Chapter 57 Standing Up for Her Daughter
Emma clutched her throbbing cheek, feeling a bit out of it.
Sophia's face twisted with anger, like she was about to go full-on lion mode.
"Emma!" Sophia jabbed a finger at her, her voice sharp as a blade. "You lowlife! How dare you kidnap my grandson with those other creeps!"
Emma was floored, the cup in her hand clattering onto the table. A wave of bitterness hit her hard. Why did Sophia's words always cut her deeper than anyone else's?
She couldn't figure it out. More than George, Emma craved Sophia's warmth. She wished Sophia could be as kind to her as she was to Anna.
"Mrs. Stuart, why did you hit me?" Emma tried to keep it together, but her heart was pounding like crazy.
"How dare you ask me that!" Sophia's voice shot up, blazing with fury. "You even sent a lawyer's letter to Anna, accusing her of burning you with hot coffee! And to frame her, you kidnapped my grandson!"
Everyone in the office stopped what they were doing, ears perked up, whispers spreading like wildfire.
Emma's face went pale, her heart feeling like it was being shredded. She tried to stay calm, but her voice wavered, "I didn't do any of that!"
"You didn't? So you're saying Anna framed you?" Sophia got even more worked up, slamming a stack of papers on the break room table, sending sheets flying everywhere.
"You were sued for plagiarism and did three years in prison! I can't believe you still have the guts to work here!" Every word from Sophia was like a dagger to Emma's heart.
Her colleagues' looks turned complicated—some with disdain, others with pity. The whispers grew louder, "Is she the one who plagiarized?"
"So her background's that messy? That's wild!"
Emma's heart was heavy with grief and pain, tears welling up but refusing to fall.
She knew all her hard work and persistence were being trashed right now. She tried to meet Sophia's gaze but found only hostility and contempt.
"You're truly vicious!" Sophia kept on, "Don't think you can do whatever you want just because someone backs you! I won't let you off the hook!"
Sophia shot Emma a cold glare before storming off, leaving Emma to face a sea of mocking eyes alone.
She felt like the whole world was against her, her heart unbearably heavy.
She wished she had parents who could protect her no matter what.
As Sophia left, the office whispers died down, but they left a deep wound in her heart.
Emma lowered her head and picked up the scattered papers; they were the lawyer's letter. She didn't expect Michael to actually sue Anna.
Anna did hurt her on purpose; Michael did the right thing.
That afternoon, Emma's desk became a tourist spot in the company. Colleagues found all sorts of excuses to swing by and check out the "plagiarist."
After the humiliating scene at noon, Emma thought she had no shot at the new project.
But then, Lisa, who had been snarky earlier, suddenly turned all righteous, "Who hasn't messed up? As long as she fixes it, it's cool. This project is huge, we all need to pitch in."
She even walked up to Emma, giving her a pep talk, "Emma, give it your all, don't let me down."
Lisa's flip-flop behavior left Emma puzzled, but she didn't care about Lisa's attitude.
She just wanted to do her job well.
Thanks to Lisa, other colleagues weren't too hostile. They weren't as friendly as before, but at least they were polite.
Emma's work hours weren't too unbearable.
Time flew by. The sun that was high in the sky had turned into a slanting sunset, hanging outside the big office windows.
Colleagues started packing up to leave. Emma took a sip of water, wrapping up her task.
"Not leaving yet?" Lisa had already packed up and was ready to go.
"I want to finish the bracelet sketch first." Emma didn't look up, focused on her pen and the lines on the screen.
"You can do that at home. Pretending to be diligent here is pointless." Lisa said coldly, rolling her eyes.
This time, Emma looked up at Lisa. This person was definitely strange, like she had a split personality. How else could she flip her attitude so fast?
The next second, Emma changed her mind. Lisa definitely didn't have a split personality; she had a triple personality.
Just as Michael showed up at the office door, Lisa's attitude flipped again. This time, she wasn't the bossy boss or the mean girl; she turned on the charm and gentleness.
Lisa's eyes sparkled flirtatiously, "Mr. Russell, what brings you here?"
Other colleagues paused, some secretly hoping Michael wouldn't dump more work on them at the end of the day, eager to head home early.
But others were itching to show off their dedication by working late. No matter their angle, they all greeted Mr. Russell with respectful smiles.
Emma didn't act any differently. After all, this was the company, and Michael was the CEO.
Emma nodded and smiled at Michael, who smiled back as he walked in, oozing charisma and elegance.
"Thanks for all your hard work. Keep it up on the new project," he encouraged warmly.
Lisa immediately signaled to the employees, who instantly chimed in, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Russell. We'll do our best!"
Michael nodded, gave a simple response, and walked towards Lisa.
Lisa nervously fiddled with her wavy hair, her cheeks blushing slightly as she lowered her head. As Michael's footsteps grew closer, Lisa's heartbeat quickened.
Just when she thought Michael would stop beside her, he walked right past, heading straight to Emma's desk.
Lisa's smile almost instantly cracked, and the other colleagues curiously looked over.
"Emma," he called kindly, "How are you settling in?"
"I've really adjusted to this job, and everyone is super nice to me!" Emma quickly stood up, showering her colleagues with praise, making those who had gossiped about her earlier feel a bit ashamed and reconsider their opinions of her, thinking they should treat her better in the future.
"We're all family, no need to be so formal," Michael said with a warm smile. But his words instantly shocked everyone.
The colleagues looked at Emma in bewilderment and astonishment. When Lisa mentioned Emma had connections, they didn't take it seriously, thinking she was at most a relative of some manager. They never expected her backer to be Michael.
Michael said they were family, but Emma's last name was Jones. How were they family? The employees perked up their ears, those eager to go home were no longer in a hurry, wanting to hear the gossip first.
In the afternoon, Michael had heard from his assistant about Emma's predicament. He deliberately made this visit to show his support for Emma.
He addressed the employees, "Although Emma and I are family, she joined our company based on her own merits. Emma is still a newcomer here, and I hope you can take good care of her."
With Michael personally speaking, no employee dared to disagree, all nodding in agreement.
Lisa, even more eager to please, ran over with small steps, affectionately taking Emma's arm, "Don't worry, Mr. Russell, I'll take good care of Emma! Emma, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
Lisa's smile was undeniably fake, her eyes filled with jealousy, yet her face still wore a beaming smile.
Michael didn't care whether she was sincere or not, as long as Lisa didn't cause trouble for Emma. What she thought in her heart didn't matter!
At this moment, Michael glanced at his expensive watch and invited Emma, "It's about time. Today is family dinner night, and I need to go back. Let me give you a ride."
"No need, I can go by myself," Emma repeatedly refused, not wanting to have any further entanglements with Michael.
Michael didn't mind, and said with a slight smile, "We're going to the same place anyway, why refuse?"
Emma didn't know how to refuse further. Refusing again would seem like she was deliberately distancing herself. So, under the watchful eyes of everyone, she followed Michael.
They took the CEO's private elevator, which was very fast, but Emma still felt it wasn't fast enough. She really didn't want to be in such a confined space with Michael!
It was too awkward.
Fortunately, just as the elevator was about to reach the first floor, Emma's phone alleviated the awkwardness.
She glanced at the number on the screen; it was George. She hesitated for a few seconds before hanging up the call.
This was the first time she had hung up on him.
Michael gave her a puzzled look, and Emma smiled, explaining, "It's a robocall, just ignore it."
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