The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 435 - 442: Because I Like You

Chapter 435: Chapter 442: Because I Like You

Lucy Campbell didn’t say anything. From the moment Emily Berns mentioned the child, from the moment she saw Gina Lopez, Lucy already knew Emily would make this kind of demand.

Gina Lopez’s face instantly turned ashen. She turned her head to look at James Brown. Being married to James had always felt sweet to her, and she had realized that she truly loved him—but who could have anticipated something like this?

If Emily Berns had merely had a relationship with James in the past, Gina could have faced it. But Emily had already given birth to James’s child. If James were to divorce her for the sake of responsibility and marry Emily, it would seem completely reasonable.

"Impossible!" James Brown shook his head resolutely at this moment and declared, "Emily Berns, that is absolutely impossible. I am already married—I won’t leave Gina to marry you."

Emily Berns’s eyes glinted sharply as she said, "Your feelings seem deep. But if you don’t agree, then you can forget about ever seeing your daughter—not in this lifetime."

James Brown took a deep breath and said, "Emily, you hate me—I don’t blame you at all..."

"What right do you have to blame me?"

"You’re right, I don’t. Whatever you do to me, I’ll take it. But treating your own child like this isn’t right!" James’s voice grew louder in anger, practically roaring.

"What now? Mad at me?" Emily suddenly broke into laughter—giggling for a while before saying, "You have two choices: either accept the child and marry me, or forget about ever seeing her. Don’t even think about it."

"Fine, then just leave. I’ll find my child," James spoke in a voice that had turned cold, his gaze at Emily now filled with fury. Emily Berns’s actions had thoroughly enraged him. His feelings of guilt toward her turned instead into utter hatred.

"You think you can find her?" Emily sneered. "Dream on. Not just you—even Lucy Campbell couldn’t find my child if she tried. It’s absolutely impossible."

James suddenly stood up, reached out to grab Emily by the collar, and lifted her, gritting his teeth as he growled, "You vicious woman—believe me when I say I’ll kill you!"

"Go ahead, kill me. You already ruined me once. Living is a torture—might as well let you end it for me." Emily forced the words out, her face flushed red.

Lucy hurriedly grabbed James’s hand, and Gina Lopez, overwhelmed, clutched at his arm.

"Honey, don’t act recklessly!"

"James, calm down!"

James and Emily continued staring daggers at each other. James refused to let go, while Emily showed not a trace of fear. Their gazes clashed, seeming to spark visible flames.

"Honey, let go!" Gina suddenly shouted and smacked James heavily on the shoulder.

James’s body shook, his grip slowly loosening. Emily fell back into her chair, coughing repeatedly. However, amidst her coughing, she began laughing through tears that streamed from her eyes. "James Brown, you hate me, don’t you? That makes me so happy. At least I got you to hate me rather than walk away without care. Haha... cough... I’m truly happy—so happy right now."

Seeing Emily alternate between laughing and crying, Lucy and Gina felt a pang of pity for her. Extreme as her actions were, she seemed truly pitiful. Lucy patted Emily’s back. "Emily, the past is the past. Let’s calmly discuss things—hatred won’t solve anything."

Emily wiped away her tears and suddenly began shouting hoarsely, "Hatred doesn’t solve anything? But I searched for this bastard for years just to tell him—yes, I hate him—but I also like him. That’s why, no matter how hard it was, I endured to give birth to his child. And what about him?" Emily pointed angrily at James as she yelled, "He’s already married! So what about me? What about me? Can anyone tell me what I’m supposed to do?"

Emily’s furious outburst and demands toward James, even her claim of having a child, did not strike as deeply as her final words. As the saying goes, "hate deeply, love deeply." Emily’s unconventional behavior was rooted in her feelings for James, and suddenly, everything she’d done seemed to make sense.

The most affected by this revelation was Gina Lopez. Emily’s hatred for James was something Gina thought she could face together with him. Yet Emily’s motives stemmed from love for James, leaving Gina at a loss, not knowing how to cope—especially since Emily had given birth to his child.

