Chapter 8 Truly Excellent People Do Not Hinder Others

Aiden was both shocked and furious. He shook off Mia's hand, his lips trembling like Emily had committed some unforgivable sin. "Emily, who told you to get a divorce!"

Emily almost hit the ground from Aiden's slap. The sting on her cheek was nothing compared to the bitterness in her heart. She looked around, feeling utterly ironic. It was her birthday too, but unlike Isabella, Emily, the biological daughter, was met with anger and blame after her divorce. Meanwhile, Isabella sat high and mighty on the other side, watching the whole mess.

Emily wiped her mouth, the bright red blood glaring. Her face hurt, almost numb.

It was Aiden who sent the newly adult Emily to the Smith Family to get money to pay off debts, who forgot her birthday, and who ignored her struggles while demanding money every day. It was Aiden who, after remarrying, no longer had room in his heart for Emily, his own daughter.

Once, Emily naively thought that with a father like Aiden, even with Mia and Isabella around, they could still be a family. She even looked forward to shopping and chatting with Isabella.

Emily tried her best to please everyone, to cater to their likes and follow their demands, all in the hope of finding a warm and loving home. But Mia's hypocrisy and Isabella's disgust made Emily realize it was all in vain.

'Will Michael become like this in the future?' Emily suddenly felt a bit panicked. No matter what, she had to make herself strong. She couldn't let Michael go through what she had suffered. Even if she had nothing, she had to protect Michael and never let Aiden bother James and Michael again.

Even though she had anticipated how all this would go down, Emily still felt hurt. She should have expected such accusations long ago. In Aiden's eyes, nothing compared to power and profit. But Aiden's slap shattered her last hope for him. Emily thought that coming home after a divorce, she might get some comforting words, but instead, she faced continued accusations.

"You must have done something wrong to make James divorce you!" Aiden clutched his chest, spitting out the most venomous guess.

"I didn't do anything. It was James who found someone he liked more, so he wanted a divorce!" Emily explained.

"Then why didn't you kneel and beg him? Why didn't you seduce him? Emily, you insisted on marrying him eight years ago, why can't you hold on to James now?" Aiden grabbed Emily's wrist, trying to drag her out.

The Johnson Group couldn't function without the Smith Group; now eighty percent of their business depended on the benefits leaked from the Smith Family. The Smith Group, with all their resources, could handle any storm, but one wrong move could spell disaster for the Johnson Group.

Mia was stunned for a moment, then got the seriousness of the situation. "Emily, go back and apologize to James. Who else would marry you after living with him for eight years? If you get kicked out by the Smith Family, we can't bear such shame. Hurry up and come back with me to beg James!"

"No!" Emily struggled, her eyes turning red, tears falling from the pain in her wrist. "Dad, it isn't something that can be fixed with an apology. It's not my fault. James has found someone he loves, so I have no right to stay by his side anymore. Can't we do business on our own?"

"You!" Aiden was trembling with anger, unable to speak.

Mia stepped forward to calm Aiden. "Emily, you're being unreasonable. You know we rely on the Smith Family for business now. Are you trying to drive your dad to his death? Listen to me, let's go apologize to James. You've been devoted to him for eight years. He surely has a soft spot for you."

Emily had been tormented by Mia since childhood; she never took Emily seriously. But in front of Aiden, Mia was happy to pretend to be magnanimous.

"Exactly." Isabella stepped forward, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Dad is already working hard every day to keep the Johnson Family afloat, and you, as his daughter, are so inconsiderate to divorce James, not thinking about the family at all."

"Yes, Emily, no matter how much you dislike me and Isabella, the company is your father's hard work. You should consider him."

Mia and Isabella fanned the flames, and Isabella even threw a cake at Emily's head. The sticky cake hit her, and Emily couldn't dodge, her already wet hair now even more disheveled. She could only watch the cake she had longed for be destroyed like this.

At the sight of Emily's still beautiful face despite the injuries, Isabella's jealousy flared uncontrollably. They were both daughters of the Johnson Family, yet Emily was lucky enough to marry James, the president of the Smith Group, the man every woman in Mist Isle City had regretted not marrying eight years ago. Even after the kid was born, James came to his senses and became a real couple with Emily. Emily got all this just by luck.

And now, the family business relied on the Smith Family's support, and she, Isabella, didn't even have a boyfriend. Why did Emily deserve all this, just because of her seductive face?

"Emily, if it were me, even if James treated me badly, I would stay with him and help Dad with his troubles!" Isabella said.

"No, it's not like that." Emily tried to explain, thinking, 'It's clearly not like that. I just divorced James, why do I have to be treated like this?'

"Is that so?" From outside the door, a deep, cold male voice suddenly sounded. "But do you deserve to stay by my side?"