The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 459 - 468: Take Care of You for a Lifetime

Chapter 459: Chapter 468: Take Care of You for a Lifetime

Everyone knew that Sarah Grandy was a very headstrong girl. At this point, going against her wouldn’t bring any benefits, so they all began weighing other plans in their hearts.

Tom Johnson coughed lightly and said, "Charlotte, you’ve mistaken our intentions. We’re not after your money. You’re my niece, and I only want what’s best for you. Since you’ve made this decision, we support you, but you’re still young and about to start college. It’s impossible for you to manage the company your father left behind, right? How about this: I’ll help manage the company for you. That way, no one else can take advantage of your money. Surely you can trust your uncle, can’t you?"

Christopher Johnson was slightly slower to react, but as soon as he heard this, he quickly caught on and hastily added, "That won’t do. I’ve been at the company all along and am more familiar with it. So, going forward, I’ll take on the burden of managing the company for Charlotte. No need to trouble her uncle."

Directly vying for Charlotte’s guardianship didn’t seem feasible anymore, so they both shifted to a new goal: taking over the management of Charlotte’s father’s company. This way, once inside the company, they could siphon off the money.

Charlotte truly had no idea how to handle this matter. She didn’t understand the company at all. Beyond knowing its physical location, she didn’t even know what kind of business it operated. She had never thought about how to run the company her father left behind.

Faced with this situation, she didn’t know what to do. She instinctively turned to James Brown for help.

James Brown, of course, was indifferent to matters of wealth. He gave Charlotte’s hand a reassuring squeeze and said, "I think we’ll settle it like this: Have your uncle and your eldest maternal uncle manage the company jointly."

Everyone had assumed that James would object, but they were surprised at how readily he agreed.

Charlotte quickly followed, "Alright, then. Uncle, eldest maternal uncle, the company will be managed by you two."

Tom Johnson and Christopher Johnson exchanged glances. Though this solution didn’t place the company entirely in their hands, at least it wasn’t left with an outsider like James Brown. Although operating under joint management would be inconvenient in the future, the two sides likely held the same intentions, and they could discuss and coordinate. Reluctantly, they nodded and agreed.

Seeing no one object, Charlotte gave a weary collapse. James quickly supported her, and she ended up sitting on his lap. Feeling awkward, James decided to just hold her like that.

Though everyone felt a bit uncomfortable seeing this scene, they had partially achieved their goal and didn’t want to say more, lest they anger Charlotte. With some polite parting words, they all began to leave.

Very soon, only Charlotte, James Brown, and Emma Campbell were left in the house. Seeing Charlotte’s exhausted appearance, James gently said, "Charlotte, you haven’t had proper sleep for days. Why don’t you rest for a while?"

Charlotte shook her head and said, "Uncle, I want to go back to your place and sleep there."

James understood that staying here would only make Charlotte sadder, so he nodded in agreement. Charlotte forced a smile at James before closing her eyes and promptly falling asleep. Over the past few days, Charlotte had reached the end of her emotional and physical endurance—making it to this point was already remarkable.

James picked Charlotte up in his arms, and together with Emma, they returned to his modest home.

After placing Charlotte on the bed, James sighed softly and pulled Emma to sit down on the couch.

"Emma, you’ve worked hard these past few days."

Emma, who had been by Charlotte’s side throughout these trying days, was visibly drained. Though she hadn’t gone without food and water like Charlotte, she was still overtired. Leaning against James’s shoulder, she said sorrowfully, "Charlotte is so pitiful—she lost both parents overnight."

James gently stroked Emma’s hair and said, "Yes, she truly is a poor girl."

Emma softly said, "Big Brother Brown, let’s take good care of Charlotte from now on. Let’s not send her away again."

James coughed lightly and said, "Taking care of her is fine, but..."

Emma turned her face toward James and said, "Charlotte really needs comfort right now. Please, don’t make her sad again. Anyway, she’s already eighteen—she’s an adult now."

