The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 436 - 443 Sarah’s Comfort

Chapter 436: Chapter 443 Sarah’s Comfort

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In the course of the entire day, Lucy Campbell didn’t try to persuade James Brown of anything, nor did she offer him any advice. James’s love life was such a mess now that even she felt a headache coming on. By staying neutral and not offering advice, she kept herself out of it temporarily. She didn’t want James to think, should they ever end up together, that she had meddled and destroyed his relationships with other women.

Lucy simply fulfilled her duties as a secretary—pouring him some water, discussing work topics, or casually chatting with him a bit to help him relax and not feel so overwhelmed.

At lunchtime, Gina Lopez didn’t show up at the cafeteria. When James called her, Gina just said she had eaten something in her office and didn’t feel like coming down. Though her tone didn’t sound angry, James could sense a certain distance between them.

Emily Berns’s bullishness hadn’t caused Gina to hold a grudge against James, but Emily’s grief was something Gina found unbearable.

James didn’t try to persuade her further. This was something Gina needed to work through on her own.

Sarah Utah, Sunny Nguyen, James, and Lucy were all eating at the same table. Sarah really wanted to ask James what was going on, but because Sunny was there and this wasn’t the right place to explain, she held back.

Sunny didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss. She had been busy all morning preparing this month’s financial report and was completely unaware of the storm brewing around James. Recently, she hadn’t been flirting with him much, either. Even though Gina had once given her permission, Sunny was a woman who understood boundaries. Since she and Gina were close friends and James was now Gina’s husband, she restrained herself for the sake of their friendship and to avoid making things difficult for James in the future.

Having been through one failed marriage already, Sunny had much stronger self-control compared to Sarah. She understood that love wasn’t everything; what truly validated a relationship between a man and a woman was marriage. Only if a couple could be happy together after marriage would it count as real love. Otherwise, it was just an emotional game.

James could sense the change in Sunny, and he knew she was doing the right thing. Maintaining a friendship like this was probably the best outcome for both of them.

"Director Green, can you check in on Mr. Lopez later? She’s not in a great mood today," James quietly said to Sunny after lunch.

Sunny was momentarily surprised and responded softly, "What’s the matter? Are you two lovebirds having a spat?"

James wanted to laugh but couldn’t. Instead, he awkwardly said, "Just keep her company for me."

"No problem, but let me tell you, kid, you’d better not have been caught fooling around again, or I won’t be able to help you."

James gave a bitter smile to himself. This time, it wasn’t about cheating, but a child had shown up instead, which was an even bigger problem.

Back in the office, Sarah followed him. Lucy immediately smiled and said, "I’ll step out for a bit; you two can talk." Then she walked straight out.

"Big Brother Brown, what’s going on here?" Sarah asked anxiously as soon as Lucy left, hurrying to sit next to James.

James lit a cigarette and said, "Emily Berns and I had a messy relationship once—or maybe not a relationship. At the time, I didn’t like her, so I ran away. Who knew she’d end up pregnant with my child and even gave birth to the baby."

"What?! This... this..." Sarah was stunned. Like Gina, she could accept James’s past relationships, but the sudden appearance of a child was too much to digest.

James shook his head and chuckled, "Ha, I didn’t even know I’d become a father."

"Emily Berns gave birth to your child? That’s just..." Sarah didn’t know what to say. She had always been a fan of Emily Berns, believing her to be a virtuous and self-disciplined celebrity. There had never been any reports about her dating anyone—only rare tabloid rumors that were quickly debunked. Who could have imagined she’d not only been in a relationship but had also had a child?

Most importantly, the person Emily had a child with turned out to be Sarah’s longtime crush. The conflicting feelings overwhelmed her.

"Do you think I’ve been too careless in the past?" James asked with a smile.

Sarah immediately shook her head firmly and said, "It’s because you’re too remarkable, Big Brother Brown! That’s why so many girls want to be with you. Even me—I know you’re married, but I still want to talk to you."

James smirked and said, "Doesn’t that make you a little silly?"