James’s face twitched slightly. He hadn’t expected Emily’s actions to be driven by her feelings for him. Back when they’d known each other, it had been constant bickering and quarrels. Emily had seemed like a little witch, someone he feared encountering.

But thinking back, Emily had been young at the time. Her way of expressing love might have taken the form of teasing, much like how young boys sometimes annoy the girls they like. James himself had done such things when he was in middle and high school—but never imagined Emily was acting in the same way as a girl.

Then, there was that impulsive encounter where they had relations. Though Emily had initially struggled briefly, she quickly became compliant. If she had truly hated him, simply screaming twice at the time would have ruined him completely.

Later, Emily had consistently given him trouble, tormenting him. But there had been moments where she seemed to subtly tempt him. Back then, weighed down by guilt, he had ignored these signs. Now, looking back, it all began to make sense.

"Emily... I..." James’s voice became dry and hoarse.

"Don’t call me that! You’re a married man—don’t call me that!" Emily screamed angrily. "James Brown, I hate you. I’ll hate you for the rest of my life!" With that, she turned and stormed out of the office.

Sarah Utah had been waiting outside James’s office. In the time she’d been there, she had already prevented several people from entering.

At that moment, David Clark, the pudgy guy, was pestering Sarah to let him in, but Sarah remained adamant in her refusal, leaving David exasperated.

Emily bolted out of the office, startling both Sarah and David. Emily ran off so quickly that she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Wow, wasn’t Manager Johnson being a bit harsh? Who did he manage to drive away like that?" David remarked, noticing that the woman wasn’t Lucy. Seeing someone sprint out from James’s office made David’s thoughts turn immediately to gossip.

"Watch your mouth, or you’ll regret it," Sarah snapped back at David before glaring at him fiercely. However, inside, her emotions were in turmoil. She had clearly seen that it was Emily who ran off but didn’t know what had transpired.

The door was ajar, revealing James sitting in his executive chair, Gina standing by his side, and Lucy standing by the desk with her back toward the door. From the looks on James and Gina’s faces, something was clearly amiss.

This left Sarah deeply concerned, afraid that Gina might lash out at James or that this situation could affect their marriage.

"What’s going on? Why’s Mr. Lopez here too?" David craned his neck to peer inside, full of nosy curiosity.

"Move!" Sarah pushed David aside and quickly shut the door.

Lucy and Gina exchanged a troubled glance, while James sat in stunned silence—no one had anticipated things unfolding this way.

The sound of Sarah shutting the door finally brought the three back to reality. James exhaled audibly, Gina let out a deep sigh, but her sigh pulled James’s thoughts back to the present. Emily showing up, Gina still being his wife—whatever Gina was thinking now, James couldn’t ignore.

"Gina!" James turned to look at her.

Gina forced a smile and said, "Sorry—I’m overwhelmed. I need some time alone." With that, she walked out with a dull expression.

James opened his mouth but ultimately didn’t call after her. There was no way to explain the situation.

Lucy closed the door, poured James a glass of water, and said with a wry smile, "I didn’t expect Emily to have such a fierce temperament."

James downed the glass in one gulp, took a deep breath to calm himself, and frowned as he said, "Do you think what Emily said is true?"

Lucy hesitated before replying, "I think she must’ve really had a child—otherwise, she wouldn’t have the scar on her abdomen. But whether the child survived, I’m not certain."

James nodded slowly. "I also have my doubts. If the child is alive, why would Emily still have the energy to pursue a career in acting? I don’t believe she truly gave the child away."

Lucy lightly tapped her fingers on the desk and said, "I can investigate this for you—you’d be in a tough position to do it yourself."

James said gratefully, "I appreciate it."

"No need for thanks between us. But... whether the child is alive or not, that’s not the pressing matter now. The real issue is Gina. This situation must be incredibly tough on her—whether she can handle it is the most critical concern."

James sighed deeply, utterly unsure of how to navigate this crisis.