During lunch, Emma Johnson couldn't figure out when she had upset Benjamin Williams. She kept feeling his gaze on her, filled with obvious displeasure.
It seemed she must have done something to offend him, but for the life of her, she couldn't think what. She had no idea why he looked at her with such disgust.
After the meal, when they returned to their room upstairs, Emma asked Liam Williams in confusion.
"What's wrong with your brother? Did I say something that made him angry?"
Emma tried to recall their conversation. She didn't think she had said anything inappropriate. Liam just smiled and shook his head, which only made Emma more puzzled.
Still, she didn't see Benjamin often. And because of Amelia White, he had already formed a deep misunderstanding about her. So maybe it was only natural that he disliked seeing her at Sunrise Manor.
Emma decided to let it go.
At dinner, old Mr. Henry Williams once again hinted that he wanted a grandchild. Emma didn't dare to respond. The truth was, she was secretly taking birth control pills. Even Liam didn't know about it, so having a child was completely out of the question.
Liam, on the other hand, seemed lost in thought after dealing with his father's hints. He wore a contemplative expression.
"Sister-in-law, you and my brother have only been married a few months. Do you really want to have children so soon?"
After dinner, father and son went to the study to talk business. Emma and Amelia White were sitting on the sofa eating fruit. Emma was caught off guard by the question, and she wondered how many people would gossip about her.
She turned her head to look at Amelia. She never expected her to ask such a question.
"It's not really a matter of wanting or not wanting."
Emma gave a dry smile, unsure how to answer Amelia. She didn't dare say she didn't want children at all. What if Amelia was like the old man and hoped to hold a nephew soon? If she said she had no plans for a baby, and Amelia told her father-in-law, then she really wouldn't want to set foot in Sunrise Manor again.
"Even so, I think you're still very young, sister-in-law. You can postpone the whole child thing. My father's thinking is really old-fashioned. I noticed your expression at dinner—you must be under a lot of pressure. Don't take my father's words to heart. I don't think you need to worry at all."
Emma looked at Amelia in surprise. She hadn't expected her to advise against rushing into having a child. She agreed in her heart, but it felt strange hearing those words come from Amelia's mouth. Just then, the study door opened and Liam came out.
They stopped talking.
That evening, they left Sunrise Manor, and Liam drove back to their apartment. Emma leaned against the car seat with her eyes closed, but her eyelashes fluttered gently. She wasn't asleep at all.
For some reason, she was a little afraid that Liam would bring up the topic of having a baby. But then she thought it was impossible. He was one of the parties to their contract, after all. So even if she said she didn't want children, Liam shouldn't be angry or confused.
Still, Emma didn't know how to talk to him about it. After struggling for a long time, she simply pretended to sleep, leaning against the back of the seat.
Maybe there was no need to discuss it at all. There should be an unspoken understanding between them. Except for their intimate moments, Liam never did anything to make Emma feel pressured. And since she always took the pill afterward, it wasn't a problem.
Liam knew Emma was pretending to sleep. He guessed that his father's words had affected her. He just didn't know what she was thinking now.
Maybe having a child would change her mind. It might make her gradually drift away from her work and focus on their family. And for some reason, he found himself starting to look forward to it.
That's why he deliberately didn't take precautions every time. Perhaps deep down, he shared his father's hope that he and Emma could create a new life together. A small, soft, adorable child that belonged only to him and Emma.
The next morning, Emma opened her eyes groggily. The man beside her was no longer in bed. The sound of cooking came from the kitchen outside the bedroom. Morning light streamed in through the curtains. It was still early.
She was dazed for a moment, realizing she was growing more and more accustomed to this life. Getting used to something could be terrifying sometimes. Without realizing it, she had forgotten about their original contract many times, as if she were truly married and planning to spend the rest of her life with the man in this room.
When she thought about what Liam had said to her, she had dismissed it as a joke. But looking back now, it still made her heart race.
Emma shook her head, trying to clear the complicated thoughts from her mind.
At noon, Liam went to meet a client. Emma and Emilia Clark went to the cafeteria for lunch. The employees were no longer as curious about the president's wife appearing in the cafeteria as they had been before. They were almost certain now that she wasn't out of favor.
Emma came to the cafeteria because she thought the food was delicious. According to Christopher Martin, the ingredients used by Pinnacle Corporation's kitchen came from their own greenhouse in the suburbs. In her opinion, it was truly organic, pollution-free food, better than many restaurants.
Just as she finished eating and was heading upstairs with Emilia, Olivia Davis called her. Her voice sounded very anxious.
"Emma, I just saw the news on TV. It said that Portland in the south has had landslides because of days of heavy rain. Many houses there were buried by mudslides. Mia is still in Portland and hasn't come back. I don't know if something has happened to her."
As soon as Emma heard Olivia's words, her heart sank. There was a mudslide in Portland, and Mia hadn't returned to the city yet.
She hurriedly tried to calm Olivia down, telling her to take a deep breath, while frantically searching for videos on her phone. The male reporter in the news broadcast was wearing a dark green raincoat, his expression solemn and serious.