The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains

Sophia wasn't clueless; she knew Michael was in no mood to deal with anyone right now. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ignored all those calls.

Luckily, today's visit wasn't a total bust; she got some good news. Her spirits lifted, and she whistled a happy tune on her way home.

Hayden and Evelyn were chilling, watching TV. Seeing Sophia so upbeat, Evelyn quickly got up and asked, "Did you see Michael? Why are you so happy? What did he say? Did he give you any money? Don't let him take advantage of you for nothing. Make sure to bring back some cash for the household!"

Sophia, annoyed by Evelyn's narrow-mindedness, shook her head and took off her diamond earrings. "Mom, are you that desperate for money? Why do you always talk about money? When I marry Michael, do you think we'll still be short on cash? We'll have more than we can spend. If you keep worrying about a little money now, people will really look down on us!"

Evelyn knew her daughter well; she knew Sophia was a proud person. But when the day came that she couldn't fill her stomach, that pride would dissipate like a wisp of smoke, serving no purpose at all.

Thinking of this, Evelyn anxiously sat on the bed and said to Sophia, "You don't understand! Emily has approached your father. She is asking him for all the shares of Brown Corporation! You're not worried now, fine. But if that wretch really takes all the shares, we'll end up homeless!"

What! Sophia's good mood was shattered by Evelyn's words. 'Emily again! That persistent wretch! When will she stop disrupting my life and taking everything from me!' she thought.

"She's dreaming! Who does she think she is, an illegitimate daughter of the Brown family? How could she take all of Dad's shares?" As she cursed, Sophia seemed to think of something and exclaimed, startling Hayden. "What are you screaming about in the middle of the night? I have a meeting tomorrow!" Hayden grumbled.

Seeing Hayden come over, Sophia quickly clung to his arm, crying pitifully. "Dad, you absolutely can't give all the shares of Brown Corporation to Emily. No, you can't give her any at all. From today, from now on, you must sever all ties with her! Tonight, I heard it with my own ears. Michael wants Emily to repay all the expenses from the past three years in the Smith family. That's no small amount! Dad, do you want to give everything you've worked so hard for to that spendthrift Emily and watch Mom and me suffer?"

What? Hayden was stunned by Sophia's words.

Seeing this, Evelyn also started crying along with Sophia. If they could use this opportunity to make Hayden sever ties with Emily, it would eliminate future troubles! No one would ever call Sophia an illegitimate daughter again. Only those without parents' love were illegitimate children!

"Honey, I've been married to you for so many years, gave you a daughter, and took care of you. You must protect us and not let that ungrateful Emily ruin us and leave us homeless!" Evelyn pleaded.

"And Brown Corporation, that's the result of your hard work for over twenty years," Evelyn reminded Hayden, knowing exactly how to push his buttons.

Over the years, she had managed to win Hayden over from Emily's mother through a mix of sweet talk and manipulation. She knew what made him tick, and a few well-placed words were enough to set him off.

In an instant, Hayden's face flushed with anger. He slammed his hand on Sophia's dressing table and shouted, "Never! I will never let Emily destroy our family and Brown Corporation!"

Hayden was a tough character, even capable of deceiving himself when he got mad. In his eyes, Brown Corporation was his creation. As for Emily's mother, Isabella, and their past, it felt like ancient history. This was why Hayden was always reluctant to see Emily; her face was a constant reminder of his past mistakes.

"I will sever all ties with her immediately!" he declared, slamming the table again. This time, the impact sent Sophia's expensive cosmetics crashing to the floor.

"Dad! Why do you have to slam the table while talking? My makeup, which cost thousands of dollars, is all broken!" Sophia whined, even more upset now.

Evelyn quickly changed her expression and pulled Hayden out of the room, winking at Sophia and saying, "It's just makeup! Don't be so petty! Once we get rid of that wretch, you'll have as much as you want!"

Thinking it over, Sophia realized her mom was right. She took a deep breath but still frowned at the broken glass on the floor.

Emerald City was usually sunny all year round, but the next morning brought a rare rainy day. Dark clouds swirled in the sky, and a light drizzle fell, making everything feel gloomy.

Michael stood by the window, finishing his coffee, but Emily still hadn't come downstairs. 'Maybe she didn't sleep well last night and fell asleep again,' he thought, trying to comfort himself despite feeling uneasy. After a while, Ava came over and said, "Mr. Smith, breakfast is ready."

"Okay," Michael replied. After thinking for a moment, he turned to Ava and said, "Ava, go check if Emily is up and ask her to come down for breakfast."

Ava nodded, used to their daily squabbles. She didn't know what had happened last night and thought Emily was just sulking with Michael again. Ava thought, 'Sulking is good; it means there are still feelings.'

But when Ava tried to persuade Emily with this, she didn't know that Emily's heart had already turned cold. Now, at Emerald Lake Manor, Emily felt like a walking corpse.

"Mrs. Smith, it's bad for your health not to eat. You have people to take care of, don't you? They're counting on you. You can't let yourself fall apart!" Ava said, trying to coax her.

Hearing this, Emily, lying in bed, blinked. Ava knew this approach worked and continued, "Mrs. Smith! You already have a stomach condition. If you don't eat, your health will get worse. Then you won't be able to take care of yourself. Have you thought about what will happen to them?"

'Yes, the baby and Mom. They were waiting for me to take care of them,' Emily thought. She knew she had to hold on.