The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains
Chapter 194 Trying to Get Along

Seeing Emily's confused expression, Daniel started to panic a bit too. His mind was all over the place, and he felt a wave of unease wash over him. Unlike Michael, Daniel wasn't the type to push Emily into making a decision. "Emily," Daniel said, "you don't have to give me an answer right now. I get that you can't just accept all the chaos Michael's caused, and your mom... Look, take your time. I'll be here, waiting for you to figure things out. And I'll take care of your mom, not because I like you, but because it's the right thing to do. We've known each other for so long, right?"

To Emily, Daniel's honesty and maturity were something Michael could never match. The most important thing was that Daniel genuinely cared for her and her loved ones.

But Michael? That was a joke. They'd been married for nearly three years, and even though Michael seemed to have changed recently, he never showed any concern for Isabella.

Even if he had some affection for her, it felt fake, like he was just pretending. A playboy like him would forget his conquests once he was done, and being legally married didn't make any difference. Thinking about it made Emily feel upset all over again.

Daniel tried to comfort her, "Emily, don't cry, I won't say anything more!"

Emily didn't actually cry, but her face showed a brief moment of sadness. That was enough for Daniel to notice and care deeply.

Emily couldn't help but think back to all the times she and Michael had clashed. She had loved him for years, always putting him first, even giving up her dignity and career. She had cried countless times in front of him, had heart-wrenching arguments, and left in anger.

But Michael? He just blamed her over and over. The difference between them was huge.

Emily hated herself for being so selfless and for loving Michael so much. Compared to Penelope and Richard's high-profile divorce, Emily felt like she had lost even more, and in a more humiliating way. "Daniel," Emily said.

"Yeah?" Daniel replied.

"I'll think about it," Emily said.

Daniel's eyes lit up, "Emily, what did you say?"

"I said, I'll reconsider our relationship. If possible, let's try to be together," Emily replied.

For several days, Michael didn't show up at Smith Corporation. Mason noticed and called Emerald Lake Manor, but Michael didn't answer his private or home phone. He was completely out of touch. With Michael missing, Andrew was the one who had to deal with the fallout. He was already busy investigating the Brown family's IP address and company affairs, and now Mason was on his case too. "Why isn't Michael answering the phone? Did something happen between him and Emily? You need to tell me!" Mason demanded.

Meanwhile, at Emerald Lake Manor, in the master bedroom, Michael hadn't taken care of himself since Emily left. He still had his handsome features, but he looked much more worn out, with a bit of stubble giving him a rugged look. Ava had been checking on Michael every day, making sure he was still breathing since he hadn't left the house in days. She always had to come up with some excuse to avoid getting on his bad side.

"Mr. Smith, the phone's ringing again," Ava said.

"Just unplug it," Michael replied.

"Uh, Mr. Smith, do you want some lunch?" Ava asked.

"No, I'm heading out," Michael said.

"Oh, and if Emily comes back to get her stuff, call me right away," Michael added.

Ava nodded, "Yes, sir."

After that brief exchange, Michael grabbed his leather jacket and left. The roar of his sports car echoed outside Emerald Lake Manor, and Ava could only sigh helplessly.

Over at the Brown Villa, Sophia was examining her freshly done nails, but nothing seemed to please her. The manicurist across from her was getting nervous, thinking she had messed up.

Seeing Sophia's unapproachable demeanor, she swallowed hard and timidly asked, "Miss Brown, do you not like this style? I can remove it and redo it for you."

Evelyn, who was also getting her nails done, was there too. They had nothing better to do, so they called for an in-home manicure service.

Looking at Sophia's nails, which she had chosen herself, Evelyn couldn't help but wonder, "Aren't they nice?"

Sophia still looked displeased, and Evelyn knew why. She frowned and scolded her, "If you're mad, take it out on the person who deserves it, not on these innocent people! We're people of status, and if word gets out, people will talk about me again. I can't stand the drama, it's a nightmare!"

Evelyn's sarcastic tone wasn't lost on the two manicurists, but they had been paid well by the Brown family, so they couldn't argue back. "Madam, rest assured, we won't say anything," they said obediently.

The next second, Evelyn's expression changed like an actor's, suddenly showing a pleasant demeanor. "No, I wasn't talking about you."

Seeing this, Sophia's face showed her disgust for Evelyn's hypocrisy. She was also speechless at these sycophantic manicurists. Everyone was clearly laughing at her, so why pretend to be weak and pitiful?

It was like Emily, who always competed with her for everything, including her father, her husband, and Michael's wife's position, yet always pretended to be harmless, as if she was the one being bullied. Thinking of her now, Sophia couldn't help but feel a surge of hatred.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Evelyn and Sophia both assumed it was Hayden returning. But when the servant opened the door and saw Michael, they immediately shouted excitedly, "Mr. Smith!"

Hearing this, Evelyn was momentarily confused and shouted towards the door, "Why are you shouting? Which Mr. Smith? You scared me! If you mess up, you'll pay for it!"

"Wait! Mr. Smith? Michael!" Upon hearing this, Sophia immediately got up from the sofa, kicked away the manicurist, and ran out in her slippers.