"Who exactly are you?" John Smith got nervous the moment he saw James Brown staring straight at Emily Brown. He jumped up, blocking his wife and Emily, and shouted at James Brown.
James Brown finally snapped out of it and said, "I’m Emily Berns’ assistant, right?"
John Smith retreated two steps, protecting his wife and Emily, and said sternly, "What assistant? Emily Berns just called to say she’s coming back. If you’re her assistant, you should have returned with her."
James Brown hadn’t heard their conversation earlier and didn’t expect to be exposed so quickly. Sarah Grandy chuckled and said, "You got found out."
James Brown rubbed his nose and said, "Caught so quickly? Oh well, you guys said Emily Berns is coming back, so I’ll just wait for her here. I have something to discuss with her anyway." Then he glanced at his daughter again.
The little girl wasn’t scared at all and peeked out from behind John Smith’s leg, curiously studying James Brown. James Brown took the big doll from Sarah Grandy’s arms and said, "Emily, this is for you. Do you like it?"
Emily Brown blinked her big eyes and pursed her lips, saying, "I like it."
"Then it’s yours," James Brown said with a smile, pushing the doll forward.
"No! Mommy and Daddy said we can’t accept things from others." Emily Brown shook her head and said in a sweet, childish voice that was incredibly pleasant.
James Brown’s heart ached. He was the real father of this child, but his daughter was calling someone else "Daddy." It was a tough feeling to swallow.
At this moment, Lisa Johnson had already contacted Emily Berns and urgently said, "Miss Harris, someone claiming to be your assistant is in our house right now."
Emily Berns was startled when she heard and urgently said, "No, I definitely didn’t send any assistant. You must protect Emily!"
"Okay, then please come over quickly. Otherwise, I’ll call the police,"
Emily Berns was about to reply when a voice she could never forget came through the receiver, and she excitedly shouted, "Is the person there James Brown?"
Lisa Johnson didn’t know James Brown’s name and nudged John Smith, saying, "What’s his name?"
John Smith hadn’t asked yet, but James Brown smiled and said, "My name is James Brown. You can tell Emily Berns."
Lisa Johnson immediately told Emily Berns on the other end of the phone, "He said his name is James Brown."
"That bastard, don’t be afraid of him. He won’t hurt you guys. I’ll be back soon. Ask him to wait there for me."
John Smith and Lisa Johnson followed Emily Berns’ instructions and finally relaxed, but they still cautiously watched James Brown. They had been taking care of Emily for several years now, and Emily Berns had treated them very well, paying significantly more than jobs elsewhere. So they worked diligently and earnestly. Now, not knowing who exactly James Brown was, they didn’t dare slack off, fearing that the child would get hurt, and they’d lose this good job.
In less than twenty minutes, the door knocked. Lisa Johnson quickly rushed over to open the door. Emily Berns rushed in, glaring at James Brown, and said, "What are you doing here?"
James Brown smiled faintly and said, "I came to see the child."
"That’s John Smith and Lisa Johnson’s child. What are you looking at? Leave now," Emily Berns said as she tugged James Brown’s arm and led him out.
James Brown didn’t resist and let Emily Berns pull him out of the room, while Sarah Grandy was dumbfounded. James Brown said he came to see his daughter but didn’t mention that the child was with Emily Berns, the big celebrity. Though she had heard James mention Emily Berns’ name before, she never associated her with the famous star, as Emily Berns in the public eye was a sweetie with no scandals. It never occurred to her that Emily Berns could have a child, and with the man she liked, no less.
"Emily Berns, let’s talk at your place," James Brown said after coming out, staring at Emily Berns.
Emily Berns pursed her lips and said, "You want to talk to me? Wanting me back?"
"Can’t we sit down and have a proper talk?" James Brown’s attitude surprisingly softened upon seeing his daughter, Emily Berns as his daughter’s mother. His initial resistance to Emily Berns had significantly subsided.
James Brown’s attitude pleased Emily Berns, and she rolled her eyes at him before twisting around to the door next door, pulling out a key, and opening the door.
John Brown followed inside as well, but just as he was about to close the door, Sarah Grandy rushed over and shouted, "Wait, wait, uncle, wait for me."
John Brown stopped in his tracks, and only after Sarah Grandy entered did he close the door.
Emily Berns frowned and said, "Wow, a new lover, and so young too."
