Chapter 60 Wanting to See Emily

James walked in Serenity Manor, looking travel-worn.

Serenity Manor sat on the outskirts of the city, far from all the noise.

As James passed through the gate, he saw a big courtyard. In the middle was a small pond with clear water, where a few fish swam lazily.

He stopped for a moment to take it all in, then quietly headed toward the main hall.

James had grown up at Serenity Manor, and that little pond was one of his favorite childhood memories.

As an adult, he’d come back during holidays to hang out with Sophia and stay for a few days.

But ever since Sophia disapproved of his relationship with Olivia, James had barely visited.

After waking up from a coma, he’d only been back a few times.

Emily, who got along well with Sophia, visited often. Sophia liked Emily, and they were always close, like Sophia was Emily’s real grandmother.

Sometimes, James found it odd.

Sophia had grown up in luxury, getting a good education from a young age. She was always elegant and well-spoken.

Later, she married into the Smith Family and kept her dignity and pride, never really facing any hardships. She always used her smarts to keep the family safe and stable, helping Chase succeed in his career. But she always had this sense of pride, only being kind to the younger generation; James’s parents were always respectful around her.

Yet, Sophia seemed to become ordinary when chatting with Emily, happily talking away.

James mocked himself inwardly, 'Emily isn’t dumb. She married into the Smith Family for money as soon as she could. Now that we’re divorced, she quickly got involved with the Williams Family. Sophia even made things tough for Olivia because of Emily, doing things she’d never done before. But I still can’t let her go even if I know her true color. Emily’s tactics are really something.'

James snapped back to reality and found himself at the door of Sophia’s bedroom.

Sophia had been in poor health for a while, and despite his anger over Olivia, James didn’t dare be harsh at this critical moment.

James frowned, wondering why Sophia had suddenly called him over.

A servant had already informed Sophia of his arrival and was waiting at the door to greet him.

James stepped inside, the room filled with the scent of medicine.

Sophia was leaning against the bed, looking paler and more tired than before, making James anxious.

"Grandma."

Sophia heard him come in, opened her eyes, and smiled gently, the wrinkles on her face smoothing out. "You’re back."

"How've you been feeling lately?" James asked, walking over and placing a soft pillow behind Sophia to make her more comfortable.

"The same as always," Sophia replied.

James said, "Winter's coming soon, so you need to take extra care. If you need anything, just let the staff know."

"I know," Sophia responded, then looked behind him. "Where's Emily? Why'd you come back alone?"

James had forgotten that Sophia didn't know about his divorce from Emily. She still thought they were together.

James opened his mouth, but seeing Sophia's tired and haggard appearance, he couldn't bring himself to tell her. Sophia's health was deteriorating, and the staff at Serenity Manor were likely keeping it from her.

Sophia asked, "You didn't have a fight, did you? Emily's timid; don't bully her."

Sophia seemed worried, and James quickly reassured her. "No, we didn't fight, Grandma. Today is Michael's school parent-teacher conference. She went there this morning and hasn't come back yet, so I came to see you first."

"As long as you didn't fight, that's good." Sophia sighed in relief. Her health had been declining, but she had been worried about Emily.

Sophia had always treated Emily like her own granddaughter. Emily was so pure, unlike anyone she had ever met.

But Sophia didn't understand why James actually liked Olivia. She sighed softly and said to James, who was standing by the bed, "James, I've been dreaming about Emily a lot lately. She seems to have lost a lot of weight and doesn't look well. Can you bring her back to see me?"

James's heart trembled. Even though he was angry with Sophia over Olivia, Sophia had taken care of him since he was little. Sophia's health was not good, and he didn't want to cause her any more distress. He nodded and said softly, "Okay, Grandma."

Sophia nodded with a smile, "Good, good."

James left Sophia's room and took out his phone, feeling conflicted. He called Emily several times, but she didn't answer or respond.

Emily had just had surgery and probably didn't want to deal with him right now.

But with Sophia's health declining, James needed to bring Emily back as soon as possible.

Emily had looked so unwell yesterday; James wondered if she was feeling any better now.

Sophia liked Emily and wanted to see her.

Admitting that he still cared about Emily wasn't hard, especially since they had been together for eight years, and she had given birth to Michael and had been a dutiful wife during their marriage. He didn't love Emily; he loved Olivia. He was just not used to their divorce and didn't want her to be with John.

James put away his phone and walked out.

His lips curled into a slight smile, his cold eyes softening.

It was normal to worry about Emily, after all, she was Michael's mom, especially since Sophia wanted to see her.

Since Emily wasn't answering her phone, James would go find her himself.