James responded awkwardly, "It still doesn’t feel quite right. I can’t offer her marriage, and treating her this way—it feels like I’m doing her harm in the long run."

"Not necessarily. I feel very happy. Even if Charlotte someday meets a man she loves and wants to marry, if that man truly loves her, he won’t mind her past. Besides, girls nowadays date men without necessarily marrying them, right? They seem to do those kinds of things too."

"You’re certainly open-minded. Does that mean you plan to find a man you like and marry him too?"

Emma shook her head firmly and said, "Never. In my heart, Big Brother Brown will always be the man for me. No matter what happens, I’ll be with you forever."

James was a mature adult with plenty of worldly experience. He didn’t believe in fleeting declarations of loyalty or promises of eternal love from young girls—life’s uncertainties made those hard to trust. Yet, for Emma, he never doubted her sincerity. Even if he were to marry someday, he couldn’t bear to abandon Emma, because he knew that if he ever let her go, she would never find another. Despite her outer fragility, Emma had a fiercely stubborn spirit.

"You should rest for a bit too," James said without further comment. Some things didn’t need to be stated—they both understood.

"Alright. Let’s both rest. You’ve been terribly busy these past few days as well."

Over the course of three days, James had scarcely slept for more than a few hours. Though his physical strength was hardly a concern, resting was always beneficial. "Let’s shower first and then sleep," he said.

Emma nodded and was pulled by James into the bathroom to shower together.

The two merely showered—they were too exhausted for anything else. Afterward, they changed into simple clothes and went into the bedroom. James lay in the middle, keeping an arm around both Emma and Charlotte, and before long, they drifted off into deep sleep.

The three slept soundly all the way into the next morning. James woke up briefly during the night but chose not to disturb the two girls who were sleeping so deeply. Besides, he needed to fully recover his own strength.

Charlotte woke up and, seeing James sleeping beside her, stared at him in a daze. Suddenly, she said excitedly, "Uncle, so we’re just sleeping? I just had a terrible nightmare—it scared me so much."

James and Emma both felt a pang in their hearts. James held Charlotte tightly and said tenderly, "Charlotte, let’s treat it as just a bad dream."

Charlotte stiffened, raised her head to look at James hesitantly, and said, "Uncle... this isn’t a dream, right?"

James sighed deeply, shook his head, and said, "Your parents truly have passed away."

"Uncle... Wah..." Charlotte burst into tears again.

James could only hold her, patting her back gently, letting her release her emotions. Suppressing them would only create future problems.

It wasn’t until Charlotte had cried for over ten minutes that she started to quiet down. She had cried too many times in these past three days; her sorrow had worn her down, leaving her somewhat numb now.

After her tears subsided, Charlotte began hitting James’s chest weakly, choking out, "Uncle... Why didn’t you lie to me? Why didn’t you tell me it was all just a dream? Then I could stay here forever, never go back home, and never know that my parents had passed. You’re too cruel. You’re so cruel."

James allowed Charlotte to vent and said softly, "Yes, Uncle is cruel. It’s all my fault."

Charlotte slowly calmed down, leaning quietly against James. After some time, she finally raised her head and asked, "Uncle, will you ever abandon me in the future?"

"No, I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life." James spoke resolutely. Although caring for Charlotte posed challenges, once he made the decision, he embraced it fully.

"Uncle..." Tears welled up again in Charlotte’s eyes. "I’ve already lost my parents. If you ever abandon me too, I don’t want to live anymore."

"I won’t. Emma’s here too—you can ask her yourself. I’ve already promised her. As long as you want to stay with me, I’ll always take care of you."

Charlotte immediately leaned over James, looking over at Emma. "Sister Emma, is this true?"

Emma gently stroked Charlotte’s cheek and said softly, "It’s true. Big Brother Brown and I have agreed—we’ll take care of you forever."

"Thank you, Sister Emma!" Charlotte choked up once again.

James patted Charlotte’s shoulder and said, "No more crying—it’s all in the past now. We need to move forward. None of us have eaten properly these last few days, so I’ll go buy some food, and we can have a proper meal later."