily did not dishearten her. Instead, she felt a bit proud—after all, the women associated with James were all high-caliber individuals. Her feelings for James now seemed even more validated.

Lucy Campbell couldn’t help but smile wryly. She had only just tricked Emily Berns into leaving on Saturday, and now, by Monday, Emily was already back.

She approached Emily, gently holding her arm, and said softly, "Emily Berns, calm down. Whatever it is, let’s sit down and talk."

Emily suddenly turned to Lucy Campbell and burst out laughing. "Lucy Campbell, didn’t you claim this guy was your boyfriend? Weren’t you kissing him yesterday? Turns out he has a wife. You, SSUP Country’s number-one beauty, are actually some guy’s mistress? How ridiculous!"

Gina’s expression immediately changed. She looked at Lucy in shock, clearly shaken by the revelation.

Lucy gave Gina a bitter smile and explained, "You were chasing me so fiercely the day before yesterday that we had to pretend to deceive you. James and Gina are both my good friends."

If anyone else had said this, Gina wouldn’t have believed it so easily. But because Lucy Campbell herself said it, Gina immediately believed her. Lucy’s status was so notable, Gina couldn’t imagine her having romantic feelings for James.

"Is that so? You both looked so passionate though. Could someone kiss like that without feelings involved? Listen to me, Gina, your husband is not a good guy. You’d be better off leaving him sooner rather than later."

After Lucy’s explanation, Gina wasn’t bothered by Emily’s remarks. Under the current circumstances, her main concern wasn’t those words—it was Emily. Emily was clearly her biggest threat right now. Smiling faintly, Gina said, "Maybe my husband wasn’t a good person before, but I know he’s a good husband now, and that’s all that matters. If he’s really wronged you in the past, let’s not dwell on who was right or wrong before—it’s pointless. Instead, let’s talk about what you intend to do now."

Emily narrowed her eyes at Gina. She was unexpectedly surprised by Gina’s behavior. She had thought revealing these things would cause serious trouble for James, yet his wife was defending him so fiercely.

Emily sat down in a chair, crossing her legs elegantly. Her expression had become calm, reasserting her poise as a high-profile celebrity. She was no longer the angry and fierce woman from earlier.

"Fine, you married this bastard, so you want to stand up for him. If you want to talk, then let’s talk."

James now felt uneasy. Emily was easier to deal with when she was mad; her current calmness meant trouble. And above all, he knew he had been in the wrong—it left him guilty and lacking confidence.

Sarah Utah, wanting to stay and look after James, realized her presence wasn’t necessary. Between James’s wife, his former lover, and his secretary, she was the outlier here. She quickly said, "Mr. Lopez, I’ll head out first."

Gina nodded. "Don’t talk about what happened here or about Emily Berns being here—it could have negative consequences. And make sure no one comes in."

Sarah quickly agreed and, with a worried look at James, left his office.

Lucy remained. She wanted to act as a mediator, as she was familiar with both sides.

Gina stood beside James, her hand still on his shoulder. Smiling faintly, she said, "Miss Harris, there are no outsiders here anymore. You can say whatever it is you want."

Emily glanced at James and Gina, feeling even angrier inside. That bastard had ruined her body and then ran off, only to now live a cushy married life. She sneered. "I’d like to hear what this bastard has to say."

James coughed lightly. "Emily Berns, I admit that was my fault. But that was years ago. We’ve both moved on with our lives. I hope you can let it go."

Emily’s eyes flared, and she yelled, "Oh, how easy it is for you to say. You took advantage of me and conveniently walked away. Do you even realize how much a woman values her first time? And now you think you’re off the hook?"

James lit another cigarette. "I know I hurt you, but you put me through hell back then, too—I practically almost died because of you. Whatever I owed you has been repaid, don’t you think? If you continue to cling onto this, I don’t know what else to do."

James rarely spoke of hardships, so the fact he mentioned almost dying because of Emily spoke volumes about how difficult things had been. Gina, feeling bolstered by James’s assertiveness, pinched his shoulder in support. She addressed Emily, "Miss Harris, arguing about what happened in the past does neither of us any good. Tell us—what do you want, here and now?"

Emily sneered, knowing full well how she had treated James back then. Her expression darkened as she bitterly retorted, "You think that because of what I did to you, we’re even? You have no idea what I’ve endured since then. Do you know how much hardship I’ve faced? I lived in poverty, roaming from place to place alone. Nobody cared about me. I couldn’t earn money, renting a tiny apartment and surviving on stale buns and cold water, curled up in bed, miserable. All of that was because of you. My hatred for you—well, it’ll last a lifetime."

James was stunned. "Really? Why would you end up wandering alone? No one should have known about this."

Emily gritted her teeth. "Oh, you were off enjoying your fling while I suffered. You couldn’t begin to imagine my life back then, could you? Albert Plant—no, James Brown—remember this: What you owe me can never be repaid."

Lucy, seeing Emily’s rage escalating, quickly patted her shoulder. "Emily Berns, why exactly did it come to this?"

She could sense that Emily’s sheer hatred for James stemmed more from her later struggles than the original incident. Resolving the feud between James and Emily clearly required understanding the whole story.

Emily fixed her gaze on James, and what followed was a few softly spoken words that left James and Gina utterly stunned.