"Yes, I told you I'd give you a big surprise. Elijah's back home. He said he wanted to see me and your father." As soon as Sophia Johnson's words left her mouth, the smile on Emma Johnson's face vanished instantly.
Elijah? Showing up at her house without even a word?
When Liam Williams heard the name, he froze. A complicated expression flickered across his face before disappearing just as quickly.
So Christopher Martin's message to him was true. Emma's family seemed to be quite familiar with Elijah.
Just as he was thinking this, a tall, lean figure emerged from the kitchen. The man glanced at Emma, then completely ignored Liam's presence. "Emma, what are you doing back?"
What? Did she hear that right?
What did Elijah just say?
This was obviously Emma's home, wasn't it?
As a guest, what right did he have to say something like that?
Emma paused and nervously glanced at Liam. Thankfully, he wasn't having one of his episodes today. Otherwise, her family would be in complete chaos.
Emma shot Elijah a dirty look and said angrily, "Elijah, listen to yourself. This is my home. I should be the one asking you—why did you just show up at my house?"
"I missed your parents. I haven't seen them in years. Can't I come visit them?" Elijah wore an expression that said, I came because I wanted to, what are you going to do about it? It drove Emma absolutely crazy.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have minded. But now... Liam was here too, wasn't he?
Elijah acted as if he hadn't seen Liam at all, as if he had some kind of automatic屏蔽功能.
"Emma, how can you talk like that? A guest is a guest. Besides, you and Elijah grew up together. When he left, you were secretly sad for a long time. Now that he's back, why aren't you happy?" Sophia Johnson had a quick mouth and spoke her mind without thinking.
Liam's face turned white, then green, as he heard those words.
So... were they really childhood friends?
Liam frowned, lowered his head, changed his shoes, and placed his things on the coffee table. His expression was a bit uncomfortable.
Sophia had been watching her son-in-law closely. Seeing that he had been silent the whole time, while Emma and Elijah were arguing more than usual, the atmosphere was getting awkward.
Just then, James Johnson poked his head out of the kitchen. "What are you all standing around for? Come eat. Liam, come on in."
James specifically called out Liam's name, hoping to avoid any misunderstandings. After all, this kind of thing wasn't worth causing trouble over.
But who would have guessed that during dinner, Elijah would go too far. He kept putting food into Emma's bowl, saying, "Emma, I remember you didn't like onions when you were a kid. You're still so picky..."
"Emma, I remember you loved sweets. You could eat them and never gain weight. Do you still like them now? I bought you a box of chocolates and put it in your room. Remember to eat them..."
"Emma..." Elijah had only said half a sentence when Emma ruthlessly cut him off.
"If you're not going to eat, and you're not going to sleep, then just shut up! Or I'll kick you out, believe me or not?" Emma could tolerate a lot, but not this. Had he forgotten that the last time Liam saw them walking home together, Liam was so angry he beat Elijah up?
This brat had clearly forgotten the pain.
Liam didn't say a word the entire time. He just quietly ate the rice in his bowl, but his sensitive ears caught every single word Elijah said. He was afraid that if he missed even a little, he might overlook something important.
"I'm telling you, how did you end up marrying such a fierce woman? Was the man who married you blind?" Elijah deliberately raised his voice, seeing that Liam still hadn't spoken.
Emma's heart almost jumped out of her chest when she heard that.
She secretly glanced at Liam. Fortunately, he wasn't angry... Thank God he's not angry.
If this had been any other time, he would have jumped up and beaten Elijah severely.
Elijah was really giving Emma a headache.
God, her relationship with Liam had only just started to improve. Why did he have to tease him like this?
Why did Elijah have to come home at a time like this? What a mess.
Emma's heart was practically collapsing.
Liam didn't say a single word throughout the entire meal, which surprised both James and Sophia. Was their son-in-law... actually jealous?
This was supposed to be a simple family dinner, a happy conversation. But now, with Elijah here, Emma's heart was filled with nothing but suffering and nervousness.
Would Liam be angry?
Sigh... What kind of crap is this?
Emma let out a long sigh, then turned her head to glance at Liam. He was still the same—not angry, but not saying a word either.
Liam was so close to her that he had a panoramic view of her every move.
In less than fifteen minutes of the meal, Emma had looked at him more than three times. What was she so nervous about?
Afraid he would get angry? Or afraid he would hurt Elijah?
After a while, Emma finally couldn't help herself. She put a spare rib into Liam's bowl and stammered, "Husband... you should eat more. Elijah is just a good friend I grew up with when I was young."
Emma spoke carefully. She really didn't know why Liam looked so tense, as if he was ready for a fight.
This explanation should be enough to keep Liam from getting angry, right? Emma finished speaking and looked at him. He was still expressionless.
...Was he angry or not? What else could she say?
Why was she so miserable? Why did she have to meet such a cold husband?
In truth, Liam wasn't angry. He just didn't know what to say, so he kept silent.
He had also noticed that Emma seemed very afraid of him getting angry. She kept turning her eyes to him from time to time.
Liam actually enjoyed Emma's concern. It made him feel more at ease, so he pretended to be angry.
The person who should have spoken didn't respond, but the one who shouldn't have spoken answered. Elijah nodded with a smile. "That's right, we grew up together. I've even seen Emma in diapers."
"You're full of crap. I'm two years older than you. Who cares? Elijah, if you keep talking nonsense, I'll really beat you up."
Emma was about to be driven crazy by this brat. Couldn't he see that she was almost having a nervous breakdown? And he was still making trouble!
After she finished yelling at Elijah, Emma saw that Liam's face had darkened a few more shades.
He was wearing a black suit, his tall, lean figure exuding a noble and elegant temperament. But his face had been gloomy the entire time.