John Brown was most worried about Emily Berns and Gina Lopez having a conflict, but today, it seemed like no such thing happened. Although the two weren’t especially friendly, they got along well enough, especially in front of their daughter, as neither wanted to leave Little Violet with a bad impression.
As it approached eight o’clock, Little Violet should wash up and sleep, but Emily Berns hadn’t mentioned leaving yet, and Gina Lopez considered it inappropriate to say anything. However, Emily Lopez didn’t care about these things and said, "Violet, it’s getting late, we should have a bath and go to sleep."
With so many people around today, Little Violet was having a lot of fun, but she obediently agreed.
Emily Berns quickly said, "Let me help Violet with her bath."
Emily Lopez replied with a grin, "No need, I can do it myself."
Even though Emily Berns understood that Emily Lopez was directly rejecting her, she still smilingly said, "One more person wouldn’t hurt, right? I find giving Little Violet a bath quite fun myself."
John Brown gently shook his head; this Emily Berns was quite different from the past in the JH Region. Back then, she had quite a bad temper, quick to ignite, and if someone had rejected her like that, she would have gotten angry in no time. But now, she could keep a straight face and even respond with a smile, clearly showing a lot more maturity than before.
This version of Emily Berns might not cause John Brown the headaches she used to, but was all the harder to deal with. Before, she was just a simple-minded tomboy, but now she’s become an intelligent and strong woman.
In the end, it was Gina Lopez and Emily Berns who bathed Little Violet together, while Emily Lopez sat down next to John Brown, pouting, and said, "Brother-in-law, isn’t Emily Berns just shameless? I said those things, yet she stayed."
John Brown gently coughed; he couldn’t criticize Emily Berns, and honestly, what she did couldn’t be blamed. After all, Little Violet was her own daughter.
"Don’t be upset. Violet is her daughter, and it’s good enough that she’s peaceful. Are you hoping she’d push me to be with her like before?"
Emily Lopez curled her lips and said, "Though she’s not saying it outright like she used to, it’s not like she doesn’t want it anymore; she’s just taken her schemes underground, plotting who knows what to snatch you away."
John Brown laughed, "I’m not just some object to be snatched; even if she wants to, she can’t just take me away."
Emily Lopez stroked her chin and giggled, "True enough, no matter how good she is, she’s just one person, but in our family, there are two. Plus, my sister agreed to Charlotte and Emma; you now have four people taking care of you—having both a wife and concubines, with even some on the side—shouldn’t that be more than enough for men like you?"
The wife is Gina Lopez; Charlotte and Emma Campbell are the concubines, and the one on the side is naturally Emily Lopez.
For men, there’s a saying: A wife can’t compare to a concubine, a concubine to one on the side, and the one on the side can’t compare to what’s unattainable. Right now, John Brown seems to have it all, and as a man, he should feel quite satisfied.
John Brown was inevitably a bit embarrassed, as Emily Lopez had pretty much hit the nail on the head, saying, "Honestly, I feel quite satisfied, extraordinarily so."
Emily Lopez saw John Brown’s awkward expression and burst into laughter, "Look how pleased you are."
They chatted about trivial things, but Emily Lopez didn’t make any outrageous moves with John Brown; after last night’s scare and thrill, and with Emily Berns around today, neither of them wanted to stir up trouble.
After bathing Little Violet, Emily Berns finally suggested leaving, then looked at John Brown and asked, "Won’t you see me off?"
Emily Lopez quickly interjected, "It’s not far, does she really need seeing off?"
Emily Berns smiled slightly and said, "I just want to chat with John Brown on the way, you’re not worried we’d do something improper, are you? Don’t worry, it won’t take half an hour before he’s back."
Since Emily Berns put it that way, Gina Lopez couldn’t say much more and said to John Brown, "Honey, why don’t you accompany Emily Berns."
Emily Berns smiled sweetly at John Brown and said, "Your wife has spoken; are you really not going to agree?"
John Brown glanced at Gina Lopez and saw her nodding, so he said, "Alright, let’s go. I’ll walk you out."
Watching John Brown and Emily Berns leave, Emily Lopez immediately puckered her lips and said, "Sis, why did you let brother-in-law escort her?"