Sarah gave a sweet smile. "I’m not silly! When you like someone, you just want them to be happy. Even if I’m not the one who makes you happy, seeing you happy every day makes me happy, too."

James was deeply moved and replied softly, "Sarah, you’re a wonderful girl. One day, you’ll find a man who loves you wholeheartedly."

"I hope so. But with you as the benchmark, I feel like it’ll be hard to find someone even close to your level."

"What’s so great about me? I’m neither hardworking nor successful in my career."

"Career success isn’t the only standard for success, you know. You’re kind and capable. Besides, you’re not interested in pursuing some grand career. If you wanted to, you’d definitely succeed. But you’re a man who loves a peaceful life, and that kind of man understands how to live. A woman who ends up with you would surely be very happy."

As she spoke, Sarah began picturing a life with James, her cheeks glowing pink. She looked so enchanting in that moment.

James didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The fact that Emily Berns had shown up should’ve made the women in his life turn against him, condemning him outright. Yet Sarah still liked him, and she seemed to understand him so well.

"Big Brother Brown, no matter what decision you make, I’ll support you. But I think, in this situation, Gina is the one who got hurt the most. You should please her. She’s just a girl, after all, and girls always want their husbands to pamper them. If you can make her happy, she won’t hold onto the past anymore."

"Mm, thank you. I’ll do that," James said earnestly, nodding.

"Big Brother Brown, don’t feel pressured by what I said earlier. Just treat me like your friend, okay? Otherwise, I’d really be heartbroken. If I can’t be your girlfriend, I’d still like to stay your friend forever."

"Yes, we’ll always be friends," James nodded again, seriously this time. Sarah was such a kind girl, always so considerate. How could he possibly refuse her simple request?

After work, James planned to go home with Gina, but she told Lucy in advance that she had work to finish and would be late. She urged James and Lucy to leave first.

James understood this was because Gina wasn’t ready to face him yet. And honestly, he wasn’t sure how to face her, either. Perhaps staying apart temporarily was best.

Taking Lucy along with him, James went to the school to pick up Emily Lopez.

When Emily came out, she was accompanied by Principal Michael Carter. Michael, with his cultured demeanor, kept a polite distance as they walked, projecting the image of a man who was both respectful and subtly expressing admiration for her.

"Principal Wilson, my boyfriend is here to pick me up. See you!" Emily called out, pointing to James’s car before hurrying over excitedly.

James stood by the car. As soon as Emily arrived, she grabbed his arm and waved at Michael. "Principal Wilson, I’m heading out now. Goodbye!"

Michael waved back and nodded at James, his face still wearing a smile.

James responded with a nod before getting into the car with Emily.

Once inside the car, Emily began to chatter. "Brother-in-law, I deliberately said that so he’d know I have a boyfriend. That way, he won’t keep pursuing me."

James chuckled and said, "Good. It’s better not to get too involved with someone like him."

"I know! See? You’re always looking out for me. Brother-in-law, I want crab tonight. Can we go buy some?"

"Sure!" James agreed readily. Although he and Gina were going through a rough patch, he didn’t want Emily to know about it.

He bought a few pounds of crabs, and they went home to steam them. Quickly, the kitchen was filled with a mouthwatering aroma. Meanwhile, Emily called Gina to urge her to come home for dinner, but Gina said she was working on something with Sunny Nguyen and was in a rush, so she’d be staying over at Sunny’s place tonight.

After hanging up, Emily went to the kitchen, bent over, and stared James up and down from the side. Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, James finally asked, "Emily, what are you looking at?"

"I’m just wondering, Brother-in-law—did you and my sister have a fight?"

"Of course not," James replied, unwilling to tell her the truth and make her worry.

"No way. You definitely had an argument. Otherwise, my sister wouldn’t avoid coming home. And it must’ve been a big argument! Oh no, don’t tell me you’re getting a divorce. That’s awful—terrible! Brother-in-law, you absolutely can’t divorce my sister!"

Emily appeared visibly distressed, even flustered, as if James and Gina’s marriage meant more to her than her own feelings.