Sarah Grandy was momentarily stunned; she hadn’t expected Emily Berns to say something so sharp, clearly showing her jealousy. This made her even more excited; who would have thought that one day, a superstar like Emily Berns would be vying with her?
With a giggle, Sarah Grandy said to Emily Berns, "Emily, I’m your fan, you know. I never expected you and uncle to have a kid. I’m so thrilled."
With Sarah Grandy’s words, Emily Berns felt it inappropriate to lose her temper with her and was a bit embarrassed as well, saying, "Don’t listen to his nonsense; it’s not true."
At this point, Sarah Grandy enthusiastically approached Emily Berns, somewhat at a loss, and said, "Emily, we all saw uncle and your daughter. She’s really beautiful, eyes like yours, nose and mouth like uncle’s, it’s unmistakable. This is great. So I’ll be able to see you often and even talk to you. Haha, that kid Little Grace always says she gets to see celebrities. But you’re like family to me, which is amazing."
Emily Berns was quite used to fans being tongue-tied around her, which made her unconsciously feel closer to Sarah Grandy. She said, "What did you say about being family?"
Sarah Grandy immediately puffed out her chest and said, "I’m uncle’s mistress. Since you’ve had a child with him, of course, we’re family now."
Emily Berns was suddenly speechless, what kind of logic is this? She glared at John Brown and said, "Wow, you have the guts to hook up with such a young girl."
John Brown let out an awkward laugh and said, "Charlotte just likes to fool around. Charlotte, go sit over there; I have something to talk to Emily about."
"Okay!" Sarah Grandy cheerfully agreed and obediently sat aside, her eyes wandering around Emily Berns’ home. This is a celebrity’s house, after all. She never imagined she’d get to visit a star’s home. This felt amazing.
Emily Berns crossed her arms, her left leg over her right knee, and cast a sidelong glance at John Brown, saying, "Weren’t you always avoiding me? What do you want to talk about now?"
John Brown smiled slightly and said, "Emily, I came to see our daughter. You can’t take away my rights as her father."
Emily Berns snorted, "I said she’s not my daughter; she’s someone else’s. Why are you randomly claiming her?"
"Even if you don’t admit it, it’s pointless. I’ve investigated. John Smith and Lisa Johnson have never had a child. This child is ours."
Emily Berns glared at John Brown, but didn’t deny it further. How could she deny it after John Brown had already seen the daughter?
With a light cough, John Brown said, "Here’s what I’m thinking. You’re a star now; it’s inconvenient for you to take care of her. But I’m her father, and I don’t have any pressing matters. It would be better for our daughter to be taken care of by me personally."
"Impossible!" Emily Berns glared at John Brown viciously, "When she was born, you never took care of her even for a day. Do you know how much trouble I’ve gone through to raise her this big? And now you want to take her away with just a word, absolutely not."
John Brown quickly gestured to calm her down, saying, "Emily, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not insisting on taking her away. It’s just that a child still needs her biological father’s care. If you were the one taking care of her, I wouldn’t think of taking her. But John Smith and Lisa Johnson, no matter how kind they are, aren’t her real parents. There’s a lack of genuine warmth from the heart. This is just their job, which isn’t good for the child’s future growth."
Emily Berns twitched her mouth, but still shook her head and said, "Even so, it’s not possible. You’ve never spent a day with her. She doesn’t even know you. How would she adapt if you take her away?"
John Brown froze for a moment. Emily Berns had a point; to the daughter, he’s basically a stranger. To have her recognize him would require a very long adjustment period. He wanted his daughter back to care for her properly, not to cause her more harm.
"If you really want to live with her, it’s simple. Just agree to one condition, and I’ll let her live with you immediately." Emily Berns said this with a smiling face.
John Brown was at first delighted but then, remembering Emily Berns’ personality, he knew what she meant and immediately felt troubled, saying, "Emily, you’re not suggesting we all live together again, are you?"
Emily Berns raised her head and said, "Precisely, that’s what I mean. If you want our daughter, the three of us have to be together. Didn’t you say it’s for the sake of her mental and emotional health? Naturally, both parents need to be by her side for her to be happy. Otherwise, how could she be?"
This left John Brown in a bind. But Sarah Grandy then urgently ran to John Brown’s side, grabbed his arm and shook it, saying, "Uncle, agree quickly!"