Gina Lopez smiled slightly and said, "I want to keep an eye on him, but he has hands and feet; I can watch him when he’s in front of me. But when I’m not around, how would I keep an eye on him? So, it ultimately depends on his self-discipline."
Emily Lopez disdainfully replied, "Aw, come on. Men don’t have self-discipline; they’ll never feel they have too many beauties. Whenever there’s an opportunity, they’ll always look to try something new."
Gina Lopez stared at Emily Lopez with a smile on her lips and said, "You seem to understand well, so why don’t you find a boyfriend and show me."
"I’m not going to look for anyone; having to constantly think about how to appease your brother-in-law like you do sounds exhausting. It’s better to be carefree on my own."
"But I’ve also found a lot of joy in it, something you can’t experience when you’re alone."
"Alright, alright, don’t start nagging me like Mom, trying to push me into blind dates again."
The two sisters were bickering here when John Brown already came down with Emily Berns, taking the elevator to the ground floor. By now it was dark, yet the streetlights and building lights within the park area lit up the place, making it appear not dark at all. Many people were strolling along the park paths, and some kids were frolicking near the lawn and ponds.
Walking side by side, Emily Berns said to John Brown, "Will you accompany me for a walk? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you return within half an hour."
John Brown nodded with a smile, saying, "Of course."
The two of them wandered down the path slowly in silence for about four or five minutes before Emily Berns spoke softly, "I used to daydream about having dinner together and taking a walk with the kids ."
Emily Berns brushed her hair back and gave a charming smile, "I first dreamed about it the year you left."
John Brown, amused, asked, "Back then, were you so wild and yet thought of such poetic things?"
Emily Berns wasn’t fazed at all, "I might have been wild at that time, but only with you. I actually wasn’t so temperamental with others. Didn’t you ever notice?"
John Brown pondered and said, "It seems so. I always thought you just disliked me."
"I hated you at first, but later you started to grow on me. Yet, I couldn’t let go of my pride, so I kept pushing you away. Still, deep down, I hoped for romantic evenings with you. But who knew, once you left, you wouldn’t contact me anymore."
Carefully picking a blossom, Emily Berns brought it to her nose, breathing in its fragrance gracefully and charmingly, and John Brown found himself momentarily entranced.
"If back then I had let go of my pride and not clashed with you, perhaps we wouldn’t have ended . Do you think so?" Emily Berns turned to John Brown.
John Brown hesitated before shaking his head, saying, "Emily, honestly, back then, even if you were like you are now, I wouldn’t have been with you."
"Why?" Emily Berns furrowed her brow.
John Brown smiled slightly, "Back then, I was just a small soldier, while you were the Maiden of Heaven. The gap between us was too vast. Besides, I had someone on my mind, an old flame. My heart couldn’t accommodate anyone else."
"You’re talking about Melody Yoody. Then why didn’t you marry her, but married Gina Lopez instead?" This was something Emily Berns couldn’t accept.
John Brown gazed into the distance and replied, "It’s just fate, I suppose. I did find her when I returned, but due to some reasons, we couldn’t come together. Oddly enough, after marrying Gina, the tension between us faded, and even her family didn’t oppose our being together anymore."
Talking about this, John Brown felt a bit helpless, too. He had gone through so much with Melody Yoody, being his first love; they both held a place in each other’s hearts and were meant to be together, yet couldn’t be rightfully united now.
Emily Berns sighed softly, "Are you trying to tell me we don’t have that kind of fate either?"
John Brown lit a cigarette, took a drag, and said, "Emily, I really can’t divorce Gina now. It’s a promise as a man, so don’t pressure me. Even if we can’t be a couple, we still have our daughter together."
"Yeah, we have a daughter together; I should be content with that." Emily Berns laughed self-deprecatingly and shook her head, "Alright, I won’t press you. Just treat me as a good friend."
Emily Berns’s statement somewhat surprised John Brown, leaving him unsure of how to respond.
Then Emily Berns looked at John Brown and burst into laughter, exclaiming with a charming tone, "What, are you uncomfortable because I’m not clinging to you anymore?"
"Not at all; if you really think this way, I’m genuinely happy for you."
Emily Berns rolled her eyes at John Brown, "Come off it; aren’t you just glad you no longer have to worry about me?"
John Brown laughed awkwardly, "Anyway, I feel being with you is much easier."