Just as she stood there, frozen with uncertainty, the old man's voice cut through the silence.
"What are you doing here? Go get your sister-in-law..."
The words were aimed at Benjamin. The old man's anger was palpable.
This matter needed to be settled.
Benjamin let out a quiet sigh. None of this had anything to do with him.
Why should he be caught in the middle of that emotional storm?
Just as he was about to stand and go fetch Emma, the study door creaked open.
"Come in."
Henry Williams' voice carried an unmistakable edge.
All three men fixed their eyes on the doorway. The person who appeared before them was none other than the woman they had been discussing—Emma Johnson.
She stepped inside, cast a grateful glance at Liam, and walked straight toward the old man. "Dad, were you looking for me?"
"What are you doing here?" Liam's voice dropped low, thick with frustration when he saw her enter.
This foolish woman. Didn't she realize how hard he had been trying to shield her from the old man's wrath?
Now she had walked right into the lion's den. And there was nothing Liam could do about it.
"Liam, don't argue with Dad. I'm the one responsible for the company's troubles this time." Emma's voice was soft, barely above a whisper, but her hands trembled.
She had caused problems for the Williams family before.
But never had the old man been this furious. Never had he summoned her by name like this.
How could she not be afraid?
"You're just in time, Emma. As your father-in-law, I want to ask you one thing—what exactly have you done for this family?" Henry's face was ashen, his voice laced with menace.
What had she done for the family?
Emma lowered her head and thought for a moment.
Nothing.
Not really.
Even though she was Liam's wife, she had never fulfilled her duties. Whether at work or at home, Emma had never been able to help him.
On the contrary, Liam had bailed her out time and time again.
As the daughter-in-law of the Williams family, she had contributed nothing.
She couldn't earn money. She didn't have time to care for the old man. And now... she had damaged the family's reputation.
Thinking about this, Emma's head sank lower. She looked at the old man and shook her head silently. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'll be more careful from now on."
Her soft voice reached Liam's ears, and his heart ached.
He had wanted to say something. But then he looked at his father's expression—the old man was determined to blame Emma.
At this moment, the more Liam defended her, the angrier his father would become.
It would only make things worse.
With that thought, Liam pressed his lips together and stayed silent.
Benjamin glanced at the situation. He wanted to say something.
But if his brother wasn't speaking, maybe it wasn't his place to interfere?
He simply sat down on the sofa, pulled out his phone, and scrolled through his feed with feigned indifference.
The old man shot a look at Liam. Was it because of this woman that his son had become so disrespectful?
"Emma, it's not that I want to say harsh things to you. But think about it yourself. What did you do yesterday? At the press conference, your husband was on stage, speaking with focus and dedication. And you? What were you doing? Stirring up trouble in the audience, not once, but twice?"
It seemed the old man knew everything.
Those embarrassing incidents couldn't escape Henry Williams' watchful eyes.
"And in the banquet hall, you were laughing and chatting with a strange man. Did you ever think about how your husband felt? At a time like that, you should have been by his side every step of the way. But instead, you were happily talking to someone else. Who was he?"
This...
The old man must be referring to Elijah, right?
She had indeed chatted with Elijah in the banquet hall.
Was that really so wrong?
Just a few words. "Dad, he's my friend. We've known each other for years."
Emma's words were a mistake.
As God was her witness, there was nothing between her and Elijah.
But she didn't understand why Liam always harbored such deep hostility toward him.
And now, even the old man hated Elijah?
"Friends or not, you need to be mindful of propriety. Especially in public. Don't you know that the media can stir up a storm of public opinion with the slightest disturbance?"
That was true. Last time, Isabella had framed her, accusing her of infidelity and being a mistress.
Liam had to personally step in and shut down two newspapers that had reported irresponsibly before the matter was settled.
"I understand, Dad. I'm sorry."
What else could Emma say besides apologize?
Throughout this entire exchange, Liam hadn't spoken a word. He stood beside her, his face dark and gloomy.
Occasionally, he would glance at her out of the corner of his eye, then arrogantly turn away, pretending not to care.
"And Emma, Liam is your husband now. If he does something out of line because he's too impulsive, you need to stop him. I don't want to see what happened yesterday ever again."
Having said too much, Henry felt a little thirsty. He picked up his teacup and took a sip. "If you can promise to do all these things well, then I have nothing more to say. I won't criticize you as harshly as I did today. What do you think?"
"Yes, Dad is right. I will seriously reflect on my behavior and make changes."
"Good. I've said what I needed to say. Now, what are you going to do?"
The three of them walked out of the study. Emma kept her head down, not knowing what to say or do.
She let out a sigh and headed upstairs.
Liam watched her weak, desolate back. His heart tightened. He couldn't describe the feeling.
"Go see her, brother. She needs your comfort the most right now."
Benjamin nudged his arm, urging him to go upstairs.
"Yeah. If you're free today, go check out Las Vegas Entertainment City. I think you're almost ready to take over. From now on, it's yours."
Now that Benjamin was taking over the entertainment city, Liam could finally take a few days off. Someone else would share the burden, and he wouldn't have to worry as much.
Besides, he had full confidence in Benjamin. He never doubted his brother's abilities.
To be honest, ever since he met Emma, things had been piling up. It was starting to overwhelm him.
If Benjamin could help manage the group's internal affairs this time, Liam could save himself a lot of trouble.
"I understand, brother. Don't worry."
Benjamin waved his hand and headed down the stairs.