The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains

The gate door for Emerald Lake Manor was still her birthday.

Emily hadn't expected that. After hanging up the phone, she was clearly lost in thought for a long time.

From Veda's words, it was easy to tell that Michael had drunk a lot last night, to the point where he didn't answer calls and couldn't be woken up. The alleged assault seemed more like a setup.

Emily still couldn't believe that Michael would do something so reckless for no reason. Moreover, he represented the Smith family's reputation.

Even when their arguments had been at their worst, Michael had never laid a finger on her.

Thinking about all this made Emily's heart tighten, and her eyes grew warm.

She looked up at Archibald, who was also looking at her.

Archibald was clearly moved by Emily's expression. He sighed softly and handed her a tissue.

"Emily, don't worry. I'll contact Dean right away."

Archibald felt incredibly conflicted. He didn't want Emily to be so anxious and heartbroken over Michael, yet he had no choice but to help her contact Dean to uncover the truth. It made him feel powerless.

But rationally, Archibald was more concerned about whether Dean was involved than the actual truth of the matter.

Meanwhile, Dean was still asleep.

He and Sophia had moved to a different place, but it was still a hotel, and still a luxurious suite.

With the pocket money he had, continuing to live a lavish lifestyle wasn't a problem. Besides, Archibald would occasionally send him money. Dean accepted whatever came

his way and spent it freely and accepting whatever came his way.

This way, Sophia didn't have to worry about living on the streets.

Their quality of life hadn't declined despite the change in location.

Additionally, though Dean indulged in pleasure, he took good care of her. Their relationship had become more subtle and intimate, and they relied on each other for the time being.

The phone rang, and Dean groggily shifted, reaching for his phone and squinting at the caller ID.

It was Archibald.

Dean instantly woke up. He sat up, staring at the name on the screen for a long time, but decided not to answer.

He simply pressed the button to decline the call, lay back down, and closed his eyes again.

Beside him, Sophia had actually been awake for a while, but she didn't open her eyes. She pretended to sleep, watching Dean get up and lie back down, feeling a mix of emotions.

Sophia was smart enough to know who was calling.

Could Archibald be suspecting them?

But it seemed unlikely that news would travel so quickly to Archibald.

Even if he knew, so what?

Michael had indeed laid hands on her, cornering her against the wall. Everyone had seen it!

Who could help him out of this mess?

As Sophia's thoughts churned, Dean suddenly wrapped a large arm around her, bringing with it his steady warmth and reassuring heartbeat.

Sophia stiffened slightly but didn't move, letting the warmth envelop her.

Her anxiety eased a bit, and just as she was about to fall back asleep, Dean tightened his arm and spoke in a low voice by her ear.

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"Don't worry. I'll handle any problems. I'm not answering Archibald's calls. If I don't want to talk, he can't reach me."

Sophia smiled and snuggled closer to Dean.

She suddenly felt that this wasn't so bad.

At least for now, they had each other.

She felt a warmth that was more genuine and heartwarming than what she had felt with Michael.

Dean not answering the phone made Archibald feel like a failure.noveldrama

As someone who secretly loved Emily, he couldn't explain everything to her. As a brother, he couldn't reach Dean or even know where he was.

At that moment, Archibald recalled Celeste's words. Maybe he really should cut off Dean's financial support.

Only then would Dean know when to quit.

But now it was too late. Unable to reach Dean, he couldn't give Emily any answers.

Seeing Archibald holding his phone in silence, Emily guessed the reason.

She lowered her eyes in thought, then stood up. "It's okay, Archibald. Thanks for your help today. I'll figure something else out."

With that, Emily turned to leave. Archibald quickly reached out to stop her, his voice tinged with a plea. "Emily, what are you going to do next?"

Emily paused and looked at Archibald's hand.

Archibald realized he was being too hasty and quickly let go, apologizing. "I didn't mean to. I just..."

Emily smiled slightly. She knew Archibald didn't mean any harm.

Archibald just didn't want her to investigate Dean. In other words, Archibald had seen the photos in the reports and started to suspect Dean's involvement. Given Dean's close relationship with Sophia, and their animosity towards Michael, Dean's suspicion had increased significantly.

Archibald might not care about Michael, but he definitely cared about Dean's safety.

"I understand your concern," Emily said firmly, her gaze steady. "Archibald, contact Dean as soon as possible. I still need to investigate. After all, I can wait, but the Smith family's stocks and multimillion-dollar contracts can't."

Hearing this, Archibald felt like a heavy stone had dropped into his heart.

He became more confused and anxious, his tone growing more urgent. "Emily, why do

you have to help the Smith family? You've already divorced Michael!"

As soon as he said it, Archibald realized he had crossed a line.

This was not the time to ask such a question.

Sure enough, Emily's expression grew colder. She held her belly and looked at him for

a few moments.

She said nothing, but it felt like she had said everything.

The door closed softly, like a sigh, cutting off all unsaid words.

Archibald stood there, his breathing loud in his ears, acutely aware of Emily's resolute

back, contrasting sharply with the bowl of carefully prepared chicken soup on the table.

His heart was a mix of emotions.

The chicken soup was still steaming, but no one cared.

Kassy had come out of the room at some point. Seeing the situation, she asked Archibald, not knowing what had happened.

"Mr. Lancaster, should I reheat this chicken soup for you? Or would you prefer a fresh bowl?"

Archibald shook his head, said nothing, and hurried out the door with his phone.